posted
It's amazing what drastic measures it takes to get us to change our favorite habits, isn't it?
Because, as has been said, it's not the surgery that gets rid of the weight - it's the change in diet and exercise. But some of us, in order to make those changes, have to be forced into it by going through dangerous and painful major surgery. Wow.
I have my own habits I'm trying to break, and I wonder what it'll take to get me to change them. Just a vague "you'll be happier/healthier if you quit" doesn't seem to be motivation enough, does it?
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quote:Because, as has been said, it's not the surgery that gets rid of the weight - it's the change in diet and exercise. But some of us, in order to make those changes, have to be forced into it by going through dangerous and painful major surgery. Wow.
I don't think people realize how very hard it is for people who are inclined to be overweight to actually lose the weight.
Of course eating well and exercise is the key to weight loss (unless you have insulin resistance or some other condition). However, for people like me, and I assume Aretee, we need to eat a WHOLE lot better than the average person and exercise a WHOLE lot more to achieve the results.
For a normal person, working out 3 times a week and not eating dessert all the time is enough to get them into shape. For me, if I do everything right and I do mean everything, then I won't gain weight, but I won't lose weight either. I walk 3 miles a day and it makes no difference. It's not about changing the leafy greens in our diets or walking 30 minutes a day--if those of us who lost the genetic lottery even want to dream about being normal then it requires the highest, most consuming commitment. It would literally rule my life.
This is why the "it's all about change in lifestyle habits" attitude completely disenfranchises people like me--it's not as simple as that. Not even close.
Gastric bypass is NOT like joining a gym. Of course it is helpful psychologically, very much so. But it is also giving people who, if they eat like normal people won't lose weight, a physical tool to restrict EVERY MEAL they eat to an amount few people can tolerate. Because that's, for such people, the only way it is possible to even possibly consider losing the right amount of weight.
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quote:For a normal person, working out 3 times a week and not eating dessert all the time is enough to get them into shape.
No, it isn't. Maybe for a teenager, but for average adults, working out for 30 min a day three times a week will keep them treading water. Actually getting into shape requires upping either time, frequency, or both.
30 min of arebic excercise is, about, 250 calories. That's one bagel. Doing that seven times a week with no change in diet will result in one pound every two weeks.
For everyone, it takes a great deal of exercise to lose weight. When I am working 30 minutes a day several times a week, then I just tread water. I'm not skinny, but I'm not really fat either - basically normal, can still shop in regular stores.
I have lost a lot of weight through diet and exercise, and it took a strict diet and buttloads of exercise. It does for everyone. The gorgeous actresses you see in the pages work out for an hour every day, 5-6 days a week simply to maintain. It always takes an extraordinary amount of work to lose weight.
quote:if those of us who lost the genetic lottery even want to dream about being normal then it requires the highest, most consuming commitment. It would literally rule my life.
Except for the few people who really do have the metabolism of hummingbirds, for most adults >25 to look "normal", it takes a lot of gym time.
I remember when I discovered that a few years ago - that the beautiful women in my church spent five days a week at the gym. It doesn't rule their life - it is part of their lives.
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posted
Something important to consider is that some people have particular medical conditions that prevent them from losing weight in the traditional way--they even might gain weight if they eat like their peers.
The specific example I'm talking about is PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome (or Disease) which many women have. PCOS is also often associated with Insulin Resistance. Women with IR can go on a diet and lose nothing. But if they learn to limit (NOT eliminate) carbs and pair them with protein, they can have a lot more success and start to actually lose weight for the first time in their lives.
So there is a dietary fix for women with PCOS and IR, but since it can be difficult to be diagnosed, many women don't even know they have the problem in the first place. All they know is that they can eat what is considered to be a healthy diet and still gain weight.
I hope that any woman who considers having bypass surgery first is evaluated for PCOS and IR.
And this problem is NOT psychological, and it's not a thyroid problem. Yes, it can be fixed by eating a specialized diet, but only if you know about it--and many people don't. So it's not just about eating less and exercising more.
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posted
I know that some people have physical complications such as the above. For instance, a faulty thyroid will wreak all kinds of havoc on one's body (which is something my mother had ).
I do think that physical ailments such as PCOS and thyroid problems are much more rare than the general overweight population of America would like to think they are. Diet and exercise will work 95% of people. It takes drastic, lifestyle-altering changes, but that's the way we are wired. It's good that 30 minutes of exercise a day doesn't wittle us down, because before we had our current sedentary lifestyle, bodies like that would mean no one would survive a hard winter.
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Yeah, I was one of those skinny kids who could eat anything and not gain weight...boy does that change as you get going into your 20's. I needed to gain some weight but certainly not as much as I have. I really dislike 'working out' especially with random strangers. Basketball was the most athletic thing I used to do regularly that I miss, even bought a ball the other day. Maybe I can get into during the summer, it stays light really late here now. That and working on turning a good DP with Thomas. Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
I think PCOS is more common than most people think, and that the numbers of women who have it is rising. This is my opinion, of course. I think that it has a lot to do with our (society's) current lifestyle and eating habits. I don't, for example, think this has been a problem for hundreds of years.
But again, this is my opinion, and time will tell. But in the meantime, I would recommend that any woman with at least 2 or 3 of the common PCOS symptoms should get checked out for it--from a competent gynecologist and/or endocrinologist.
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quote:I think that it has a lot to do with our (society's) current lifestyle and eating habits. I don't, for example, think this has been a problem for hundreds of years.
It's kind of a matter of which is causing which, if this is true (which I do not grant).
I mean, if the PCOS comes from a lack of exercise and poor eating habits, then that's even a larger reason to drastically change the exercise and eating habits.
Our current, average, American lifestyle is bad for us. That does mean that in order to look and feel like we have healthier lifetstyles, it takes drastic, permanent change. It always will. The slim people you see over 25 are, with a few exceptions, working very hard at it.
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posted
No, I don't think that PCOS comes from a lack of exercise and poor eating habits, but more as a genetic thing, that has gotten worse over time. *shrugs* I'm not a doctor...
ETA: Okay, that's exactly what I SAID, but it's not what I meant. It's kind of like the reason that I think so many young girls are starting their periods earlier and earlier--there is an emphasis on sex in our culture that is strong, and I think that affects our bodies. So I make the supposition that women with PCOS, and specifically IR, are getting the syndrome from a high-carb diet around puberty, and that they're also affected by the problems their mothers had, and other environmental factors.
But I totally agree that women with PCOS, or any person with a medical condition that makes weight loss more difficult, has to drastically change their exercise and eating habits. My only point was that the same eating habits might not work for those people, and that they have to be aware of their situation and make the appropriate changes for THEIR bodies.
I make that point because some overweight people might be doing everything "right," and not lose any weight, and other people will look at them and scoff and think they just sit around doing nothing but eating chips, when it's simply NOT true. These people are just not aware that a different sort of diet is necessary for a medical condition they didn't even know they had. Knowledge is the answer, and it helps if people are more understanding of that.
posted
The reason I don't like that argument is not that it's inaccurate, just misleading. People don't need another excuse to not do their best to improve their physical condition.
Conditions like the ones you listed surely exist, but saying that they are the reason why more than a sliver of people aren't losing weight does all of us a disservice.
I'd guess it's more like what katharina said, 5/95 split.
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posted
I will mention that in olden times, it was considered very desirable to be overweight, as it was a sign that you were wealthy and could afford to eat a lot.
So I'd say no, it's not a new problem. Society is not crumbling around us anymore than it's been crumbling around us through all of time.
posted
*shrugs* I have strange theories based on not much at all.
But PCOS and IR is real and more than just a sliver of people have it. You can believe what you like. And it's not an excuse. For all of the PCOS women I know, and I know a lot, all of them are greatly relieved to learn that YES, there is a reason they're not losing weight, and they are overjoyed to learn about a diet that actually WORKS for them. And every single one of them looks at it as a new way of eating for the rest of their lives, not just a diet.
And since it is a diagnosable condition, and not one that is fun to have, I don't think it does anyone a disservice to point it out as a possible problem. If people are pointing at PCOS as an excuse to sit around and not do anything about it, then they'd probably do that with any condition that they could think of, such as thyroid problems.
I just hate the mindset that says, oh, things like PCOS, thyroid, and other problems are SO rare that that fat chick over there probably doesn't have any of them. After all, she's eating something. What a lazy cow. And she might even think that she's so worthless for not losing weight because her doctor isn't competent enough to notice the PCOS signs. (And there are thin PCOS'ers out there. It's not all about being fat.)
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posted
Your last paragraph contains a lot of vitriol. I know I have never thought any of that, and I certainly doubt that anyone else in this thread has.
Saying that vigorous diet and exercise will work for 95% is not passing a judgement on anyone. Life is busy, and while it doesn't take a life devoted to it, it does take some time. I think people are free to set their own priorities, and priorities are most often thrust upon people.
No one in this thread is coming out with scorn towards people who are overweight. I'd never put "just" in front of "diet and exercise." It isn't easy. I do think it's possible.
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quote:Originally posted by katharina: Your last paragraph contains a lot of vitriol. I know I have never thought any of that, and I certainly doubt that anyone else in this thread has.
Maybe not explicitly that, but plenty of people probably think "Oh, why is she eating, she's fat enough already."
And the thing is, a lot of times that attitude really does show. Especially since the person is probably already hypersensitive to people thinking/saying bad things towards them.
posted
Sorry, it does. It's based on a lot of assumptions about people that probably aren't true here. But in my defense, I wasn't talking in particular about anyone here. And there are people like that..
I guess it bothers me that it's still okay to make fun of fat people... one of the last safe targets for mean attacks. I haven't found that to be true HERE, and I don't think that's what's going on.
The thing is, I've been overweight pretty much my whole life, and I've never been treated meanly because of it--not that I remember, anyway. (I do have a tendency to choose to not remember certain things... such as in 8th grade.. those girls could have been mean to me because of my size.) So I'm not really sure why I'm so defensive about it. It could be because it wasn't what was done to me, but rather the lack of attention from boys in high school and things like that. That really bothered me, and so did seeing the fat jokes and mocking on TV and movies. It doesn't bother me anymore, since I'm happily married and simply want to lose weight for my health--but the thought of being judged harshly, albeit silently, because I choose to eat something in public, really raises my hackles. And I feel the same way about ANYONE treated that way. It's not really fair, though, to be offended by things that people may or may not be saying to themselves. But I still believe that it happens.
Sorry for being defensive.
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posted
I totally understand being defensive about this subject, and I'm not trying to marginalize those who do have medical conditions which make it hard or impossible to lose weight.
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posted
It's okay. I can see why the defensiveness would come easily. My mom was very overweight for most of her life, and I know how much she hated it. A lot of people, including people who should know better, dismissed her despite all of her wonderful and great qualities because of it, and that makes me furious.
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quote:Originally posted by katharina: A lot of people, including people who should know better, dismissed her despite all of her wonderful and great qualities because of it, and that makes me furious.
This is all too common, though I suspect that it's true for more appearance problems than just weight.
quote:but rather the lack of attention from boys in high school and things like that.
Again, I think it is a false assumption to think that being thin automatically equates to male attention particularly in high school.
Many teenage girls with anorexia think exactly that, but it doesn't generally work.
Lol, in my particular case, my level of physical fitness was a turn off for a bunch of guys I was interested in in college. (I use college because my social experiences at high school age were highly irregular, and made normal male attention at the romantic level impossible at a practical level) They told me years later that they'd been totally intimidated by my particular combination of intelligence plus physical fittness. At the time, I was too in shape for your average geek.
posted
Not automatically equates, but it sure would have helped!
But it was a blessing, I think, in the long run. My life could have turned out very differently, and I'm happy with the way it is. But at the time, it bothered me.
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posted
It looks like nobody is happy with what they get. I loathed to attract that kind of attention in high school or university, as a matter of fact I still loathe it. People talking to you, trying to seduce you just because a part of your body happens to please them is quite insulting, in my eyes. There's a human being inside the body.
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quote:For a normal person, working out 3 times a week and not eating dessert all the time is enough to get them into shape.
No, it isn't. Maybe for a teenager, but for average adults, working out for 30 min a day three times a week will keep them treading water. Actually getting into shape requires upping either time, frequency, or both. ...
For everyone, it takes a great deal of exercise to lose weight. When I am working 30 minutes a day several times a week, then I just tread water. I'm not skinny, but I'm not really fat either - basically normal, can still shop in regular stores.
+1
How many of you women trying to lose weight lift weights? I mean seriously lift weights, 3 sessions a week, 45 minutes a session, bench press, squats, deadlifts, etc? Not only does weighlifting provide up to a 72 hour temporary metabolic boost, but you increase your muscle mass which constantly burns more calories even when you are sleeping or watching TV. 19 out of 20 women and probably 9 out of 10 men that I talk to have no clue about any of this unless they've worked with a personal trainer. They're afraid they'll bulk up or something-as if they had massive doses of testosterone running through them. They picture weight lifting as something to make you bigger and weigh more rather than a dieting tool.
I see women at the gym on the cardio machines 3x's a week for months without a change. My wife has gone to the gym almost every day for 3 years and ran 3 miles each time, ate pretty healthy, etc. However she was barely able to maintain her weight. She's been lifting weights now for 2 months, cut her cardio down by 2/3, and lost over 10 lbs. She's also had to change her diet and eat 6 small meals a day. She completely cut out soda, doesn't eat anything resembling junk food, no candy, no dessert except for an ice cream once a week. For some people to suggest that she has it easy because she is in fact losing weight is insulting. She works really hard and sacrifices a lot to do this. Every day is a battle-that is weight loss.
People think diet and they think limiting calories. They think exercise and they think 30 minutes on treadmill 3 times a week. It's so much more complex than that. It's not just counting calories but planning so that you get proper ratios of proper macronutrients at proper times. It's planning exercise routines that will build muscle and pushing yourself to reach those goals every day.
Katarain- Part of a successful diet is changing things up to find what works for you. Carb cycling and timing diets are getting common in the fitness world even for those without the conditions you mentioned. But most people don't try to change things up like that so wonder why it isn't working for them. While a doctor's diagnosis could certainly point people in the right direction more quickly, ideally they would also have discovered the solution themselves.
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posted
Adding weight training with aerobic exercise is amazing. Just 15 minutes of light weight training 2 times a week and 30 minutes aerobic 3 times a week to start out with gave me great results. I still don't know why I stopped that. It was stupid. I had gradually worked up to 20 minutes weight training, and 45 of aerobic.
It makes a world of difference. And when I say light, I mean it. I would use the weight machines, but if I couldn't make it to the university gym, I could still get my minutes in at home by doing certain exercises, like sit-ups and wall presses, and those horrible lunges.
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posted
Yeah, it really helps. Don't be afraid to keep getting heavier though, otherwise you'll plateau as your muscles adapt to the stress you put on them and stop growing. One thing I recommend is lots of compound movements (as opposed to isolation), even for women. Dips, bench press, squats, deadlifts, and pullups are great. This will lead to the greatest increase of muscle (they'll get denser).
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posted
This is exactly what I am trying to refer to: all the work that one has to put into exercise/diet. I look at Bao's post and simply FEEL exhausted. Perhaps, I didn't realize that most everybody needs to do a lot of work, but what I said about not wanting it to rule my life--planning out all my meals and drinks, making time for the gym+other exercise over 4 x a week--still holds.
Living a completely stationary and ice cream-infused life is definitely irresponsible, but it's not the lazy person's way out to not commit to THAT level of dieting and exercise during their first few decades when they have numerous other priorities, especially if their thin friends don't have to, and they are only overweight, not legitimately fat. Unfortunately, when they realize that they have to (aka. their metabolism slows, they are consistently gaining weight, or something), it's even harder to make such changes, and that is why gastric bypass is so helpful: it at least helps them with the eating control part of it, which is arguably the most difficult. They shouldn't be stigmatized for recognizing their limitations.
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posted
I'd love to see some studies done on the level of exercise really needed by different people to lose and maintain weight. I still tend towards the idea that this varies greatly in different people, small and large.
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posted
If making time for exercise five days a week is too much work, then a gastric bypass will not be successful. Unfortunately, for most people with average metabolisms and an average American lifestyles, there's simply no way to get out of that work. I know it sucks, but it sucks to have to go to work for eight hours a day as well. It'd be nice to have a trust fund, but I don't. It would be nice to have the metabolism of a hummingbird (like Matt does), but I don't. There's no way around that.
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quote: How many of you women trying to lose weight lift weights?
*raises hand*
Last year when I was doing pretty darn good, that's what I was doing. Remember my husband lost 150lbs on his own and that is how he did it. He's my trainer and he's good. I can't lift weights yet (haven't been cleared by the surgeon), but I plan to. Man, that's when the inches come off and that is exciting. I don't watch the scale so much when I'm into weight training.
I'm sitting here eating tuna! This is the first day I am allowed mushy food. Ah, something more than liquids. I ate about1.5oz 2 hours ago and I hope to finish the 1.5oz now. I also had 1/3 of an egg (scrambled) for breakfast. It's a lot to get used to, that's for sure.
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posted
I don't think my personal level is all that high, really. Small amounts of exercise make a big difference in my weight loss.
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I'll agree, it's a lot of work. I don't mean to suggest it is easy. However, it doesn't exactly dominate my life. It's part of it...like showering or sleeping or something. It's just something I know I've got to do every day. I still have time to work on & ride my motorcycle, work 9 hours, play video games, spend time with my wife, watch movies and TV, go up to Tahoe, start working on my MBA, etc.
Most of the work comes upfront. About half of that work is just getting educated. There's a lot of good material out there to wade through, but I've found people to be very helpful. About 30% of the work is planning. Figuring out your base metabolic rate, how many calories to take in and planning your diet, planning your exercise routines, etc.
About 10% of it is recording what you eat, how many sets, reps, and exercises you do with what weights, making the small adjustments as needed, weighing, measuring, and checking body fat percentage, etc.
The last 10% is just the day in day out determination it takes to stick to it. This may seem hard at first, however, once it becomes a habit it hardly takes any effort at all.
Honestly for me the hardest part of getting in shape was getting the ball moving. It's hard cause if you're a guy, you feel less than manly when you pop a ten on each side of the bar for a benchpress, and the guy across the gym has 2 or 3 45s on each side. It's hard for girls when you see that girl with the great body jogging next to you when you're jiggling in all the wrong places as you run. Also weights are hard because you have no idea what you're doing and are a big shy about asking for help.
It sounds like a lot, but really health is so important. There's an old Arab saying that says something like, "He who has health has hope. And he who has hope has everything." I've found I'm a lot more energetic and efficient all day by spending that hour in the gym- it kind of pays for itself.
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quote:Originally posted by pH: I will mention that in olden times, it was considered very desirable to be overweight, as it was a sign that you were wealthy and could afford to eat a lot.
Life expetancies in "olden times" were significantly shorter, and there were plenty of other things to die from well before things like heart disease normally start to cause problems.
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posted
Yay aretee! Egg whites and tuna--sooo good for you. You might want to check out these eggs called VitaEggs by Wilcox Farms I think. Supposedly they are free chickens (not Tyco style cages) fed with quality foods supplimented with flaxseed oil. They have like 1/3 less cholesterol than normal eggs plus some more of those essential Omega 3s and 6s. Only downer is they're about twice as spendy.
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quote:Originally posted by Katarain: I'd love to see some studies done on the level of exercise really needed by different people to lose and maintain weight. I still tend towards the idea that this varies greatly in different people, small and large.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure there's a HUGE difference. Everyone's body is different, and everyone has different metabolisms and general body structure. So yeah, I think it's pretty obvious that some people are going to have more results from workouts than others.
Y'know, I really wish that people would remember that...celebrities and stuff, they don't HAVE day jobs. They can afford (in both time and money) to work with a trainer for three hours a day, five times a week, if they want. They can hire chefs to make sure they eat right and cook their food for them. And it's really easy to say that oh, losing weight is nothing, when you weren't that heavy to begin with, and you've already done it.
quote:Originally posted by pH: I will mention that in olden times, it was considered very desirable to be overweight, as it was a sign that you were wealthy and could afford to eat a lot.
Life expetancies in "olden times" were significantly shorter, and there were plenty of other things to die from well before things like heart disease normally start to cause problems.
It still doesn't mean that obesity is a new thing. And it definitely doesn't mean that people were healthier with their eating habits back then.
posted
If I had to condense what I wish to convey it would be this:
Weight loss is personal, on almost every level. What works and what is easy for certain people isn't for others, and could be nearly impossble to put into practice for others. For that reason, it is important to not immediately judge those who are obese and those who get gastric bypass surgery as simply not being committed enough. There are a lot of factors which could lead to an individual becoming morbidly obese and there are also reasons why said individual can't shed the weight without extreme measures.
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I also believe that it's important to have correct information out there. If someone thinks that by cutting out desserts and getting an hour and a half of cardio a week they should be losing weight, then they'll be dissapointed when it doesn't happen.
That's like thinking a few hours of piano a week will turn someone into pianist. It won't, and thinking that it should could discourage many people who would be happy musicians if they had a true idea of how much effort it actually takes. Musicians don't count practice as time lost from their real lives, but they incorporate it into their real lives.
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posted
The thing is, kat, that some people CAN do that. Which makes it all the more frustrating for the people who can't. And of course, we have all of these diet ads running around about "eat real food! Do no exercise! Lose 85lbs!"
posted
They are the exception. And they are probably young. Some people also have trust funds and all their expenses paid, but that's not normal either. And most of them are also young.
I get the frustration - no desserts and 30 min of cardio three times a week does nothing beyond maintenance and some psychological boosts for me. I know people, including Matt, with body types that would allow them to have brie for three meals a day and still never need to get a new belt, but it's just not a realistic expectation.
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posted
Katharina: You are absolutely right. As Bao said, education is a major component of weight loss. There is so much junk science about dieting and health food that I think it is imperative people seek the most accurate information possible, and it is important to correct what you believe is wrong information.
On the other hand, I do think that people should lose weight if they do cardio and cut out desserts and here is why: we are told that if we limit out caloric intake, then over time we will lose weight. Cutting out desserts and exercising more does exactly that. While nothng dramatic should happen from a change of about an average of -200 calories a day, there should be SOME kind of effect over, let's say, a month or two.
But, for people like me, there isn't. Even losing 10 pounds would take an overhaul of everything I eat (and I have pretty good eating habits) and how I spend my days. By using that example, I was just trying to illustrate the differences in metabolisms among people, and that equates to massively different levels of effort and lifestyle change being required to lose weight.
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quote:Originally posted by pH: It still doesn't mean that obesity is a new thing.
The prevalence of obesity in contemporary North America is a comparatively new development. For example, here are some child obesity statistics from the Institute of Medicine (part of the National Academy of Sciences). From the link:
quote:Over the past three decades, the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2-5 years and adolescents aged 12-19 years, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years. At present, approximately nine million children over 6 years of age are considered obese.
quote:Originally posted by pH: And it definitely doesn't mean that people were healthier with their eating habits back then.
I didn't suggest that diets were healthier "back then," but if you want to bring that into the discussion, are you asserting that they weren't? Also, you still haven't defined what you mean by "back then" and "olden times."
There's a correlation that I think is worthy of note. Look at the childhood obesity trend timeline in my link above and then what Wikipedia reports (with reference) as the change in consumer spending on fast food between 1970 and 2000. Even adjusting that $6 billion for inflation, that's quite an increase.
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posted
If you lessened it by 200 calories and day and the amount of exercise described above, you should expect to lose two pounds in a month. If you followed it religiously. Three desserts in that month and you just knocked it all out of whack.
It's just not enough physical activity to make a difference, and it doesn't take into account what else is being eaten. A bowl of ice cream foregone one day can be quickly replaced by a bagel the next. I'm actually not surprised nothing much happened - it's not enough.
I went from no exercise to light workouts three days a week for four months, and nothing happened except my mood improved. To actually lose ten pounds, I had to have workouts for an hour five days a week, add in weight-training, and radically change my eating habits. That's normal - that's what it takes for the average person.
For most people, it isn't productive to look at someone young with fast metabolism and say that's normal. It isn't - it's the exception. If you do not lose weight as quickly as that person, that does not mean there is something off with your metabolism. It is much more likely that your metabolism is completely what it should be expected to be, and you have to make radical changes.
I don't think it is any one person. I think the entire average American's lifestyle is condusive to being overweight. To not be in the course of you lifetime, you have to break radically with it. It sucks, but there it is.
Have you ever seen comparisons to see how the average portion size has grown in the past forty years? Restaurants serve in one meal enough food to feed three-five people. Bagels are bigger. Hamburgers are bigger. We simply eat more than we used to, and it isn't from gluttony. I'm not pointing fingers - I'm trying to convey that being slim requires, for most people, a radical change.
My irritation with being born in a weight-gaining age is somewhat mollified by air conditioning, cell phones, and the existence of Veronica Mars.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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Using the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculator (rather than just an average inflation rate for the 1970-2000 period), that US$6 billion in 1970 equates to US$26.63 billion in 2000, and US$31.31 billion in 2006.
Taking 1970-2000, that's about a fourfold increase in spending ($26.6b to $110b) in tandem with a threefold increase in childhood obesity. I'm certainly not suggesting that fast food is the sole or even dominant cause, but I do think there's enough of a correlation to merit closer examination (at least some of which I suspect has already been done).
Added: kat, that's an interesting point about portion sizes.
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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Seeing as I am maintaining my weight without any exercise, and losing weight when I make very simple diet changes, I'm quite sure that 1 1/2 hours of aerobic exercise would make a huge difference in my weight. I might lose the same percentage of body weight as a thin person would doing the same thing, but since I'm heavier, that percentage equals more pounds.
If I were closer to my ideal weight, I wouldn't expect 1 1/2 hours of exercise a week to do much. But it will do a world of good for someone who has a lot to lose.
I just wanted to point this out, because overweight people might read what you said, Kat, and figure that since it's SO hard to even lose 10 pounds, they might as well not even try. But it will actually be much easier for them! It just gets harder as you go, in a way... you've gotta up your activity. But it is gradual and doable.
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
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I also wish people would remember that celebrities and such who look so spectacular have both the time and the money to do that. And they can hire chefs to cook them really healthy food.
I dunno. I just think it's really easy for thin people to say, "Wow, losing weight is so easy, so you must not be putting in enough effort."
posted
No kidding. Kate Hudson lost her baby weight by working out three hours a day. For normal people, that's impossible - who watches the baby? For people who go to work, that's also impossible unless their commute is five minutes and they have zero other life.
The super-thin models generally have hummingbird metabolisms.
I am not thin, and I don't think it's easy to lose weight. I do think it is possible, and the lifestyle change is worth it.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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I don't think anyone is saying that it's easy pH. What Kat and I are saying is, It's hard and some people might not be putting in enough effort perhaps because of a perception based on a very small segment of the population (those people that are skinny without having to do much).
I completely agree with what you said about celebrities and models.
I hate Hate HATE those ads that say, Lose 18 pounds in 4 days, blah blah blah. If you are doing the absolutely PERFERCT diet and exercise routine, you can expect to lose 2 lbs of body fat (a week or about 1% of your body weight if you are very obese). That's it, 2 pounds a week. So 18 pounds would take a minimum of 9 weeks, most likely closer to 3 months. It didn't get put on overnight, and it's not coming off overnight. However, the ads give people the perception that it should come off in about 1/20th of the time it really takes. Even if the ad is disbelieved, I think the impression stays with people. That somehow everyone should be able to lose weight like the 2 people in the pictures and because they can't, they're something wrong with them.
Many people who diet are not eating enough, also probably due to sterotypes of salad diets. They'll eat maybe 1000 calories a day trying to lose weight faster. However, this makes the body go into starvation mode, and slows the metabolism down to a crawl. Additionally, it makes the body save the fats because they have twice the energy per gram than either protein or carbs. So the body starts to eat muscle, further slowing the metabolism.
There's just all sorts of misinformation out there, and I really wish I could combat it.
Posts: 1412 | Registered: Oct 2005
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Is that Hollywood juice diet still being sold at drugstores? That one freaked me out.
Pretty much you buy this special juice, and that's all you can have (and I think water) for 48 hours, so you can lose 10 lb. really quickly if you have to, I don't know, fit into a dress that you bought for some reason even though it was too small for you or something.
Ew.
And as for misinformation...oh yes. One of the gyms I was looking at said that they wouldn't LET me come in more than 30min, twice a week, and that that would be enough for me to see results in less than 6 weeks if I'm trying to build muscle.
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I can see why the defensiveness would come easily. My mom was very overweight for most of her life, and I know how much she hated it. A lot of people, including people who should know better, dismissed her despite all of her wonderful and great qualities because of it, and that makes me furious.
