Thought this was interesting.

[Carol Dee]

UGH Not like I did not already have a good idea what I had done to myself.

 

[ninnymary]

But you are undoing it @Carol Dee. It's never too late.

Mary

 

[Devonviolet]

It's not always about eating cheeseburgers, chocolate cake & French fries. So, I'd like to give my perspective on the issue.

I eat the way weight loss experts advise overweight people to eat. I am active, on the farm & strong as an ox - can lift a 50 pound bag of feed & toss around large square bales. Yet I can't lose weight.

I whine & complain [whine, whine, whine. Do you want some cheese & crackers with that whine???] and am trying to accept myself the way I am.

My father was overweight & his mother was overweight. My two sisters & I are all built the same & struggle with losing weight, yet my brother is slender, like our mother.

When my son was a teenager, he was bemoaning the fact that he was overweight. I said, "Honey, unfortunately it's in the genes. And they don't fit me either!"

Regardless of what many medical professionals say (and I'm a retired nurse), it isn't a simple matter of "calories in calories out & exercise".

There are multiple factors involved in determining a person's weight: heredity, hormones, diet, gut health/leaky gut, healthy bacteria vs bad bacteria, artificial sweeteners (can actually cause weight gain, not to mention exacerbate diabetes), toxic exposure, type of fat consumed (healthy fats [like coconut oil & grass Fed GMO free meat] can actually cause weight LOSS), of course all forms of sugar (including organic sugar) (except raw honey in moderation) can cause weight gain, and processed foods can cause weight gain. I could go on.

I eat three forms of cultured foods (Kombucha, plain Kefir & cultured vegetables) for a healthy gut & do not have leaky gut, like a large percentage of the US population. Leaky gut can cause weight gain.

My point is, I know all these things, and eat a healthy diet & exercise and still can't lose weight.

 

[Carol Dee]

I feel your struggle @Devonviolet

 

[Beekissed]

I see the woman on the right has an obvious scoliosis of her cervical/thoracic spine and probably has a lot of pain from that.

 

[bobm]

It's not always about eating cheeseburgers, chocolate cake & French fries. So, I'd like to give my perspective on the issue.

I eat the way weight loss experts advise overweight people to eat. I am active, on the farm & strong as an ox - can lift a 50 pound bag of feed & toss around large square bales. Yet I can't lose weight.

I whine & complain [whine, whine, whine. Do you want some cheese & crackers with that whine???] and am trying to accept myself the way I am.

My father was overweight & his mother was overweight. My two sisters & I are all built the same & struggle with losing weight, yet my brother is slender, like our mother.

When my son was a teenager, he was bemoaning the fact that he was overweight. I said, "Honey, unfortunately it's in the genes. And they don't fit me either!"

Regardless of what many medical professionals say (and I'm a retired nurse), it isn't a simple matter of "calories in calories out & exercise".

There are multiple factors involved in determining a person's weight: heredity, hormones, diet, gut health/leaky gut, healthy bacteria vs bad bacteria, artificial sweeteners (can actually cause weight gain, not to mention exacerbate diabetes), toxic exposure, typ of fat consumed (healthy fats [like coconut oil & grass Fed GMO free meat] can actually cause weight LOSS), of course all forms of sugar (including organic sugar) (except raw honey in moderation) can cause weight gain, and processed foods can cause weight gain. I could go on.

I eat three forms of cultured foods (Kombucha, plain Kefir & cultured vegetables) for a healthy gut & do not have leaky gut, like a large percentage of the US population. Leaky gut can cause weight gain.

My point is, I know all these things, and eat a healthy diet & exercise and still can't lose weight.

I am somwwhat like you, strong as an ox , but when I eat what the medical and dietitian professionals recomendI I GAIN weight. When I eat mostly protein ( even very fatty meats ) with minimum amounts of fruits and vegetables, I loose weight up to a point and hit a platou for months on end before I start loosing a little weight again. Genes

 

[Nyboy]

 

[Beekissed]

It's not always about eating cheeseburgers, chocolate cake & French fries. So, I'd like to give my perspective on the issue.

I eat the way weight loss experts advise overweight people to eat. I am active, on the farm & strong as an ox - can lift a 50 pound bag of feed & toss around large square bales. Yet I can't lose weight.

I whine & complain [whine, whine, whine. Do you want some cheese & crackers with that whine???] and am trying to accept myself the way I am.

My father was overweight & his mother was overweight. My two sisters & I are all built the same & struggle with losing weight, yet my brother is slender, like our mother.

When my son was a teenager, he was bemoaning the fact that he was overweight. I said, "Honey, unfortunately it's in the genes. And they don't fit me either!"

Regardless of what many medical professionals say (and I'm a retired nurse), it isn't a simple matter of "calories in calories out & exercise".

There are multiple factors involved in determining a person's weight: heredity, hormones, diet, gut health/leaky gut, healthy bacteria vs bad bacteria, artificial sweeteners (can actually cause weight gain, not to mention exacerbate diabetes), toxic exposure, type of fat consumed (healthy fats [like coconut oil & grass Fed GMO free meat] can actually cause weight LOSS), of course all forms of sugar (including organic sugar) (except raw honey in moderation) can cause weight gain, and processed foods can cause weight gain. I could go on.

I eat three forms of cultured foods (Kombucha, plain Kefir & cultured vegetables) for a healthy gut & do not have leaky gut, like a large percentage of the US population. Leaky gut can cause weight gain.

My point is, I know all these things, and eat a healthy diet & exercise and still can't lose weight.

I agree...the obvious disdain dripping from statements like "are the french fries, cheeseburgers, etc. really worth it" shows a lack of insight into what causes certain people to gain weight and to maintain weight.

I don't drink sodas, sweet teas, etc...water is my main drink, the other may be fruit juice, no sugar added. I can't remember the last time I ate a cheeseburger...maybe the 80s or 90s? Not sure. Cookies? I'm not too big on sweets. Plain food, the same amounts as my mother, who weighs in at 130 lbs....she too thought I was overeating until I came to live with her and now she's amazed at the weight I maintain on just what she eats~minus the sweet tooth she has. I don't "do" fast food, nor do we eat out often...we live far from town. My DIL comes to my house and asks what in the world we eat? She opens the fridge and cabinets and finds nothing ready to eat.

My main diet is salads, very occasionally I'll eat a piece of homemade bread with a few eggs. I work here constantly and have all my life, I'm the most active person I know in my family and even out of my family. Starting to slow down in my older age, but I'm betting I'll be moving when all the stick figures around me are humped over with a kyphotic hump on their backs and nursing a hip replacement.

I'm fat. All the kids in my family are fat. We have what is known as a very slow metabolism and if we ate what you skinny folks ate all the time, we'd be on that show My 600 lb Life.... or dead.

Some dogs tend to obesity, even though they are fed a regulated diet. Some cats do too. Some chickens will be rolling in fat and they eat less than those that haunt the feeder and they walk more looking for their food. Some horses will be rolly polly on just hay, while the horse next to them requires grain to stay in good condition. Diet and exercise is not a one size fits all solution to obesity, though it certainly can't hurt....if I didn't regulate what I ate I'd be twice the size I am now. To get down to 120 would require that I eat...well...nothing...for a long period of time. My body stores food VERY efficiently, so it could go a long, long time on not much to eat at all.

The fact is, obesity is not from one cause, nor does it indicate this person is largely unhealthy and inactive in their lifestyle. It can mean that someone has a slow metabolism and no matter what they do~aside from starvation for a long period of time or getting their stomachs reduced to hold only a tablespoon of food...and even that is no guarantee~they will not be 120lbs. Not in this life.

The pictures, while great at illustrating the probable affects of long term obesity, do not paint the whole picture as to the factors leading up to the obesity....and, trust me....it ain't always a cheeseburger.

 

[Devonviolet]

AMEN Sistah! Well said, Bee!

Something I didn't mention, is that my DH is 6'2" & weighs 170. His ribs and bones stick out all over. I can't help but feel like Jack Sprat, who could eat no fat & his wife, who could eat no lean. Only thing is we eat the same food, but I eat smaller portions than he does. Mainly we eat meat & veggies, including salads. I am sensitive to wheat, so we don't eat bread or baked goods. During the day, I push snacks on him & I drink lemon water or Kombucha while he eats. We don't eat much sugar - honey, if anything. I would much rather have salt than sugar any day.

Our two cats are both big cats. But, they have different metabolism.

Porter is a Maine Coon Mix. He weighs 15 pounds & you can feel his ribs.

Keagan is 22 pounds & well padded. But he is long enough that he can put his paws on the edge of the kitchen counter (36" high), when we are cutting up meat.

They eat the same diet every 12 hours: 1/4 cup plain Kefir - for probiotics, 1 rounded Tbsp canned, grain-free cat food & 1 level Tbsp dry grain-free dry cat food. They don't get snacks during the day. They are happy & healthy & have gorgeous fur coats. Yet, one is fat & one is not. I can't help but think Porter has a faster metabolism.

 

[seedcorn]

Weight is one thing and fat % is another. IF you have muscle, you will weigh more as muscle is denser than fat. First part of weight loss is usually muscle and not fat. Muscle digests faster than fat. Before worrying about weight loss, go for muscle gains. Gain muscles, you will lose fat-and may gain weight at first.