Why Women Lose Weight—or Don’t

I tried the BMI indicator and it does not take into account that muscle mass weighs more than fat. According to the BMI indicator, I'm considered overweight based on this number. I work out 3 times a week for 2 hours a day lifting weights at the gym (got muscles), I have been playing hockey for 11 years, and in the winter I am an avid snowboarder. If one were to look at me, they would guess me to be fit, of "average" weight and 30 or more pounds less than what I actually weigh. I threw out my scale years ago and now go by what I look like in the mirror and how I feel about myself. That's important.

or many years my sister and i were on opposite sides of the scale. I was always about 20 lbs underweight and she was always overweight. It took my sister and i a long time to figure out what made us happy with OURSELVES. Since we hav figured it out she has lost an amazing amout of weight and i have gained quite abit. But i know that she and i are healthier than either of us have ever been before. life is about balance, and finding that balance within yourself.

Overweight people are not lazy. Try strapping on an extra 50 or 100 pounds for a day! If it was so easy to lose weight, no one would be overweight. Who would choose that? Show some compassion. And...by the way...what is wrong with having a positive body image when one is not a size zero? Being a bit overweight has been proven to be of some benefit.

???There is no shortcut to strength development, as there is none for the development of skill, agility or endurance in an athlete. No amount of fancy gimmicks or equipment or adoption of alleged time-saving ???fads' will substitute for a long term program of hard work, that is required to develop the quality of strength needed by an athlete for optimum performance in his specialty. Greater progress in track and field during the past 15 years has been the result of harder work by the athletes, not by resorting to shortcuts and less work.???

Appearance is a result of fitness

While what you are saying about Obese people is true in most cases, it is not the case for all. Some people with immune diseases (IE Lupus) are forced to take high doses of steroids to control their disease. These high doses of steroids will make ANY woman overweight. It is only when their disease finally goes into remission that the steroid dosage can be reduced and the person can begin to lose weight again. So, please be careful stating that EVERYONE can lose weight. For some, there are true medical conditions that inhibit this.

appearance is a consequence of fitness

???There is no shortcut to strength development, as there is none for the development of skill, agility or endurance in an athlete. No amount of fancy gimmicks or equipment or adoption of alleged time-saving ???fads' will substitute for a long term program of hard work, that is required to develop the quality of strength needed by an athlete for optimum performance in his specialty. Greater progress in track and field during the past 15 years has been the result of harder work by the athletes, not by resorting to shortcuts and less work.???

After watching a series on The Discovery Health Channel called The Brookhaven Obesity Clinic in Brooklyn, NY, a facility that treats the morbidly obese patient of 500 - 1000 pounds, I began my diet the very next day. I exercise every day, I have not had a dessert or snack for 3 weeks, and I had a woman I go to church with tell me how nice I am starting to look. I accepted her kind compliment very graciously, went home, and began my exercise routine, again. You cannot hope to ever lose weight if you don't ever exercise. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. But if you don't work, any program you choose will not work.

There is no sterilization technique for obesity just as there is no sterilization technique for the narrow-minded person with an uncaring heart.

DEPRIVING YOURSELF TO LIVE LONGER IN DEPREVATION SOUNDS LIKE A VICIOUS CIRCLE TO ME,LIVE LIFE,BE HAPPY,IF YOU DIE AT 65 INSTEAD OF 70 SO WHAT?

People...MEAT is what is making Americans FAT!! We consume a lot of it and a lot of people dont know it.

I find TimWalsh's comments somewhat irritating. I don't think it's that women who are overweight or obese are rejecting the idea of being fit and healthy. It's a matter of things spiraling out of control. This article states that the situation with overweight/obese women could be that the ideal weight is so far away that they think it's unobtainable. As someone who has struggled with weight, I know this to be true. It's more of a mental block and realizing that you as a person have worth and value. A year ago, I came to grips with my weight. I realized I was unhealthy. I decided to stop hurting myself. I joined Weight Watchers. I've lost 70 pounds this year. I have more to go ... but I have less to lose than I have already lost. My goal is within reach. I didn't do this to please men or doctors. I did it for myself. I did it because I mean something to me.

While I think it is important for people to keep a healthy perspective on body image, this acceptance of obesity is alarming. "Fat and fabulous" may promote a positive (if not warped) self image but can be extremely detrimental to an individuals health. And it???s trickling down to our children who will grow up to be overweight, unhealthy and inactive. I understand that it is difficult to maintain a healthy weight and even more difficult to lose weight, but the rewards of enjoying life as a healthy, happy, and active individual is well worth it! Unfortunately, I am not aware of any cutesy catch phase that praises this lifestyle.

Being overweight does not, ever, mean that one is lazy. How uneducated of vicious smitty to post such a horrible comment. Shame on you! Why don't you strap an extra 50 or 100 pounds on your body for a day? Talk about work! Overweight men and women feel enough pain (physically and mentally) without you adding to that pile.

Dear shayln, the purpose to loose weigth is not to just look better (of course that is a bonus) and worry about it, it is to be plain and simply healthy. God does not give us fat bodies ( which will be suffering many diseases due to stored fat), He gave us bodies, and we choose to be the way we are. We do not go to sleep one night as a size 6 perse, and we wake up the next morning as a size 16, God did not do that!!! Please, just remember is for our own HEALTH!!!

Listen people, it's a simple equation... eat less, move around more. I've heard people say that financially strapped people don't have access to a good diet. I say that's a lie. Even at fast food places you can get a salad. Even if you have to eat total nutritionally garbage food because of your financial status, you can MOVE AROUND more to compensate. I'm tired of people making excuses. If it is not a medical probem and I'm guessing 9 times out of 10 it's not, I have no sympathy. Stop making excuses and move your ***!

The whole BMI thing seems off to me. I am 5 foot 4 and weigh 130 pounds. I wear a size 8 or 10 depending on the brand yet my BMI is 29.2% which puts me in the overweight category. Am I really overweight? I don't think so. I think the numbers almost discourage us. When it seems futile there is no incentive to change.

It's not ONLY bad if a women is obese. It's UNHEALTHY for anyone to be that over weight. People tend to torget that being "in shape" doesnt mean the "shape" of your body, its the kind of shape that means "how is the old body ticking along?" We tend to forget that our health is what is important, not our looks. Being over weight and especially obese is NOT ok in any fashion. It's just glutten ridden people that cannot control their food intake. It's not about what you eat all the time, but how you eat it...and obese people fall victim to both of these. They dont eat right, and they eat too much. Who needs 4 cheese burgers? Or 2 refills on a "super sized" coke, and why are you drinking and eating that crap anyways? People need to start realizing that if they hate themselves for how they look, they have no one to blame but their own willpower, or lack there of.