Why Women Lose Weight—or Don’t

The mistake I made was that I was surviving on Liquids without taking the vitamins that I needed to lose 140 pounds. I retaught myself to eat. I have gained back 20 since 1995.

US has the largest percantage of obese people in the world. Something to be ashamed of.

February 1st, 1994 I weighed 300 pounds. That night I decided that I would stop eating when I woke up the next day, in which I didn't. By July of that same year I lost 80 pounds when I started eating one meal a day. By February of 1995 I lost another 80. I danced and exercised through that whole year to avoid loose skin. Did I achieve this alone? For the most part yes. In 1993 at the age of 44 i reentered high school at the Adult Learning Center in Canada. My self esteem so low that I felt like dirt under everyone's feet. I had come to believe that I was too fat and stupid to pass from the 9th to the 10th. There I met a teacher that helped me through my dilemma without really knowing it. He taught me to believe in myself by giving me encourgement when I became discouraged. He praised my achievements. My self esteem started growing. I found that I was actually starting to like myself. He looked pass my fat and saw a person. I graduated from high school with an honor for self improvement. From there I continued onto college. That teacher's name was Roco Stella. He is, and will continue to be The Wind Beneath My Wings.

To sunshine71: I hear your cry of frustration! I have been the fat girl and unfortunately, later developed an eating disorder. However, I have been quite healthy for the past few years. This does not mean I don't struggle with my weight. In fact, I eat better and exercise more than EVERYONE I know. That's huge! But I still wouldn't consider myself at my ideal weight or of having my ideal body. The few things, though, that have helped me in the past are very clearly outlined in Dr. Oz's book "You on a Diet." I highly, highly recommend it. He doesn't incorporate any chemical substitutes, which is a big healthy plus. He focuses on eating pure,
healthy, unprocessed foods and exercise. It's a life style proposition. I do believe you are absolutely eating healthy already. Sometimes, all it takes to begin seeing results is one small change. This, however, is made
so much harder when you're doing so well and are already calculating so much. He does not advocate for low-carbs but rather very low sugar (you can eat natural sugars found in fruit, though.) So, a large slice of
multigrain bread is advocated. I also don't recommend counting calories. It's very consuming and I find that it aids in developing a craziness that makes one depressed and more susceptible to binging. Most of all,
however, the best advice I can offer is to take things very slow. If you can build your endurance for exercise, that is truly a goal that can help in so many ways--not only for weight loss, but for a better outlook on the health you do have.

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I am one of those fat women age 53. I have had high blood pressure since my first pregnancy. Thankfully it is very much under control. I have diabetes which I wish I could say was as good, but, it is not. I cannot say enough bad things about diaabetes. It affects every aspect of my life and my fingertips where I poke them to geet a drop of blood, hurt and look like I have a jungle of splinters on them. I check my blood sugar levels 6 times a day every day and 4 injections of insulin intto my fat belly. I have heart disease not because of my cholesterol which is only 137, but because of the diabetes.. Don't go thinking being fat is no big deal. It couldn't be further from the truth. For Christmas this year I am giving myself the gift of health - lap band surgery. I am hoping to drop about half my body weight. I want to watch my grandchildren grow up. I want to dance at their weddings and I want to have my own feet, not prosthetics due to amputation, to boogie on.

I was a fat kid, fat teen etc... I am fighting genetics not a psychological condition. My ancestors were fat and some of my children are as well. Don't get the notion that fat people all need to be in a mental facility. We're just like the rest of the population. Our meals are very healthy and high in fiber. We don't eat sweets and dessert is usually fruit. We probably eat 1600 to 1900 calories daily and do not lead a sedentary lifestyle. Yet we are tall and fat. Please don't assume that all fat people are mental cases. Many of us are battling fat genes and we are doing the best we can under our doctor's care.

In an effort to be helpful, I want to ask everyone struggling with their weight if they have considered food intoleracnes/allergies. I realized about 5 months ago that I have a wheat intolerance, and ever since I stopped eating wheat, i have lost 12 pounds. I was always exercising and trying to eat a healthy vegetarian diet, but when I stopped eating wheat that weight just came right off. I also have much more frequent bowel movements (sorry to the puritans! but look, eliminating toxins is VERY important to your overall health), and I think that is representative of a good, functioning digestive system which helps my body regulate body fat. Anyway, as my doctor did not tell me I have an intolerance (he's a great doctor, but is limited on the subject of food intolerances) and a blood test cannot "prove" it, it does not seem like a scientific conclusion. Yet normally my family and friends would make fun of me if they thought I was being a hypochondriac when I say "I can't eat pizza with you guys because I can't eat wheat", but they don't because they can see how much better I look and feel. They trust my decision and support me for this reason. Eating wheat used to make me tired and bloated, give me headaches, and make me crave more and more of it- so i would binge. So in the end, I hope some of those people who struggle with their weight can put in the effort to figure out what works for them. And just so you know, I am not advocating and Atkins-like diet! I still eat a balanced diet, with plenty of carbohydrates from rice, millet, fruit, oats, vegetables (love the green stuff) and chocolate :) But find out what you need- and eat clean! Maybe we hould think about all of this in terms of giving our bodies a break- I don't think they like to process crap seven days a week.

To those struggling with emotional eating and those who want to lose weight:

Losing weight is difficult. It takes time and commitment. I spent my whole childhood overweight, in a family addicted to food, and I learned to use it for emotional comfort. Now, as an adult, I can make my own decisions and break away from the cycle of emotional eating and self-loathing. I've had to change my concept of food and what it can and cannot give me. This is actually the hardest thing because it's easy to fall back into the old patterns of behavior, so it really takes an outlook that this is a LONG term commitment (for the rest of my life), not a quick fix. Ultimately, feeling healthy and in control of my life is beautiful, and it gives me hope to keep going, even on the most difficult days when I want to eat instead of deal with my problems. Just try to stop for even a couple of seconds and contemplate if that cookie is really going to make people love and respect you more, make the kids listen to you, or make your pile of paperwork go away. It may help you relax and feel better temporarily, but so might calling a friend, going for a stroll around the block, or reading a good book, etc. Find strategies to deal with feelings instead using food to drown them. It's helpful to make a list of alternative activities. Also, get the junk food OUT of the house. If it's not there, you won't eat it. Start small and keep going, no matter what. Realize that you don???t have to be perfect everyday, as long as you make a long-term commitment to do better overall. There???s going to be ups and downs, but you???ll get through it-- if you don???t stop. And don't let other people's hatred cause you to feel worse about yourself. Just do it for yourself.

I'm glad to see this article makes me feel better

I feel great being over weight and I'm glad to see this on here

I was overweight myself for many years and I am only 20 years old. Yes, it would be wonderful if society could accept us the way that we are: too skiny or too fat. But the truth remains, it is not realistic. People all around us have different views of what we should all look like and the image of beauty that is protrayed is not one of overweight women or men. I never blame anyone for how much weight they gain. Obesity is a disease just like depression or anything else. Some people when they get upset or angry they cut themselves, others eat. There are some people who can't help the weight gain due to predisposed medical problems. However, there are those who do bring it upon themselves. I had gastric bypass after 5 years of trying everything. It was very hard to go through and anyone who thinks that the surgeries are cake walks should think twice. Being overweight is not fun and anyone who thinks that it is okay, I know that when you walk into a store you wish you could be that size eight or even that size 2 or 3.

i could agree myself i love the way that my body is im not very over weight but i do lovethe body got gave me health wise i would of loved to be better but even with my problems i can't compain at all.. i wish everyone would love themselves the way i do... may god bless all women...