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In this day and age, it seems like every fat person makes excuses for their weight and claim they don't eat a lot. Obesity is glamorized these days and I don't understand why. I'm not saying we should make fun of fat people, but accepting that it's okay and healthy to be overweight is not okay.
Why does every fat person claim they have a thyroid issue or can't lose weight no matter what they do? Not everyone can be stick thin, but being obese is not natural. I think a very small percentage of people are fat because of a thyroid problem or other medical condition. Most of them are fat because they just eat too much.
Very few people were fat 100 years ago, so I refuse to believe that suddenly we have all these thyroid issues that are making us fat. Do you agree or do you think I'm being too insensitive?
It's not like the thyroid gland is some big mystery, and it is not ambiguous. A simple blood test can tell you if you have an underactive, overactive, or normal thyroid, and the protocol is very specific. If someone says they have a thyroid issue, but they are not taking thyroid medication, then their doctor obviously disagrees with their diagnosis because the lab results don't indicate it. If they are taking thyroid medication, then they have a thyroid issue.
That is not to say that people don't have different metabolic rates. They most certainly do for a combination of several different reasons. Some are within their control, and some are not. I have to work hard to keep from getting fat while some other people don't. I just chalk it up to "life isn't fair" and suck it up and do what needs to be done. I didn't have to work as hard to do well in school as a lot of my friends, so we all have our gifts and we all have our crosses to bear. I can say that the best way to NOT lose weight is to dwell upon any excuse that will keep you from doing the actual work involved.
In this day and age, it seems like every fat person makes excuses for their weight and claim they don't eat a lot. Obesity is glamorized these days and I don't understand why. I'm not saying we should make fun of fat people, but accepting that it's okay and healthy to be overweight is not okay.
Why does every fat person claim they have a thyroid issue or can't lose weight no matter what they do? Not everyone can be stick thin, but being obese is not natural. I think a very small percentage of people are fat because of a thyroid problem or other medical condition. Most of them are fat because they just eat too much.
Very few people were fat 100 years ago, so I refuse to believe that suddenly we have all these thyroid issues that are making us fat. Do you agree or do you think I'm being too insensitive?
Not sure what the comparison between thyroid issues now and before. But over the last 50-70 years we have also made huge societal changes that have impacted our weight. We eat far more processed food, and we can't even get the government to approve accurate and transparent labeling on out foods. We have eliminated activity from daily life, redesigning our cities and towns to be car friendly and not people friendly. Many places don't have crosswalks or sidewalks even, so the only way to get somewhere is to hop in your car.
I happen to have thyroid issues, and when my levels are not in sync I am exhausted and tired all the time. I don't have the energy to workout or even enough to wake up on time (which if course is the time I would work out). Thyroid issues can also lead to deficiencies in both vitamin d and iron, which also impact your energy levels. My thyroid issues also cause period irregularity. And let me be honest, (this will be TMI) having a heavy period for 6 weeks does not exactly make it possible to workout due to unexpected flow issues.
I eat pretty healthfully most of the time, but for me it is 1 step forward, 2 steps back. A few years ago when my levels were out of sync I gained 25 pounds in 2 months even though I was actually more active than before. I ended up losing that plus more, and my levels got out of sync again and I regained 25. It is really obnoxious to say the least. It is much much harder to lose weight with thyroid issues, and very easy to gain weight.
So maybe for you weight loss is easy. For people with thyroid issues it isn't easy to lose (and thyroid issues are very common in women, particularly as you age).
And as for hypothyroidism? There is no consensus on treatment, the current official accepted TSH levels are a range of .5-4.5. But many endocrinologists recommend the ideal results are a level below 2, but many doctors will not treat people with levels above 3 or 4 even if someone has symptoms. And the symptoms are pretty subjective. Things that could be easily caused by many other health issues or even just stress.
In this day and age, it seems like every fat person makes excuses for their weight and claim they don't eat a lot. Obesity is glamorized these days and I don't understand why. I'm not saying we should make fun of fat people, but accepting that it's okay and healthy to be overweight is not okay.
Why does every fat person claim they have a thyroid issue or can't lose weight no matter what they do? Not everyone can be stick thin, but being obese is not natural. I think a very small percentage of people are fat because of a thyroid problem or other medical condition. Most of them are fat because they just eat too much.
Very few people were fat 100 years ago, so I refuse to believe that suddenly we have all these thyroid issues that are making us fat. Do you agree or do you think I'm being too insensitive?
Yes, 100 yrs ago, if you use current standards, they were FAT. Being fat is the last group of people which can be picked on and be "politically correct." Sure there are fat people because they are lazy and eat too much. However, there are fat people because of medical issues too. If you put down a black person, or handicapped person, the world would stop. But Moderator cut: language fat people? The world is your oyster.
Many fat people do have medical issues which preclude them for losing weight. Like it or not, it is true and the facts of life. However, many uneducated and ignorant people refuse to believe this.
How about we focus in on the issues for obesity and fix them, instead of calling people names.
Why do fat people always claim they have thyroid issues?
Boys and girls, this is an example of hyperbole. I am not fat. I'm just too short for my weight. I could stand to lose about 15 pounds and I'm working on that. I do, indeed, have a thyroid deficiency. It's a condition known as hypothyroidism. I have been treated for it for forty years. One pill every day and from time to time, adjustments have to be made in the dosage, but I have never blamed my weight on anything other than overeating and lack of exercise.
I spent my whole adult life being thin. After the birth of my third child, I wore a size 2. When I was in my early 50s, I weighed about 130, give or take. I wore a size 10 until I was almost 70 and then I began to put on some extra pounds. Kids grown, hubs deceased, retired from work, all contributed.
I would like to bet you if you stopped 15 "fat" people on the street and asked them what they feel is the cause of their obesity, you might - just might - get one of them to say they have a thyroid problem. The other 14 would punch you in the nose.
Any endo will tell you that just because you take a thyroid hormone doesn't mean your body will self correct and magically lose that extra weight. It is far more likely you will not lose.
Obesity is something that isn't really studied very well. Throw in the toxins and changes to our food supply and you can have metabolic changes that medicine is only beginning to acknowledge.
Believe whatever you want but best to keep it to yourself.
Not sure what the comparison between thyroid issues now and before. But over the last 50-70 years we have also made huge societal changes that have impacted our weight. We eat far more processed food, and we can't even get the government to approve accurate and transparent labeling on out foods. We have eliminated activity from daily life, redesigning our cities and towns to be car friendly and not people friendly. Many places don't have crosswalks or sidewalks even, so the only way to get somewhere is to hop in your car.
I happen to have thyroid issues, and when my levels are not in sync I am exhausted and tired all the time. I don't have the energy to workout or even enough to wake up on time (which if course is the time I would work out). Thyroid issues can also lead to deficiencies in both vitamin d and iron, which also impact your energy levels. My thyroid issues also cause period irregularity. And let me be honest, (this will be TMI) having a heavy period for 6 weeks does not exactly make it possible to workout due to unexpected flow issues.
I eat pretty healthfully most of the time, but for me it is 1 step forward, 2 steps back. A few years ago when my levels were out of sync I gained 25 pounds in 2 months even though I was actually more active than before. I ended up losing that plus more, and my levels got out of sync again and I regained 25. It is really obnoxious to say the least. It is much much harder to lose weight with thyroid issues, and very easy to gain weight.
So maybe for you weight loss is easy. For people with thyroid issues it isn't easy to lose (and thyroid issues are very common in women, particularly as you age).
And as for hypothyroidism? There is no consensus on treatment, the current official accepted TSH levels are a range of .5-4.5. But many endocrinologists recommend the ideal results are a level below 2, but many doctors will not treat people with levels above 3 or 4 even if someone has symptoms. And the symptoms are pretty subjective. Things that could be easily caused by many other health issues or even just stress.
There is a consensus. There are specific guidelines based on randomized controlled studies. Some doctors don't follow the guidelines and feel that their own clinical experience is a better gauge of what is best for their patient.
But I agree, when someone truly has thyroid issues it can be extremely difficult to lose weight and keep it off. My "suck it up" comment wasn't directed at them. It was just directed at people who just have slower bmrs, in the absence of medical conditions, like me.
Moderator cut: Against forum guidelines
Many people (including myself) are fat. Some of them (including myself) have an auto -immune disease that destroyed their thyroid, or have an underactive thyroid, or have had thyroid cancer and had to have their thyroid removed, or had an overactive thyroid and had to have it treated with radioactive iodine which destroys it. There are many thyroid disorders and many other diseases that impact a person's weight. None of them is anyone else's concern. Unless you are planning to ride the teeter-totter with them, no need to even think about it.
Last edited by Oldhag1; 07-02-2014 at 08:23 AM..
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