Being overwieght...

Factual Questions
1

As a kid, I always chubby and overweight. Around the time I was in 7th grade I was ‘obese’. At that point I decided to stop because no on liked me and I thought that was the reason. Anyway, I lost most the weight, and freshman I was not ‘skinny’, but I didn’t look too bad. Last year, I had a lot of emotional problems stemming from the fact I still didn’t have many friends. This caused me to eat, because that’s like the only way I get away from things. (Note: This was around the time i started reading post from this forum, conincidence?) Anyway, I started putting on more weight, but over the summer I put it off again. Around this October, I kinda went off again, and I’ve put on a good deal of weight again.

I know this isn’t good, but I feel like I don’t have the willpower to stop? I don’t want to go to Jenny Craig, do some weird diet, or become a health nut, but is there a way to bring my weight down and keep it down without giving up my style of eating?

2

“Probably not” is the answer. You don’t have to be a health nut, just informed.

Please read this link as it has helped many people understand what is going on! Be informed! In the spirit of the SDMB.

Diet is 90% of the fight, so exercise won’t compensate for a terrible eating habit. Diet refers to how you eat, not just a program to lose and stop.
read http://www.howstuffworks.com/diet.htm

3

>Diet is 90% of the fight, so exercise won’t compensate for a terrible eating habit.<

I’ve been working out my entire life, and I find that no diet, no matter how perfect, will help unless the person exercises enough. The calories burned must exceed the calories eaten, or no dice. Drink at least 1.5 liters of pure water each day.

4

That’s funny, Mothchunks. I’ve gone from 225 to 205 simply because I’ve gone from eating three meals a day to one. College food will do that to you.

5

There’s no reliable way to get weight off and keep it off without changing your lifestyle. Ideally, you need to learn to deal with whatever emotional issues are making you eat. Once you learn healthier ways of dealing with that, your eating habits will probably change some.

Alternatively, you need to alter your responses to emotional eating. If you eat because of boredom or loneliness or whatever, at least eat healthy stuff. Eating carrot sticks or popcorn because you’re upset isn’t great, but it’s better than eating ice cream and candy bars and such because you’re upset.

6

I’ve lost over 60 pounds over the last six months. 90% of the weight loss has been through simply finder healthier alternatives (I’m using WW) to what I had been eating in the past. It is true that I did do some light exercise while the weather was warmer (mostly brisk walks once a week), I do feel that most of the weight loss has been because of the change in diet.

Zev Steinhardt

7

Moth, if you exercise a good bit everyday to the tune of say 500 calories, and you maintain a horrible diet of eating 5000-5500 calories a day, and you are an average male who is a bit overweight to start, you might be burning 3000-3500 cals per day…maybe 4000 with some vigorous exercise. But eating an extra 1000 cals over alll that means you are gaining weight.

To exercise the difference, hit the gym for an extra 2-3 hours PER DAY, or drop the extra sandwich from Burger King.

So, diet is 90% of the fight, because one bad meal can be worth 2000 cals, while it would take about 3-4 hours to burn that excess off - and that ain’t very likely.

To lose wieght when you are eating 5000 cals a day, you need to drop that to 2000 per day and exercise for another 300 per day. Right there, diet shaved 3000 of the 3300 cut out. Looks like 90% to me.

8

Or look at it this way:

Suzie: I’ll have the cheesecake and work it off tomorrow.

Cheesecake is say 750 cals (for a regular portion! And we know the portion is more like 1000 cals!). Well, Suzie better get her ass in the gym for a good 90 mins MORE than whatever she had scheduled anyway. So, is Suzy gonna get aerobic for 2-3 hours the next day? Not very likely. And if she did, she’d break even and not lose weight anyway.

Exercise doesn’t even come close to combatting a horrible diet.

9

Philster, that’s fine if you’re eating 5000 calories per day. But I gained a huge amount of weight by eating 3000 calories per day and never exercising. I don’t enjoy a lot of the unhealthy foods that pose other people problems - I wasn’t eating chocolate, potato chips, pastries, etc. Too many hamburgers, but that was easy to cut out. But for quite some time I simply was not getting the exercise I used to.

Which you need more of depends entirely on where you’re starting from. In my case I’ve started to lose weight mostly due to vigorous exercise. Of course, exercise has other direct benefits as well, so really, you should always do both: exercise more AND eat healthier.

Sinful, it’s hard to say exactly what you should do. I turned things around mainly because I hit 30 and my father got disabetes, which convinced me the future was now the present and it was high time to get back in shape.

OTOH, I also started playing softball. I found I was not as good a baseball player as I used to be because of the added weight. When I was young I was a terrific ballplayer, but I’ve lost much of that ability to added girth. It may sound silly, but I really, really want to lose weight to be a better softball player; I’ve lost 15 pounds in the last four months, and if I can take another 15 pounds off by April I’ll be more mobile, a better defensive player, and as an aside, the weight lifting will make me a better hitter. Because of these things, I have become convinced that “I wanna lose weight” may not be a real motivation. I think you need actual, objective goals: “I want to lose weight BECAUSE…”

A few pointers:

  1. If you’re going to try a health club, don’t cheap out. Get a membership at the nicest place you can afford. I tried cheap places and I never kept going. when I joined a realy nice place I kept going because I found it a pleasant place to be - comfortable and convenient. Nice showers, nice locker rooms, towel service, friendly staff, you know. It feels better to be there than in a shithole. Oh, and get a Walkman or an mp3 player or something; it makes it a lot easier.

  2. You need someone to help you. I’m lucky; Mrs. RickJay started in on all this at the same time I did. We support each other. One of the reasons I won’t go all Godzilla on a box of Turtles is that I know she’s there to watch me. If you don’t have a Mrs. Sinful, try Weight Watchers. People seems very happy with their program.

  3. Try cutting out specific habits at first, then going from there. Don’t starve yourself all at once, never worked for me. First I cut out Coke, then I cut out fatty nighttime snax, and now I’m working on the content of my meals.

10

I too have a bit of a weight problem. I’m not vastly over-weight - I’m 6’4" and approx 230 lb (1.93m/105Kg). But the ‘over’ bit is all in one place - around my middle and boy does it show! My waistline is 39" and I’d like it to be 35". I’ve set myself the target of losing at least 14 lb, and converting at least 14 lb more from flab to muscle. I’ve started swimming again (half an hour at lunchtime 2-3 times a week), and walking the mile and a quarter to the local supermarket instead of driving (ditto).

Two tips: before a meal, drink a glass of water: your stomach will feel full that much more quickly. Secondly, reward yourself. So you’ve walked to the supermarket? Buy yourself a lottery ticket or something.

11

I don’t know why but that part made me laugh uncontrollably.

As far as the debate between what is more pertinent to losing fat (diet vs excercise), I think it is obvious it involves both. As someone said, you have to burn more calories than you take in if you wan’t to LOSE fat. Since an indivduals response to various types of diet and excersices vary, you can’t say that Diet X will work for you or that Excercise program Y will work for you. Just try different things until you find something that produces the results you are looking for. Be patient.

Also, your metabolism is an important factor as well. If you find that you have a lot of nervous energy, are constantly tapping your foot while trying to sit still, you are probably burning more than the standard 2,000 calories per day.

12

Diet is 90% of the fight, if you dont eat, you lose weight - period.

You must also exercise to not be flabby and for your muscle tone.

13

I agree with Crazy Cat . You have to change your lifestyle. It’s hard to lose weight if your mindset just isn’t there. More mental than anything.

In my case, I was overweight a bit and a bit of a recluse for a few years. Basically, I just got fed up and got out of the house. I signed up at the gym, started taking martial arts class (fun and competitive exercise) and started going out with my friends more. Active lifestyles make for active exercise.

Teebone

14

That sounds a lot like me, but taller (I’m 1.78 m and 90 kg even (5’10.5" and a little under 200 lb)). My blobbiness is all in the middle too. I’ve was on a training program from last March. This month I paid for a better trainer, and he laid ony a program for me. I’ve gotten significantly stronger and more muscular, but the blob remains.

The next frontier is definitely diet. The trainer has laid out a diet program for me and I’m going to follow it and see what happens. Interestingly, because I am not greatly overweight, the plan seems to feature foods to build muscle at leas as much as lack of foods to build fat.

15

I’ve heard somewhere (not sure where, it’s been a while), that each pound of muscle mass burns about 30 calories a day just to exist. (that sounds a little high to me personally) So a good way to increase your metabolism is strength training, which also burns calories, and increases your body’s daily energy needs.

16

Have you thought about picking up a hobby to increase your self esteem? You’re not going to want to excersize and you’re certainly not going to care about what you’re eating unless you feel good about yourself.

Try building something, or joining a sports team. Anything creative (music, art, woodwork) will help you feel good about yourself because you will have a finished product to be proud of, and anything physical (sports) will likely help you make friends and you’ll lose weight as an added bonus.

The bottom line is being happy. If you’re a little overweight and you love life then good for you. If you have a few extra pounds and you feel like it’s dampening your spirits then it’s time to work it off.

Try not to get too discouraged, and good luck :).

17

Guys after reading all these Threads, I have decided that I am over weight and am also in need of a diet. My only problem is my stomach though. Thx guys I appreciate it.

Nether

18

You know, this shit with this guy has to do with other people and their perceptions to him and his lack of friends (supposedly).

I know how you feel. I had few friends in High school except for a close friend my grade plus a cool dude two years younger than me. This is all you need my friend, one or two good friends to hang with and have a good time.

Girlfriends, I know and feel for you. It almost never fails that the biggest fucking dickhead has all the looks and the “body type” and he gets all the beautiful girls that he can stand while poor aschleps like us get nothing or next to. Trust me, I know the score.

If you want to have friends (it seems to me that you are in school) that you need to get involved in something, whether it be church, school, civic activity, anarchy, dope smoking, doll making, painting, music, whatever. this being said, I hated groups (still do) because you have to be around the people you loathe to get to the people or the goals that you want to get. I HATE GROUPS personally. I hate working because of this.

The weight issue is near and dear in my heart also. I am almost 36 years old am 5’10" and weigh probobly 270 lbs. I LOVE to eat. I love steaks, fried chicken, pizza, cheeseburgers, ribs (meat, except fish) anything fried. I do not like fruit (except a good green sour apple),and the only vegebles I like is Green peppers, onions, mushrooms (not a vegetable, but close), celery, and lettuce. I love potatoes and even though it is a vegetable, I consider it an honorary meat. I like to drink alcohol. Beer and red wine especially. Butter, peanut butter, bread is also number one. Popcorn and Pringles potato chips go without saying. (OK I am hungry now). Eating is a pleasure of mine. I hate to exercise. Running, bicycling, playing sports, fuck all of that. I HATE IT.

I think a reason that people get fat is due to three reasons. First is poor habits. I like to eat when i want to eat. I like to eat in the middle of the night sometimes. Second is lifestyle, although I do abhor most exercise, i do enjoy taking walks, not that power walking shit that body nazis do, but just take a stroll for a mile or two everyday. Go to a park, go to the mall, anything to just get around.

Lastly, I think obese people’s eating clock is just screwed wrong. we just get hungry more and more often. That hunger is like a drug, and food satisfies it.

Dieting involves self control, you know what you cannot have to eat (the above). You will be out of school soon, and except for my friend Jeff in Germantown (Tn) H.S. (class of 1985), I couldn’t care less if I see 95% percent of those fuckers again.

HIGH SCHOOL IS NOT LIFE.

P.S. I live in China, am married to a beautiful woman here (skinny Chinese).

19

I lost 50 pounds recently, so hopefully I can impart some of my experience to you in a meaningful way.

The first thing is to **think of a diet as a lifelong lifestyle change, not a short-term fix. **

Set goals for an ideal diet and exercise plan. I suggest talking with a dietician, fitness trainer, or finding a program like Nutritionalysis (I did this at the local Gold’s Gym) to get you started. Make certain your food choices are ones you personally like and can live with. No one I’ve known sticks with a diet plan eating foods they find unpleasant. Make certain you are eating the right number of calories for your activity level (again this is where a dietician or trainer can help).

Gradually change your foods. Most people I’ve talked with had problems sticking with any new diet that radically differed from their current diet. That being the case, make changes gradually to acclimate your body.

Example - if you use 80% lean ground beef, switch to 90% lean. After a while, maybe you switch to ground turkey or chicken.

Maybe this week you decrease the size of your dessert in half, and the following week reduce it again. After a month or two you cut out dessert altogether, or save it for special occasions only.

Maybe this month you drink one cola a day instead of two, then the next month you switch to diet cola, then the next month you cut out pop altogether.

Maybe you switch from ice cream to frozen yogurt.

Whatever changes, make certain they get you closer to your ideal diet plan.

Set realistic goals. If you are overweight, don’t think you’ll lose 10 pounds in two days - lose the weight gradually. It took me 18 months or so to lose 50 pounds, but I’ve kept it off for almost two years.

Exercise more. This can’t be stressed enough, whether your lifting weights, perfoming aerobic exercise, or both. Building muscle will increase your basal metabolic rate - i.e. you’ll burn more calories in a day even when you’re not exercising. Exercise also helps build self-esteem, relieves stress, and makes you think twice about eating junk (“I’d have to run HOW many miles to burn off this Twinkie???”).

Eat smaller portions, and eat more frequently. Eat 4-6 times a day instead of the normal 3. Eat smaller portions during these meals so you don’t exceed your set daily total caloric intake. Doing so will keep your blood sugar level more constant, your metabolic rate up, your body from going into starvation mode. You’ll feel better, have more energy and burn more calories. I find it harder to overeat as well - or at least overeat as much - mainly because my stomach’s shrunk down from where it was three years ago. I attribute this to eating smaller portions.

Listen to your body. People tend to crave what their body needs, so there’s no problem eating what you crave unless it’s nutritionally worthless. If you are craving a chocolate bar, eat a small amount, just enough to satisfy the craving. Denying yourself can, in the long term, make the craving worse and start to unravel your diet plan. Make certain the craving is not triggered by an emotional need.

Don’t give up. I’ve known too many people that think once they’ve ruined their diet for the day, they might as well pig out the rest of the day and start again tomorrow. Realize you may fudge (non pun intended) a bit and still be fine as long as you keep your long-term goals in mind. Many successful diets even work in a “cheat day” where you can eat not whatever you want but be a bit more lax once a week.

Remember, you will discover a lot about yourself while making dietary changes. Some will be easy, some will be tough. If you fall down, pick yourself up and don’t dwell on your ‘failures.’ Always work towards your goal.

Hope this helps.

20

Here is my 2c , Jberto pretty much said it all. I have been working out and shapeing my bodie to look a certain way for at least 10 years now. I have noticed that as long as you workout hard it doesnt matter what you eat , only how much. I see people that go to they gym every day and dont trim an inch off of their waist line. It is because they work out like sissies and barely break a sweat. Diet and exercise go hand in hand when you are trying to lose fat. Anyone who says diffrent probably failed at the excercise part of it.

Diet is a little diffrent. Small changes will cause big results because the bodie will be used to getting a certain amount of calories a day. If you just cut down on a few things like only eat fast food twice a week instead of 5 times a week and get a small fries instead of the king size, you will start to lose weight. Also eat 4 or 5 times a day , but eat a lot less than you would if you only ate once or twice a day. This tricks the bodie into thinking that food will always be in abundance. Once the bodie is tricked it wil shed excess fat because fat is only stored energy. On the flip side if you go on the “Slim Fast diet” you will only be eating once a day. You will lose weight for a while, but as soon as you start to eat normal again you will balloon up. That is because when you starve the bodie it starts to hang on to EVERY calorie.

Finaly there is breathing. You should be able to take a several deep breaths and not get dizzy or light headed. Your bodie cant function if it cant breath.