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94 Comments
- benitojuarez, on 10/12/2007, -8/+53genetics is only an excuse in RARE cases, fat parents have fat kids because the unhealthy habits that caused them to become fat are taught to the kids unleashing a vicious cycle of fatness.
- dvddesign, on 10/12/2007, -3/+31Because most people don't know what constitutes a good diet (NOT DIETING!) and eat poorly. Or those that do diet eat too little and slow their metabolism down so much they stop losing weight soon after they start the diet.
An average man needs about 2000 calories a day to live. Why would a 300lb person eat 1200 calories a day and expect to lose weight? Sounds good on paper, but where are his muscles going to get energy from to drive him to exercise.
Eat more if you're going to eat smart.
I have 5 meals a day, meals a year ago I would've only had about half of in one sitting. I went from a 1200 calorie diet to a 2000 calorie diet. I started having enough energy to exercise, so my body needs MORE calories, I eat more, I burn faster.
I've lost 8lbs since the beginning of the year. It's not worth writing a book over, but it's permanent weight loss. Not muscle tissue, not water weight, but fat. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -7/+33Why do you think fat people stay fat, and it's hard for them to work out?
- course6, on 10/12/2007, -0/+20The reason this is an important discovery is that it sheds new light on something we've been tryin to figure out. We've known about leptin for a while. Fat-> Leptin. More Leptin -> less hunger, ie, back to skinny! It's the body's way of regulating your weight. It's why you stay the same weight for years and years, plus or minus a few pounds.
But if something happens, if your behavior/environment change (go to college, drink lots of beer, get pregnant,), suddenly, you're weight has changed (i wasn't referring to all at once in those examples, mind you).
Scientists wondered "why can't we just give people more leptin, since more leptin -> skinnier. We could just make a Leptin pill."
So they tried experiments that did just that and guess what... nothing happened. This article explains why: People who became overweight gained resistance to leptin, so giving them more Leptin of it does them no good. So it's back to the drawing board! - RatherDashing, on 10/12/2007, -15/+32Lazy and apparently, really really hungry.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -19/+32lack of discipline
laziness/no desire to have an active lifestyle
poor eating decisions
genetics (not as important as the first 3 as they can be controlled) - stonebear, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14Yes, it is disgusting. There is a tremendous social stigma associated with obesity, and that’s why people who are not:
A.) Obese.
B.) A medical professional.
need to:
A.) Shut the ***** up.
B.) Mind their own business. - MatthewTheRaven, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Nothing like the resounding gross oversimplification of the obesity problem. It's as simple as fat people overeat and are lazy, right?
Not so much.
The reality is that there are a large amount of things that can cause obesity. Overeating and not exercising is one of them. However, there are a number of studies that show that a significant number of people who are overweight eat the same or less than people who are not. Many of them get no more or less activity than many people who are otherwise slim. For many people, the problem lies in working insanely long work weeks. For others, the problem lies in eating the wrong foods, not too much of them. For others, there IS a genetic problem.
I'm not talking about somebody who is 1200 lbs either, I'm talking about your average overweight person.
It makes me sad when I see this same gross oversimplification, because I watch my mom, who couldn't eat less than she does, and who works out with a trainer every other day, and she is unable to lose the 20lbs that she thinks she needs to lose. She probably can't lose them because her metabolism is crap because she eats nothing every day of the week. But nobody can convince her of that because her whole life all she's ever heard is 'eat less, exercise more'.
Blanket statements like the ones that show up in any thread about weight disgust me. Those of you who make them are bigots. Nothing less. - iamjames, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11@omgwtfroflmaox2: like benitojuarez said, genetics only applies in the absolute rarest of cases. If you don't believe me just watch "The Biggest Loser" sometime, a TV show about grotesquely overweight people (400-600+ lbs) competing to see who can lose the most weight. All of these people at the beginning of the show firmly believed it was genetic in their interviews, but a few months in they've already lost hundreds of pounds and prove it really is just all diet and exercise.
- LogicBomB, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10If you are overweight to the point where you are telling people it's a problem you can't control then go see your damn doctor and he'll give you the safest way for YOUR SITUATION to loose the weight.
Why people go buy the books, try the diets and guess at why they are the way they are is BEYOND me. Go up the street to your doctor, he will possibly run some tests and give you a kick in the right direction. - dvddesign, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Line up 100 fat people and point out the sick ones from the lazy ones. I doubt even they'd know for sure. Obesity is such a large problem because you can't always easily trace back what the root cause was. I'm sure when I was in college, eating hamburgers 12 times a week didn't help my cause. Nor did playing hours of Goldeneye. But at some point, I was too heavy to deal with it anymore and attempting to lose weight I put on in a most assumed way (being lazy and eating poorly) wasn't working. Eating healthy and exercise were not working.
Atkins didn't work
Weight watchers
Jenny Craig
Metabolife
Nutrisystems
Xenical
Trimspa
Hell, even PhenFen didn't work. So, again, you can't really say who's fat because they're broken (like I am) and who's fat because they're lazy. Every fat person is going to tell you they're on a diet. It's just a matter of how much their statement is a lie. - kada, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Wow im suprised at howmuch anti fat people sentiment there is here. I guess its hard for people to realize that it is actually quite difficult to lose weight and its more in your mind then your body. do not get me wrong if you lazy and unwilling to exercise your asking for it. I have been batteling with losing weight for about half a year now and have lost about 50 pounds. I plan on losing even more. but it seems if most of you were to see me in the street you would probobly think badly of me and that is exactly why fat people do not want to exercise is that kind of attitude. you people disgust me.
- CheezIt9109, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10Obesity and Anorexia Nervosa both have common ties to circuitry in the brain associated with physiological addiction. As much as I love to blame fatties for being fat, 99% of the time it is due to an enabling parent coupled with this addiction, and lack of self-control.
- Scrappy1850, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7nah, your wife still bangs like a champ
- wantone, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8I also read that lack of sleep can also lead to obesity.
- c0ldevil, on 10/12/2007, -4/+11In other news, the sky is blue.
- Gir53457, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7As a fellow fat ass, I can say it's not the amount of food that you eat, or the calories. Its what you eat. 2200 Calories a day of fruit, vegetables, meat, and bread (Or pasta) with exercise and plenty of sleep allow me to lose weight. IF you eat thing but crap food you will never lose wight. If you don't exorcise you won't lose weigh. If you refuse to eat that cookie and make a damn fuss about how "Oh I'm on a diet so I can't enjoy a single ***** cookie and I'm going to vocalize it and piss off every other person with a weigh problem in the vicinity" you still won't lose weight. If you do eat the cookie, the congratulations! You have enjoyed a taste treat and if you are reserved about it you can enjoy two or three more with no consequences as Long as your diet and lifestyle remains healthy. Even if you are already fat! One cookie won't kill you. The box will.
- TimDigg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5"It makes me sad when I see this same gross oversimplification"
It's called "Educated people vs Uneducated people"
Educated People
"The reality is that there are a large amount of things that can cause obesity. Overeating and not exercising is one of them. However, there are a number of studies that show that a significant number of people who are overweight eat the same or less than people who are not. Many of them get no more or less activity than many people who are otherwise slim. For many people, the problem lies in working insanely long work weeks. For others, the problem lies in eating the wrong foods, not too much of them. For others, there IS a genetic problem."
Uneducated People
"Fawt peepull r lazy loozers, hurr hurr" - MaynardJK, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Yeah. Sleep, water intake, and diet all affect your metabolism. Get too little sleep, not enough water, or not enough calories and your body goes into "starvation mode" and starts to burn calories slower.
Or so I've read. - halik, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Generally speaking, anything you do a lot builds up a tolerance.
- dtfinch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I'm fat because I sit at my computer 13-15 hours a day and eat more than I burn. I'm hardly ever hungry actually. I think it's more of a stupid irrational fear of hunger, and poor judgment of short term rewards vs long term consequences. Conquering foolishness is easier said than done.
- alostpacket, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5thanks for your comment, That would have made a better summary than what the submitter wrote. it's sad you're getting dugg down by 101 nitwits spewing "orly" posts. The idiocy on digg never ceases to amaze me. anyways...
there are some fascinating posts below the article too, one that caught my attention asked, "is there any insight into how long it takes maybe for this leptin effect to normalize?"
the end of the article concludes something interesting too:
"So even though this process can be damaging, essentially turning off one's appetite control, it can be reversed through old fashioned diet and exercise. Less calories taken in than spent will remain the best way to lose weight and stay in shape for a long time to come." - Malakin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3To those looking to lose weight, here are my suggestions highly condensed into a page or so. Please pardon any generalizations I have made in order to simplify and shorten the explanations.
1. Eat frequently. 5-6 times a day or more. When your body is accustomed to going long periods without eating it trains itself to store energy at each meal to get over the next dry spell. Eating frequently will increase everyone's energy levels (even those not wanting to lose weight). Eating frequently is extremely important and is often overlooked.
2. Eat real food. To roughly quote a recent New York Times article, "if your great great great grandmother wouldn't think something was food then it probably isn't". Something in a box that you put in your microwave is probably not real food. Fresh vegetables, fresh meat, and fresh fruit are real food. Also, eat more raw food--cooking damages food, destroys some nutrients, and usually results in you getting less out of it.
3. Avoid refined carbs. Refined carbs are quickly metabolized and turned into energy for your body. When you eat refined carbs, your body immediately has all this extra energy that it converts to fat. Good quality fat and protein are slowly metabolized allowing the body to slowly consume the energy. Farmers have been fattening their livestock on carbs for a long time--it's only logical that carbs will also fatten you. Most breads and cereals on the market today are what I would consider refined carbs.
4. Don't buy into the "low fat" "high carb" diets. This is part of the reason there are so many overweight people in certain regions of the world. There are good fats like those found in an olive, coconut, or avocado and then there are bad fats like most fats found in processed foods and deep fried foods. For high temperature cooking I recommend coconut oil and for items where the oil is not heated such as salad dressings I recommend olive oil, hemp seed oil, and flax seed oil. Note that coconut oil has an overall beneficial effect on your cholesterol levels. Many sources incorrectly state that all saturated fat is bad and include coconut oil. Coconut oil has a high smoking temperature and is extremely stable. "Stable" means that it will retain it's composition and not become dangerous under high cooking temperatures--whereas polyunsaturated fats may convert to trans fat under certain conditions such as high heat. Trans fat _is_ extremely bad for you. Everyone is different but I feel my best when I eat a high protein/fat diet.
5. Exercise. Diet and frequency of eating is more important than exercise when weight loss is the goal. However, everyone should exercise regularly. Don't force yourself to do something you really hate or you will never make a regular routine out of it. If you hate exercise then gradually transition yourself. Go for a nice walk around the lake or a scenic hike up a hill. Walk your dog every day or walk a neighbours. Take up an activity such as tennis. Just get out there and do something. After a while all those joggers you see might give you an idea or going to the gym might not seem so bad.
6. Fluids. I suggest drinking primarily charcoal filtered water (not purified water). If you enjoy green/white tea, that's also good to have in moderation. Note that fruit juice is often considered healthy, but it should only be consumed in small amounts since it has high levels of sugar (eat the fruit!). Drink lots of water!
7. Do not eat before going to bed. Try not to eat anything in the last 2 hours before going to sleep at night. And get a good nights sleep! Getting a good nights sleep will increase your overall leptin levels and decrease overall grehlin levels (grehlin stimulates appetite). Eat right away when you get up in the morning--even if it's something simple.
8. If you suffer from extreme hunger pangs, I suggest eating protein when this occurs. Protein will make most people feel full better than anything else.
9. Plan your meals. You should know what you're going to eat in the morning when you go to sleep at night. You should know what's for dinner at lunch time. Meal planning improves the quality of what you eat, decreases stress, reduces the changes of skipping meals/snacks, and most importantly it reduces the chances that you will say "F-it" and eat take-out junk for a meal.
10. Portion control. Don't eat food directly out of a bag or box. Always decide/approximate how much you're going to eat up front and put it in a bowl or on a plate--put the rest away.
Bonus Point 1. Some people seem to think eating healthy takes more time and costs more money. The people who think this are usually the people who eat poorly and have yet to "learn" to eat healthy. Eating healthy does take more planning and more frequent visits to the grocery store but once you get the hang of it you should be able to whip up healthy meals and snacks in no time and even save money.
Bonus Point 2. To determine how quickly a certain food will increase your blood sugar you can consult one of the Glycemic Databases out there such as this one:
http://www.glycemicindex.com/ (click on GI Database)
Food that increases your blood sugar quickly is more likely to be converted into fat.
Many popular breakfast cereals and most commercials breads (even the ones that say whole-wheat/multigrain etc) will increase your blood sugar quicker than eating a Mars bar. - DrPill, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Yes. Obesity is bad. Sometimes I feel like eating my co-workers.
- TimDigg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2true story
The guy who works at my local GNC was one of those "badass biker dudes"...with the huge biceps, great body everything and never quite understood "Why these damn fat people don't get off their ass and lose weight"
until he got into a motorcycle accident and sat at home injured for a year and gained 100 lbs...
it was then that he realized that losing weight isn't magic and or presto chango - tw0k1ngs, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2That is true, look at married couples' sex lives.
- TimDigg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"point is try really hard not to get fat in the first place."
Expert nutrition advice from digg's own anomalya - dvddesign, on 10/12/2007, -6/+8How nice for you. I had to go to an endocrinologist and spend over $2,000 (on an MRI, an ultrasound, and going to a nutritionist) out of pocket to find out that it was going to take more than healthy eating and exercise for me to lose weight.
- TimDigg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Oh yea ...one more thing
I lost a few lbs 5 years ago, what was my secret?
simple...I ate out a lot more
My family is from the south so the food I ate at home, was actually FAR WORSE than the food I ate when I went out
keep in mind I ate buscuits/gravy, pork chops, etc etc was the typical home food vs subway, sandwich/burrito shops, that helped a lot - Nelka, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Part of me is sympathetic towards the overweight. I remember being chubby as a child and people were quite cruel. Being overweight is perphaps the most revealing of flaws. You could have massive debt, have a terrible work ethic or other bad habits. But being fat is a character flaw you cannot hide. Your weakness is there for all to judge.
I do believe that mental health plays a role in morbid obesity the way it plays a role in other eating disorder. I also believe that losing weight is extremely difficult, especially if it's a life long habit. Many doctors are uneducated about nutrition, often giving terrible advice. In short, There are a hundred reasons why someone might fall into an unhealthy lifestyle.
Having said all that, I do have moments where this issue really irritates me. When you refuse to educate or help yourself in anyway, my sympathy drains. Last year I was doing a lot of weightlifting and my diet followed my program. Complete strangers would make comments about my "rabbit" food. Some would wonder outloud how I could consume so much food and not get fat, not realizing I ate a lot of small meals of clean food. There were a number of times where I would receive "nutrition & exercise" advice from people who were overweight. There have been a number of occasions where I've wanted to smack people for being such a walking stereotype.
I suppose at the end of the day it's good to be mindful of both these things. It's not right to belittle people for being overweight, but it's wrong to perceive being overweight as a negative thing. - sjbdallas, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@dvdesign
I agree. I work out for an hour a day (cardio and weights) 4 days a week, eat oatmeal for breakfast, salad for either lunch or dinner and avoid carbs and still stay at 280. I've gotten down to 260 before but then inched back up w/no change in my routine. - dvddesign, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4I've told people that your eating habits are the worst habit you'll ever have since you've had it since your parents fed you your first meal. Everything from how you hold a fork and knife to what kind of condiments you use (ketchup or catsup?) is all hardwired into your brain from your parents. Making bad food decisions takes YEARS to adequately wean yourself from. And most often you need a little bit of shock and awe to keep you in line, since fast food is so easy to come back to...
I just recently got my reminder why I shouldn't go to KFC or Taco Bell, cause these guys don't actively hang out in my kitchen...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvLDFtaL5HI - Ebulating, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This would actually explain a lot. This would create a positive feedback loop that would be very devastating.
- dvddesign, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It's true. I stalled on my current plan when my doctor put me on some meds that had stimulants in them. I would be up till 2-3 am. I'm already a night owl so this didn't help matters.
I started going to bed at midnight, I started losing weight again. - s0nicfreak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It is your business alone until the rest of the world is forced to be exposed to the sight and smell of you, and to pay higher prices for things like plane tickets because all the seats have to be modified to accommodate people like you.
But if you're one of those people that are so fat that they never leave their house, more power to you. - 10lbhammer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I was eating a doughnut while reading the article...
mmmm... forbidden doughnut... - MrTea, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I agree with drexle.
According to that chart, I have a BMI of 35.0 (5ft 8"/230lbs); I work out every day and I can even touch the floor with my palms without bending my knees.
My weight is nothing more than the extra genetic luggage that I have to carry around with me every single day. - MinisterOrange, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I was watching the show "I eat 33,000 calories a day" on Discovery Channel last night and they talked about how when you eat more it spikes your insulin up which makes it crash later and then you feel hungry again. There was a guy on there who wieghed 800 lbs and he ate over 30,000 calories every day!!!! He eats what the average man should eat in 2 weeks and he looks like Jabba the Hut! Also he doesn't move from his bed and has a "pad" that he lays on that is changed where he can deficate. The guy is so big he can't move to lose the wieght. Think of all the food he is eating that could be used to feed starving children. People suffering from starvation would pass out if they saw this guy.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Uhh... this research isn't new. It's been published since at least 2001.
- dtfinch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1But it's not the same for everyone. I saw a story of a person who's obesity was linked to sleep deprivation caused by breathing problems. Their nasal passages would close, causing them to wake up 60+ times through the night, though they didn't remember it in the morning. Once that was fixed, they were more awake and energetic, their appetite went down, and they were back to a healthy weight within just a few months.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@sultantravi:
Interestingly enough, fatties with a slow metabolic rate can speed it up with...drum roll please...exercise! Yes exercise, that bane of American existence. If your body burns more calories, it will expect more, which means you may have to eat more frequently.
Also don't forget that starving yourself will keep your body fat as well. If you don't eat enough, your body goes into a mode where it stores most of your caloric intake because it's not sure when the next meal is coming. Eating frequent, small meals is one good way to speed up your metabolic rate in addition to exercise. - asnyman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I have spent the majority of my adult life being overweight ..
My mother is overweight, and I have been told that I have inherited these "fat" genes. I eventually had enough though, and decided to start eating sensibly - first .. eat less, but more often ..
I then also started exercise - running . I hated it initially, but as I started getting fitter, the weight started to come off, and I started to feel better.
From running 300m and then walking home, I can now run 12km/day.
I have now lost 40kg, gone from a 44" waist to 34", and from XXL shirt to a Medium.
It was not easy .. also not a quick fix .. It has taken me almost 2 years .. and now I am reaping the benefit. It has been worth it. - Endies, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Don't forget, obesity is a disease. A curable disease, but not curable by such things as exercise or eating less. It needs serious medical attention, such as gastric bypass. Nothing else works.
- SLuM, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It's not that easy. I have 2 friends that are around 350 lbs each. How do you expect them to lose weight when all their nutrition is spanish styled cooking?
- Scrappy1850, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1hell yeah! more people should take ownership like you. as long as you know what you are doing, eat what tastes good! just dont yell at the guy at wal-mart because they dont sell speedos in your size.
- kyledavis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@sultantravi
*****. When is the last time you accurately counted your calorie intake? Do you actually look up nutrition info to count calories or do you just guess? When is the last time you ate at a fast food burger joint? Do you even own a scale? - hiixhii, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1This is not new research at all!!!!!
- tanuki0, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1wow, I really couldn't have thought of that earlier. Fat people are more often hungy, wow.
- Kate0909, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Researchers are finding out more and more about obesity. I would rather not turn to drugs to control the problem. It appears to be a more complex issue than I thought. besides there is so much information to glean through. To complicate things it can be a lifetime challenge to keep the weight off. I haven't had to lose a great deal of weight, but I have friends who have an overweight problem. There are some really great programs out there. I like to take along dehydrated fruit and vegetables to work. I turn to that instead of fat loaded junk food. A good website to check out is www.thyme.wholefoodfarmacy.com
- dvddesign, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1The fact that you lost that much weight in simply starving yourself is amazing. You're one of those that shows up on the commercials when they say "results not typical" Seriously. Any dietitian would flip out if they met you because you're the exact opposite of what they endorse.
Eating more is better for you in most cases, especially if you're eating the right foods. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meat, low beef intake, etc.
I applaud that you managed to do this this way, it's certainly the way most people rationalize as a successful diet. -
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