# I unhappily report that I am right about obesity and diet (Very long) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 16, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543 "2011-02-16T04:25:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 41
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/801 "2011-03-23T02:14:57Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Not if your diet is VLC (Very Low Carb). > > _ **Fat** _ is the not the problem. I thought the consensus was that _ **calories** _ were the problem, and that the beauty of VLC for weight loss is that you eat fewer calories? (Because it’s been agreed, since it’s been proved, that VLC is effective for weight loss) Isn’t that what everyone has been insisting? So why obsess about the fact that I am eating chile rellenos? Do you think I’m eating 3500 calories’ worth? > > It’s remarkable to see how after over 700 posts the knees just keep jerking! > > And my stalkers might have noticed that I posted in my chile rellenos thread that I am having a problem getting my batter right, so it ends up getting too greasy, leaving me to eat cheese and chiles without much of the part that’s deep fried anyway. > > PS: I also fry my chicken wings. No batter, but the skin is crisper. MMmmm good. From a purely physical perspective, you are correct: it’s just about calories. But practically speaking, it is very very difficult to lose weight by eating the same types of foods you normally eat and simply reducing the quantity. Most people who lose weight – _and keep it off_ – do so by changing the types of foods they eat, also known as the “eat this – not that” approach. ---
**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:** [March 23, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/802 "2011-03-23T02:16:48Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > even I know to keep fried foods to a minimum. Except… what you think you know isn’t true. Fat is not the enemy. Even if calories ARE the enemy, _ **fat is not** _. So if I choose to eat 500 calories of cheese and eggs and chiles and fat, or 500 calories of whole grain bread and tuna and mayonnaise and fries and coca cola, or 500 calories of twinkies, it doesn’t matter. But if I am concerned about **diabetes** , _the chile rellenos are better._ If I’m concerned about **blood fats** (triglycerides) _the chile rellenos are better._ If I’m concerned about **high cholesterol** ,\* the chile rellenos are better.\* If I’m concerned about **high blood pressure** , \*the chile rellenos are better. \* Since chile rellenos are much tastier, I’m going for chile rellenos. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/803 "2011-03-23T02:21:05Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > And my stalkers might have noticed that I posted in my chile rellenos thread that I am having a problem getting my batter right, so it ends up getting too greasy, leaving me to eat cheese and chiles without much of the part that’s deep fried anyway. If you can’t do it right at home, don’t do it. Go out once a MONTH, order one small order of em, enjoy and go home. Aren’t you the person that has (on more than one occasion?) talked about making large quantities of stuff at home then eating it all up because you can’t help yourself? If thats the case, I can’t see how the heck you learning how to make something ELSE tasty but generally unhealthy is helping the cause any. You need to do what a friend of mine did to control his weight. He only ate things he DIDN"T like. Sucks donkey balls for sure, but IMO thats about the only thing at this point that is going to work for you. Its like telling a person with an alcohol problem with a budget problem how to make a cost effective home moonshine still… ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/804 "2011-03-23T02:29:24Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > You need to do what a friend of mine did to control his weight. He only ate things he DIDN"T like. Sucks donkey balls for sure, but IMO thats about the only thing at this point that is going to work for you. That’s insanity. ---
**Author:** ![Kewk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7ab992/32.png) [@Kewk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kewk)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/805 "2011-03-23T02:32:43Z")
Way too many posts to read through so im just going to post my (so far) success story. For the past few months I’ve eaten ~1k calories Mon-Thurs. Friday I eat pretty much whatever I want with consideration. I normally just eat out for my lunch during work. Taco Bell, Chinese, In n out etc. I drink Vodka Friday and Sat sometimes drinking beer as well. For exercise I jog 4-8miles a day with 50% of that up hill. Usually skip Sat-Sun but sometimes I do get out. I would like to pick the pace up and start running but I think im still too heavy for that and want to lose another 30lbs so my knees don’t hate me any more than they already do. So far I’ve last 34lbs and the only times I’ve gone up from that was when I started a new job and worked a crap ton of hours, when I got sick for 2 weeks, and last week. Last week I gained a few pounds but I am assuming it was muscle, as I added two 5lbs dumb bells and 25lbs weight in a backpack to my jog. Everyone says do this and do that. Don’t do this and don’t do that. Often times contradicting each other. The best thing to do is listen to what everyone says and then get out and try out various “things” until you find what works for you. And btw this week I expect to lose minimum 4lbs. I cut off all the weights and have a tight watch on my sodium intake. I would not be surprised if I lose at least 6lbs this week from the additional water weight loss. ---
**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:** [March 23, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/806 "2011-03-23T02:34:00Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > From a purely physical perspective, you are correct: it’s just about calories. But practically speaking, it is very very difficult to lose weight by eating the same types of foods you normally eat and simply reducing the quantity. Most people who lose weight – _and keep it off_ – do so by changing the types of foods they eat, also known as the “eat this – not that” approach. I don’t really get the distinction you are making, or why it would be difficult to lose weight by eating the same foods you normally enjoy and reduce quantity, vs. trying to make yourself like eating different foods. I’ve heard of many people doing that,it’s called portion control and it’s what most people around here tout as the answer. In my experience, the “eat this not that” approach is primarily good for those who are embrace the whole standard viewpoint: fat is bad, grain is good, etc. Therefore they are probably cutting way down on protein and fat, so to feel full, they need volume, and it has to be lower calorie, therefore it has to be lower in fat, given fat’s greater calorie density. Since my goal is to avoid “the whites” for anything other than an occasional treat, focusing on protein, fat, and green vegetables for the bulk of my diet, your system doesn’t make any sense. If I can enjoy the same types of protein and fat foods I’ve always enjoyed to lose weight and be healthy, why should I arbitrarily impose changes that are unnecessary? Especially when to do so would undermine my efforts by making my dieting more unpleasant than it needs to be? The closer I can stay to what I ALREADY like while losing weight and improving my overall health, the more likely I am to be able to sustain the plan. As has been extensively covered and largely agreed: eating primarily fat and protein is very satisfying, and greatly reduces the liklihood of OVEReating. So while my preference would be for chile rellenos and rice, the absence of rice makes it less likely that I will overdo the rellenos by themselves. I’ve got 40 years of trying to impose changes in my preferences on myself, and that’s failed miserably. And in that, I am in the majority. Your ability to make those changes and make them stick makes you a very unusual person, and hat’s off. ---
**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:** [March 23, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/807 "2011-03-23T02:35:29Z")
> [@Kewk](#): > > Way too many posts to read through so im just going to post my (so far) success story. . Excellent, Kewk! Good on you! I hope you continue to succeed, and that your success persists long past the weight loss itself and for the rest of your life, truly. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/808 "2011-03-23T02:35:36Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > That’s insanity. Worked for him. More than I can say for plenty of posters around these here parts. Makes sense too. Then you only eat when you feel weak, not when you get the urge to stuff your face. This was a guy that ate a whole box of doughnuts first thing in the morning most work days. ---
**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:** [March 23, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/809 "2011-03-23T02:36:33Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > That’s insanity. We dont’ agree very often, but we’re in total alignment on this! ---
**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:** [March 23, 2011, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/810 "2011-03-23T02:37:53Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > If thats the case, I can’t see how the heck you learning how to make something ELSE tasty but generally unhealthy is helping the cause any. Well, except for the fact that there’s nothing unhealthy about chile rellenos. Its chiles, cheese, eggs and oil. Nothing about that is bad. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/811 "2011-03-23T02:40:45Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Worked for him. Yeah, the snack cake guy lost weight, too. Anything that reduces your calories for long enough will work, but there are sensible ways and crazy ways and only eating stuff you don’t like is a crazy way for the majority of humanity. ETA: If he went from eating a box of doughnuts a day to NOT eating a box of doughnuts a day, he’d probably lose weight with no other changes to his eating habits. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/812 "2011-03-23T02:41:29Z")
**Stoid** : Have you ever heard the saying, “If you want to be a millionaire, do what millionaires do”? Same goes for losing weight: If you want to permanently lose weight, find someone who has done it and ask them how they did it. As mentioned in a previous post, I lost 40 pounds and have kept the weight off for 20 years. I have met a handful of other people who have done the same. I’m not talking about people who have dieted and lost weight, only to gain it back within a year or two. Heck, countless people have done that. I’m talking about once fat/obese people who have lost the weight and have _kept it off_ for at least 5 years. They’re a rare breed, but they exist. None of them did it using a fad diet. None of them did it on a “low carb” diet. (Has \*anyone \*been on a “low carb” diet for more than 5 years? I have never met one.) Each and every one of them did it by eating a well-balanced, low fat, low calorie diet that consisted of vegetables, fruits, legumes, fish, and lean meat. It’s not to say a low carb diet – or any other fad diet – won’t work. I’m just telling you what my experience has been, and the diets of others I have met that have accomplished the same. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/813 "2011-03-23T02:43:24Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Well, except for the fact that there’s nothing unhealthy about chile rellenos. Its chiles, cheese, eggs and oil. Nothing about that is bad. No offense, but I wouldn’t touch them; I don’t eat cheese, and I try my best to not to consume oil. But what do I know… ---
**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:** [March 23, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/814 "2011-03-23T02:45:07Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Aren’t you the person that has (on more than one occasion?) talked about making large quantities of stuff at home then eating it all up because you can’t help yourself? I dont’ know about the “can’t help myself” part - but when I choose to make something that is a major favorite of mine (nutmeg cake!) I will pretty much eat _ **only** _ that until it’s gone, which is usually 2-3 days.So it’s not dessert, it’s breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not very healthy. It’s also a carbohydrate bonanza. I can do that with carbs. There’s lots of carbohydrate goodies that I can eat lots and lots of. But I can’t think of much in the way of protein and fat that I can do the same with, or want to do the same with. Even my very favorite stuff: corned beef, prime rib, spare ribs. I hit “full” and stay there much faster and easier than I do with something like nutmeg cake, or even with a more balanced meal: I can eat a lot more corned beef in the form of sandwiches or with potatoes than I can by itself or with just cabbage. Which is kinda the whole point. ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/815 "2011-03-23T02:45:10Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > None of them did it using a fad diet. None of them did it on a “low carb” diet. (Has \*anyone \*been on a “low carb” diet for more than 5 years? I have never met one.) Each and every one of them did it by eating a well-balanced, low fat, low calorie diet that consisted of vegetables, fruits, legumes, fish, and lean meat. That’s too hard! ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/816 "2011-03-23T02:45:54Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Yeah, the snack cake guy lost weight, too. Anything that reduces your calories for long enough will work, but there are sensible ways and crazy ways and only eating stuff you don’t like is a crazy way for the majority of humanity. > > ETA: If he went from eating a box of doughnuts a day to NOT eating a box of doughnuts a day, he’d probably lose weight with no other changes to his eating habits. “Crazy” ways that actually work are IMO better than sensible ones that don’t. Wait, are you saying just reducing your calorie intake a fair bit a day will make you loose weight? Gee, what revolutionary thinking! Why didn’t somebody think of that before?! ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/817 "2011-03-23T02:53:05Z")
Reading your posts, \*\*Stoid \*\*(eating nothing but nutmeg cake??), your problem is obvious: when it comes to eating, you simply can’t control yourself. That’s why you’re obese. Your diet won’t work, I’m afraid. It will not work because you have not addressed your fundamental problem. Until you determine why you have an obsession with food - and can over come it - no diet will work for you. ---
**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:** [March 23, 2011, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/818 "2011-03-23T02:56:53Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > **Stoid** : Have you ever heard the saying, “If you want to be a millionaire, do what millionaires do”? Same goes for losing weight: If you want to permanently lose weight, find someone who has done it and ask them how they did it. > > … > Each and every one of them did it by eating a well-balanced, low fat, low calorie diet that consisted of vegetables, fruits, legumes, fish, and lean meat. > > It’s not to say a low carb diet – or any other fad diet – won’t work. I’m just telling you what my experience has been, and the diets of others I have met that have accomplished the same. I believe you. And as you yourself said: ignorance is not the problem, you are not telling me anything that is even remotely new. Do you think I’ve never tried, over the last 40 years, to change my relationship with food? As it happens, I have, and to a large extent I’ve succeeded: on my very worst day now I couldn’t eat half of what I regularly ate when I was, say, 25. And yet I’m twice as fat. Ok, not twice, two thirds fatter. On half the food. I don’t have whatever it is you have that has enabled you to make the type of changes you’ve made and sustain them. I just don’t, and I know that. So I need to find a different path, because the alternative is simply giving up altogether, and I’m just now moving away from that. FTR: I have heard of people who have made permanent changes via carb restriction. But the number of people who manage to reverse obesity permanently at all is vanishingly small, so the fact that you’ve never encountered any isn’t surprising. ---
**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:** [March 23, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/819 "2011-03-23T03:04:09Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Worked for him. > > More than I can say for plenty of posters around these here parts. > > Makes sense too. Then you only eat when you feel weak, not when you get the urge to stuff your face. This was a guy that ate a whole box of doughnuts first thing in the morning most work days. Except for the fact that if most people who have a problem losing weight could successfully deny themselves food they like consistently, whether they stop eating altogether or choke down dog food…it seems rather unlikely they’d have a problem with obesity to begin with. Gee… I can eat (insert high calorie unhealthy tasty preferred food here) or I can eat (healthier, less thrilling food here), or I can eat (calamari with fennel)- well, the only way I can possibly lose weight is to force myself to eat calamari with fennel! So that’s what I’ll eat! Voila! I lose 100 pounds and my life is brand new! Umm. No. Not logical. If I can choke down the calamari and fennel instead of the “bad” food, then I don’t have a weight problem to start with. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/820 "2011-03-23T03:15:23Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Umm. No. Not logical. If I can choke down the calamari and fennel instead of the “bad” food, then I don’t have a weight problem to start with. Figuring out how to make even more types of food you love to eat ain’t helping your problem. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543.md?page=40) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543.md?page=42)