Why Women Lose Weight—or Don’t

Ok honestly, I'm sixteen years old. I'm 5'1" and I weight 158lbs. I don't think that's normal, I feel fat, but it's doesn't bother me. What does bother me is listening to people say "oh Im fat I need to lose weight" when they are 100 lbs. Not all people who are above 200 pounds sit on their butt and eat french fries, and tons of boxes of debbie cakes every single day. Some people just eat what they want, and cant get it off like people with a fast motabolism. So I really dont see the point in trying to sterotype people that are over weight. Not every person does the same thing that everyone else does. Our society isn't accepting being fat because we like being fat. People are accepting it because if that's how people want to be, then let them be that way.

BMI is the stupidest way of telling if someone is healthy or not. I'm not going to let any number tell me if I am healthy. What if there is a girl she weighs 125 and is 5'2" her BMI would be about 23 she is a healthy weight. What if that same girl eats 6000 calories a day the throws everything up because she thinks she has to keep her weight low because in our society fat=bad and thin=good. That is what we are telling a whole generation of children here people. SO WAKE UP!! And I love you too MissWhezzie!!!

People were created to move, not to sit. Since the invention of computers, desk job, vehicles, tv's, etc, we sit much more. It used to take much more effort to wash clothes, do daily chores, we even used to spend much of our effort on finding or hunting food. That's what we are made for. I'm a personal trainer...it's the simple equation of calories in vs. calories out.

I think our perception now has changed so much that everyone is worried when people seem "skinny", however, our perception of someone now who may seem underweight is probably actually the ideal weight. There are the same if not more problems with those who are overweight, but we are so used to seeing everyone overweight we only freak out about the thin ones. --just thought I'd point that out

sixtieschick61- i agree with you, what a lot of people don't completely understand is that obesity is not always a physical problem, it is very much an emotional one. a lot of people eat as an escape to their problems...bad home life, bullies at school, anxiety etc. People put so much emphasis on being thin and beautiful, in turn making people obsessed with it, like my self, i suffer with emotional eating and bulimia. I still attend high school, i look at the overweight teens that i know, and all of them have had bad home lives or have been bullied at school. i attend a small high school but i don't think that it is a coincidence. It's like this everywhere, so my point is that maybe obesity can't always be fixed with a nutritionist and a gym. Maybe researchers and doctors need to focus more on the psychological side of it. and discover that maybe the issue is a lot deeper than people think it is.

Bull crap. Either you're too thin and have "mental problems" or you're too fat and have "thyroid problems". Switch size tags around all you like, ladies...there's no excuse for being fat, lazy and undisciplined. Face reality.

I just want to say GO MISSWHEZZIE!! BMI is the stupidest thing ever created because let's say a girl who is 5 foot 2 in and weighs 125 is told she is healthy because her BMI is 23. Little does everyone know but she is eating 6000 calories a day and throwing up everything...but all that matters is your height and weight right??

I have been reading the posts and I have to say, seems like the ones that are not overweight, have ???solutions??? as to what overweight people should and should not do. One comment that really hit home for me was the comment from HeinrichHimmler and I quote, ???Sterilize all fat people so that their seed is eliminated from the earth. I want a society of thin, beautiful people!??? I can???t have kids, and that has nothing to do with my weight.. You know it is people like u that makes it hard for overweight people, with your stares, giggling, and making noises when we walk by, your are suppose to be grown, but it???s more like u are immature. I am myself is an obese African American woman, 5???3 tipping the scales at 308. One look at me and u would think, all she does is sit on her *** in front of the TV and eat all day. But with someone saying that, they don???t know anything about me and about all the medical problems that I have and that there statement is partly true, I do sit on my ass, but that is because I am in a wheelchair. Anyone on here that takes a high dose of prednisone knows what I am talking about when I say that prednisone helps but the weight on, especially if u have been taking it for years like I have. I do want to lose weight and I have working toward that, but I???m not doing it for the morons that think I should, to fit their standard of beauty; I???m doing it for me. Even thought I am obese, I Love me, ALL 308 pounds of me.

I have been reading the posts and I have to say, seems like the ones that are not overweight, have ???solutions??? as to what overweight people should and should not do. One comment that really hit home for me was the comment from HeinrichHimmler and I quote, ???Sterilize all fat people so that their seed is eliminated from the earth. I want a society of thin, beautiful people!??? I can???t have kids, and that has nothing to do with my weight.. You know it is people like u that makes it hard for overweight people, with your stares, giggling, and making noises when we walk by, your are suppose to be grown, but it???s more like u are immature. I am myself is an obese African American woman, 5???3 tipping the scales at 308. One look at me and u would think, all she does is sit on her *** in front of the TV and eat all day. But with someone saying that, they don???t know anything about me and about all the medical problems that I have and that there statement is partly true, I do sit on my ass, but that is because I am in a wheelchair. Anyone on here that takes a high dose of prednisone knows what I am talking about when I say that prednisone helps but the weight on, especially if u have been taking it for years like I have. I do want to lose weight and I have working toward that, but I???m not doing it for the all the "self proclaimed doctors" that have posted, that think I should, to fit their "standard of beauty"; I???m doing it for me. Even thought I am obese, I Love me, ALL 308 pounds of me.!!!

To: Sixtieschick61- First let me say that I'm sorry I offended you. I did not set out today to hurt anyones feelings. I have lots to comment on so please listen with an open mind. You took fragments of what I said, but neglected to see the whole picture.

First of all, I said that just because you're fat doesn't make you a horrible, terrible, heartless person. I don't descriminate against large people. Like I said, my entire family is huge, my very best friend is morbidly obese, and I myself have struggled with my weight since I can remember. I'm sorry that you took everything so personally.

What I wrote was directed to the general population of people. It really is true that people look for excuses. People need someone or something else to blame their problems on. It's not just the fat people, it's everyone. People "in general" don't take responsibility for their actions and the consequences that follow. Everyone has an excuse for everything. Instead of just saying "It's my fault, but I have the power and the knowledge to fix it now", it's easier to say "well it's in my genes I'm doomed to be fat or I'm doomed to be an alcoholic".

My problem is not with each fat person individually, it's with everyone making excuses for everything. I don't think I know it all, but I do know what an excuse is and I know that we as individuals have a ton of control over so many things in our lives that people just forget about because they're too busy being the victim.

Again, I appoligize for so greatly offending you, and I really did not mean to hurt you or anyone elses feelings.

When I weighed what the BMI said I should weigh I was sick all the time. I weigh 20 pounds over and I never get sick. I work out 4 times a week, weights and cardio, have good blood pressure, good cholesterol and no heart disease. My bi-polar meds make me gain weight but if I work hard and eat right I can maintain but never lose. If I got off the meds I could lose but I'd rather stay out of the mental ward. Which would you choose?

Men do the denial thing too, thinking they only need to lose ten pounds when it's more like 40.

Men do yhe denial thing too, thinking they only need to lose 10 pounds when they are 40 or more pounds overweight.

To the person who is saying most fat people are lazy. I worked for the Post Office for over 24 years. I had a 6 mile walking route which I did 5 and sometimes 6 days a week. I am overweight according to the doctor's charts. I can dead lift up to 75 pounds, and I have 7 major problems on the L-3, 4, and 5 in my back. What you wrote makes me feel you are judging books by their covers. So not all FAT as you wrote people are lazy or are sitting on their butts eating ho ho's.