Well some of ya'll have been waiting on me. Here I am. O.k I am not gonna defend myself for being fat on the basis of I can't help it. I don't have what the fitness and nutrition folks on here would term a healthy lifestyle. I eat a lot of grilled chicken and veggies, but I also eat pizza and burgers and beer, I even let my gym membership expire. I argue that I am still a valuable human being who works, goes to college full time and is a good son/brother/friend/boyfriend. But, its useless. Some of you get that and some of you "know" that anyone who is fat is weak and worthy of your contempt. I know there are a lot of you who insist that no one who "eats right" and exercises can ever be obese. I could ask you to look at the huge percentages of people that try to lose significant amounts of weight vs the tiny percent that lose it and keep it off on a permanent basis. No point though, because everyone knows somebody who has beat the odds and done it, and that jibes with what they want to believe. Some of you are convinced that anyone who is fat its 100% their own laziness, and that its good of society to continue to mock and scorn "fatties" especially "fat chicks" because it shows we don't "condone" getting fat. There is no evidence I could present that would lessen that view, because it would diminish your "achievement" in not being fat. Anyway for those of you who get "angry" at people who say metabolism and genetics play a significant role. Well I am angry too. I was unemployed for most of a year as a young 20 something (see further evidence I am lazy I couldn't even find a job). I played pick up basketball daily to give me something to do, I played for hours. I ate veggies and fruit constantly, because meat and bread was too expensive...every once in a while I had a dollar burger, but I guarantee it was a rare treat. I went down from 305 to 298 in 8 months. I was, at the time, fairly fit. But I still would have been someone for you to shake your head and tsk at on the street. Anyway for those of you who have to have fat people to make fun of...here is the fattest picture of me in existence. Feel free to mock it all you want, in fact I prefer it to you taking potshots at impressionable girls who's self esteem is already near zero. Rant at my laziness, gnash your teeth about how repulsive I am...but show a little courtesy to other fat people on the street. The day may come when your physique is not everything you hope it would be. Yes even those of you who think that is "impossible"
people will ridicule people no matter what. people make fun of me because I work out 5-6 times a week, eat 6 times a day and basically repeat with the same food every day for the last 4 years. I guess there's always a flip side of the coin.
Yes, this has gone off on quite a tangent. I agree with some of your points, making fun of overweight people is offensive and as a society we could be far less negative about it. But bringing up metabolism, a fast food society, and the responsibility of video games to encourage weight loss are totally different subjects and detract from your other point. I get it, some people have an easier time keeping weight off than others. I'll sympathize with you on people being ridiculed for their weight, but I won't sympathize with you because you have to work harder to keep the weight off. Like I said before, some people have to study harder than others, but everyone can get A's. It's not fair, but we all have our own weaknesses to deal with. Better yet, if you're happy with your body more power to you and don't change for anyone.
I agree with 100%. Being overweight isn't something that should be the basis for the total worth of a person. Being fit or fat doesn't make someone an inherently better or worse person. This is where I'll have to disagree with you. Barring a serious medical problem that makes it difficult to lose weight, if someone follows a healthy lifestyle (healthy diet + exercise) for an extended period of time, they will lose weight. Point blank, period. There are however two problems why, in your words, only a tiny percent lose it and keep it off on a permanent basis. 1) Dedication/Willpower: Most people fail at long term weight loss for similar reasons as why a large percentage of people never finish reading the books they buy - they lose focus and move on to other things. Not a lot of people actually have the desire to have the type of dedication to lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off long-term. Media has led us to believe that you can go "on a diet" for a short period of time to lose the weight and keep it off. This is a fallacy. Long-term, sustained weight loss is a ground-level, lifestyle change. Healthy weight loss usually ranges from 1 lb - 2 lbs per week. Think about that. For someone that wants to lose 30 lbs in a healthy way, it can take over 3 months. 2) Education: There are a TON of myths and fallacies about weight loss that are assumed by the general population to be fact. And the media and weight loss companies do nothing but exacerbate this problem. The worst situation I see is when people actually do have the dedication/willpower to lose weight, but they go about it the wrong way and because they aren't seeing results, they lose faith and return to their old habits. Dieting and trying to lose weight the wrong way can actually be worse than not trying at all. Some "diets" out there will have you losing an equal mass of muscle along with the fat. Most people will just see the number on their scale decrease and be happy with this, but it is a bad thing for two reasons. 1) You won't look as good as you would if you had lost only fat while retaining that muscle, and more importantly, 2) your resting metabolism will go down. In other words, you will be burning less calories at rest throughout the entire day. This lowered metabolism makes it much easier to put back on the weight you lost, and much harder to lose the weight again if you put it back on. This is why it is important to become educated about the RIGHT way to lose weight for the long term.
Some people keep saying how overweight people are bad for society and need to lose the pounds (assuming that the pounds really would come off - they may not, see Major Malcontent's story above, plus a good female friend of mine who is short and round even when she exercises, and doesn't eat all that much...). Anyway, if everyone who had some extra pounds lost them, you would not be happy. You would have no one to feel superior to. You might be the fat one by comparison and they would all make fun of you.
no, I don't need the makeup, dark hair dye, and skinny jeans to be dramatic. I'm just female, and if any of y'all should get in a long term relationship with any of us, you'll find some different emotional reactions. (the time of the month comment earlier was to poke fun at it a little... we can laugh at ourselves...)
Um. only if your happiness depends on comparing yourself to other people. If everyone lost extra pounds, they would live healthier and more activities would be open to them.
I'm just saying, hypothetically, if some people had everything to live for, if they were thin, in perfect shape, made lots of money, had the latest gadgets, etc. And if these people who hypothetically had this great situation hung out with their frat brothers making fun of people... or, rather, the online equivalent, since that's where their social life is... and if they had dates with the hottest supermodels, or rather they grab a bottle of lotion and box of tissues and allow these ladies to grace their computer screens for a virtual date of sorts... then they shouldn't have to compare themselves to others, right?
It sounds like a really original and creative game idea, one that will encourage and reinforce my already vast disrespect for women in general. I knew I was right. Kudos!
First Rules of Fitness Club 1. Never watch the scale...watch the inches. 2. Don't measure progress by a number, it's the feeling you have after you've given all you can possibly give. 3. If you want to lose weight fast, you've already failed. 4. Be honest with yourself...odds are you won't succeed but imagine the personal reward if you do. 5. and Never Ever Talk About Fitness Club
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A lot of this is directed at what Major Malcontent has been saying, but im not trying to signal you out individually. Im happy your in this thread, I was so tempted to bring up the old one. 1st just so you know were im coming from, ive been a personal trainer for about a year and a half and I hold 2 nationally recognized certifications. I myself used to be overweight before I was a trainer and professionally ive helped one guy go from 380 to 250 and a women go from 320 to 270. the first guy stopped training because of financial reasons and I stopped training the women because I left that company. So there, that’s just so everyone knows im not just some guy coming in here talking about something I have no clue about, this is actually what I dedicated my life to. So having said that…. When I used to work for a large gym, everyone who bought a membership would get a free consultation with me or one of the other trainers, they would come in, tell us to basically screw off, they can do it on there own and 6 weeks later cancel their membership because “exercise didn’t work”. When the truth is THEY DON’T KNOW WTF THERE DOING. There is a reason I had to take countless test, spend many long nights studying. Sit in a classroom for hours. THIS CRAP IS HARD!. Exercise science is HARD. Biomechanics is HARD. Nutrition is HARD. THAT’S the reason that, as you said, most people who try to lose weight fail. Now me personally I was raised on fast food, that’s how I got fat. And everyday on my way home from work I pass a McDonalds. My mouth starts to drool(sp), sometimes I can actually start tasting french fries in my mouth as I drive by. But do I stop? Hell no!… ok fine sometimes…but the point is I deprive myself of foods I want sometimes on a hourly basics to look and feel the way I want to look and feel. Im sorry but people who indulge themselves on a regular basics don’t deserve at least in my book, the same respect as people who make sacrifices. Now I would never think bad of someone who is overweight but making an effort to get it off. But it’s the “oh its my (insert bs excuse here)” crowd that really bugs me. There is 3500 calories in 1 pound. If you eat 500 fewer calories a day then you burn, you will end the week at a 3500 calories deficit and you will lose 1 pound. Period. End of story. Case closed. I don’t care who you are. I hesitate to do this, not sure if its allowed by Clutch or the other mods. If its against the rules I apologize and ill take it off. (if someone doesn’t do it for me) but I wrote a few articles on my web-site about fat loss among other things, the web sites a huge work in progress and as you can tell im not a writer or a web site designer. Im learning the software as I go. Heres the link: http://www.assuntofitness.com/whydietdontwork.html
Agent86, I'm going to agree with much of what you said. I agree that probably most people don't exercise as well as they could if they were given direction by someone who has studied nutrition and exercise science. Burning more calories than you take in will eventually show some results, however I'm sure you would agree that certain people have metabolic advantages. My only qualm is that you say "people who indulge don't deserve the same kind of respect as people who make sacrifices". My body has NEVER been my focus in life, I read voraciously. I do everything possible to improve my mind, my relationships and my spiritual well being. Everybody has a weakness, and an area of emphasis. Something that comes hard for them and other stuff that comes easier. Would someone who is in the gym 6 days a week and ate straight from the manual of healthy foods 99 percent of the time and had rock hard 6 pack abs, be "worthy of respect". How about if they read only Sports Illustrated and read at an 6th grade level and never attempted anything more challenging, because it was hard for them. Why is it that only fat people are judged for their weakness, is it because we have to "wear" it every day. I realize fat people who make excuses bug you. What bugs me is people who think "physical fitness" is more than an admirable goal.(And contrary to popular belief I DO think its an admirable goal and have respect for those who have achieved it). My problem is with those that think its the ONLY worthy goal. Just cause someone doesn't have to wear a "I read at a 6th grade level" or "I don't have a clue how to talk to my kids" sign around their neck the way I wear my big fat belly doesn't mean they don't have weaknesses. I have lost and gained the same 30-60 lbs about 8 times. I am tired of "sacrificing" and "depriving" myself. I am mostly o.k. with "how I look and feel" and so is my gf who is the same size as I am. What upsets me is people who are trim clucking their tongues about my super sweet, beautiful inside and out, gf and I because they don't find us aesthetically pleasing. They feel put out by having to look at us, and they couch their revulsion by pretending to be concerned about our health when mostly they don't give a flying you know what about anything but the fact they had to look at gross fat people.
I understand your point of view, but it seems that you make the mistake of assuming that everyone (or at least most people) who are in great shape are air heads who have absolutely nothing else going for them. It is possible to develop mind and body. Have you ever heard of reading while an exercise bike for example?
