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[Guevara]

Obese men have only a one in 210 chance of attaining a healthy body weight, according to new research that suggests diet and exercise strategies are not effective in combating the obesity epidemic.

While obese women stand a slightly higher one in 124 chance, experts from King’s College London, who conducted the study, said that existing weight loss programmes in the UK were “not working for the vast majority of obese patients”.

The findings are based on the electronic health records of 279,000 people. People who were categorised as severely obese were even less likely to attain healthy weight – with a 1 in 1,290 chance among men and a one in 677 chance among women.

While a significant number of patients were able to lose five per cent of their weight, most regained it after only a few years.

Each year obese men have a one in 12 chance of achieving five per cent weight loss, rising to one in 10 among women. But 53 per cent of people who had achieved this regained the weight within a year, and after five years, only 22 per cent had maintained their weight loss.

“The risk with findings like this is that people get despondent and think there is no hope,” she said. “We would say the key message in terms of public health policy is that we need to be focusing more on prevention because it is difficult to lose weight once you are obese.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...attaining-a-healthy-body-weight-10394887.html

Pretty damning results of a comprehensive new study. That last part seems the most important: once an individual becomes obese it is extremely unlikely they'll be able to lose weight, so prevention is our best approach.

Mod Abuse:

Please note that the methodology of this study is notably flawed, and most importantly, the spin put on the data by the article is misleading.

The paper is looking at all obese people, not just those who are looking to lose weight. It assumes that most people want to lose weight, which is a fairly reasonable assumption in casual discussion, but not good enough for a robust study.

The paper is also looking at only a one year period, not a lifespan. This means that Obese men and women (regardless of effort) have an ~.5% chance of losing weight and reaching "normal" BMI weight classifications in any given year, according to these statistics.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=172182067&postcount=156

 

[Bit-Bit]

Fat chance.

 

[Aliquidmeri]

I did it ¯\_(&#12484_/¯

 

[shoplifter]

GAF: "There's no excuse for being fat, you fatty"

 

[Alienous]

This doesn't seem helpful.

The obese 1% hoarding all of the skinny.

 

[lonely]

Just do it!

 

[entremet]

Never give up. Never surrender.

 

[Wafflecakes]

....bububu fat shamer gaf told me that all those lazy fat people need to do is eat less.

Easy peasy!

 

[Joey Fox]

That's super low

 

[Idba]

Once you get past a certain point going back will be hard and just staying there will be the easiest choice.

 

[Rich!]

....bububu fat shamer gaf told me that all those lazy fat people need to do is eat less.

Easy peasy!

That's what I did. Dropped from 15 stone to 10.

And?

 

[Maninthemirror]

did they consider that the study could have a different result if the mindset to acheive their goal was more focused?

 

[DrGonzo615]

Fat chance.

aaannnnndddd were done here.

 

[Wafflecakes]

That's what I did. Dropped from 15 stone to 10.

And?

I dropped 110 lbs. No need to be condescending and superior when you are not.

Your anecdote (or mine) are pretty meaningless in the face of real facts.

 

[StMeph]

....bububu fat shamer gaf told me that all those lazy fat people need to do is eat less.

Easy peasy!

The methods are extremely simple. Eat less calories.

That doesn't mean it's easy. Doing it (and maintaining it) is almost entirely dependent on discipline.

 

[Rich!]

I dropped 110 lbs. No need to be condescending and superior when you are not.

Your anecdote (or mine) are pretty meaningless in the face of real facts.

It wasn't exactly the hardest thing.

I did some running and ate less.

 

[Chance Hale]

....bububu fat shamer gaf told me that all those lazy fat people need to do is eat less.

Easy peasy!

As part of the one percent it certainly wasn't easy but it was doable with time and effort. All of the roadblocks were mental. I wanted to lose the weight and get fit again and so I did. People find excuses for anything.

Got out and ran every day, watched what I ate, and so on. Isn't rocket science unless you're part of the very small group that have actual medical issues that might prevent them from losing weight.

 

[Lostconfused]

I did it ¯\_(&#12484_/¯

Congratulations now another 124-210 people will stay overweight.

 

[John Kowalski]

It's one of the easiest things to change about yourself.

 

[Madao]

i was drinking tons of water and eating once per day earlier this year. lost some weight but not enough to make a difference. gave up on that and returned to normal since it wasn't worth it (i'll die someday anyway)

 

[KingGondo]

As part of the one percent it certainly wasn't easy but it was doable with time and effort. All of the roadblocks were mental. I wanted to lose the weight and get fit again and so I did. People find excuses for anything.

Just because roadblocks are mental doesn't mean they aren't real.

 

[Maninthemirror]

....bububu fat shamer gaf told me that all those lazy fat people need to do is eat less.

Easy peasy!

most people dont have the will to lose it all the way. that is why. speaking as an overweight person I know

 

[pa22word]

That's what I did. Dropped from 15 stone to 10.

And?

Am I, or anyone else for that matter, supposed to care?

At a less than 1% sucess rate your method is pretty much confirmed garbage at doing anything more than giving you a false sense of superiority for doing it.

 

[Cagey]

Curious to know if the data set focused on people who attempted to lose weight.

The article is unclear if it's just a sample of obese and morbidly obese people, or a subset of that sample who have weight loss as an active goal.

I don't think there's ever been an argument that an obese person maintaining status quo would necessarily result in a good chance for becoming not-obese.

 

[Tagyhag]

....bububu fat shamer gaf told me that all those lazy fat people need to do is eat less.

Easy peasy!

That's pretty much all you need to do, the study doesn't refute that.

 

[Kinyou]

“The risk with findings like this is that people get despondent and think there is no hope,” she said. “We would say the key message in terms of public health policy is that we need to be focusing more on prevention because it is difficult to lose weight once you are obese.”

That sure sounds hopeless.

"We can't fix it, just prevent it"

 

[Zornack]

Some of the wording in the articles makes me think these statistics deal with all obese, not just those attempting to lose weight.

 

[Blue Geezer]

is it measuring people who are actually trying to lose weight or just all obese people?

 

[Reset]

Well unless they have a medical condition, they shouldn't have gotten obese/fat in the first place. Should have eaten less in the first place.

 

[Nivash]

did they consider that the study could have a different result if the mindset to acheive their goal was more focused?

These are averages, but still. 279,000 subjects is a huge number. If the mindset is the key then I guess that means that in order to return to a healthy weight once you're obese you'll have to have more mental strength than 99,5% of your peers.

If mental strength could be quantified and followed the same distribution in the population as IQ, being in that group is equal to surpassing the requirements for joining Mensa in IQ - it corresponds to an IQ of over 135. And like intelligence, you don't exactly choose your level of mental strength.

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

The problem with studies like this, at this point in history, is that there is a LOT of bad advice relating to what constitute good diet and exercise habits. Not to mention that eating, like other kinds of addiction, can be a form of self-medication for unresolved issues in other aspects of one's life or psyche, so people will of course gravitate back to it over a long enough time frame unless there is equality of access to and a lessening of the stigma surrounding mental health services.

Ultimately, though, the only thing that will REALLY help is earlier and better education as to what constitutes good diet and exercise habits, and an alteration of the food system so that people have less and less cheap access to things they can eat into an adiposal oblivion.

 

[Burt]

Makes sense. Only about 5% of smokers are successful on any attempt to quit, and that's with much stronger messaging on cost, health issues, and societal pressure. Overeating is both harder to avoid and not looked upon nearly as negatively. They should start airing companion commercials to those gross smoking ones about the dangers of being obese.

Yeah, all you have to do is eat less, but it isn't easy.

 

[M0nochromatic]

This research conflicts with a lot of anecdotal evidence I've come across. I guess the narrative that it's a super simple thing to overcome is a lie.

It's a really depressing statistic. I feel bad for people in that situation.

 

[Crud]

That's pretty much all you need to do, the study doesn't refute that.

.

 

[God Dayumm]

of course there is no chance when you don't even try

 

[Miletius]

most people dont have the will to lose it all the way. that is why. speaking as an overweight person I know

I mean that's true for sure, but part of that loss of will is beyond just saying to yourself "I won't eat more." The body becomes accustomed to a certain amount of food and will generate signals that they are not getting what they are used to, especially past a certain point. The study just highlights that we must get to people before they get obese, because once they are it is very hard to go back to a normal weight. We should be fostering healthy eating habits in young adults and children so that they don't have to deal with these issues later on when it's most likely too late.

 

[KingGondo]

The lack of empathy shown toward the overweight/obese in threads like these is always disheartening.

 

[PBY]

I always struggle w/ the whole fat shaming thing.


Empathy and understanding, above all i get that. THAT SAID - I have a hard time walking the line between encouragement versus acceptance. I just don't want obesity to become a new normal/baseline.

 

[TheXfactor]

i was drinking tons of water and eating once per day earlier this year. lost some weight but not enough to make a difference. gave up on that and returned to normal since it wasn't worth it (i'll die someday anyway)

eating once per day? thats not healthy at all

 

[pa22word]

Well unless they have a medical condition, they shouldn't have gotten obese/fat in the first place. Should have eaten less in the first place.

Most people who end up being obese start off on that path during childhood, and a lot of them dont even make it to adolescence before being obese.

But yeah, its def those kids fault entirely. Sorry fatass, your own damn fault, enjoy the death at 50!

 

[Ethical Hedonism]

The lack of empathy shown toward the overweight/obese in threads like these is always disheartening.

Yeah, I'm surprised to see this here on GAF.

 

[Snkfanatic]

Well unless they have a medical condition, they shouldn't have gotten obese/fat in the first place. Should have eaten less in the first place.

Oh tell us more oh brilliant one.

I see this thread is off to a great start....

 

[evilromero]

I wonder how many people that are obese as adults were also overweight or obese as children? Because the prevention recommendation would be critical in that sense where parents have more control in setting a moderate and healthy environment.

 

[thefro]

I mean that's true for sure, but part of that loss of will is beyond just saying to yourself "I won't eat more." The body becomes accustomed to a certain amount of food and will generate signals that they are not getting what they are used to, especially past a certain point. The study just highlights that we must get to people before they get obese, because once they are it is very hard to go back to a normal weight. We should be fostering healthy eating habits in young adults and children so that they don't have to deal with these issues later on when it's most likely too late.

That suggests that the best approach would be gradual weight loss instead of a crash diet like so many people try. You get someone down to where they've got a stable weight and then cut out 100 calories a day.

I agree that prevention would be much better.

 

[PsychoSoldier]

of course there is no chance when you don't even try

I'm sure you have some solid studies to prove barely any of these people tried.

 

[Maninthemirror]

The lack of empathy shown toward the overweight/obese in threads like these is always disheartening.

I don't need empathy, I need a better plan. I have lost a lot of weight but gained it back. I need more focus. but thats just me.

 

[KingGondo]

I always struggle w/ the whole fat shaming thing.


Empathy and understanding, above all i get that. THAT SAID - I have a hard time walking the line between encouragement versus acceptance. I just don't want obesity to become a new normal/baseline.

There's a difference between accepting obese people and accepting the obesity epidemic.

Shaming individuals for their weight seems extremely misguided to me.

Besides, it's pretty clear that societal factors are causing a preponderance of obesity, not a sudden onset of laziness in the entire populations of dozens of countries.

 

[Wafflecakes]

That's pretty much all you need to do, the study doesn't refute that.

A far more likely scenario than "99% of fat people are too lazy to lose the weight" to be that the actual difficulty of losing weight in today's society is unreasonably high to the point where it is virtually impossible for many.

Society should focus more on helping people lose weight, instead of blaming. Because that strategy is failing and only gives bigots a group to hate.

 

[DragonSworne]

Study shows that ~99% of obese people don't know how to lose weight.

 

[God Dayumm]

I'm sure you have some solid studies to prove barely any of these people tried.

It is what the article implies