Why Women Lose Weight—or Don’t

i think that many over weight woman said they did not want to lose a significant amount of weight [in the range of not being obese}, beacause they are happy just being themselves. I have no clue why you would find it so shocking that some woman are happy not being a size 0. Mabye you have information from REAL PEOPLE, and that is why you are so shocked.

Why is it anyone's business what another person looks like? Do you pay their bills? It sounds like most of you that are so critical have some issues that are more serious than what someone else should look like. Others have tried to make a "superior " race. (Hitler). It could be that you are just plain ugly INSIDE, and that's MUCH worse. Besides- no matter how beautiful you are, you will get old and die too.

All this argument about weight really just comes down to what level of risk you are comfortable living with. The simple facts are, if you are overweight you have are at a higher level of risk for CHD, diabetes, hypertension, renal disease, and a slew of other chronic conditions. Obesity is really the only valid cause of Type II diabetes and the BEST way to get rid of it is to lose 10% of your body weight. As a medical professional it hurts to see obese people who are on 10 different kinds of medications and eventually progress into renal disease, need dialysis, lose appendages and become a health care burden to their friends, family, and health care providers all because they didn???t/couldn???t lose some weight. If you are ok with that kind of risk then neither I nor anyone else in this discussion will be able to convince you to lose weight.

Miracle diets and BMI numbers are thrown around by so many people but it really just comes down to simple biochemistry and physiology. Your body has a basal metabolic rate and once you add your activity level to that you get a pretty specific calorie number. If you eat more than that number you gain weight, if you eat less you lose it???simple. There are tons of different body-weight equations that DO take into consideration body frame and muscle mass; they just require a little digging.

There are so many angry people in this debate and so many people who are saying ???you don???t know my situation,??? and to them I say I do know science and I do know that no one can force you to make a long term change. That kind of change has to be self-derived and it can only be realized if you take an honest look at your lifestyle.

It wasn't a very bright observation. It was a false sterotype that you are touting because you have a beef with fat people.

I see a couple of things here I want to comment on. The first thing I see is that people say that most overweight people keel over before 60. I'm taking the person who posted this hasn't worked around many older people. I hear some of the older set get this non sense from thier doctors that say oh well (if your 60) they say I don't see many people your weight at 70. Its crap, just think of all the 'normal' weight people that develop type two diabetes, all of the runners who drop dead of heart attacks. Fact there there is no hard connection between being overweight and an increase of disases, its based mostly on corrilations, which is like saying that everyone who has every drank water will die, therefore water kills.

Next is the crap of good food, bad food. Overweight people more so than anyone else torture themselves over I can eat this food its good and I can't eat that food it's bad. Plus calorie and calrioe out has been busted for such a long time. If you exercise for one hour, on average thats about a calroie burn of 200-400 calories but yet for a male they recommend 2000 calroies, or for women 1200-1600. Something doesn't really add up there. Nothing ever worked for me before I discovered hill sprints and fasting. There's something about a 3 day fast and intense exercise that worked more so than anything else.

Then there's the assumption of the ignorat that all overweight people eat junk food all day long. Actually this is mostly further than the truth and is fuled by ignorance more so than anything else. I've worked with weight loss clients over the years and I find in many instances the amount they eat isn't that far off from what a normal person needs. I find first they need to just clear out extra gluecose through a fast and relaize that fat burning has more to do with the amount of oxygen you expend versus what they are taught to waste hours on end on treadmills.

But going back to good food and bad food. Heck I maintain my weight at 6' 180 and I eat at Burger King once a week and I still have sweets. I also do my hill sprints in the morning too but I just go crazy when I hear good food vs bad food. Sometimes I think people have to learn scale though, like say for instance if its 9pm and you want something sweet, a bowl of cerial is better than a candy bar given that they are the same amount of calories.

Last I would like to leave those in the 18-30 group, no matter how you maintain things no, just wait until your body starts to slow down and you gain weight. Then wait for all those people to criticize you for being lazy. There are those out there, heck even was I was 18 I didn't have to do much to be 160, but as you age you have to do a bit more work. Sometimes I wish though that people would gain some knowledge before they spout out crap.

Holly Bug, I have volunteered in a nursing home for 2 years. I was just stating my observations. I am part of the public health system and it sickens me to see obesity at the rate it is today. I accept your statement that a lot of obese people could make it to nursing home age but that would also be bound with genetics and geographic location. I have a qoute for you: Robert Frost once said that education is the ability to listen to almost anything without loosing your temper.

I am really bothered by all this big talk about BMI and how it is used to determine who is overweight and who is obese. BMI has never worked for me and I know I am not the only one. I have a waist 32 and a 51 inch chest. So this would Indecate that I work out often. I weigh 195 and I am 5'9. BMI claims that with those stats I am over weight actually borderline obese (29 BMI). How can someone with a size 32 waist be considered overweight or borderline obese? I don't know how this type of information can be a positive influence on anyone, let alone used to determine the level of obesity and overweight in America. I don't doubt that there is a problem with excessive comsuption of food and the lack of nutritional knowledge in our country, but to use the BMI as a tool to determine the reality of the weight problem in our country is not reality, and to some people could be really harmful. As a dietitian student, I don't agree that the current BMI works , thus, using this system to indicate the actual amount of the people out there with overweight problems is invalid. Furthermore it sure does not feel good to be told that I'm overweight because I happened to have muscles in my body. I know that there is a disclaimer, but how do the people that are taking those poles know to whom they apply? There has to be a better system out there.

Couple of points:
There are medical conditions that do make weight loss (or keeping it off) very difficult. However, in tis country, far too many people use "health problems" or "genetics" as an excuse for why they are overweight. The truth for most is that no one made them overweight but them - their lifestyle, their lack of exercise, their poor food choices. I realize it's hard to make time to get moving, and that there is a LOT of misinformation out there. The food industry (not just fast food, but what's on the grocery store shelves, as well) definitely shares blame for the status quo.

The truth is, even when most people think they're eating "healthy," they're not. The products being touted as so often have large amounts of sugar (High fructose corn syrup, anyone? It's in EVERYTHING.) But, with that said, it is very disturbing that there is a push to convince people that being overweight or obese is OK. IT IS NOT.

Self-esteem and being healthy are two separate issues. Is every woman going to be a size 2 or every guy look like an Olympic swimmer with a total 8-pack? No. Does that mean it's OK to give up and stop striving to be the best YOU that you can be. Absolutely not.

I get it that it's hard to make time in busy lives for working out, and it's much easier and more cost-effective (not to mention tastefully satisfying) to eat foods that are quick and easy. I'm a college student, working to put myself through school, and I ALWAYS find time for the gym. People look at me and say, "But you're skinny. You were born to be that way. I don't have those genes." To me, that is an insult to all of the blood (yes, blood), sweat, and tears that I have left behind on the gym floor to be in the kind of shape I'm in. I've EARNED this body.

But too many people would rather try to shift the social mentality by preaching acceptance than to do the hard work and maintain the discipline it takes to get where you want to be. Being in shape isn't easy. If it was, we'd all look like Brangelina. But the hard work is worth it.

For anyone interested in an eating lifestyle that actually works with what your body is biologically programmed to do, rather than try to bend it to your will through some new fad diet or some new magic pill, I recommend "Eating for Life," by Bill Phillips. Nothing to personally gain here; he's just a hero of mine.

Check out my website @: www.xtremeworkoutgear.com

There's one problem with this whole piece: The automatic assumption that if a woman is fat, it MUST be because she does not eat "right" or exercise. I'm sure that's true of some fat women. But it's also true of plenty of thin women. It would also be nice if at least one reporter could grasp that BMI is simply a measurment of mass, not of health. It is never--NEVER--OK to comment on a stranger's body, no matter how big or how small that body is. And that is because you cannot tell a person's health, let alone his or her morality, from size alone.

I have been reading these postings and the first thing that comes to mind as I scroll through them is the sad fact that a persons weight is NOT the biggest cause for concern here. The true cause for concern here if you really stop and listen to people, their comments, and what they are saying.. there is very clear forms of hatrid, cruelty, saddness, hopelesness, fear, anger, and untold quiet. It is amazing to me that here we are drawing battle lines in the sand. Thin versus Heavy. Some being cruel verbally with short narrow minds, some with an extreme amount of knowledge to share, and some who are living day to day with something that is not an "easy fix" that they can "just do it" and take off the pounds. I understand being unhealthy is an issue, and I am not saying that it is not. However, when did it become acceptable to say to each other some of the cruel things that are in these postings? Everyone here has issues in their own life they face every day. Weight may or may not be one of them. Here it is Christmas time and does it feel warm and loving when you meet strangers on the sidewalks? Do people smile at you and say hello when we pass by each other (heavy or thin)? Stress is everywhere...for the heavy person there are restaurants you can't eat in because all the restaurant cares about is how many people they can stuff in little boothes to make money. Clothing is most always a nightmare unless you really enjoy hawaiian flowers painted across your whole body, and finally the people. Head to toe looks that people just like the ones in here give in disgust. What right do you have to judge? For extremely thin people there is more discrimination as well, just in reverse. People think they must be throwing up everything they eat to look like that. WHAT right does anyone have to judge? Love is a very powerful thing..so is lack of it. When people want to take the time again to care about one another, then attitudes and in turn self images will improve. For everyone out there reading this...STOP....THINK!!! Think about how you effect others as well as how they effect you. Think about your issues before you are so quick to judge others issues. Love more, laugh more, be kind to one another!! Ignore the crap that dictates what we "should" be, and let's work on ourselves to be the best person we can be....starting with our hearts. Merry Christmas to all I hope each and every one of you have a safe and happy holiday!

I likes fat chicks

I likes fat chicks

To Mr. Rugbyfit, who the hell are you to say Big is not Beautiful? You are one person with one little opinion. As far as fat people draining the health care system, I don't believe there is a certain size that's draining the health care system. Alcoholism and gambling is also a disease, and they come in all sizes, so maybe instead of doing away with the "fat people" stores, we should quit selling alcohol and LOTTERY TICKETS! As your standing in the checkout line next time, instead of being noisy and seeing what the other customers are buying, you should be practicing your own literary skills. So get off your ass and start studying.....

Yla123We - LOL! You have OBVIOUSLY never stepped foot inside a nursing home! My mother is an RN, my husband is a CNA and I practically grew up in a nursing home visiting my grandmother. In fact, skinny old people in nursing homes are rare. So, before you try to sound smart, maybe you should re-count your brain cells and decide it's best to stay quiet!

Ok so this makes me mad, i'm underweight and have tried to gain weight my whole life and being told im unhealthy is wrong even my doctor says im fine that every person is unique some a bigger and some are small and you can not put a bmi or healthy weight lable on anyone.

Yla123We - LOL! You have OBVIOUSLY never stepped foot inside a nursing home! My mother is an RN, my husband is a CNA and I practically grew up in a nursing home visiting my grandmother. In fact, skinny old people in nursing homes are rare. So, before you try to sound smart, maybe you should re-count your brain cells andddecide it's best to stay quiet!

It comes down to the law of natural selection. Let people become obese, they'll be dead before age 60. You don't see many obese people in nursing homes because they're dead way before that age.