I never understood the logic between 2 inches of fat and lifting more weight? Fat does not lift weight well as far as I know.
Having a thicker waist creates a more stable center of gravity which will allow for lifting more weight on certain exercises. Also, a few inches of fat all over the body, effectively decreases the range of motion of certain exercises, thus making many easier.
Inches DO MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE! Try this one out for yourself. Use a Bench press machine and set the machine at different intervals for range of motion. Notice that it gets increasingly difficult the further the range of motion. Even One notch is a big difference. Now look at what changed.....The trajectory is the same, the angle is the same...The only thing different is the starting and ending point. My what a difference an inch can make!