How can some people not get why they are overweight?

[leahannpen]

I think it is time for you to hang up the black bag and look for a new occupation. (That's my thought)

Why? He's seeing this every day, and it's a valid concern.

I think reality is hard to swallow. A friend of mine is over weight. She says she eats well, but I've seen her eat, and not even think about the fact she putting something in her mouth. Or, she'll bring a plate over and nibble away until the last crumb is gone, not even realizing the amout of calories she's just eaten on this small plate. She's joined a gym, yet sees no results. She goes for 30 minutes, maybe 2 times per week. So she gets frustrated and quits.

It's a life change and not an easy one at that. I'm going through it myself. But when push comes to shove....eat less calories than you burn. It really isn't hard to think or say, but it's hard to do if you aren't committed.

I think so many people just want that quick fix too. Or, like someone said earlier, they want to "diet" for 6 months, then go back to the old habits and not gain back the weight.

I also agree we have a problem with portion control too. Everything is so BIG it seems. We think we are having a serving, when in reality, it's two servings. Ugh.

 

[DisMN]

While there are always exceptions, it is generally true that being fat puts you at great risk for high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes, joint problems (especially arthritic knees), problems with breathing, sleeping, heartburn, acid reflux and more. New studies have shown that being overweight increases your risk of cancer. In all the thousands of people I have treated, I have never, ever treated an elderly person (over 75) who was obese. They just don't make it to old age.
I do think that schools are doing a better job at educating about nutrition, and I know that doctors being trained now will be advising their overweight patients with a much more aggressive approach.

Stop and consider for one minute who often funds these "new studies".
So much of what we believe to be "true medical facts" are simply a drug companies efforts to sell more product.
I believe a healthy attitude to LIFE has more significance on our health than anything. A healthy attitude and acceptance of our wonderful bodies MIGHT even help people lose a pound or two...I'm saying that I think the obsession about weight and diets has caused people to gain more weight.
Did you even notice the woman who said she thinks about her weight 90% of the time? I don't think she's unusual. That's just so sad.

The doctor I stopped going to ignored my symptoms for other ailments I'd go in for and his focus was always on my "fat", on blaming my weight for any and all problems I had. Gimme a break. If that's how all doctors are becoming I'm not ever gonna go back to the clinic.

p.s. Just remembered about my thin girlfriend who just had both knees replaced. My knees are fine, for the most part. LOL

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Hmmm...after reading this thread--the only thing missing is the "L" word as some posters are implying by their posts that the OP is doing.

 

[DisDuck]

I have the 'ideal' solution to weight loss. Have your daughter/son get a degree in nutrition studies then complete Registered Dietician internship and pass the certification exam on the first try. Now have that child(mine) return home to live. Having your own built-in full time RD clinical nutritionist requires no meetings, no buying special foods just a good ear and tolerance for the 'stare' when you eat 'bad' food.

 

[DawnCt1]

I think it is time for you to hang up the black bag and look for a new occupation. (That's my thought)

Are you implying that a physician should ignore obvious obesity and not address it? A pt. comes for a physical and/or treatment, 50 pounds or more overweight and wonders why they are borderline diabetic, suffer from varicose veins, achy joints, high cholesterol, and fatigue. What would you expect a doctor to say? Evaluating a diet and dietary counseling takes time. Sounds like Steve takes the time to do that. Good for him.

 

[DisMN]

It's not just laziness or medical issues that causes people to gain or have difficulty losing weight. I know very few people with weight issues, myself included, that don't have a lot of emotional and self esteem issues that go hand in hand with weight gain.

Sure I have a large frame, gained weight due to medication, and have difficulty losing due to hypothyroidism, but a big reason why I gained was due to lack of education about proper nutrition (I was told what and when to eat - I wasn't allowed to make the decision for myself) and because food was the rope in a psychological tug of war between me and my Mother. Psychological issues associated with food are extremely hard to deal with. Even worse than quitting smoking because you need to eat.

For those of you that are Dr's that are seeing patients that are overweight. I hope you're not berating your patients because of their weight because I can tell you from personal experience that it has the negative effect. I also hope you're looking further than the veneer because there's a very good possibility your patient is depressed and those chips and ice cream he/she is eating is because of emotional eating and not just laziness.

Indeed. I weighed 40 pounds less than I do now when that doctor I keep mentioning came out INTO the waiting room and loudly asked if I was pregnant. I was there for my broken ankle and had just come OUT of his office, so he was quite aware of this.

Several people have mentioned portions. No kidding, that's a problem. Even healthy foods in excess need to be portioned out. I noticed on a smallish bottle of juice that it was a "3 serving size". Geez louise......

 

[Shugardrawers]

WOW! A physician asking for MY opinion instead of the other way around. I feel honored!

Speaking as someone who was once well over 300#, I can say it's probably an even mixture of denial, ignorance, weakness and the american diet in general. I often said I didn't know why I was fat but really, looking back I can see. There were many factors at play there.

1) Most of my family is not overweight. They are able to eat what they want when they want and not gain weight. Why not me? Even now, after my gastric bypass they are able to keep weight off better than I am. And I eat much more healthy out of necessity.
2) What seems healthy often isn't. Salad is great. Dressing isn't. Neither is bacon bits, croutons etc. I thought I was doing great to order a fish sandwich without the mayo! DUH! The fish is fried! Bagels are supposed to be healthy right? So is the protien in eggs and bacon.
3) We know chips and cookies are not good for us but they taste good and are EVERYWHERE! We associate food with happiness.
4) It feels like we are being deprived when we can't have that burger or fries. Who wants to be deprived?
5) Our families expect certain kinds of foods. If she's cooking for a DH who wants fried fish and cake for dessert it's a real pain to cook 2 seperate meals.
6) Good healthy food is a lot more expensive than macaroni and cheese and hamburger. Economics may play a part.
7) No matter what her nationality, the foods she grew up on may be completely out of the realm of what is really good nutrition. She may not have the vaguest idea of how to cook any other way.
8) She may honestly think her diet isn't that bad and that what she's eating really is healthy.

I don't think there's much a Dr can do but give the patient the info she needs then be supportive and sympathic. You can't do it for her and until she makes the connection and the commitment it's not going to change.

 

[mickeyboat]

As for the kids, if they have a xbox or playstation they can add Dance Dance Revolution game and dancepad and get some exercise.

We have a Playstaion, and this is the only game we have.

Denae

 

[inaminute]

For those of you wishing you had a doctor like Steve, would you feel the same if you recognized him from his photo as your doctor, and the patient whose information he was freely sharing on a public message board was you?

Sometimes, I think mine doesn't give a hoot!

I'm sure your doctor cares. He just doesn't publicize your conversations on the DIS message boards.

 

[zakatak]

I'll chime in here for what it's worth. I think the main culprit in the last 25 years is Fast Food/Packaged Convenience foods. There are so many chemicals and additives in foods now a days that bodies weren't ever made to handle. Whole foods are much better for you and not that hard to incorporate.

I'm currently eating a diet that should help my joints. It's 90% plant based. 90% Greens, legumes, beans and whole grains. 10% other. Will it help me? I certainly hope so! I've been on it for 6 days now, I've lost 9 pounds (5 was water from joint inflammation - started the Medrol Pack the same day), I have no interest in sugar, and I'm not hungry all the time. I seriously hope this works and shows a normal ANA and SED rate on my appt June 27th with a Rheumatologist. If it does, I'm eating this way for life. Much better than being on drugs forever.

Karen
Eat 2 Live, Dr. Joel Fuhrman

 

[DawnCt1]

Stop and consider for one minute who often funds these "new studies".
So much of what we believe to be "true medical facts" are simply a drug companies efforts to sell more product.
. LOL

I am a little confused by your assertion that the drug companies who fund studies to determine if there is a relationship between obesity and disease, somehow benefit if patients lose weight. If one loses weight and minimizes their health risk, then how are drug companies in line to benefit. It seems if that were the case, they would give out free coupons for Big Macs and fries.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

Add me to the "thin yet not healthy" group. About 10 years ago, my doctor told me I was too thin (5 foot 7 inches and at that time 115 pounds) so he encourage me to eat fast food, and a lot of it, to try and fatten me up. Well, surprise, surprise, my cholesteral was very high when he did blood test a year later to try and figure out why, despite eating a lot of calories, I had only gained 3 pounds. After switching to another doctor, I was able to get the cholesteral under control by eating better. (BTW ~ I have had three kids and now weigh 25-30 pounds more, yet eat better then I did when I was young. My cholesteral is still a tad high, yet still falls within the normal range.) My DH is about 50 pounds overweight, yet his cholesteral level is low and his blood pressure is "perfect" as his doctor puts it.

One of DD's Peds. told us to add butter to her food since she was on the lower side of the growth chart. DD was 1.5 and was still BFing some times. Needless to say we did NOT follow that advice.The other Ped. in the practice, who we see now, just looked at DD and DH and I and said that DD will probably be thin. No mention of trying to fatten her up.

We did not have a lot of snack foods growing up because we didn't have a lot of money. I grew up craving those sweet treats. Fortunately for me I did not gain the weight to go with the sweet tooth. Now DH and I try to make better choices for ourselves and DD. We have cut out the chips, pop (we will buy one if we are at the store, but we don't keep it on hand), etc. I still struggle with sweets, but have greatly decreased the amount I eat. I didn't really need to lose weight (just be healthier), but DH wanted to lose about 15 lbs. and he has.

I have also learned that if you listen to your body it tells you what it needs. Somedays I crave protein, others it is fruits and veggies. I try to stay in tune to that and not go for the quick food. I find that if I wait until I am a little more hungry, rather than eating something because I feel a twinge of hunger, I make better choices.

 

[poohandwendy]

For those of you wishing you had a doctor like Steve, would you feel the same if you recognized him from his photo as your doctor, and the patient whose information he was freely sharing on a public message board was you?

I agree. I agree that many people are in denial of their eating habits, I agree that many people are uneducated when it comes to nutrition. I agree that too many people are overweight and it is a direct relation to their health problems.

That said, I think a doctor coming here and posting an actual conversation that was said in the confidentiality of his office...especially in the 'why are people such idiots' tone, is extremely unprofessional.

At one of the webs most popular Disney message boards, with 60,000 registered members and Lord knows how many lurkers, it is conceivable that this patient (or another of his patients) could run into a picture of her doctor talking about her ignorance.

 

[LBAK]

I am currently on Weight Watchers with a significant amount of weight to lose. The weight crept up over many years. I love to eat and am just now at 42 learning how to make better food choices. What I didn't realize was how much more expensive eating healthy is. Fresh produce and leaner meats add a significant amount on a weekly food budget. Some people at my meetings say that they often opt for fattier meat or rice, potatoes and pasta because it is so much cheaper. I find it so sad that people have to sacrifice their health because they cannot afford to eat healthy. Just another thought on the weight loss issue.

 

[Planogirl]

I'm glad that Steve brought this up because I think that the weight issue is important. I have high blood pressure as does most of my family and I KNOW that losing weight helps control it. I also know for the most part how to eat right but I choose not to a great deal of the time. Why? Frankly, I don't really know.

 

[golfgal]

AARP had an article a year or so ago about the introduction of high fruitose corn syrup into foods, replacing sugar, and how obesity rates rose during that time. I didn't read the article but my MIL told me about it. Basically the article said that your body doesn't break down the HFCS the same way it breaks down sugar and since so much of our foods these days contain this, it is REALLY hard to find food with out this, that obesity can be partly attributed to this. I though it was interesting, especially for those that seem to be doing everything right and still can't lose weight.

I know for me, I was always thin, not skinny, but just right. After my oldest was born, I bounced right back to my pre-pregnancy size. After the twins were born I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight by my 2 week check up. I gained 25 lbs with DS and 35 with the twins. At my 6 week check up, I had gained some weight but not much. A few months later discovered I had a major thyroid problem. SInce then, I haven't been able to lose weight. I have always been a pretty healthy eater, not much junk food or sweets, lots of veges, fruit, etc. I have always been pretty active. This past Nov I really wanted to lose about 20 lbs. I went and worked out at the YMCA pretty much 6 days a week. I did this for 4 months, didn't lose any weight (I don't even weigh myself, I go by how my clothing fits) no change at all. I pretty much gave up trying. My blood pressure is great, my cholesterol is 130, my TSH is in normal levels and checked on a regular basis. Diabetes runs in my family, both types, both sides of the family, infact, my mom is the only one of her siblings that isn't diabetic, but my dad is. It scares me some, but, I keep on my Dr. to check it. I guess I don't know what else to do. I haven't lost weight, but I haven't gained any either. I think my body just likes this size even if I don't, LOL!

My older sister is hugely obese, 5' tall and at least 350 lbs. She sits around all day watching tv, eats McDonalds at least one meal/day(yuck) and can't figure out why she is fat. She is like your patient, Steve, has every excuse in the book why she can't lose weight, mostly for her it is someone elses fault (the next door neighbors cat from when she was 5 looked at her funny once during a full moon on a Wednesday kind of excuse). She was always "big boned" but never obese as a child. In her case, she is VERY lazy and it is a way for her to get attention, I think.

 

[DisDuck]

From a knowledgable source, disneysteve seems to be the exception. Most doctors my daughter has come in contact with have not studied nutrition to extent she has in her RD program. Unless you have a doctor like disneysteve, I highly recommend that anyone interested in eating healthy whether needing to lose weight or not should go see an RD.

Blatant advertising so skip if not interested...Anyone living in my kneck of woods PM me and I can recommend an excellant RD who works with private patients on nutrition counseling at a local fitness center and local Y...end of advertisment.

 

[disykat]

I think that one of the things that feeds people's denial of their own culpabiltiy in their weight issues is the lack of info about the genetic component of weight. I have met many people who think "x eats the exact same diet, exercises less than I do, and is thin". As long as people think their body should react the same as others - calorie per calorie - the denial can continue. IMO, the reality is that you can only take in as many calories as YOUR BODY can burn. That will be different for everyone. I think that ultimately people can control weight gain by balancing calorie intake to calories burned, but the ease in which they are able to do so will vary greatly by individual.

Because the case in the OP may have seen many people eat like her and stay thin, she may have honestly thought that her eating wasn't the issue.

 

[Rajah]

I think a large portion of the problem is our current lifestyles, as much as the food choices. Most of us spend 90% or more of our day sitting behind a desk and consider it a big exercise bonus when you take the stairs instead of the elevator twice a day. That, I think, is going to lead to even more health problems than diet.

There's also a problem with some of us in finding a form of exercise that we enjoy enough to stick with.

I'm one of those who will eat (within reason) what I *want* to eat. The key, though: IN MODERATION. I agree that portion sizes are way too big in most restaurants any more.

I'm also one of those guilty of not exercising for years and years. I've always *HATED* exercise with a passion, and would turn a grumblingly- deaf ear to any doctors who said essentially "suck it up and go to the gym".

No. I had better things to do with my time, life's too short to spend x hours at the gym doing something I hate and paying for it on top of that.

Excuse after excuse after excuse.

Finally, last Oct, I encountered a chiropractor and fitness therapist who took a different approach.

Him: Okay, you hate exercise. Why?

Me: I get bored STIFF after just 2 weeks and will drop it. Unless it's something like vacation where I'm hiking or things like that. If the exercise has more of a point or a goal than just "improving health", I enjoy it.

Him: So it sounds like you need something that stimulates the mind as well as the body?

Me: Exactly.

Him: Then let's find you something.

And find me something we did. Martial arts was the perfect exercise choice for me (even though it's *expensive*). Just as I start to get bored, I advance in level and there are new challenges. I have a goal to work for. I have a schedule to meet. And they focus on the mind almost as much as the body.

And as a consequence, I've lost 7-10 pounds (wavers depending on, yes, what I eat. ), toned up in areas that I've disliked about myself for years, gained in stamina, strength, flexibility and overall health.

And guess what: I'm *CRAVING* healthier foods. I'm actually *wanting* salads on occasion now instead of turning my nose up at them or eating them because I have to. I prefer Subway to McDondalds or Burger King. I've gone to diet cokes and more water rather than totally sugared drinks. And my sugar intake has gone down. And, I eat less because I'm satisfied earlier.

All because I finally found an exercise routine that I enjoy.

True, it's still not the perfect diet, but it's vastly better than what I used to do.

People like me don't care what we eat, and it doesn't matter about weight. In my case, I've never been more than 5 pounds over the "normal" weight for my height, but still, the philosophy is the same. I ate what I craved. I craved bad foods and didn't care they were bad. The trick to improving my nutrition was to improve the body's general health so that it craved better foods. And the trick (for me) to improving my body's general health was to find a form of exercise that not only do I enjoy, but I look forward to it every week.

Just the experiences of one person who ignores nutritional values.

 

[chrissyk]

I'm not overweight, but I do have a cholesterol problem. I think that I am my own worst enemy in that regard. I've always been able to eat whatever I wanted to and stay the same weight. Therefore, I think that I indulged in waaaay too many of the foods that were bad for my cholesterol. I've never eaten fast food, don't drink soda, only eat organic, etc., but you'd be surprised at how I can do all of that and still manage to take in plenty of junk. I'm making a concerted effort to eat better, because I don't want to be the thin person who dies of a heart attack at 35.

As for the person in the OP's post...she may just be oblivious to the fact that she is taking in so much junk. To her, what she's eating is perfectly "normal". In this society, it IS normal to eat junk food like that for ever meal. Some people go to McDonalds every day and think nothing of it. People just need to be educated as to what good nutrition truly is.