What makes some American Woman be slim And Some Others to Give up and be overweight

[quietGuy13]

We all know that most countries think that America is the fattest country. And wel yeah there are tons of overweight people.

 

BUt then there's tons of girls who are slim and pretty and care about their health and want to look good.

 

So what makes some of them give up VS some of them be slim and not give up.

 

Like, i see overweight guys too but I'm ok weight. I don't understand why they give up.

 

Some people say it's depression. Well i've been depressed a lot and i still don't want to be fat so i take care of my stomach.

[AlexDP]

We all know that most countries think that America is the fattest country. And wel yeah there are tons of overweight people.

 

BUt then there's tons of girls who are slim and pretty and care about their health and want to look good.

 

So what makes some of them give up VS some of them be slim and not give up.

 

Like, i see overweight guys too but I'm ok weight. I don't understand why they give up.

 

Some people say it's depression. Well i've been depressed a lot and i still don't want to be fat so i take care of my stomach.

 

Well apparently they lack discipline in that area. It's hard for them. Just like it's hard for you to go out and meet people. Or talk to people in real life. You see.. It's easy for you to take care of your body. But hard to talk to people. See where I'm going?

[USMCHokie]

One's upbringing is very influential to his or her adult lifestyle, and it's only getting worse. When you develop poor eating and exercise habits as a kid, it establishes a baseline of behavior that becomes the norm for them. So "good" habits seem like torture or simply so foreign that they are incapable of changing and sustaining those habits.

 

Some people just "never have a chance"...while others are just happier being lazy...

[zengirl]

If you look at actual statistics, America is not actually the fattest country FTR.

 

It's easy for me to stay slim (I do exercise, but I'd be slim even if I didn't -- I exercise to stave off anxiety mostly) so I've never felt comfortable going around and asking people why they're overweight. I've known many overweight girls and women who ate less than I do or exercised more or sometimes both, which leads me to believe it's about more than just things you can do.

[quietGuy13]

Interesting answers everyone.

I guess you gotta get some influence, whether it's your parents or some friends or some IDOLs or Fashion stuff.

 

Because I used to be chubby and when i was in JR high i started watching martial art films and wanted to do what they do so i started running and exercising and being healthy and i've never given up since.

 

It's kinda difficult to understand the women i see who are super huge. how did they let themselves go. i guess i dont' know.

 

but I keep getting the "AMERICANs are FAT" from the asian friends online. And i do see tons and tons of overweight women everyday,

[FitChick]

I've known many overweight girls and women who ate less than I do or exercised more or sometimes both, which leads me to believe it's about more than just things you can do.

 

Unless you spent 24 hrs a day watching them eat, you don't know that. As a formerly fat friend told me, she never ate a lot in front of other people because she knew they'd think, So that's why she's so fat! She didn't buy her groceries at one store, she went to two different supermarkets splitting up her shopping list for the same reason.

 

True, there are a few metabolic disorders and PCOS, but even with that people can lose the weight by proper diet and exercise in addition to balancing their hormones. My endocrinologist gives his patients printed diet plans to follow and he said he always finds them in the trash in the parking garage of his office building!

[zengirl]

Unless you spent 24 hrs a day watching them eat, you don't know that. As a formerly fat friend told me, she never ate a lot in front of other people because she knew they'd think, So that's why she's so fat! She didn't buy her groceries at one store, she went to two different supermarkets splitting up her shopping list for the same reason.

 

True, there are a few metabolic disorders and PCOS, but even with that people can lose the weight by proper diet and exercise in addition to balancing their hormones. My endocrinologist gives his patients printed diet plans to follow and he said he always finds them in the trash in the parking garage of his office building!

 

Maybe. And when I say overweight, I don't mean gargantuan or anything. I mean slightly overweight women who couldn't get my size. I very rarely see many obese people, honestly. Perhaps this isn't a particularly fat city. *shrugs*

 

One of these girls is my best friend and roommate for a long time. She could've hid food in her room, but she has no complex about her weight so I doubt it. She's certainly overweight (not obese) and exercises regularly and eats normally -- not A LOT, not constant diet. I'm not saying they couldn't get to a lower weight if they ate only carrot sticks or something, but I don't consider that healthy either.

[alphamale]

We all know that most countries think that America is the fattest country. And wel yeah there are tons of overweight people.

 

BUt then there's tons of girls who are slim and pretty and care about their health and want to look good.

 

So what makes some of them give up VS some of them be slim and not give up.

 

Like, i see overweight guys too but I'm ok weight. I don't understand why they give up.

 

Some people say it's depression. Well i've been depressed a lot and i still don't want to be fat so i take care of my stomach.

some eat too much and some don't

[quankanne]

am I happier being "lazy," making the wrong eating choices and not having the discipline needed to be thinner? Obviously, no, I'm not.

 

however, I've also got a realistic attitude about what my body looks like, what it *would* look light with a drastic weight loss, and I can assure you, it's not going to change me one bit, so I'm not going to worry about those looks. My health, yes; my looks, not especially. I'm me no matter what I look like, and I'm much happier accepting that than trying to live up to some unrealistic ideal someone has of me.

 

while I get where some of y'all are trying to go with the need to practice a healthier lifestyle, your delivery sucks when you're trying to convince someone to embrace those practices. Because using someone's insecurities to effect change is endorsing those changes for the wrong reasons.

 

kinda like being told "Accept Jesus as your personal savior or you'll go to hell." It only annoys the listener, and it just gives Jesus a bad rap

[AlexDP]

If you look at actual statistics, America is not actually the fattest country FTR.

 

It's easy for me to stay slim (I do exercise, but I'd be slim even if I didn't -- I exercise to stave off anxiety mostly) so I've never felt comfortable going around and asking people why they're overweight. I've known many overweight girls and women who ate less than I do or exercised more or sometimes both, which leads me to believe it's about more than just things you can do.

 

So which one is? Because European countries don't even come close to the American obesity rates, except for maybe, the UK. People are definitely getting fatter over here as well though, unfortunately.

[gaius]

Unless you spent 24 hrs a day watching them eat, you don't know that. As a formerly fat friend told me, she never ate a lot in front of other people because she knew they'd think, So that's why she's so fat! She didn't buy her groceries at one store, she went to two different supermarkets splitting up her shopping list for the same reason.

Clever. I know when I was single I used to change up what I was buying that week depending on who the cashiers were. A lot more fruits, vegetables and brand name items if there was one I was interested in.

 

As far as the obesity question, I read an article that suggested the majority of obese women have some history of sexual abuse. It wouldn't surprise me if it had a lot to do with the amount of attention that particular female was comfortable with, mixed with a few other factors.

[january2011]

Not making time to prioritise and incorporate physical exercise into their schedule and spending too much time in the car. I know it is a huge generalisation and might offend some, so apologies in advance, but parts of the West coast is notorious for this - people spend way to much time in their cars because everything is so spread out. And once you spend 2+ hours in your car + work + everything else in your life, it's easy for exercise to fall way down the list of priorities. Something that might not hit you until you get older and your slowing metabolism kicks in.

[quankanne]

spending too much time in the car

 

definitely this, for the reasons you post and because we get into a "driving" mindset when it comes to doing stuff. Why? Because it's much easier. Though, now with gas prices spiraling upward, I'm guessing people are going to be much more conservative about using the car for every little errand if it's just as easy to walk to certain places ...

[Mme. Chaucer]

some eat too much and some don't

 

My God, but you're profound ...

[FitChick]

I read an article that suggested the majority of obese women have some history of sexual abuse. It wouldn't surprise me if it had a lot to do with the amount of attention that particular female was comfortable with, mixed with a few other factors.

 

A co-worker who was divorced said she was through with men forever and deliberately gained about 70 lbs. "because I know men don't like fat women." I felt sorry for her. Very bitter person.

[gaius]

A co-worker who was divorced said she was through with men forever and deliberately gained about 70 lbs. "because I know men don't like fat women." I felt sorry for her. Very bitter person.

I wonder what happened to make her like that.

[KR10N]

Genes play a role. On my mothers side there's a significant amount of overweight people, they're also between short and average height. On my fathers side it's the opposite, tall and slim. Thankfully, I have my fathers genes. Being of short, stubby stature would be quite annoying.

 

Eating habits play a major role. Not just what you eat, but how often you eat. I've found that being a vegetarian/vegan it's much easier to maintain a desirable weight and it's much healthier. Of course, not everyone can give up meat. But I'm willing to bet that if people w/ weight issues were to suddenly give up meat and exercise at least an hour a day they would see dramatic results in weight loss.

[quankanne]

actually, it's simple: Use up more calories than you consume, and you'll drop weight. For the sake of your health, it's smart to stick to a good food regimen that's got all the basics and in the proportions you need, so you don't necessarily *have* to give up meats, just be smart about how you eat. And exercise.

[KR10N]

actually, it's simple: Use up more calories than you consume, and you'll drop weight. For the sake of your health, it's smart to stick to a good food regimen that's got all the basics and in the proportions you need, so you don't necessarily *have* to give up meats, just be smart about how you eat. And exercise.

I didn't say they had to. Just a bet I'm willing to make. Of course, they have to eat the right meats & cook it properly.

[RiverRunning]

As a teenager, now several years back, I was once 130 pounds overweight. The reasons? My parents had horrible eating habits and they controlled the food that was brought into the house. Probably from the age of 9 or so, I was overweight. That had a big (no pun intended) effect on my life - I withdrew socially from other people. I spent a lot of time alone. The heavier I got in school, the more I wanted to avoid exercising, especially in a public forum - because I was terrified of people making fun of me ("Look at the fat girl trying to run! Lulz!").

 

In ordinary life - by complete strangers, classmates, etc. - I received enough heckling about my appearance. I wanted to be as invisible as possible. I continued gaining weight and remained overweight because I had -no idea- how to lose weight. I was always told that I needed to eat 1200 calories by doctors, and my parents emphasized that I should eat even less if I wanted to be successful. Well, when your house is full of crappy food, 1200 calories goes quickly.

 

When I was 14, I remember going on a 300 - 500 calorie-a-day diet for about a month. After about a week I was so hungry it was hard to get off the couch. At the end of that time, I only lost about 8 pounds (I was working out too). The moment I felt discouraged, I was back to eating whatever I wanted again. I had always been told by people that going on a diet meant being hungry all of the time.

 

It wasn't until I was 17 or 18 that I had the resources and the know-how to research weight loss and nutrition. Once I did that, I was able to start losing weight.

 

But while it sure is easy to say, "Just use more than you consume," (and this is true), there are so many variables that can really discourage people. Plateaus. I lost 60 pounds in the past and hit my plateau. I was already stressed out with school and work and I gave up, utterly discouraged. I've only recently recovered from a plateau (down 80ish pounds from my heaviest weight).

 

I do think that if more people were ever overweight, and significantly so (I'm not just talking 5 or 10 pounds), they would see that at times it is an uphill battle. You are treated badly by most folks around you, even the ones who know and see that you're losing weight, until you get to a size they deem 'acceptable.' Now that I'm not - that - overweight anymore, people treat me worlds differently. Rather than staring at me, making obvious 'oink' sounds to their friends, or ignoring me entirely like I'm a monster that doesn't exist, men will sometimes come up and talk to me.

 

Occasionally, they even see my PICTURES online (!!) and ask me out on dates or write to tell me that I'm "really beautiful."

 

I still get a lot of crap from people. When I went to see my NP for my annual exam, she started shoving papers about weight loss at me (apparently failing to see in her records that I've lost 50 pounds since I last saw her). I was then lectured on how to lose weight. She even circled specific numbers on this two-page paper and used a pen to point it all out to me. Not only did she see that I'm fat, but apparently she also decided that I was too stupid to read.

 

I tore up the paper as soon as I was out of the office. I know how to lose weight, thanks. And I think most fat people above a certain age (not children, of course) get the gyst of it. I don't need to be patronized or offered advice for an unrelated condition. Believe it or not, being fat is not the root cause of every single possible thing that could go wrong in the human body.

 

Why do people get fat and stay fat? Because once you get fat, it's hard to find the momentum to go back, especially when you have people around you not being supportive or being negative the entire way. People do treat you like you're subhuman, especially if you're a fat woman. I wish I could say that the patronizing I have received is minimal or occasional - it's definitely not.

 

My glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure are all excellent. But when I was having them tested, the guy running the test kept grilling me about my eating and exercise habits. I answered honestly: I do tend to follow the food pyramid and I get at least 5 hours of exercise in a week, oftentimes much more. He kept asking me the same questions - apparently trying to find a hole in my story, I'm guessing.

 

He ended the testing off with suggesting that I go for walks a few times a week to get my cholesterol/BP/glucose even lower. I just stared at him and thought: is he just so trained to say one thing, or does he seriously not believe what I told him? I'm going to imagine the latter.

 

When you're overweight, you don't really get any positive support. If I post a picture of myself online and I've lost a few pounds, people are all over it like vultures: "Omg, you are SO much healthier now!" (How can you honestly gauge someone's health just by looking at them? Answer: you really can't, at least not very accurately). Gain a few pounds and you are the gossip of the family, and not in a good way.

 

The whole thing gets tiring, which is why I am just desperate to lose the pounds already. I don't think my blood pressure or cholesterol will kill me. I think it's the stress of constantly having the idea reinforced that I am unacceptable, unattractive and unworthy - of jobs, of relationships, of walking around in society minding my own business, etc.

 

Although I will say that my experiences seem to be greatly magnified compared to others: I have talked to folks WAY heavier than me who are appalled by what I've been through. I live in Michigan, and there are plenty of fat folk here. It's not like I am anywhere near the fattest person living around here. It gives me hope that not everyone is treated like absolute crap.

 

What scares me is that people find that treating overweight people like they're monsters is acceptable. A poster here once remarked, after I shared that I had a boyfriend who would criticize me if I were eating junk food, ever, that he was right to do so (?!?!). I've seen others share that they agree doctors should be even more cruel and forceful about people losing weight. And of course the myriads of people I've met or heard about, even grown adults, who feel it is appropriate to fat-shame people in public by making comments that the person can hear.

 

I mean, whether you find being overweight repugnant or not, the very least you owe someone whom you have never even met is a shred of respect and politeness, whether or not you feels it's their fault that they're overweight. They're not fat as a personal insult toward you, and that's the way that people seem to act. By simply having to see a fat person, some people really act like the fatty has personally shot them in the face. What did the fat person ever do to you - I mean...seriously?

 

And while it's very rare indeed that people have health conditions that cause someone to be overweight - the fact is that you can never know. It kind of frightens me that people say things like, "Well, you can't change being black/short/anything other than the stereotypically hot 'tall white person', but you CAN change being fat. Therefore, it's OK to be cruel to fat people."

 

I know, however, that when I was gaining weight, I DEFINITELY ate too much and did not exercise enough. Now? I do exercise enough. I do eat well. But since people often think of people as they GAIN weight, they don't realize that an obese person may have good eating and exercise habits. They just lash out blindly.

 

Just my two cents from a resident fatty.

[WilliamsTaylor]

The body structure of a person is highly affected from his/her work style. If a lady is living a discipline life or a job that requires physcial exercise, this will obviously assist them to remain fit and healthy

[yongyong]

Because women justifies themselves by saying 'I am fat, so what? I love my body, if you don't love me, leave me alone' and blame guys on how superficial they are if they don't want to date nasty fat women.

 

Are they really happy in dating scene?

[Emilia]

The body structure of a person is highly affected from his/her work style. If a lady is living a discipline life or a job that requires physcial exercise, this will obviously assist them to remain fit and healthy

 

I'm an office worker, what's even worse, I'm tied to my desk all day but I walk to and from work, I run, swim, box, started weight lifting (though not very heavy), do some form of exercise almost every day. A sedentary job doesn't have to turn you into a fattie.

[Feelin Frisky]

Your assumption that non-thin women "give up" is patently wrong. There are many reasons why some folks are overweight and very few if any are because they decided to "give up".

[Nikki Sahagin]

I actually think it's because we make such a big deal about people needing to be a certain size/shape/weight that some people just think F it and go in the opposite direction.