The only way to lose weight

One of the reasons eating healthy is so expensive is because the cost is factored not only in money, but time. If you're working 3 jobs to support 2 kids on your own, you can't afford the time to find better deals on food.

"You fail to grasp the basic principles of mad science. Common sense would be cheating." - Narbonic

Another thing is the equation of physical activity with punishment, and that many instructors encourage this view. This is why I did yoga before I screwed up my shoulder — the instructors.

@Aprilla: I'm inclined to agree on most points, especially the whole "impatience" thing being a part of it. With the way everyone talks about losing weight, a lot of us get into it with false expectations on how working out for half an hour every day will mean that you'll look like Angelina Jolie by summertime.

This is compounded by every facet of society telling us that overweight people are failures, and so when we fail to lose weight after a week of diet and exercise, we go right back to our old lifestyle. This is even further complicated by the amount of prejudice that overweight people (women in particular) get when attempting to lose weight.

For example: I should feel pretty darn good about myself because I can bike for 15 miles in mountainous terrain without feeling like I'm going to die. However, instead of grasping onto that and biking more often, I get a lot of crap from people who don't want to see a fat person biking and get discouraged.

This is why a couple of people in this thread have suggested that one of the biggest things we should do to facilitate weight loss, is to change the focus from weight to general health.

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian

I'm going to come off a bit harsh, but I can't help but say if you want it bad enough, you will fine the time to eat well and exercise. I have a horrible schedule with a mountain of responsibilities. But throwing things in the crock pot overnight, planning meals to go off of leftovers from the night before, not making excuses for myself. I can whip up a healthy meal anywhere between 10-30 minutes just because I'm used to it.

I find fast food is too expensive for me.

I used to think that I didn't have time to work out. Until I made the time. I scheduled it in with the same determination as I did my other obligations. It works.

You get in these habits and then you become better at them, quicker and more natural. But I'm not going to lie, I had to have my two best friends encouraging me and sometimes even pushing me, to get out of my own way and just do it.

I know it's not always fair to say well I have X, Y, and Z and I still do it, but I think if more people just did some research on some meals that may cater to their needs or look into their neighborhood for fitness resources they may not have been aware of, they will find the support and tools on how to manage fitness and diet as a higher priority.

"Psssh. Even if you could catch a miracle on a picture any person would probably delete it to make space for more porn." - Aszur

Look, people, I'm going to say this once more, in mod voice, because it's a flame war waiting to be started: There is no thing that will work equally well for everyone.

Now stop making blanket statements about "This is all you have to do." or the banhammer comes out.

Got it?

edited 3rd Jan '12 10:07:06 PM by Madrugada

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.

With all due respect, I really don't think anyone has been doing that, at least in the past page or so. From what I've seen, the discussion has gone fairly smoothly, and many people are suggesting a variety of alternatives and strategies as well as problems that have led to an aversion to fitness and nutrition. I haven't seen anyone claim that they have the magic bullet that's going to solve excessive weight gain. We're speculating the causes and remedies to the issue, or even if it can be called an issue in the first place.

Cats and DG actually raised a good point about this guilt complex that people throw onto those who are larger or less fit. There is an atmosphere of punishment in many fitness circles when it should really be an enjoyable and fruitful activity. Eating should be the same way. I find that people enjoy tasty foods more when they don't eat them in excess. I don't drink sodas except on rare occasions, so when I have a Dr. Pepper, it tastes great because my body isn't demanding one every single day and I haven't become overly accustomed to the taste.

While this method is more or less effective on the personal level, I'm not so sure about implementing it on the institutional level. Restructuring cities so that there is a great incentive for healthier eating could work, but like I said about the corn market, I have to wonder how our agriculture and food economy is going to have to change accordingly. I'm not totally opposed to the idea, just curious.

Something that is semi-relevant is the issue of meat shortages. Meat is becoming more scarce, so we might have no choice but to restructure food markets to adapt to a sort of protein alternative like beans or something similar.

edited 3rd Jan '12 10:29:40 PM by Aprilla

After what's happened with corn, I would be afraid of another subsidized cash crop.

Blast it, this thread makes me feel hopeless. I used to entertain a slight hope that if I'll just eat more fruits and less junk food and exercise a bit, then I might eventually look acceptably good. Not overnight, but without too many drastic changes in lifestyle either. Apparently, impossible. (sigh) Wish it was possible to start a life over, for it seems that I've managed to mess up everything.

If we disagree, that much, at least, we have in common

This is true. Meat is the best source of protein available, so reducing the consumption of meat would fundamentally change national eating habits in such a way that we might see a reversion to the thinner body types of previous periods in history (i.e. protein deficiencies among those who cannot afford meat). I don't think we really want that. One of the elements that came with the Industrial Revolution was the ability to mass-produce meat products to a large population, which might explain our current trends toward obesity. People consume far more protein now than they did before, and several nutritionists have suggested that these excessive amounts of protein (I think something like 183% of our daily value) can be linked to liver cancer and other ailments.

We do have the technology to produce consumable protein-based meals that are not meat, but these projects are not FDA-approved and still in the test phase. There's also the public image of eating synthetic food, which is arguably negative. The problem with weight gain trends is that meat, like sugar, is consumed in vast quantities by population sets. Foods that are high in protein also tend to be high in fat. Now, before anyone shouts out that we could just stop eating meat and switch over to a vegetarian alternative, remember that it's not completely uncommon to find overweight people who are vegetarians. Tofu products are high in protein, but they also tend to have a higher fat content than their meat counterparts. That shoots down the notion that we can beat obesity by making everyone into vegetarians, unless we seek the synthetic alternative I mentioned earlier.

To serve Madrugada's point, it is foolish to assume that there is a single food source or eating habit that is the sole cause of excessive weight gain, so likewise, the solution would be expectantly complicated and not easily deployable without some sort of intergenerational test group and a control group.

This is a complicated issue on a societal level because there are so many factors that play into a person's eating habits, let alone an entire community. You have to account for proximity of restaurants, bodies of water that might contribute to the availability of seafood, urbanization that impacts the freshness and quality of foods, economic productivity, how many people are having children in said community, and a variety of other elements that demonstrate weight gain/loss trends.

To change these elements is to change the face of the community, and like Drunk's smoking analogy, this is something that requires widespread and deeply entrenched administrative and municipal processing. This is assuming, of course, people want this sort of restructuring in the first place. I guess it's one of those situations where you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink it. You make public parks and rack up the price of a Big Mac, but if people want that Big Mac, they will pay the extra money for it. I might be wrong, but that's my assumption, cynical as it may be.

Don't be hopeless. Stay motivated and stick with your plan.

edited 3rd Jan '12 11:07:05 PM by Aprilla

Don't give up. It takes a while for your body to surrender and start adjusting to a new routine instead of assuming it's just a one time thing.

Fight smart, not fair.

Don't give up Beholderess!

I used to feel so hopeless when I started weight training. When I tried just jogging again, my back would scream in pain. But I slowed down and took the time to learn how to cater to my back problems. I gave up sometimes, but I only got more sick and more depressed so I always went back. The one saving grace I had was that I didn't stop eating better and maintaining that front.

Now I've been working at it more strictly for about two years now. My body doesn't look the way I want it to yet, but I feel better. I don't have as much back pain as I used to, my anemia has gotten more in control, and I'm sick less. For these reasons alone I'm even more encouraged to keep going.

I'm quite confident everyone here can meet their needs. Rejoice in the little victories! They lead to bigger victories!

"Psssh. Even if you could catch a miracle on a picture any person would probably delete it to make space for more porn." - Aszur

For the average losing weight is only a matter of discipline and lifestyle choices. Your lifestyle (and in some cases medical conditions) result in overweight. If the problem is lifestyle then the best aproach would be to pick up healthier habits, which ones? That is up to you. Some might work better than others for you individualy, where as, if your overweight comesw from a medical condition, then you should seek medical treatment and follow the recomendations the doctors give you.

What personally worked for me was stop eating certain foods gradually. For example my favourite soda was Coke, so I stop drinking coke and pepsi. Then I stopped other sodas. I began drinking coffee without sugar and so on.}

I think this worked for me because I didnt really needed to make up for all the soda I stopped drinking while I kept on eating liked I always used to.

edited 4th Jan '12 7:00:07 AM by Baff

I will always cherish the chance of a new beggining.

Another article on obesity, which I think fairly well fits into the topic.

I snipped the last part of the article. Specifically, I bring it up here to question, would forcing*

I'm sure it wouldn't be forced right away, but ...

children to work a job of some kind, whether that be farming, helping in a restaurant, or just going straight back to the good ol' sweatshops of 1900*

which, as much as I'd love to throw in some snarky comments, are off-topic for this thread

be a positive way to reduce obesity in Americans, specifically children?

edited 19th Jan '12 2:10:04 AM by BlueNinja0

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw

Not quite the topic of conversation, but I've noticed that it's possible to change my metabolism by starving myself for a day or two. Afterwards it makes me much less hungry (and more tired) for an indefinite period of time as long as I restrict myself to a low amount of total calories (ie: one meal a day or less). Not directly related to weight or health, but the idea that your metabolism is something you're stuck with doesn't seem to be the case.

Presumably it works the other around too though. If you exercise a lot you'll get hungrier and start eating more. And if you suddenly stop exercising for whatever reason you'll be stuck with the hunger and end up with a high net intake of calories.

edited 19th Jan '12 7:57:08 AM by Clarste

@ Blue Ninja, I don't think it would be a good idea. It's similar to the idea that if you force a kid to go to gym class it'll encourage them to build good exercise habits.

Fight smart, not fair.

I thought the purpose of gym class was that if they wanted to form good exercise habits, they would know how to do it right.

In the quiet of the night, the Neocount of Merentha mused: How long does evolution take, among the damned?

No, it's to give coaches first pick of sports students and so they can yell at the top of their lungs. If they were doing the thing you suggested, they'd need degrees in personal training.

Fight smart, not fair.

Apparently we have different experiences with teachers, which is only natural since I went to school in Sweden and you I guess in the US. Cultural differences I suppose, but IMO "our" system is far superior while yours seems rather insane.

In "high school" my gym class was a mix of sports(results irrelevant but participation mandatory), basic first aid(basic CPR required for passing grade), the basic theories of nutrition and exercise(tested either via essay or oral with examples) and dancing. Quite often they were combined so we didn't waste much time. Any teams were sorted by the teacher going 1,2,3,4 or red,green,blue,yellow based on how we were sitting so it was not based of skill or physical prowess. IF you were interested you could spend some of your points to take an extra gym of classes with specific foci.

In the quiet of the night, the Neocount of Merentha mused: How long does evolution take, among the damned?

Dear God. Compared to the US (or at least the southern part I come from) Sweden is awesome.

What do we want? Moderate Change! When do we want it? Incrementally! - Bill Maher