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F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future

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Orayn said:
Just to play devil's (:lol) advocate for a second, the opposite can also be true, and it's glossed over far too often. Some people do have a genetic predisposition to store more body fat than others even when eating well and exercising. Compound that with the fact that BMI is an awful gauge of health, and you get a really ugly dichotomy that causes many people to miss the point completely.

Sure absolutely. Not everyone can have 6 packs abs and what not. I've tried and it was impossible (I would have to quite my job and train 24/7 with a super strict diet). But there is no excuse to not be in a healthy weight range. If you can't even see your dick.. THINGS ARE NOT GOOD
 
AceBandage said:
Really, it's not about eating less.
It's about eating BETTER.
Cut out all the sugars and the processed shit and you'll lose wait even if you stuff your face.

Cut out the carbs and you will lose weight. Keep the carbs and you will gain weight unless you have other ways of expending the energy.
 
Fast food bad, making your own meals good. Society has gotten lazier while increasing poor eating habits. Video games, cell phones, ipads, mp3 players etc. etc, and a boom in the consumption of fast food and eating out. I cook at home 3 times a week and eat out once or twice a week. Rarely will that eating out ever include anything from a fast food restaurant. I'm 34 and in damn good shape, most other people my age clearly aren't though, fast food society baby!
 
Honest input from a hospital worker..

My back hurts like a bitch from having to lift and pull fat asses all day at the hospital, back and forth, to the exam table, from the exam table, to the bed, to the stretcher, etc.

I'll ask.. "Are you able to baby step or scoot over from your stretcher?" and the answer is usually "No." Then, some time later, they're in the hallway asking for directions to either the bathroom or the candy machines (no, I'm not kidding). As I walk to my next patient's room, I'm quietly praying, "Please don't be a fatty. Please don't be a fatty. Please don't.."

My co-workers will play timing games to avoid being assigned the large patients. They'll aim for the pain-in-the-ass pediatric patients with overprotective parents before they take a poorly-mobile baluchitherium (look it up). They'll take well-timed lunch breaks, bathroom breaks, they'll disappear from our work area, etc. But in the end, even with "safe" lifting techniques and team work, everyone gets a taste of the pain. You get to take it home with you and live with it. And that's when my pity for fat folks goes out the window.

I always tell my properly-weighted Mom, "Don't gain weight, and your caregivers will fight over getting to take care of you." I then turn to Dad and say, "Lose another 40 pounds, pleeeease."

I used to be very sympathetic, but there's a limit. This sentiment seems to be pretty damn widespread.
 
I wonder how many obese people claim it's genetics then go proceed to down multiple cans of soda per day. IMO, one of the easiest ways to lose initial weight is to drop soda completely. No regular soda, no diet soda.... switch to water. Drinking multiple cans of Coke per day does amazingly bad things to your body. Stop now.
 
travisbickle said:
The apathy towards exercise always astounds me. People need to be doing that shit everyday. And I mean stuff that gets you sweaty like running, cycling or swimming not taking the stairs at work. Lowers your blood pressure, increases you lung capacity and your libido, and it make you happy. Instead everyone's chasing the $19.99 "ultimate fat-burner video" of light and easy stretches in front of the TV, next to the couch if you need a rest half way through your 15 minute "session".

There is a general apathy towards exercise. You might have a lot of free time but I know a LOT of people who don't have free time. The little time they have to themselves they would rather not spend in a gym.

The whole POINT of being healthy is finding ways to fit being healthy into your routine, which is taking the far parking spot and taking the stairs. I am lucky in that my job requires me to be sweating and on the move constantly. I usually have to carb up during a shift because my blood sugar gets low and I start to pass out but aside from that I am very lucky. Some people have sedientary jobs, and need to find other ways to be active.

Going to the gym or a run isn't possible for EVERYONE, but finding ways to be active without it should be everyone's goal.

Also, walking is key. You can run for a short while, but I could walk ALL day long. Yesterday I went for a 4 hour walk and it was amazing, today I'll be on my feet for 4-5 hours at work after I do some crunches at home before I go. Activity where applicable man.
 
Interfectum said:
I wonder how many obese people claim it's genetics then go proceed to down multiple cans of soda per day. IMO, one of the easiest ways to lose initial weight is to drop soda completely. No regular soda, no diet soda.... switch to water. Drinking multiple cans of Coke per day does amazingly bad things to your body. Stop now.

I find it disgusting really
 
I would just like to add that you are what you eat. For instance, I just had lunch, one of my few meals that I won't cook at home. I had sweet and sour chicken and 3 m&m cookies. I know that shit is bad for me, and that's why I don't eat like that but about one time per week. I also have a very physical and active job where I burn a good number of calories each day. On top of that I workout twice a week to maintain muscle. I don't feel sorry for "overweight" people, it's about what you eat and portion control. My girlfriend who eats shitty on a regular basis but is skinny talks about how much I eat all the time, but it's what I'm eating that matters, not the portion. When you have chicken breast with broccoli, carrots, and rice for dinner it's hard to go overboard when it's all cooked at home with no extra butter etc. etc. I also don't drink soda, there's a ton of extra calories I'm not getting each day.

It's easy to be in good shape, and your body is a reflection of you personally, that doesn't mean we all need to be supermodels, but for god sake take care of yourself so you're not a burden to others down the road.

And as far as my girlfriend eating like shit, she does, but she eats very small portions so that's why she isn't at all overweight. Her bodyfat percentage has to be quite high though for her weight and size. It's what we called skinny fat when I was in highschool. You can only get away with it if you control your portions though, and that's if you mix in some good food on the side.
 
unomas said:
I would just like to add that you are what you eat. For instance, I just had lunch, one of my few meals that I won't cook at home. I had sweet and sour chicken and 3 m&m cookies. I know that shit is bad for me, and that's why I don't eat like that but about one time per week. I also have a very physical and active job where I burn a good number of calories each day. On top of that I workout twice a week to maintain muscle. I don't feel sorry for "overweight" people, it's about what you eat and portion control. My girlfriend who eats shitty on a regular basis but is skinny talks about how much I eat all the time, but it's what I'm eating that matters, not the portion. When you have chicken breast with broccoli, carrots, and rice for dinner it's hard to go overboard when it's all cooked at home with no extra butter etc. etc. I also don't drink soda, there's a ton of extra calories I'm not getting each day.

It's easy to be in good shape, and your body is a reflection of you personally, that doesn't mean we all need to be supermodels, but for god sake take care of yourself so you're not a burden to others down the road.

And as far as my girlfriend eating like shit, she does, but she eats very small portions so that's why she isn't at all overweight. Her bodyfat percentage has to be quite high though for her weight and size. It's what we called skinny fat when I was in highschool. You can only get away with it if you control your portions though, and that's if you mix in some good food on the side.

Eating like shit still leads to high blood pressure & other types of shit later on. You can be skinny & tiny as all hell & need pills so you can fucking sleep because your body is garbage.
 
jmdajr said:
I find it disgusting really
It is fucking disgusting.
You end up with sticky cans all over the house. My roommate used to be a hardcore mountain dew drinker. I'm really glad they stopped that shit.
 
unomas said:
Fast food bad, making your own meals good. Society has gotten lazier while increasing poor eating habits. Video games, cell phones, ipads, mp3 players etc. etc, and a boom in the consumption of fast food and eating out. I cook at home 3 times a week and eat out once or twice a week. Rarely will that eating out ever include anything from a fast food restaurant. I'm 34 and in damn good shape, most other people my age clearly aren't though, fast food society baby!

Me thinks you're scapegoating a bit. It's not like every fatass in the world is eating fast foot 5 times a week. Potato chips, ice cream, ranch dressing, beer, mayo, salts, sugars - need I go on? - are all part of the problem, too, and have nothing to do with McDonalds and Taco Bell.
 
MaddenNFL64 said:
Eating like shit still leads to high blood pressure & other types of shit later on. You can be skinny & tiny as all hell & need pills so you can fucking sleep because your body is garbage.

People in this thread seem to think being skinny means being healthy. Or being under-weight (like many nerds) is healthy.

It isn't. Obesity is awful and a strain on the medical system and the person. However, so is eating unhealthy and being slim. Slim people are not living until they are 90 and fat people are dying at 40. If you are un-healthy because of how you eat, regardless of what size you are, you are a burden on planet earth.

Eat properly. I don't give a shit if you can get 5 hot pockets and still weight 150 pounds. I don't want to pay for your heart surgery when you are 50 with my tax money b/c you thought you could eat what you want b/c you aren't obese.

Also, something else people don't understand.

You don't have to exercise to not be fat. Just living a normal life, of going to the store/work/out while eating healthy is enough to get you to a normal weight. Excersing can help this go quick, and overall help the body significantly. However if you are fat and aren't losing weight b/c you think you have to hit the gym five times a week, then you don't know anything about how the human body works and need to get educated.
 
Blackface said:
You don't have to exercise to not be fat. Just living a normal life, of going to the store/work/out while eating healthy is enough to get you to a normal weight. Excersing can help this go quick, and overall help the body significantly. However if you are fat and aren't losing weight b/c you think you have to hit the gym five times a week, then you don't know anything about how the human body works and need to get educated.

You don't even need to hit the gym 5 times a week. I can't remember the exact percentage but working out (running) just one time a week lowers your heart rate by like 10%. Everyone should, at the very least, be doing that.
 
Blackface said:
You don't have to exercise to not be fat. Just living a normal life, of going to the store/work/out while eating healthy is enough to get you to a normal weight. Excersing can help this go quick, and overall help the body significantly. However if you are fat and aren't losing weight b/c you think you have to hit the gym five times a week, then you don't know anything about how the human body works and need to get educated.

Completely true. Diet is 90% of it. Of course without the exercise you won't be completely healthy, but you can definitely NOT be fat.


edit: I just started running not too long ago in addition to the gym stuff I was usually doing. I always avoided it because of foot pain. Now that I'm over the hump and run twice a week I feel REALLY fucking great. I think while my strength training was doing me good, I wasn't challenging myself enough with the cardio. If anything at least WALK a couple of miles.

I think people give up on exercising because the first time they try it they feel fucking awful. Well yeah, you haven't done a fucking thing how do you expect to feel? But if you can hang on and stick with it you will soon feel like shit when you DON'T exercise. And chances are you were feeling likes shit 24/7, you were just used to it.
 
jmdajr said:
Completely true. Diet is 90% of it. Of course without the exercise you won't be completely healthy, but you can definitely NOT be fat.


edit: I just started running not too long ago in addition to the gym stuff I was usually doing. I always avoided it because of foot pain. Now that I'm over the hump and run twice a week I feel REALLY fucking great. I think while my strength training was doing me good, I wasn't challenging myself enough with the cardio. If anything at least WALK a couple of miles.

Doing cardio will make you feel amazing. There are some great couch-to-5k apps on smart phones that are awesome for getting you started.
 
Interfectum said:
Doing cardio will make you feel amazing. There are some great couch-to-5k apps on smart phones that are awesome for getting you started.

Thats my goal.. 5k. Almost there!
 
ArachosiA 78 said:
I'm not sure because of the wording, but if you are saying that your budget for food has been $200, you can actually get a good amount of healthy food for that.

I spend around $250 a month on food, and I am able to get the following:

1) 40 lbs of chicken breasts
2) 6 lbs of protein powder
3) 60 eggs
4) a gallon of skim milk
5) Several pounds of sweet potatoes
6) 30 lbs of spinach/broccoli
7) Huge bag of raw almonds
8) 10 lbs of oranges
9) 6 lbs of oatmeal

I could reduce my monthly costs by a fair amount if I bought frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of fresh ones, but after eating those for several years I got quite sick of them.

Only a gallon of milk for a month? I drink half a gallon a day. <_<
 
One more thing. When you surround yourself with people with bad habits, they rub off on you. If the people around you eat nothing but garbage, it's very likely you do as well. If mom and pop eat bad, so does little jimmy.

Hey it's not easy. I remember being ridiculed once or twice by some of my friends for ordering a "sissy" salad or what not, but really I don't care. I do what's best for me.
 
jmdajr said:
One more thing. When you surround yourself with people with bad habits, they rub off on you. If the people around you eat nothing but garbage, it's very likely you do as well. If mom and pop eat bad, so does little jimmy.

Hey it's not easy. I remember being ridiculed once or twice by some of my friends for ordering a "sissy" salad or what not, but really I don't care. I do what's best for me.

I'm trying to pass my paleo diet habits on to my GF but it's proving to be hard. Too much marketing has shoved the idea that things like oats are a great breakfast, and things with whole grains are awesome.
I've managed to curb my sweet tooth mostly. my tea is sugar free, so is my coffee (it tastes sooo much better without it). I very rarely drink soda, and then only artificially sweetened ones. Maybe 600ml a week if that. Desserts that are overly sweet are acrid because of it, and usually have fat in them to offset the sugar.
In the morning, I'd rather go hungry than eat carbs; I need to give my body time to burn fat instead of carbs for energy.

The biggest hurdle is convincing people that fat isn't in fact the devil's second in command. I explained some of the things I'd learned to my mother recently, and she physically balked when I defended saturated fat and downplayed dietary cholesterol as a non-issue.
I've got the infamous SA forums low carb diet megathread (which is a marvel of assembled information) in pdf format, and my GF just more or less refuses to read it.
She knows I don't eat grains, that I have bacon more or less every day for breakfast, that I don't worry about fat (other than trans fat), and that I'm losing weight, and have better energy and overall feel better about my health (for example, carbs were giving me acid reflux)
 
I don't care because i'm not fat and anyone who is fat has the ability to get into shape. If they don't want to then whatever, let people do what they want. What does suck however is parents that feed their children endlessly and then the kids don't really know what they're doing so they eat because it tastes good. That's a problem for sure but I don't know about it being an epidemic, when I went to school there were like 4 "fat" kids in class and the rest were average or skinny.
 
Interfectum said:
I wonder how many obese people claim it's genetics then go proceed to down multiple cans of soda per day.

It the same with the number of introverted teens who claim to have Aspergers these days. Learning how to confidently interact with people when you are shy/introverted is a long and sometimes difficult process. Much easier to blame it on a psychological disorder and not try. That way it's not their fault!

Yes, some people have Aspergers, and yes, some people have genetic disorders that make it difficult for them to keep off weight. But those people are few and far between. Also, I highly doubt the proportion of those cases has changed much in 15-20 years to account for a doubling in obesity nationwide. Inactivity and bad nutritional habits are definitely the main cause.
 
ArachosiA 78 said:
I'm not sure because of the wording, but if you are saying that your budget for food has been $200, you can actually get a good amount of healthy food for that.

I spend around $250 a month on food, and I am able to get the following:

1) 40 lbs of chicken breasts
2) 6 lbs of protein powder
3) 60 eggs
4) a gallon of skim milk
5) Several pounds of sweet potatoes
6) 30 lbs of spinach/broccoli
7) Huge bag of raw almonds
8) 10 lbs of oranges
9) 6 lbs of oatmeal

I could reduce my monthly costs by a fair amount if I bought frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of fresh ones, but after eating those for several years I got quite sick of them.

I wish boneless skinless chicken breast was that cheap in Canada. Went to buy some today, and the cheapest I could find was around $10/lb.
 
kswiston said:
Costco and Walmart are your best bets

Yeah...I should probably try Costco.

Also, their roast chicken there is absolutely delicious. You can get a full roast chicken for $7, and it's the best chicken I've ever tasted...even much better than St-Hubert. It's too bad that it's such a pain to go to Costco...
 
To Mr. B Natural, and all the others in here who have never been obese and spew such vitriol. I would like to pass this info on to you.

I am a fat guy. Yes, it is my fault. Certainly, I have the knowledge to change the fact that I am a fat guy.

What I'd like to address is that unless you've been obese (and by obese I don't mean 20-30+ lbs. overweight, I'm talking 100+ lbs. overweight) you have no idea what kind of shit goes along with it. It is certainly easy to say trite things like "put down the fork, go for a jog," but you have no idea how demeaning that is for fat people. You don't understand the vast amount of self-loathing that fat people deal with every day. Just feeling like shit and feeling exhausted from the moment you wake up, until the moment you go to bed at night. The endless cycle of weight gain -> depression -> over-eating -> weight gain that occurs, and the pathetic feeling of satiety you feel when shoving junk food down your gullet, while simultaneously knowing that you're pitiful for doing it.

Yes, I realize that this is all self-induced, and that I wasn't born obese, but I have been obese since around 10-12. I went to Weight Watchers meetings from the ages of 13-16. You have no idea how pathetic it makes you feel being in a room full of middle-aged women and men, it's like looking into a sad crystal ball. Being indoctrinated into the idea of "eat this Snackwell's or Weight Watchers snack, you can have all you want because they are fat free!" I don't blame my mother for this, she really bought into the low-fat diet and to this day I am still trying to convince her otherwise.

TL;DR: To all the people who have never been seriously obese and spout trite shit like, "put down the fork" or "respect your body" or "it's your fault and no one else's" or "of course I've never been obese, I'd never let myself get to that point," you really just don't get it. Also, you are not saying anything that fat people already know. I'm not saying you should simply drop the issue, as health is important, but I would simply ask that people stop de-humanizing fat people. There are people underneath those sweaty rolls of flesh.
 
Cyrillus said:
To Mr. B Natural, and all the others in here who have never been obese and spew such vitriol. I would like to pass this info on to you.

I am a fat guy. Yes, it is my fault. Certainly, I have the knowledge to change the fact that I am a fat guy.

What I'd like to address is that unless you've been obese (and by obese I don't mean 20-30+ lbs. overweight, I'm talking 100+ lbs. overweight) you have no idea what kind of shit goes along with it. It is certainly easy to say trite things like "put down the fork, go for a jog," but you have no idea how demeaning that is for fat people. You don't understand the vast amount of self-loathing that fat people deal with every day. Just feeling like shit and feeling exhausted from the moment you wake up, until the moment you go to bed at night. The endless cycle of weight gain -> depression -> over-eating -> weight gain that occurs, and the pathetic feeling of satiety you feel when shoving junk food down your gullet, while simultaneously knowing that you're pitiful for doing it.

Yes, I realize that this is all self-induced, and that I wasn't born obese, but I have been obese since around 10-12. I went to Weight Watchers meetings from the ages of 13-16. You have no idea how pathetic it makes you feel being in a room full of middle-aged women and men, it's like looking into a sad crystal ball. Being indoctrinated into the idea of "eat this Snackwell's or Weight Watchers snack, you can have all you want because they are fat free!" I don't blame my mother for this, she really bought into the low-fat diet and to this day I am still trying to convince her otherwise.

TL;DR: To all the people who have never been seriously obese and spout trite shit like, "put down the fork" or "respect your body" or "it's your fault and no one else's" or "of course I've never been obese, I'd never let myself get to that point," you really just don't get it. Also, you are not saying anything that fat people already know. I'm not saying you should simply drop the issue, as health is important, but I would simply ask that people stop de-humanizing fat people. There are people underneath those sweaty rolls of flesh.

I can't really sympathize with this. I equate overeating and eating unhealthily to smoking. I was closer to 40-50lbs overweight, but I know exactly how it was brought on. It was mostly an eating addiction. Quitting unhealthy eating feels just like quitting smoking. All it takes is willpower.
 
Marleyman said:
Nobody; I asked a question about your wife's situation.

sighs...all I said that is isn't fucking easy as him and yourself are making it out to be.

Of course it is a personal issue, but you condone being a dick to people for being that way, calling them names, telling them to "put down the fork and jog"? They need professional help, not heckling.

Actually it really is that easy, you just have to REALLY want it. No fat people want to be skinny, they sure would like to be if you offered, they certainly wouldn't mind it, but they obviosly don't really want it, otherwise they would be.

The fact that ANYBODY can have a healthy weight should clue you in on the difficulty of achieving it. Sure it's a pain to do it, but if you really want to, there's nothing really stopping you.

Having a good forehand in tennis or getting a college degree are examples of thing that have an actual degree of difficulty. It's not enough just to want it, a lot of other factors come into play, like intelligence, coordination or skill. Being a gold medalist is really hard for example, since you're competing with a lot of other guys that want it just as much as you do. But keeping a decent weight? You just have to want to.

Pein said:
This right here, my cousins eat trash and chug soda every minute of the day. They are skinny as fuck.

Michael Phelps eats 12,000 calories a day and is skinny as fuck, so lucky. Or maybe he burns them all exercising, I don't know.
 
Cyrillus said:
To Mr. B Natural, and all the others in here who have never been obese and spew such vitriol. I would like to pass this info on to you.

I am a fat guy. Yes, it is my fault. Certainly, I have the knowledge to change the fact that I am a fat guy.

What I'd like to address is that unless you've been obese (and by obese I don't mean 20-30+ lbs. overweight, I'm talking 100+ lbs. overweight) you have no idea what kind of shit goes along with it. It is certainly easy to say trite things like "put down the fork, go for a jog," but you have no idea how demeaning that is for fat people. You don't understand the vast amount of self-loathing that fat people deal with every day. Just feeling like shit and feeling exhausted from the moment you wake up, until the moment you go to bed at night. The endless cycle of weight gain -> depression -> over-eating -> weight gain that occurs, and the pathetic feeling of satiety you feel when shoving junk food down your gullet, while simultaneously knowing that you're pitiful for doing it.

Yes, I realize that this is all self-induced, and that I wasn't born obese, but I have been obese since around 10-12. I went to Weight Watchers meetings from the ages of 13-16. You have no idea how pathetic it makes you feel being in a room full of middle-aged women and men, it's like looking into a sad crystal ball. Being indoctrinated into the idea of "eat this Snackwell's or Weight Watchers snack, you can have all you want because they are fat free!" I don't blame my mother for this, she really bought into the low-fat diet and to this day I am still trying to convince her otherwise.

TL;DR: To all the people who have never been seriously obese and spout trite shit like, "put down the fork" or "respect your body" or "it's your fault and no one else's" or "of course I've never been obese, I'd never let myself get to that point," you really just don't get it. Also, you are not saying anything that fat people already know. I'm not saying you should simply drop the issue, as health is important, but I would simply ask that people stop de-humanizing fat people. There are people underneath those sweaty rolls of flesh.
Why can't they do jumping jacks/jump rope in their house if they're worried about what others think while they're running? Work out indoors do a shitload of high rep exercises and all that. I don't go to the gym because i'm skinny as shit and would feel embarrassed only being able to lift little weight compared to everyone else there so I just do shit at home. Then once I feel like i've gotten reasonably stronger i'll go to the gym unless I end up buying my own equipment.

TheExodu5 said:
I can't really sympathize with this. I equate overeating and eating unhealthily to smoking. I was closer to 40-50lbs overweight, but I know exactly how it was brought on. It was mostly an eating addiction. Quitting unhealthy eating feels just like quitting smoking. All it takes is willpower.
Agree with this, a lot of will power for sure but it can be done if you want to lose weight bad enough. People lose motivation though, it's understandable, but that's what it takes if you're sick of yourself.
 
I think sometimes in today's culture though we let fat people get away with it and I for one don't want fat people thinking its ok
 
TheExodu5 said:
I can't really sympathize with this. I equate overeating and eating unhealthily to smoking. I was closer to 40-50lbs overweight, but I know exactly how it was brought on. It was mostly an eating addiction. Quitting unhealthy eating feels just like quitting smoking. All it takes is willpower.
That's fine that you can't sympathize with it. Like I said, you simply don't understand if you've never been there. Do you sympathize with a smoker? Or a heroin addict? Probably not, as I don't, but that doesn't make their struggle any less valid.

EDIT:
Angry Fork said:
Why can't they do jumping jacks/jump rope in their house if they're worried about what others think while they're running? Work out indoors do a shitload of high rep exercises and all that. I don't go to the gym because i'm skinny as shit and would feel embarrassed only being able to lift little weight compared to everyone else there so I just do shit at home. Then once I feel like i've gotten reasonably stronger i'll go to the gym unless I end up buying my own equipment.
Of course they should do whatever physical activity they can, but being "skinny as shit" means you've never known what it feels like to have no energy whatsoever, or to feel out of breath walking up a single flight of stairs.
 
Angry Fork said:
Why can't they do jumping jacks/jump rope in their house if they're worried about what others think while they're running? Work out indoors do a shitload of high rep exercises and all that. I don't go to the gym because i'm skinny as shit and would feel embarrassed only being able to lift little weight compared to everyone else there so I just do shit at home. Then once I feel like i've gotten reasonably stronger i'll go to the gym unless I end up buying my own equipment.

You know, I feel the same amount of embarrassment about going for a job. But know what? I think I'm just going to try to get over it and start jogging. I mean, what are people going to say "oh man, that guy is jogging...what a goof!". I don't think there's anything embarrassing about wanting to better myself. I don't know why I'd feel embarrassed. Maybe it's just social anxiety...

Cyrillus said:
That's fine that you can't sympathize with it. Like I said, you simply don't understand if you've never been there. Do you sympathize with a smoker? Or a heroin addict? Probably not, as I don't, but that doesn't make their struggle any less valid.

I've smoked, and I've had an eating addiction. I've gotten over both. How? By having a sudden urge to become healthier. Something sparked in me, and after starting eating better, I just feel so much better, which is encouraging me to keep on going.
 
crazygambit said:
Michael Phelps eats 12,000 calories a day and is skinny as fuck, so lucky. Or maybe he burns them all exercising, I don't know.


a lot of people do genetically tend to not put on as much weight no matter what they eat, but thin also doesn't necessarily equate to healthy
 
You know, those gnarly rock hard frozen chicken breasts are straight nasty if you just eat them.

You gotta boil them, straight from the freezer to the pot. Boil that shit, then take it out and pull it to shreds with a fork. Then back in a pan with little oil, some onions, paprika, chili powder, cumin, whatever. (you can get those spices for like 99c each at the hispanic section of your supermarket) Its a good tip to add the spices to the water you boil with too, but not required.

Then you got yourself some perfectly spiced chicken for enchiladas, tacos, sandwiches even.
 
sans_pants said:
a lot of people do genetically tend to not put on as much weight no matter what they eat, but thin also doesn't necessarily equate to healthy

He's 6'7", has a fair amount of muscle, and is an Olympic swimmer. I'm sure he burns a massive amount of calories.
 
sans_pants said:
jogging sucks, fat people should be doing interval training

I want to jog because my stamina is shit. If I run for 20 seconds, I'm out of breath. I feel completely ashamed of myself.
 
Cyrillus said:
TL;DR: To all the people who have never been seriously obese and spout trite shit like, "put down the fork" or "respect your body" or "it's your fault and no one else's" or "of course I've never been obese, I'd never let myself get to that point," you really just don't get it. Also, you are not saying anything that fat people already know. I'm not saying you should simply drop the issue, as health is important, but I would simply ask that people stop de-humanizing fat people. There are people underneath those sweaty rolls of flesh.

As much as I understand what your saying, know what you mean, and have lived what you have said, you're crazy looking for empathy here. :-/

Exodu5 said:
I want to jog because my stamina is shit. If I run for 20 seconds, I'm out of breath. I feel completely ashamed of myself.

What about starting on stationary bike or rower? Rower brings in some crosstraining, but the cardio in it is less intense than jogging.

Exodu5 said:
I've smoked, and I've had an eating addiction. I've gotten over both. How? By having a sudden urge to become healthier. Something sparked in me, and after starting eating better, I just feel so much better, which is encouraging me to keep on going.

Yeah, but unlike smoking, people addicted to food deal with an avalanche of more temptation in the form or marketing and peer pressure. Yes, willpower is what it takes, but its hardly easy. But alot of people here seem to think that just that little bit of knowledge is what it takes to get people to eat better. Usually, the hurdles are far more psychological and systemic.
 
JoeBoy101 said:
What about starting on stationary bike or rower? Rower brings in some crosstraining, but the cardio in it is less intense than jogging.

No room for a bike at home. =\

I rather just go outside and either jog or bike, since it's more convenient to me than going to the gym. When winter rolls around, then I'll probably end up getting a gym membership. I'm pretty motivated at the moment...I really hope I can keep it up.

Seriously though, just 3 weeks of eating properly and I feel much better. More energy. More stamina overall. Improved libido. Shit's encouraging.

I'm 23, and sit at the computer for 8 hours a day at work, as well as several hours a day at home. I need to do something if I don't want to die of a heart attack by the time I turn 40.

-----

To anyone that's overweight here that wants to start turning things around, start with something easy: cut out sugar, bread, and potatoes (as much as possible). Seriously. That's all it takes. I feel full all the time, while eating far less calories.

Drink water, tea, and coffee (black). Eat meat and veggies. For snacking, you can eat nuts, fruit, and dark chocolate. Cottage cheese is a great snack as well.

Just say no to all desserts, potatoes, bread, and soft drinks.
 
If it's all been heard before, and you act like we can't offer anything new or our opinions are less valid because we've never been obese, then what else can you expect us to offer other than tough love? You have to help yourself.

Sure, it's hard, but change has to start somewhere, however small. Here's one I need to constantly remind my GF of (and myself): It's ok to be hungry. It's natural to be hungry sometimes.
 
TheExodu5 said:
No room for a bike at home. =\

I rather just go outside and either jog or bike, since it's more convenient to me than going to the gym. When winter rolls around, then I'll probably end up getting a gym membership. I'm pretty motivated at the moment...I really hope I can keep it up.

Way I am doing it is getting my good habits down first. Eating better, smaller portions, making them habitual so the mental energy needed to sustain them isn't as hard. After that's set, I'll start with the exercise. Takes about a month for habits to start forming (or break). Upside is without exercise and just eating better, I'm down over 15 lbs in 30 days.

TheExodu5 said:
Seriously though, just 3 weeks of eating properly and I feel much better. More energy. More stamina overall. Improved libido. Shit's encouraging.

I'm 23, and sit at the computer for 8 hours a day at work, as well as several hours a day at home. I need to do something if I don't want to die of a heart attack by the time I turn 40.

Damn man, preaching to the choir. Not at 40 yet but close, but no heart attack yet *knocks on wood*.

Pixel Pete said:
If it's all been heard before, and you act like we can't offer anything new or our opinions are less valid because we've never been obese, then what else can you expect us to offer other than tough love? You have to help yourself.

That bolded statement right there is what many people here are forgetting. You know a big cause of dramatic over-eating? Low self-image and esteem. Tough love does shit for that. Ultimately its a selfish problem because only that person can fix it. What alot of people here, again, think is if they just say the right thing, it will make them change their lives. For better, or for worse, you gotta let them handle it because everyone else can't fix it, only the person can.

Pixel Pete said:
Sure, it's hard, but change has to start somewhere, however small. Here's one I need to constantly remind my GF of (and myself): It's ok to be hungry. It's natural to be hungry sometimes.

Maybe not hungry all the time, but I'll never forget what one co-worker said to me: You know a diet's working if you are hungry during it. That's how its supposed to work.

Exodu5 said:
To anyone that's overweight here that wants to start turning things around, start with something easy: cut out sugar, bread, and potatoes (as much as possible). Seriously. That's all it takes. I feel full all the time, while eating far less calories.

Drink water, tea, and coffee (black). Eat meat and veggies. For snacking, you can eat nuts, fruit, and dark chocolate. Cottage cheese is a great snack as well.

Just say no to all desserts, potatoes, bread, and soft drinks.

Amen. If you're only going to do one thing, cut those colas. Those things are death. And yes, screw the diet ones too.
 
JoeBoy101 said:
Maybe not hungry all the time, but I'll never forget what one co-worker said to me: You know a diet's working if you are hungry during it. That's how its supposed to work.

Can't agree with that. By lowering my carb intake, I get fuller with much lower calorie counts. I haven't been hungry once in the past 20 days, and I'm down 10lbs.

Like I said earlier in the thread: what's easier to eat, a large sized BigMac combo, or a 48oz steak? Both have the same amount of calories, but one will fill you up a hell of a lot sooner than the other.
 
TheExodu5 said:
Can't agree with that. By lowering my carb intake, I get fuller with much lower calorie counts. I haven't been hungry once in the past 20 days, and I'm down 10lbs.

My portion sizes were crazy. Just making them sane has me hungry. But I do find myself getting full from less food. That and when I'm getting hungry is starting to time nicely with meal time, especially dinner.
 
JoeBoy101 said:
Maybe not hungry all the time, but I'll never forget what one co-worker said to me: You know a diet's working if you are hungry during it. That's how its supposed to work.

Say what? That's just nonsense.

Feeling hungry all the time is a sign of a damn shitty diet. No one is going to be able to stick to a diet where they are miserable all the time.

It sounds insane that your co-worker seems to think that our bodies need to be craving sustenance all the time in order to lose weight.
 
TheExodu5 said:
Can't agree with that. By lowering my carb intake, I get fuller with much lower calorie counts. I haven't been hungry once in the past 20 days, and I'm down 10lbs.

Fat (natural fats, so fast foods don't count due to trans fat) fill you up for longer and are a better source of energy than carbs. Also they don't give you heart disease or make you fat. So yeah, I agree with this.

My point is, if I get snackish, I don't pounce on a quick fix. I'll just drink some water, plan ahead with something healthy, or if I'm caught unawares, wait. Being hungry won't kill you. Better to be hungry than to snack and ruin a good thing.
 
Pixel Pete said:
My point is, if I get snackish, I don't pounce on a quick fix. I'll just drink some water, plan ahead with something healthy, or if I'm caught unawares, wait. Being hungry won't kill you. Better to be hungry than to snack and ruin a good thing.

My hungry snack is 5 almonds + a few small square of 85% dark chocolate (maybe 15g total) :)
 
Dai Kaiju said:
Didn't they? I've been seeing a lot of products lately with labels advertising the use of real sugar. Hell, I have a bottle of ketchup in the fridge that says "NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP!!!" on it. I didn't even know ketchup had sugar in it.

Just to reply to this point a few pages back, I've heard HFCS and other corn sources have been increasingly expensive because of ethanol additives in fuel. That's why many food products are switching back to sugar because it's starting to make economic sense.
 
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