I've been staying in communities / areas that are relatively fat free and it makes life so much better. People are already flakey. Fats are completely useless. If there aren't enough people around it's impossible to find someone to workout with.  For OP - yes, very similar experiences outside of small communities of fit people. People remark on how fit I am. I'm not that fit. I consider myself to be what the average ought to be. I am strong, I have decent cardio, and I'm happy with the progress I've made, but I'm not impressed with myself. I know people that run up mountains for fun; others that train for freediving for fun; and some that are professional athletes - those people are incredibly fit.