I resolve to never get fat

[vladimir]

Too late for me, actually. I bulked up to 265 pounds (120 kg) for football and it takes consistent effort to maintain my weight now at a reasonably fit 220 (100). And that's pretty much the message of this article in the NY Times, THE FAT TRAP: once you're fat, you're doomed to a life of either staying fat or of counting calories and exercising much more than your slim cohorts to maintain a lower weight.

“These are people who are very motivated to lose weight, who achieve weight loss most of the time without too much trouble and yet, inevitably, gradually, they regain the weight.”

While researchers have known for decades that the body undergoes various metabolic and hormonal changes while it’s losing weight, the Australian team detected something new. A full year after significant weight loss, these men and women remained in what could be described as a biologically altered state. Their still-plump bodies were acting as if they were starving and were working overtime to regain the pounds they lost.

“What we see here is a coordinated defense mechanism with multiple components all directed toward making us put on weight,” Proietto says. “This, I think, explains the high failure rate in obesity treatment.”

For years, the advice to the overweight and obese has been that we simply need to eat less and exercise more. While there is truth to this guidance, it fails to take into account that the human body continues to fight against weight loss long after dieting has stopped. This translates into a sobering reality: once we become fat, most of us, despite our best efforts, will probably stay fat.

The data generated by these experiments suggest that once a person loses about 10 percent of body weight, he or she is metabolically different than a similar-size person who is naturally the same weight.

I found this particularly interesting:

Scientists are still learning why a weight-reduced body behaves so differently from a similar-size body that has not dieted. Muscle biopsies taken before, during and after weight loss show that once a person drops weight, their muscle fibers undergo a transformation, making them more like highly efficient “slow twitch” muscle fibers. A result is that after losing weight, your muscles burn 20 to 25 percent fewer calories during everyday activity and moderate aerobic exercise than those of a person who is naturally at the same weight. That means a dieter who thinks she is burning 200 calories during a brisk half-hour walk is probably using closer to 150 to 160 calories.

It seems to support my approach of hard interval training rather than moderate aerobic exercise.

And perhaps the most important message is to give yourself a break and stop viewing obesity as a character flaw:

While I do, ultimately, blame myself for allowing my weight to get out of control, it has been somewhat liberating to learn that there are factors other than my character at work when it comes to gaining and losing weight.

[TheDivingPreacher]

This is not meant to be unkind but I also was heavy to fat most of my life. I was always able to justify my overeating and bad eating habits. That is a wonderful human quality. We can justify nearly anything in our own lives.

Eating more than the body needs, or eating foods not conducive to a healthy body is a choice. We simply need to embrace that or change it.

I simply get tired of the excuses. I am the way I am because I have decided to be this way.
ymmv

[vladimir]

This is not meant to be unkind

Definitely not unkind to me--I have a 35" waist.

[ams511]

Well this would explain the well-known fact that most people put back on the weight they lost on plus another 5-10 lbs.

[faster7581]

Well this would explain the well-known fact that most people put back on the weight they lost on plus another 5-10 lbs.

or just the fact that dont continue to eat right and exercise...

[Jax]

National Geographic did an article called Why are we so fat?

It was a thorough look at "thyroid", "big boned", medicines, etc.

Bottom line, we are so fat because we eat more than we burn. We just make a lot of excuses. If your body becomes more efficient, eat less calories.

Nobody says it's easy, but get off all the 'easy' hype and just eat fewer, healthier calories.

[Blue Sparkle]

Bottom line, we are so fat because we eat more than we burn. We just make a lot of excuses. If your body becomes more efficient, eat less calories.

Nobody says it's easy, but get off all the 'easy' hype and just eat fewer, healthier calories.

Here's something I wondered about as I read this:

First of all, I'm sure there are a number of overweight people who are overeating due to boredom, emotional reasons, etc. And I see what you are saying about the fact that people may just be eating more than their body requires - they are just used to larger portions or want to eat more. But I wonder if one reason is that there is a mis-match between hunger and body efficiency for some percentage of people (no idea if this would be a high or low percentage).

What I mean is, what if your body becomes much more efficient at storing fat, and so you could stay thin by eating very little, BUT your body is still sending you "I'm hungry!" messages. I know for myself, when I'm hungry (no matter what my weight is), it is very hard to ignore the physical feelings.

I have background in dietary research; just thinking out loud.

[chile7236]

after having 3 surgeries within 10 months (2 knee, 1 shoulder), i spent a year not doing much of anything (unless you count drinking beer) and i went from my usual weight (195-200) to over 250...after finally realizing i was not gonna be pain free, i got off my butt and slowly started getting back at it in Aug 2010... year and a half later, i am back to 196 lbs. i didn't change much about my diet (except i ate less of what i like and ate it less often) and went back to my old running and lifting regimen. the knee still hurts pretty good but the docs say it ain't ever gonna go away...if you really want to get in shape, you will. even when you spend a weekend eating gallons of chocolate chip ice cream, mcdonalds and a case and a half of beer...if you can get back on the horse on monday and keep going, that's what counts. don't be fooled by all these fads about less carbs, no protein, no fun diets...if you eat this stuff in sensible amounts, you can still get back in shape...and lose some weight.

[beaverdivers]

Dive more, Eat less!

[vladimir]

I think some of you are not reading carefully (or at all). What the science suggests is that the bodies of people who have been significantly overweight will not only resist losing that weight, but strive to regain it, once lost. It's not an excuse--after all, nobody questions who got them fat--it's an explanation. So, to sum up, if you fatten yourself--and yes, that is all your fault--it will be a lot harder to maintain a healthy weight than if you had never gotten fat. The message is, don't ever get fat.

The other message is, when you see a fat person, don't assume they are lazy or undisciplined. They may be eating a low calorie diet, and they may be exercising twice as much as you, and still be fat. What you can assume is that at some time they overate, or didn't exercise enough, or probably some combination of the two, and they got fat. Shame on them.