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My theory is that the fad diets of the past, which were mainly starvation diets, have caused people to screw up their metabolism. Back then we didn't know enough about effective weight loss. Most of what I remember is people simply being told to eat fewer calories...as few as possible. Now we know that starving oneself does more damage and adds more weight over the long haul than does a balanced diet of 4-5 meals a day. But for some, the damage us done and I think the metabolic issues we see today are a result of years and years of yo yo dieting that brings normal metabolic functions to a halt.
There are still people who believe that eating as few meals as possible is the answer...just like there are people who believe they can eat whatever they want as long as they workout. And most people's idea of a strenuous workout is woefully inaccurate.
I eat what I want and workout and maintain my size with no problem. True I don't binge but that's because I know that I can eat what I want when I want to so there is no need to eat a lot of it at that time, I know that I have other days to eat it and so what's the point of gorging on it. Thus if I crave something I eat the item and I don't feel guilt or obsess about it.
I eat it and then I move on with my life. I don't attach good and bad to food but do realize that certain foods give me more energy or keep full longer and cause my skin to look great and so I tend to eat those foods more but also have my weeks or days where I eat things that society seems bad and despite if I eat them anyway. It's amusing because people at work have asked me if I have a high metabolism because they see what I eat and don't allow themselves to eat what I eat. And they can't imagine how I'm able to maintain my weight eating what I eat.
But I don't have a high metabolism. It's average at best and in fact I used to struggle with maintaining my weight and would yo-yo and would gain and lose frequently. I was never at a good point for longer than a few months. I was either counting calories, working out for hours, counting carbs, labeling food as good or bad, starving myself, etc. Then one day I realized that I needed to change my thoughts and beliefs about food and dieting and I did. And once that outlook changed my approach changed as well. I stopped making food out to be more than what it needed to be. Decreased my works outs for efficiency since it have a kid and I'm busy and since then I've maintained a size 4/6 and actually like how I look. I get compliments about my body frequently. And it's easy to sustain this lifestyle as opposed to some stringent food regimen or 2 hour work daily work out. Not that my individual story means much but it is proof for myself that beliefs and mentality and all things related, can impact your life. The moment I changed my perspective things fell into place. Just a thought.
I eat what I want and workout and maintain my size with no problem. True I don't binge but that's because I know that I can eat what I want when I want to so there is no need to eat a lot of it at that time, I know that I have other days to eat it and so what's the point of gorging on it. Thus if I crave something I eat the item and I don't feel guilt or obsess about it.
I eat it and then I move on with my life. I don't attach good and bad to food but do realize that certain foods give me more energy or keep full longer and cause my skin to look great and so I tend to eat those foods more but also have my weeks or days where I eat things that society seems bad and despite if I eat them anyway. It's amusing because people at work have asked me if I have a high metabolism because they see what I eat and don't allow themselves to eat what I eat. And they can't imagine how I'm able to maintain my weight eating what I eat.
But I don't have a high metabolism. It's average at best and in fact I used to struggle with maintaining my weight and would yo-yo and would gain and lose frequently. I was never at a good point for longer than a few months. I was either counting calories, working out for hours, counting carbs, labeling food as good or bad, starving myself, etc. Then one day I realized that I needed to change my thoughts and beliefs about food and dieting and I did. And once that outlook changed my approach changed as well. I stopped making food out to be more than what it needed to be. Decreased my works outs for efficiency since it have a kid and I'm busy and since then I've maintained a size 4/6 and actually like how I look. I get compliments about my body frequently. And it's easy to sustain this lifestyle as opposed to some stringent food regimen or 2 hour work daily work out. Not that my individual story means much but it is proof for myself that beliefs and mentality and all things related, can impact your life. The moment I changed my perspective things fell into place. Just a thought.
That's great that you've found a wY that works for you. I firmly believe that what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for everyone. I tend to have a more strict diet and I only allow myself a cheat meal once a week. I have a thing for sweets, so,I have to control myself that way. I've been a size 4 for years now and that, along with exercising is how I'm able to maintain it.
That's great that you've found a wY that works for you. I firmly believe that what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for everyone. I tend to have a more strict diet and I only allow myself a cheat meal once a week. I have a thing for sweets, so,I have to control myself that way. I've been a size 4 for years now and that, along with exercising is how I'm able to maintain it.
I have a thing for sweets too. There are weeks when I eat them more and days when I don't eat them at all. I get you though. I used to have a similar strategy with the cheat meal and being strict through the week.
I hate being overweight.....my body and face go completely out of proportion if I get over 15 lbs my healthy weight. Most of the fat just sticks to my butt, thighs, and gut and no where else..
I also have an oval shaped face and small cheeks so fat gain on my face just ends up more pronounced and I start sporting a double chin fairly quickly.
Being single, the one way to ensure a miserable dating life is to be out-of-shape. Women on the prowl don't want to mess around with a lazy slob, and they will not hesitate to show their displeasure or indifference to you approaching them.
Even the ones that were somewhat interested in me would still drag their feet (because deep down they figured they could do better)
The reactions have gotten so much better after I recently shedded off a good deal of weight and increased my muscle tone. I plan on making this a permanent lifestyle for me, I'm definitely happier when I look good and I really don't miss eating crap food anyways. It's nothing more than temporary gratification. How many pizzas and burgers do you have to eat to say "enough" anyways? Just save it for the occasional cheat meal and train yourself to nourish your body consistently with whole unprocessed foods.
I hate being overweight.....my body and face go completely out of proportion if I get over 15 lbs my healthy weight. Most of the fat just sticks to my butt, thighs, and gut and no where else..
I also have an oval shaped face and small cheeks so fat gain on my face just ends up more pronounced and I start sporting a double chin fairly quickly.
Being single, the one way to ensure a miserable dating life is to be out-of-shape. Women on the prowl don't want to mess around with a lazy slob, and they will not hesitate to show their displeasure or indifference to you approaching them.
Even the ones that were somewhat interested in me would still drag their feet (because deep down they figured they could do better)
The reactions have gotten so much better after I recently shedded off a good deal of weight and increased my muscle tone. I plan on making this a permanent lifestyle for me, I'm definitely happier when I look good and I really don't miss eating crap food anyways. It's nothing more than temporary gratification. How many pizzas and burgers do you have to eat to say "enough" anyways? Just save it for the occasional cheat meal and train yourself to nourish your body consistently with whole unprocessed foods.
Your body and dating life will thank you.
Thats awesome....congrats! More people should follow in your path.
No, I don't think overweight people are discriminated against, because in the vast majority of cases, overweight is something you've chosen to be.
NOT ALL, but most cases.
I know this poster has been banned, but just wanted to say (in case anyone's nodding in agreement) that something being a choice - which isn't even always true with weight - doesn't mean it cannot be cause for discrimination. People choose to follow a certain religion, or to dress in drag, but they can still be discriminated against for that! So yeah, kind of a dumb comment on their part.
At some point, people who are overweight have to take some personal responsibility for how they've ended up and how to fix the problem. You can't seriously think that not having a sidewalk is a legitimate excuse for why people can't or don't exercise. So you work at a job where you sit at your desk all day. Does that mean you can't take a walk on your breaks or get in some physical activity after work or on the weekends?
I'm sorry but I have to agree that most people are likely overweight because they choose not to eat healthy, whole foods and they choose to sit in front of a tv or gaming system instead of exercising. So in that sense...other than those who have a legitimate health issue that prevents weight management...yes, they choose to be fat. I sometimes watch what fat people put into their carts at the store, and it usually is not fruits and veggies. It's usually ice cream, cookies, cakes, frozen pizzas and other garbage. I'd say that's the main reason nearly 70% of Americans are overweight and/or obese. I'm not saying that they should be discriminated against for being so...but at what point does one get tired of being ostracized before they make a change?
You're ignoring one glaring point (made originally by Jade), though... for some people it's easy to maintain a healthy weight even with bad habits, for others it is a daily struggle of constant dieting & exercise just to maintain "normal" or chubby. So I think you and the other poster completely missed her point.
To give my own similar example, I had a friend in high school who was a VERY thin Chinese girl - weighed like 95lbs soaking wet, and she was almost my height at around 5'5". She ate like crap, lots of pizza, donuts, french fries, you name it, and was also rather lazy when it came to physical activities. She actually tried to gain weight (thought she'd grow boobs that way), but never got above that size until after having a baby around age 30. She's still pretty small, but finally got those boobs she always wanted. LOL
Meanwhile (in middle/high school) I was training daily in figure skating, dance, horseback riding, played on the badminton & tennis teams, swim team, etc, and didn't eat very badly... but somehow I still weighed around 140-160lbs during my skating years, and quickly ballooned up to 200lbs+ the minute I stopped. It's called genetics/metabolism, and you'd have to be quite ignorant to deny we're not all made differently. That doesn't mean I cannot lose weight, as I have lost quite a bit & maintained over the years, but it's a STRUGGLE. Daily. One of the many unfair things about life, I guess.
P.S. Being ostracized or bullied isn't often what motivates one to lose weight, in fact that usually has the opposite effect. Ever heard of stress eating? I finally lost weight when I decided I'D had enough, and just wanted to feel better about MYSELF. All came from within me, nothing to do with people being jerks.
You're ignoring one glaring point (made originally by Jade), though... for SOME people it's easy to maintain a healthy weight even with bad habits, for others it is a daily struggle. So I think you and the other poster completely missed her point.
To give my own similar example, I had a friend in high school who was a VERY thin Chinese girl - weighed like 95lbs soaking wet, and she was almost my height at around 5'5". She ate like crap, lots of pizza, donuts, french fries, you name it, and was also rather lazy when it came to physical activities. She actually tried to gain weight (thought she'd grow boobs that way), but never got above that size until after having a baby in her 30's. She's still pretty small, but finally got those boobs she always wanted. LOL
Meanwhile (in middle/high school) I was training in figure skating, dance, horseback riding, played on the badminton & tennis teams, swim team, etc, and didn't eat very badly... but somehow I still weighed around 140-160lbs during my skating years, and quickly ballooned up to 200lbs+ the minute I stopped. It's called genetics/metabolism, and you'd have to be quite ignorant to deny we're not all made differently. That doesn't mean I cannot lose weight, as I have lost quite a bit & maintained over the years, but it's a STRUGGLE. Daily. One of the many unfair things about life, I guess.
Uh yeah...ok
What's your definition of "didn't eat very badly" though?
True some don't know what healthy eating really is. However, when you pay a fitness professional to give you some guidance and educate you on how to eat, your can't dismiss the info because you think change is scary. I have gone as far as writing people long, detailed emails explaining how to change their shopping and eating habits for the better (at their request mind you) for FREE and they go largely ignored. Then a week later I'm looking at their Facebook status where they're having yet another greasy meal. But then they wonder why they can't shed the weight. I got burned out on trying to help very fast.
Sounds like you're not very empathetic to how difficult these changes are, especially if you're coming from a LIFETIME of bad habits... that's like saying "I just can't understand why smokers don't quit the second they decide they want to," even if that smoker has been doing it since age 12 & is now 75. If losing weight and quitting smoking were that psychologically easy, the companies/products assisting with these issues would be billion-dollar industries. We'd all just decide, and BOOM, it would be done with zero assistance.
And yes, change IS scary. Anyone who thinks otherwise must have a pretty perfect life, and has never been forced (internally or externally) to make any major life changes.
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Thats awesome....congrats! More people should follow in your path.
