How can some people not get why they are overweight?

[bicker]

How many calories per day should someone eat if they are trying to lose weight?

That's a remarkably complex question. The short answer, though, is that 1200 calories is typically considered the minimum calorie intake without medical supervision. Beyond that, for weight-loss, the program I used recommeded 10 calories per pound of body weight for women, 11 calories per pound for me. Chad's advice is best, though: Try a certain calorie level, keeping very meticulous records of intake and exercise to ensure your number are as accurate as possible, and then adjust based on four week rolling averages of your weigh-ins. (NEVER use week-by-week weigh-ins -- they're never anywhere close to reliable.)

I thought 1000

I believe that small an amount will put your body into starvation mode. That means it will take some the food you consume and store it as fat

Starvation mode is more a matter of what you eat, and how and how much you exercise, than any specific number of calories taken in. For example, I spent nine months eating about 800 calories per day (medically supervised, of course), and never went into any so-called "starvation mode."

Beyond that, when folks are typically referring to when they talk about "starvation mode" is metabolism adjusting to the lower calorie intake. Therefore, fewer calories are burned at rest. That's what folks mean when they're talking about "starvation mode." However, again, low calorie intake doesn't necessarily lead to that adjustment. A combination of lack of protein and lack of weight-bearing exercise will almost surely lead to that adjustment, though.

 

[Cantw8]

It isn't a personal jab. It is an honest question. If someone is going come on here and talk about confidential info between himself, a doctor, and a patient then I think I have every right to ask about a pic he has in his post. It is there for the public to see. I really just thought she looked heavier then he lets on. Perhaps he should not be critizing others when his wife has a weight problem.

I have to agree with skiwee, she looks heavy in the pic.

 

[Caradana]

I totally agree with Christine's response above - and also, some people find that the number on the scale somehow doesn't correspond with the way that they "look." Here is me on a cruise ship three weeks ago. I'm 5'3". Take a guess at my weight, then look down on the post.

I weigh (look away) one forty five. My BMI is overweight. I outweigh Steve's wife by about 20 pounds and I'm an inch taller. But we carry it so differently, don't we? I have lean limbs but I doubt I'd ever have a flat stomach. It is really hard to make a weight guess based on a picture, isn't it?

 

[JennyMominRI]

I totally agree with Christine's response above - and also, some people find that the number on the scale somehow doesn't correspond with the way that they "look." Here is me on a cruise ship two weeks ago. I'm 5'3". Take a guess at my weight, then look down on the post.

I'


I weigh (look away) one forty five. My BMI is overweight. I outweigh Steve's wife by about 20 pounds and I'm an inch taller. But we carry it so differently, don't we? I have lean limbs but I doubt I'd ever have a flat stomach. It is really hard to make a weight guess based on a picture, isn't it?

I'm the same height as you and I weigh 132..I look bigger than you

 

[Cantw8]

I totally agree with Christine's response above - and also, some people find that the number on the scale somehow doesn't correspond with the way that they "look." Here is me on a cruise ship three weeks ago. I'm 5'3". Take a guess at my weight, then look down on the post.

I weigh (look away) one forty five. My BMI is overweight. I outweigh Steve's wife by about 20 pounds and I'm an inch taller. But we carry it so differently, don't we? I have lean limbs but I doubt I'd ever have a flat stomach. It is really hard to make a weight guess based on a picture, isn't it?

 

[bicker]

BMI works great for a majority of folks, those who's body composition is in the middle of the range. For folks who's body composition isn't in the middle of the range, BMI isn't going to be a good tool. Body fat percentage is unquestionably a better way of measuring fitness, but it is a bit more difficult to measure without special equipment.

 

[pixiedust23]

Caradana- you look GREAT! You def don't need to lose any weight that's for sure. I feel much like you. I'm 5'2 and i always felt like 120 was such a big # but if you saw me you'd never guess I weigh that much. I agree with you on your stomach though b/c this lower back fat is here to stay; it's just something that I have to live with!

BTW I always love it when people put in pictures of themselves I feel like these boards can get pretty impersonal at times, and it's nice to have a face with a name.

 

[snoopy]

Does that make sense?

Very much, thanks. When you put it like that, you make me want to get off my butt away from this computer and go exercise. Perhaps an explanation like that to your patients is in order.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Ahhh, if only weight loss was a logical progression. I can balance my checkbook perfectly and know I could balance my intake and outtakes as well, IF only it worked.

I eat a bowl of oatmeal, skim milk for breakfast, lean meat, fake taters made with cauliflower for lunch and green beans, a salad with lean meat and Walden Farms salad dressing for dinner along with two cups of LF yogurt in between meals for snacks and manage to lose 1.25 pounds for the week (not a lot percentage wise) and the person who lost the most for the week (a mere slip of a thing) says she ate an entire carton of ice cream. Unless that is the only thing she ate all week - Life is NOT fair!!!

Being fat is such a small part of who I am. Sure hope you all see it all and if you don't care to that is fine by me. Have too much to do to dwell on it.

We all gained our weight in different ways and we all have to find our own way to get rid of it. I will never be skinny and do not plan to. I am just delighted that Barnum and Bailey no longer send me job applications.

One thing I do know to be true is that the further I walk from my kitchen the skinnier I get.

I promise to post a picture of myself as soon as the forum expands to fit it.

Slightly Goofy

 

[disneysteve]

I totally agree with Christine's response above - and also, some people find that the number on the scale somehow doesn't correspond with the way that they "look." Here is me on a cruise ship three weeks ago. I'm 5'3". Take a guess at my weight, then look down on the post.

Thanks for posting that. I think it makes a good point. Beautiful picture, by the way.

Of course, after 19 years in medicine, I could make a good living as that guy at the carnival who guesses your weight because 145 is exactly what I guessed when I saw your picture although I couldn't see much of your body due to how you were sitting. But keep in mind that I see upwards of 400 patients per month and know their heights and weights so I've developed a pretty good mental database to draw from.

By the way, just thought I'd mention that this is by far the longest a thread I've started has ever gone .

 

[DawnCt1]

Especially at WDW with all those obese people scooting around on those ECVs. We always ask ourselves: Do they use those contraptions because they are fat, or are they fat because they use those scooters
We've seen people leaving a shopping mall, boarding their car, driving it over
We are also shocked by the package sizes of food in America: Potato-chips in bags that wouldn't fit into an average European compact car Buckets of ice-cream instead of cups, etc.
!!

I have the same thoughts about those scooters. I can honestly say that I have never seen a skinny person riding a scooter although, in the interest of being PC, they must be out there somewhere. With regard to large packages and portions; that's fine with me. I want the biggest bang for my buck. Just because it is there, it doesn't have to be eaten. I always bring at least half of my entre home from a restaurant. I never get the starch, always double vegtables. We ate out tonight. I brought half of the fish and half of the brocoli home. I did eat all of the cauliflower.

 

[DisneyLovingMama]

Way upthread someone was discussing the differences in eating in families. My family has it too.

I am a binger/overeater (no purging). No matter how many diets I try, as soon as something becomes stressful, I eat and eat and eat. I usually lose about 30 pounds, then plateau, then gain about 50. I've gained more than 100 pounds in 8 years I've been married. I know I'm overweight. I refuse to look at myself in the mirror and yet, I feel powerless to do anything about it.

My sister is anorexic/bullimic. She is two inches taller than me and weighs less than 80 pounds.

Why does this happen? And how do I stop the cycle? I lie to DH and others about what I eat (except my sister). It's a game/triumph when I eat a candy bar or ice cream sundae. But, if asked, I'll say I ate nothing all day and wait for the kudos for that. I plan my "chores" around where I can stop for food, volunteering to pick up the dry cleaning cause it's near the Dunkin Donuts or going to the mall so I can really get a hot dog. It's messed up, I know. I just don't know how to stop it or how/why I got it.

 

[totalia]

When I was still with my exhusband I started eating to comfort myself. And it was usually something high it calories. I hate to cook even now.

However, about a year ago I noticed that I had reached 150 lbs. Not that heavy I know but for someone who's 5 feet tall, thats heavy.

I started getting winded climbing stairs, felt tired all the time, etc.

So I decided to do something about it.

Now, at the time, I was in college and working so I really didn't have time to exercise. But I did start eating smarter. Fruit, vegetables, salads and the like. And I started ordering out only once or twice a week. When I did, I tried to order something much healthier than pizza and burgers. Like a chicken pita. And I managed to cut down the amount of pepsi I drink to only 600 ml (small bottle) of pop a day.

At first, it was really really hard. I went through withdrawal from the lack of caffeine.

But then I started to notice something. I no longer had much of a desire to eat the bad food. I realized that it had really changed when one of my coworkers asked if I wanted to pitch in to buy pizza that night and I actually was reluctant to do it because I had planned to order a fruit salad with yogurt.

I lost 10 lbs in the space of about 4 months which is a completely healthy amount of weight to lose in that amount of time. I started feeling better.

Now, since my accident, I've gotten back into my old habits. The biggest problem is getting to the grocery store to get fresh food is EXTREMELY difficult when you can't walk. It's a thousand times easier to just order in.

However, given that the doc has now given his ok for me to walk without the cane and to go back to work, I'm really debating on starting my diet again.

Since the time I started working on my weight, I've lost 20 lbs. I went from a size 16 to a size 12.

Only this time, I'm actually exercising too. My ideal is a size 10. Perhaps even an 8. I don't by any means starve myself and never have. I've never gone hungry.

The idea that people can't seem to understand is that you don't reach for a chocolate bar or cookies. You reach for a piece of fruit or vegetables. You don't drink much pop (notice I said much because I can't cut it out of my diet altogether. I feel sick if I'm not drinking it), you drink water, juice or milk.

Eating healthy isn't that hard. It really isn't. I don't understand why people think that it is.

I'm 130 lbs now and holding steady even with the junk food I've been eating. I hope to get down to 120 lbs. I'd love 110 but I'm not holding my breath. I'm almost 30 years old. Your body changes when you get older and I'm an adult now, not a teenager.

It really does only take willpower.

 

[totalia]

extra post.

 

[simpilotswife]

I get why I am overweight. I like to eat. When (and if) I am ever ready to change that I know what to do.

 

[DisMN]

I get why I am overweight. I like to eat. When (and if) I am ever ready to change that I know what to do.

Yep, me too. I love to eat, I love different tastes, smells, textures mmmmm. Some people are foodies and other people could care less about food.

IMHO a 14 page thread about weight says that a lot of people are obsessing about it. Just seems like such a waste of brain cells....cells we could be using in more productive ways.



p.s. disneySteve, congrats on your longest thread! LOL You've got a winner here!

 

[Teejay32]

Why does this happen? And how do I stop the cycle? I lie to DH and others about what I eat (except my sister). It's a game/triumph when I eat a candy bar or ice cream sundae. But, if asked, I'll say I ate nothing all day and wait for the kudos for that. I plan my "chores" around where I can stop for food, volunteering to pick up the dry cleaning cause it's near the Dunkin Donuts or going to the mall so I can really get a hot dog. It's messed up, I know. I just don't know how to stop it or how/why I got it.

That's a whole different thing - compulsion, addiction, or however you choose to look at it - not just lapsing into unhealthy habits. You're not expected to unravel the mystery and solve that problem all by yourself. Most people don't. Starting a diet without finding out exactly what those candy bars and sundaes mean to you is a recipe for failure, so don't put yourself through that anymore...you can look into counseling and/or support groups like Overeaters Anonymous.

 

[cristbaby]

I recently changed my whole way of thinking about food. I eat lots of fruits and vegetables, only whole wheat bread, very little pasta or potatoes and seldom eat junk food. So I'm eating alot of good things but the bottom line is, I still eat way to much. I just can't seem to get a handle on portion control.

 

[Viking]

This is an extremely common myth. Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat.

You'd better think or read thoroughly before you write
Muscle does have a higher density or specific weight than fat. So a certain VOLUME of muscle weighs more than the same VOLUME of fat. That's the reason why BMI doesn't work for people who have a lot of muscle mass.

 

[Sleepy]

You'd better think or read thoroughly before you write
Muscle does have a higher density or specific weight than fat. So a certain VOLUME of muscle weighs more than the same VOLUME of fat. That's the reason why BMI doesn't work for people who have a lot of muscle mass.

makes sense.