# 1/3 of overweight people can never lose weight by dieting. T/F? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 24, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-3-of-overweight-people-can-never-lose-weight-by-dieting-t-f/544391 "2010-06-24T18:16:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Gruntled](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/34f0e0/32.png) [@Gruntled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gruntled)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-3-of-overweight-people-can-never-lose-weight-by-dieting-t-f/544391/201 "2010-06-30T17:16:30Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > I… I have extremely big legs… being me is a 24/7 “weight bearing exercise” …It would be ridiculous for me to pick up 16 pounds of dumbbells to do walking lunges…it would be ridiculous for me to do walking lunges… I have very loosy-goosy, badly aligned ankle, knee and hip joints…my loosy-goosey tendons are a real problem Sounds like just another litany of excuses for why you don’t exercise. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-3-of-overweight-people-can-never-lose-weight-by-dieting-t-f/544391/202 "2010-06-30T17:56:13Z")
> [@Gruntled](#): > > Sounds like just another litany of excuses for why you don’t exercise. Yup. I caaaaaaaan’t. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-3-of-overweight-people-can-never-lose-weight-by-dieting-t-f/544391/203 "2010-06-30T18:00:31Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Yup. I caaaaaaaan’t. No, he’s saying that for someone of his weight, getting out of bed is exercise. Granted that if he’s not currently losing weight he could exercise a bit harder and try to change what he eats or how much, but it’s ridiculous to tell someone who weighs over three hundred pounds to take up jogging. I gained thirty pounds after a knee injury made it impossible for me to walk every day, and I’m only now finally able to start walking again on a regular basis. My knee just wouldn’t heal until I dieted enough to lose at least a couple of pounds and _ **very** _ slowly started a walking regimen to rebuild lost strength. Boot camp doesn’t work for everyone. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-3-of-overweight-people-can-never-lose-weight-by-dieting-t-f/544391/204 "2010-06-30T18:07:37Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > But on exactly the same frame I am carrying 250 pounds, which means I’m lifting a leg that has something like 20 extra pounds of flesh on it. (In my own case probably more because I have extremely big legs, most of my fat is below my waist in my ass and legs) It is disproportionately heavy, because _I_ am disproportionately heavy - just because it’s actually part of my body doesn’t mean that my muscles and bones are somehow magically immune to the effect of it, quite the [opposite](http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(04)00153-4/abstract), since high BMI (body mass indix…fat) means low risk of osteoporosis. Why? Because being me is a 24/7 “weight bearing exercise” that increases the density of my bones. “When I was young, Billy, we had places called ‘gymnasiums’ where we went to exercise. It isn’t like today, where everyone carries their own weights around with them!” “Gosh, Grampa! But how come you still walk around on your regular old legs?” “I’m old-fashioned that way, Billy… and after the decennial market crash last year, I don’t have enough Reagan Bucks to repair my HoverLounger!” ---
**Author:** ![Gruntled](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/34f0e0/32.png) [@Gruntled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gruntled)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-3-of-overweight-people-can-never-lose-weight-by-dieting-t-f/544391/205 "2010-06-30T18:20:35Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > it’s ridiculous to tell someone who weighs over three hundred pounds to take up jogging. No one’s telling her that. Just observing that she’s spending HOURS penning huge posts full of excuses, instead of just getting up and going for a walk. Just think of the amount of exercise she could have accomplished in all those hours sitting on her butt typing excuses on the internet. Yes, obese people have more weight to move around during exercise. Well, duh. But they have also developed strong muscles to carry all that fat around. Whining that just waddling around being fat counts as “lifting weights” is ludicrous. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-3-of-overweight-people-can-never-lose-weight-by-dieting-t-f/544391/206 "2010-06-30T18:38:09Z")
> [@Gruntled](#): > > Sounds like just another litany of excuses for why you don’t exercise. As I said, I’m not supposed to be here. But I gotta say this: stop _ **PRETENDING** _ I said something I did not, or PRETENDING I didn’t say something I did, JUST so you can rag me. I didn’t say anything LIKE “I can’t exercise”, that’s _ **pretending.** _ What I was referring to, as you know perfectly well, was a particular KIND Of exercise: _walking lunges_. That’s a dicey exercise for _anyone_ because it stresses the knees tremendously. There are different, better exercises to work the glutes. I specifically and clearly talked about what exercises I can and should do (and do do, though not the way I have in the past and wish to now…I feel better when I exercise) as alternatives, that are much better overall, starting with walking, and strength training done in more isolated, stabilized ways. You know, the difference between free weights and machines. If you have to materially and meaningfully _ **misstate** _ what I said in writing to find a way to rag me, you reveal your own bias and why you’re here, and it doesn’t speak well of you. Now I promised my sis. Remember: **no pretending!** ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-3-of-overweight-people-can-never-lose-weight-by-dieting-t-f/544391/207 "2010-06-30T18:40:08Z")
> [@Gruntled](#): > > . Whining that just waddling around being fat counts as “lifting weights” is ludicrous. And I didn’t. You are being dishonest just so you can be judgmental. I guess if you have to be dishonest to pull it off, there isn’t much to what you’re saying. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-3-of-overweight-people-can-never-lose-weight-by-dieting-t-f/544391/208 "2010-06-30T18:41:24Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > No, he’s saying that for someone of his weight, getting out of bed is exercise. Granted that if he’s not currently losing weight he could exercise a bit harder and try to change what he eats or how much, but it’s ridiculous to tell someone who weighs over three hundred pounds to take up jogging. > > I gained thirty pounds after a knee injury made it impossible for me to walk every day, and I’m only now finally able to start walking again on a regular basis. My knee just wouldn’t heal until I dieted enough to lose at least a couple of pounds and _ **very** _ slowly started a walking regimen to rebuild lost strength. Boot camp doesn’t work for everyone. **Stoid** is a she. No one is saying she should do a full on suicide regimen. Duh. Excluded middle much? But the whole, “my extra weight is equivalent to carrying around a dumbell!” has to be one of the stupidest things I’ve read yet. (Hover Lounge? Is that like the Hoveround? I love those commercials, with all the old people going in sync with their little chairs, and the jingle: I can go go go with my Hoveround, go go go all over town!) ---
**Author:** ![Gruntled](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/34f0e0/32.png) [@Gruntled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gruntled)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-3-of-overweight-people-can-never-lose-weight-by-dieting-t-f/544391/209 "2010-06-30T18:55:37Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > a particular KIND Of exercise: _walking lunges_. That’s a dicey exercise for _anyone_ because it stresses the knees tremendously. Whatever. Now you’re fixating one particular exercise (WFT is a “walking lunge” anyway?) that you claim you can’t do, spending huge amounts of time talking about it. :rolleyes: Drop all the prattle about “walking lunges” and “being fat is just like lifting weights” and listing foods you don’t like, etc etc. Just get off your butt and go for a long walk already! Every day. Oh, and eat less. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-3-of-overweight-people-can-never-lose-weight-by-dieting-t-f/544391/210 "2010-06-30T19:33:05Z")
I think this thread is well out of GQ territory. However, given the personal bickering that is going on, and the fact that we have had plenty of such threads in the past, I don’t think moving it directly to GD is the best option either. Those who wish to debate various aspects of weight-loss regimes may start a new thread in GD, and link to this one. I think it’s better to start the discussion afresh rather than continue the sniping that’s going on here. Colibri General Questions Moderator [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-3-of-overweight-people-can-never-lose-weight-by-dieting-t-f/544391.md?page=10)