That damned weight issue.

[Sphere]

We eat food to give us energy to perform kenetic movements. The more calories you in take, the more kenetic movements you need to make to burn off these calories, if you do not then it gets stored as fat. You cannot be fat and claim to be healthy, these things just do not go hand in hand. You need to be a suitable.

 

A fat person can eat as much salad and prawns as they like, it doesn't make them anymore healthy or appealing on the eye. Do you honestly think there would be as many lardasses around today, if people were eating sensibly and exercising? If a fat person says to me "I eat healthly", I immediately ask "what exercise do you do?" This is often met by an awkward "I'm not really into sport". What this loosely translates too is "I'm lazy and can't be bothered to burn off what I eat". Therefore this is unattractive to me, replusive even.

[Sphere]

If losing weight were so easy, the number of overwight people would be almost none.

 

There are several solutions.

 

1) Watch what you eat.

2) Exercise more often.

3) At the first sign of weight gain, take swift action. Go out jogging at 6am, join a gym or work out at home.

4) If you are overweight/fat then change your ways and teach yourself some self discipline.

5) Learn about nutrition and learn how to cook with ingredients within your budget.

 

 

It's incredibly simple. It doesn't take a look of effort. Instead of eating a chewy raisin bar, why not swap it for an orange or an apple? Instead of coca cola why not drink water? Instead of frying food, why not grill food?

 

Small changes to your diet and more exercise makes a hell of a difference.

[marsle85]

 

In Britain, we pay 20% vat on a lot of goods, for fast food, I'd like to see that tax rise from 20% to 40%. It's the only way to stop this trend across the Western World that fat is acceptable. It isn't acceptable, eventually fat people become a bain on society, people who drain vital resources such as a hospital bed, doctor appointment slots and money.

 

I would LOVE to see this in the US! We need to be more aggressive and have 0 tolerance for the crap we eat!

[Sphere]

I would LOVE to see this in the US! We need to be more aggressive and have 0 tolerance for the crap we eat!

 

I don't understand why people rely so heavily on fast food outlets. Is it a combination of raising a family, mixed with long working hours? Is it down to laziness? Is it down to the fact that many men and women cannot even follow instructions from a cook book. Is a cabbage or a parsnip too expensive?

 

Fast food is alright as a treat once in a while, just like some Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream is nice for a treat, but people need to remember "a moment on the lips, a life time on the hips", replace hips for stomach for men and you have the true facts right there.

 

Zero tolerance is needed badly, I see children as young as six with weight issues and I think to myself "that kid won't make forty".

[Sphere]

 

If someone does not do item 3 or has been overweight all their lives, it can take years of hard work.

 

Life's a struggle, that's the first lesson that should be taught at school.

 

I used to have a little pot belly, then a few years ago, I decided to change it and it took me a year of constantly excerise to tone my body, it took a further year and a half to really define my body, all it took was dedication, discipline and hard graft to ensure I got the body I wanted.

 

Remember, "If there is no struggle, then there can be no success".

[brainygirl]

I would LOVE to see this in the US! We need to be more aggressive and have 0 tolerance for the crap we eat!

 

Well, we already tax cigarettes and booze, why not fast food and soda with sugar in it.

 

would it stop me eating it entirely? Probably not, but since I moved to a town with fewer fast food joints I've eaten less. I'd been making an effort to not eat as much junk and its kinda gotten less appealing.

 

We live in a world where milk is 3x the cost of pop, that's just wrong from a public health view point.

[ascendotum]

I don't understand why people rely so heavily on fast food outlets. Is it a combination of raising a family, mixed with long working hours? Is it down to laziness? Is it down to the fact that many men and women cannot even follow instructions from a cook book. Is a cabbage or a parsnip too expensive?

 

Fast food is alright as a treat once in a while, just like some Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream is nice for a treat, but people need to remember "a moment on the lips, a life time on the hips", replace hips for stomach for men and you have the true facts right there.

 

Zero tolerance is needed badly, I see children as young as six with weight issues and I think to myself "that kid won't make forty".

 

With people's higher expectations and need for bigger / better & more material goods & services, many singles/couple's work longer hours and have less time to prepare 3 meals every day. (a lot is to do with increased laziness as well)

 

I don't mind there being fast food outlets, the problem I have is that the vast bulk of them are 'junk' food outlets, that sell nutritionally crap / fried food. The type that promote...for only an extra $2.00 you can upsize your order with a large size fries and a can of coke type outlets. These ones are eveywhere.

Over the past 6 yrs in the city I work I have noticed a greater increase in salad bars and juice outlets, so there is a definite trend towards healthier foods, but it caters for the lunchtime crowd, and not the take home meal market segment.

 

I would have no problem if my government introduced an extra tax on fast food. I would like to know the definition though of fast food. Is a thai takeaway or a take away pasta place excluded.

[Els]

Some of you are going off-topic. I already mentioned in my OP that we're not here to discuss people who are medically overweight. We are here to discuss people whose weight is in the medically normal/healthy range, but who also do not conform to the aesthetic ideal. And why the aesthetic ideal is below the normal/healthy range.

 

At the first sight of weight gain, I should run for a zero-tolerance exercise/diet regime??? What?! Even if said weight gain puts me OUT of the underweight category and into the normal category??? This is exactly what sickens me. Weight gain isn't necessarily bad, as long as it remains within healthy limits.

 

I think it's not only about Asian relatives being blunt, but about the ideal standard for Asians being even MORE anorexic than Caucasians. So many of my friends who are already on the lower end of the healthy range are still trying to diet themselves into oblivion. Because 'attractive' really means 'treading the borderline between underweight and normal'.

 

You guys are probably right about the bellcurve though. The average Asian woman is bone-skinny and has long sleek, straight hair - NOT because we are all born skinny and with perfectly straight hair, but because that is what is considered as 'normally attractive'. And Asians tend to conform more, which leads to throngs of girls in their teens saving up every penny to go for the extremely expensive Japanese hair straightening (probably 90% of the girls I know have done this at one point or another), AND struggling to pull their perfectly healthy weight down.

[phineas]

I suppose love handles & a belly is when you need to hit the gym.

[that girl]

A fat person can eat as much salad and prawns as they like, it doesn't make them anymore healthy or appealing on the eye. Do you honestly think there would be as many lardasses around today, if people were eating sensibly and exercising? If a fat person says to me "I eat healthly", I immediately ask "what exercise do you do?" This is often met by an awkward "I'm not really into sport". What this loosely translates too is "I'm lazy and can't be bothered to burn off what I eat". Therefore this is unattractive to me, replusive even.

Someone who you deem too heavy says they eat well and you jump on the, with "What exercise do you do?" Were you raised by wolves? Christ that is rude and none of your business.

 

The obesity crisis is more complicated than people are lazy and eat too much. It has to do with the built enviroment, the number of hours people spend at work, portion sizes, and convenience food. Structural changes are needed to fix it. It is a lot easier for people with one job to find time to cook and exercise than it is for a parent of small kids working two jobs. Shaming and guilting people is not helpful. It is just a way for people to make themselves feel superior.

 

Back to the original issue of people who are within the healthy weight range but still get comments- I think this has a lot to do with our standards of beauty. Runway models are noticeably thinner than they were circa 1990. These were considered attractive teenagers in the 90s http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ruEYxg66IA0/TCyr2_l545I/AAAAAAAAD24/SVH8lnt6CAs/s1600/beverly-hills-90210-cast-5936526.jpg now these noticeably thinner teens are what is considered attractive http://www.90210forum.net/90210-Wallpaper-Cast-04-1280x1024.jpg

 

Posh Spice was mentioned as thin but not a size zero, but she really is very thin http://www.jenkatgames.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/posh2.jpg and isn't a good example of healthy but not super thin.

 

People have gotten heavier over the last 20 years, which isn't good, but at the same time the ideal has gotten much thinner.

[spookie]

I think normal people's aesthetic standards have more to do body fat content and distribution than it does BMI.

 

I know in your OP you said you didn't want to talk about that, but BMI really doesn't say much about he way a person looks.

 

If someone was 118 and then gained 20 pounds of fat... they might still be in the "normal" BMI range, and not big-looking, but their body fat content would be through the roof, and the fat would likely settle in unwanted places like the stomach. That's called being skinny-fat, and it's not hot. 20 pounds of muscle on the other hand... that's "filling out" right.

 

I am sure your weight gain was normal and healthy however. Your family are psycho for making those comments, and you've got to be crazy to think men prefer aneorexic looking chicks.

 

As far as celebrities go, I think Jessica Biel has the perfect body: curves in all the right places, but lean. For people who work out and watch their diet, I think that's a reasonable, healthy goal. I don't know any men who think Posh Spice is all that hot.

[sveltskye]

Ok, I'm a size twelve and excercize at least three times a week, more like four or five it I can help it. I've done this for at least five months and recently I've been working out every day. I work out hard too, like 500-700 calories or so a workout. I also watch what I eat, don't count calories, but usually order off of the slim menu at restaurants and avoid desserts too much. I lost ten pounds when I started this lifestyle, but since then I've been pretty much stuck at around 30 BMI. So sorry if I have trouble believing in "fat=lazy". I know people way skinnier than me who never get off their butts and excercize. I think its really easy for people like that to accuse overweight people of being lazy without knowing just how hard it is to fix your metabolism.

I feel like I'm healthier than a skinny person who eats fast food all the time- in fact, that used to be me, and I feel better about my health now. I feel good. But you know what? I like my body in some ways better than I did at 15, when I was a size six. I have *boobs* and a *butt* now! A small belly is just the tradeoff I guess...

Edited August 11, 2010 by sveltskye

[spookie]

I wanted to add that even with working out and eating right, after a while more fat just doens't come off.

 

As an example, I run at least 4 miles every single day. I started running about 2 years ago, when I started my first corporate job and began to put on some weight as the result of a much more sedentary lifestyle.

 

At first, the fat just melted.

 

However, even though I've though I've steadily been increasing my mileage, and I eat healthy - not 100% clean aka lean chicken and veggies, but steering clear of junk food and sweets - my body has not dropped a single pound in months. I'm 5'8 and weigh around 140 - a healthy weight for my height, but I'd say I've got about 10 pounds of fat to lose to be "ideal" - and it ain't easy.

[sveltskye]

Yea, once you hit that plateau it can be killer to get over it...

[that girl]

You quoted: "The obesity crisis is more complicated than people are lazy and eat too much."

 

So you mean to tell me if we took away laziness and eating too much the obese would still be obese?

Currently experts are focusing on structural changes to fight the obesity crisis because that is what the research suggests will be most effective. Structural changes do include things like taxing sugary sodas, but they also include community gardens and bike paths that make it easier for people to make healthy choices. There is a reason that people are thinner in richer, more walkable communities- they have more time and energy to work out and cook healthy foods.

 

That is different than the advice some one's personal doctor or nutritionist would give. Clinical professionals can judge whether someone needs to get off their butt, has a thyroid condition or is already at a healthy weight. Being swimsuit model fit is not the only model of health and experts know that and you can't tell just by looking at someone how healthy they are.

 

Man that's all you do huh. You never take responsibility for your actions. That's fine but you really shouldn't be going around telling people to have the same mindset.

I actually know what I'm talking about so I'm not going to go for the easy "shame the fatty."

 

As far as celebrities go, I think Jessica Biel has the perfect body: curves in all the right places, but lean. For people who work out and watch their diet, I think that's a reasonable, healthy goal.

Jessica Biel level leanness is one the current body ideals and while I'm sure she is healthy, that isn't a body type everyone can achieve. Some women are built like Beyonce or Marilyn Monroe and they just aren't built for leanness, even at a healthy weight. Some women are also built like Audrey Hepburn and don't fit the Jessica Biel ideal either. There is a natural variety in the world and people should strive for what is healthy for them.

[spookie]

I used to run 9 miles every single day. I ran long distance track for the longest time. You know what?

 

I was never ripped until I started sprinting. You need to do High Intensity Interval Exercises.

 

Tabata sprints literally melted the fat from me showing my 6 pack.

Sprint as hard as you can for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds. Repeat 7 more times.

 

Always maintain a calorie deficit and incorporate good fats and complex carbs in your diet. Complex carbs include whole wheat, good fats such as olive oil.

 

High weight low rep will get you lean. Work out using this method. Forget what all these trainers tell you, this is what works. I can attest through personal experience.

 

Drink lots of water to get rid of the subcutaneous layer of fat under your skin.

Take multi vitamins daily.

 

Do these things and I guarantee you'll get there.

 

Yah, I know all that. I will probably look into joining a gym for this winter so I can start weight-lifting. I don't think sprinting is ever gonna be my thing. I enjoy running for how peaceful it is.

 

But my point was, it's not as simple as "eat right and exercise and you will look like Jessica Alba".

 

You have to eat REALLY right and exercise HARD to get there.

 

I know my lifestyle is healthy but I'm still 10+ pounds of fat away from celebrity body fat content.

 

I imagine someone who starts working out when they are bigger than I was (I've never been fat) will plateau at an even higher BMI.

Edited August 11, 2010 by spookie

[USMCHokie]

However, even though I've though I've steadily been increasing my mileage, and I eat healthy - not 100% clean aka lean chicken and veggies, but steering clear of junk food and sweets - my body has not dropped a single pound in months. I'm 5'8 and weigh around 140 - a healthy weight for my height, but I'd say I've got about 10 pounds of fat to lose to be "ideal" - and it ain't easy.

 

Unfortunately, to get to that "next level," as jadedhearts explained, you need to get crazy with the diet...and let me tell you, it sucks... Just removing junk food and sweets isn't enough...you actually have to start manipulating your diet and eating plan to break past that plateau...

 

But otherwise, jadedhearts gave some decent info.

[that girl]

I'm 5'8 and weigh around 140 - a healthy weight for my height, but I'd say I've got about 10 pounds of fat to lose to be "ideal" - and it ain't easy.

If you want to strive for a six pack, rock on as long as you don't overexercise or restrict your calories to a dangerous level. But notice how Jaded Heart missed the point- that you are very active and still not Jessica Biel. That really isn't an achievable figure for everyone.

[USMCHokie]

Yah, I know all that. I will probably look into joining a gym for this winter so I can start weight-lifting. I don't think sprinting is ever gonna be my thing. I enjoy running for how peaceful it is.

 

Hmmm, so you just run...? I thought you already had a weight training regimen...in that case, weight training is also vital to breaking that plateau and dropping the weight and body fat...

[that girl]

Let people sit there and wait for these so called experts to combat their obesity for them. Now you're not calling this lazy behavior?

Are you really trying to take the moral high ground with "Call fat people lazy"?

[D-Lish]

Posh Spice and Meagan Fox are super-skinny!

Posh Spice has been accused of being anorexic her whole life, and Megan Fox didn't get re-hired for the sequel to Transformers because the producers felt the was too thin and frail looking! They both have big boobs- I think that gives the illusion of being "curvier".

 

I am almost 5'8"- and I currently weigh 125lbs (as of this morning on my scale). When I met my exH I was around 135lbs, and my ex mother-in-law, who was obsessed with weight, used to make comments about me being a little heavy. During our divorce, I went down to 105lbs (remember, I'm 5'8")- and when she saw me at that weight after not seeing me for a while, she told me I looked "better, not too big, not too small". I was gaunt, size 24 jeans were baggy on me, but I couldn't find anything smaller. I was shopping for tops in the children's section at Old Navy!

 

Like all women, I am body conscious. I still remember my MIL making comments about me looking "hefty" at 135lbs, and I can tell you that those comments have scarred me for life.

 

I was 155lbs at one point, and when I look in the mirror now, I still see that same girl... It was the same when I was 105lbs- I didn't see how thin I was.

 

It's sad really, when someone makes a comment to me now that I look "healthy" at 125lbs, I think they are implying that I am fat and I get myself in a tizzy. I can't separate the rational from the ridiculous when it comes to my weight.

[spookie]

Hmmm, so you just run...? I thought you already had a weight training regimen...in that case, weight training is also vital to breaking that plateau and dropping the weight and body fat...

 

Hey, I know HOW to break the plateau, I have just been choosing not to.

 

Having a six pack is not the only goal in my life!

 

The point I was trying to make was that just because someone does not have the body of a celebrity does not mean they are stuffing their face full of junk food all day and never exercising. Many people exercise every day and eat healthy foods and don't drop any weight. My plateau is at an aesthetic level I am comfortable with, but I am sure there are some people who plateau at a level y'all might call "fat".

 

Judging people for not getting "crazy" with their diet and working out for the sole purpose of looking like a celebrity if they are already exercising and eating right is BS.

[USMCHokie]

Judging people for not getting "crazy" with their diet and working out for the sole purpose of looking like a celebrity if they are already exercising and eating right is BS.

 

Woah...I'm sorry if you interpreted my post as judging you...I was simply giving advice to you on reaching that goal (as I would for anyone in the physical fitness forum)...I honestly thought you were looking for ways to get there...but I guess I was wrong...

 

And in the post you quoted from me, "Hmmm, you just run...?" was not meant as a backhanded statement...I thought you were doing more than running when I gave my original fitness advice...perhaps my wording and punctuation made it sound like a jab at you...

 

It's unfortunate that the recent influx of trolls and new members with sh*tty attitudes has caused everyone to get defensive over every post and assume everyone else is out to get them...yikes...

[that girl]

Fat people are lazy, otherwise they wouldn't be fat.

The entire Western World didn't suddenly decide the be lazy. Obesity is more complicated than that. Yes, in general the proximal cause is an imbalance between calories in and calories out, but the distal causes are why obesity has skyrocketed since the 80s.

 

Try reading this http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722412/ or at least the conclusion.

 

And the ab thing is totally different for guys and girls. Women need some fat to remain fertile. I hope spookie can get the body she wants, but your arrogant assumptions who people who don't have ideal bodies are ignorant.

[spookie]

LOL I didn't think y'all were judging ME!

 

I appreciate the advice, but the main reason I shared my story was to point out that not all people who aren't losing weight are not exercising / eating right.