ExRx.net

This is an odd post, but wtf is going on with society? This fat acceptance is driving me crazy! More and more people are either apathetic or think that they cant beat it. I saw this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BWdmThX ... re=related

It was like watching a train crash... could not stop. But, she says that you cant control it... not your fault... BLAH BLAH BLAH.

Am I crazy for thinking that being overweight (not medically obese with thyroid disorders) is totally controllable?

I feel that this idea comes from the common view about eating. You eat as much as a skinny person you will become a skinny person. They dont seem to understand that eating as much as you burn doesnt make you lose weight but maintain. Also, I understand that calorie in doesnt mean exactly calorie out, but it is damn close. If you do 2000Cal or work in the thermodynamic sense of the word, you WILL be spending more than 2000Cal.

Am I so wrong for finding healthy looking people attractive?

If being overweight was so impossible to control, why is it that America is getting fatter, while humans in general do not?

My little cousin is so gigantic.... his mother just gives him more soda and pizza and chips... And, he laughs at me when I eat my spinach. I pity the boy, because he will eventually have to undo every extra calorie, or suffer the consequences.

Maybe I am way off...

I can understand fat acceptance. They think there is nothing they can do, because they are told to do something that does not work.

Calorie in isn't even close to calorie out. There is a huge chain of complex chemical reactions that go on. Until the energy is in usable form in the blood, the amount of energy doesn't mean a thing. For example wood is very calorie dense, however you can't digest any of it, so you don't get anything from it.


Now if you want to be REALLY technical and pedantic, it is calories in and calories out. However the main way out, is your ass. You give off a lot of heat too.


As for your cousin, it has nothing to do with the calories. It has to do with him eating food that the human body has not evolved to handle. This food causes a huge metabolic disturbance that causes him to get fat. If he switches to diet soda, pork rinds, a pizza made with sugar free sauce and using high fiber low carb tortillas as crust, he can loose all that weight.


As for finding healthy people attractive, that is normal. You are hard wired to want to pass on your genes with a partner who has good genetics. It's just natural selection.

I don't know if they totally belongs in this forum and not the lounge, but I don't think fat people should hate themselves because they are fat. If they are fat and happy at the same time, who are we to judge?

That being said, I was fat and could NOT be happy. I see nothing wrong with also wanting to improve oneself. I have to admit I only watched 30 secs of the video, since it seemed it was going to be an overweight girl complaining about the perfection she sees on the tube. Most of us here know how hard body perfection is to attain. I do think its wrong for Hollywood, Society, whatev to only tout the typical people they have on television. Very seldomly do non-beautiful women become famous, whereas plenty of men are judged based on their acting, musical, etc talent alone.

Synergy,

Obesity problem is growing.

I believe most don't lose weight and keep it off for the following reasons.

1) They believe you can't do anything about it.
2) They don't care.
3) They don't know what to do. They repeatedly try the wrong thing, become frustrated and quite trying.
4) They lose some weight, hit a plateau, and give up.
5) They lose the weight then go back to their old ways.



Unless someone has a medical problem, some degree of weight loss success is obtainable.

I've seen this first hand. My ex-wife's weight got up to 290 lbs.

She went through some of the phases that I listed above. She would lose weight then go back to her old ways. She would hit a plateau and then quit. Then she finally gave up and ended up gaining even more weight.

However, things changed a few years ago. She went to Weight Watchers and started an exercise program. I helped her and continue to help her with her diet and exercise program.

In two years, she lost 120 lbs. She not thin but but she look great. (I like buxom women with some meat on their bones. I don't find obese women attractive).

The good news is that you and I will NOT be fighting over the same woman...you take the thin one and I'll take the buxom one...:)



No, you're not wrong. Physical attaction is what usually draws us to the other person. A great book on this is His Needs, Her Needs

The book goes into our 5 basic needs. As you might have guessed, mens and womens needs are different. More like upside down.

As the book states when marriages/relationships DON"t meet those needs, "People wander into affairs with astonishing regularity, in spite of whatever strong moral or religious convictions they may hold."

To me is like shopping. If you aren't getting what you need at one store, you'll shop someplace that has what you need.

Makes you wonder if Tiger Woods wife was meeting his needs or if he was meeting hers. It's a two way street.

The book devotes a chapter to "Attraction". So, your "finding healhty people attractive" is normal.



Most overweight people have to work at it every day. Most won't do that.

Also, we are a fast food nation. It easy to eat junk...and that junk is tasty and addivtive. I have a addiction for Dr Pepper. I can't keep it in the house.

We do less and less manual labor. I am sure other can add to the list.



Sadly, I am guilty of that. When my son was small I allowed him to eat too much junk food. Shame on me!

He inherited his mother's genetics. He gained up to 220 lbs.

However, he changed his life style. He now weights about 175 lbs, he lost 45 lbs!

He defines exercise as physical torture...something he will NEVER do.

He only does "fun things". Those "fun things" are competitive Swing Dancing (spening hour dancing) and riding his bike all over Seattle.

According to him that's NOT exercise/physical torture. lol.

This being us to a great point. Many people like my son see exercise as physical torture.

With these individuals you want to help them find a physical "fun thing" they enjoy...like gardening, hiking, biking, dancing, etc.

His girl friend (who live with him) is into healthy eating...so, that helped him.



I don't think so. However, in seeing this first hand, I now have some compassion for obese individuals.

At the same time (like you), I am frustrated with those who don't care or don't try.

Kenny Croxdale

Good topic, but it does belong in the lounge. Moving it.
Tim

I was really fat as a kid, I got up to 260. But, I totally changed my habits and realized that the time will pass whether or not I am fat or not. I guess when you see it from the perspective of the future, putting down the Taco Bell and soda is a bit easier. Oh and I do not think that only skinny women are attractive. I just dont find someone who is high risk for Diabetes due to excess fat a potential life partner.

Those reasons are legitimate but I think you left off the most important reason(s) of all. Food that is horrible for you is convenient. It is much cheaper, much more readily available, and has a much longer shelf life than does good food.

Not a lot of paleo drive-thru meals.

Don't forget advertising. When's the last time you saw an ad for broccoli?

Yeah the advertising situation certainly doesn't help, but for me it wasn't historically a huge factor.

For the majority of my adult life I ate fast food every day because of convenience and time-saving, not advertising. It costs me about 45min-hour a day to eat real food, and I probably spend 2x as much money on food as well.

those cruciferous vegetables are brutal. taco bell makes you fart just as much but gets waaay more exposure. sometimes that's just the way the cookie crumbles. maybe broccoli just gets a bad rap?

Kenny brought up a good point that I didn't really touch on. When I talk about genetics being a limiting factor, I mean only in so far as achieving athletic or near athletic levels of bodyfat. Only those who are extremely obese, fall into the category I think require medical intervention.

For most people you can lose weight with the right program. Like myself as an example. I was just over 100 pounds too fat. That would even qualify for gastric bypass. So my genetics for getting lean are crap. But I lost it. I look closer to a linebacker or powerlifter than I do a bodybuilder, but that's pretty good all things considered.


Now people that are very overweight will have a harder time. They have to be more strict. But by cutting carbs and lifting weights, it's doable.


I can understand the fat people though. I had given up for a while. But then I learned about what works. So I can understand if they give up because they are told to do something that doesn't work. Now if they whine about not getting to eat junk food, or having to pump iron. Or they give up because the progress slows for a while.... I have no sympathy for that. Tough $h!t! That's what I say.

There's no substitute for self-discipline.

I'm fat.

But I'm fat in a sexy way. Right? RIGHT!!!?!?!?!

Twizzlers will make anyone sexy

Whew! Then I'm definitely hot.