# Some fat people are their own worst enemies **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 22, 2003, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118 "2003-07-22T11:52:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/161 "2003-07-23T13:25:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tarantula \* > **It’s really fucking simple - _If you eat less calories than you use, you’ll be thin._** As has been pointed out, it _isn’t_ fucking simple in some cases. Glandular problems have been mentioned earlier in this thread, certain antipsychotic medications also cause people to be predispositioned towards weight gain. I have a helpful hint for you: “Close mouth, open _mind_.” On preview: what **Scylla** said. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/162 "2003-07-23T13:26:35Z")
So now you’re a thin fuck? Great improvement. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/163 "2003-07-23T13:32:38Z")
**Tarantula** , too bad that weight loss didn’t make you human… ---
**Author:** ![Morrigoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/858c86/32.png) [@Morrigoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morrigoon)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/164 "2003-07-23T13:33:26Z")
Tarantula: Thank you for your refreshing point of view. I’m sure our lives have been materially enhanced by the pure intellectual wisdom contained in your most recent, and in fact every, post. While my post may never reach the literary achievement, of say, “Eat some fucking fruit.” I do believe that your reading comprehension skills could perhaps stand some improvement. You said, "I was called a “fat fuck” one day by a passer-by, and with that decided that it was time to change. " I said, "One day I discovered that two Burger King cheeseburgers was less fat/calories than a cheeseburger and fries. That turned me off fries. " My sincerest apologies for not making the connection stunningly simple, as you have managed to do in your post. Please allow me to clarify: \*\*The fact that a medium fries had more fat than a cheesebuger made me rethink my priorities when it came to eating fries. A cheeseburger, while by no means healthy, provided a much better nutritional balance (containing all 4 food groups) and tasted better. A medium fries, while being nutritionally all but nonexistent, also provided far less satisfaction than the less-fattening cheeseburger. Therefore, I determined that fries were no longer worth the calories and fat, and proceeded to remove the majority of them from my diet (think of it in economic terms as diminishing returns). This is not to say that I necessarily eat 2 cheeseburgers, just that the thought of it was enough to stop me eating fries which were a waste of time and calories. Further, if I was at Burger King, and I was, in fact, still hungry after eating a burger, I would opt for a second burger over a medium fries for the very same reason - a burger is worth the calories to me, fries are not. Perhaps you lost too much weight above the neckline? ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/165 "2003-07-23T13:39:40Z")
I don’t think Tarantula’s a jerk. He told himself what he needed to tell himself to lose weight and address a problem he had. Now that he’s done that, he needs to let go of his narrow focused worldview and tune it with reality. ---
**Author:** ![Morrigoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/858c86/32.png) [@Morrigoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morrigoon)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/166 "2003-07-23T13:41:55Z")
And on a side note: berating people for every little achievement because it’s not big enough for you is NOT going to help encourage people to achieve more. I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been able to hald and reverse my average weight without ever feeling like I’m on some kind of diet. And yes, I consider weight watchers to be a “diet,” despite what their marketing department keeps spewing about it being a lifestyle change. A true lifestyle change is one that becomes second nature, not one where you just become used to resisting nature. What I’m doing is creating a lifestyle change because I’m flat out changing my tastes for things, occasionally introducing foods I don’t normally eat until I begin to actually desire them (asparagus and spinach, for starters, and starting recently, water). By the way- with my current digestive system, too much fruit and vegetables gives me diarrhea. So kiss my carnivorous ass. I _have_ to introduce healthy food slowly to allow my body to adjust to it, which it is doing. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/167 "2003-07-23T13:43:58Z")
Tarantula’s jerkiness aside, he does have a sort of valid point on the cheeseburger deal. According to BK’s site, 2 cheeseburgers and a coke add up to 950 calories, 14g of saturated fats, 34g of all fats, and 100mg of cholesterol. It’s not really a good way to lose weight. Maybe a beef sandwich or something equally meaty would be a better bet? ---
**Author:** ![Tarantula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e274bd/32.png) [@Tarantula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarantula)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/168 "2003-07-23T13:46:49Z")
I had this big response all planned out, but since this isn’t GD i’m not gonna bother. Scylla - I suppose I do need to change (will take under advisement) Morrigoon - do whatever you want. I don’t give enough of a shit to try to change your mind. Your frinds should do that for you. PS - if they’re not being brutally honest, they’re not your friends… ---
**Author:** ![Morrigoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/858c86/32.png) [@Morrigoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morrigoon)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/169 "2003-07-23T13:47:21Z")
Gary: please read the post above yours, which probably posted as you wrote your last one. ---
**Author:** ![Fin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@Fin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fin_man)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/170 "2003-07-23T14:02:34Z")
Fin\_woman’s job is in nutrition and she read me something from a newsletter. I found some other information at www.DunkinDonuts.com. Which would you rather eat? A [plain bagel](http://www.dunkindonuts.com/nutrition/product.jsp?id=DD-621) with [plain cream cheese](http://www.dunkindonuts.com/nutrition/product.jsp?id=DD-649) or a [chocolate frosted donut](http://www.dunkindonuts.com/nutrition/product.jsp?id=DD-517) If you choose bagel with cream cheese, you are being less “healthy”. The bagel with cream cheese has 550 calories and 20 grams of fat (13.5 saturated). The donut, only 200 calories and 9 grams of fat (2 saturated). Thinks aren’t always as they look. ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/171 "2003-07-23T14:29:35Z")
Some impressive efforts by some Dopers to lose weight- way to go. Also, despite obviously having struggled personally with some eating issues, a few Dopers have written calmly and without an excess of personal insults or exagerated claims. Bravo! Sadly each side in this argument does have a few valid points and a few which do not pass the sniff test. Neither side’s points seem to perfectly address the real world (IMHO). Yet too many posts speak in absolute terms. I just am happy I am into cycling (2-4 times a week, at a very hard pace), as my body seems to perpetually think another famine is right around the corner and now is a good time to lay in some supplies. Stupid evolution! Too many times in the past I have looked down to see 5 donuts gone, or 3/4 of a box of pasta devourved. So, in a small way, I can understand and cheer for you all and thank the PTB I discovered road biking. Conversely, I worry about those “Fat is Beautiful” extremists who seem to think we should be endorsing and enabling those with serious weight issues to go ahead and stop trying. That I find sickening. Compassion, understanding and support for those who are trying their best, I believe in 100%. But to make an lobbying cause around being pro-obesity is wrong IMHO. Being obese is horrible for your health- there are no “pros” to the situation. Just like smoking, drinking, gambling- addictions that have an industry or two, and lobbying groups behind them and then claim “not our fault”. In the end, compassion and full assistance to those folks who are fighting their food and weight issues are key, and name calling is to be rightly reviled is ineffective and pointlessly offensive. > [@](#): > > Scylla the larger athlete goes all the way to the pros, think of Babe Ruth, Tony Gywnn, Kirby Puckett, John Kruk and 90% of the offensive and defensive linemen in the NFL. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/172 "2003-07-23T15:17:46Z")
My father ate himself to death. He died a couple of years ago, at 57. A son in his early 30s should not have to bury his father. Dad was fat for most of his entire life. He was a kind and well-loved man, but he was never “happy.” Oh, sure, he was happy at times, but deep down his weight tortured him. And yet, by his actions, he made the decision on some level that being morbidly obese was (easier? more desirable?) than putting forth the effort to control his weight. Do I blame society? No. Fast-food restaurants? No. As much as I loved my Dad (he was my best friend), eventually the choice was his. He knew what his eating habits were doing to him. Dad was a physician. An opthamologist, who, in the last decade of his short life, retired from surgery to do general practice at a state-run hospital/facility for the less fortunate of society (mentally ill, addicted teenagers, prisoners, etc.). So, he had to deal professionaly with patients fighting addictions, yet could not overcome his own. (Many of his former patients, as well as the other hospital staff, came to his memorial service. To a person, they told me how highly they regarded my father as a _person_ not just a doctor. Many cried openly when I gave the eulogy). He was the “jolly fat man” who cries inside. He didn’t speak about it much openly, but a son can tell. Dad would go on diets–“starting tomorrow.” About 80 percent of my Dad’s life was spent dieting–if you count a 21-hour fast every day. That is, between the hours of, say, midnight and 9:00 PM, Dad would eat nothing. Then, he would gorge himself and go to bed. He was a big fan of diuretics. Easy to lose 15 pounds of water weight when you are well over 300. He used every trick in the book to lose weight–except change his eating habits and outlook toward food. He yo-yo’d 30-40 pounds all the time. But he knew it could be done. Once, as a young man, he lost over 100 pounds over the course of a year or two and quit smoking at the same time. He was able to break his smoking habit permanently (went cold turkey and never took another puff the last 20 years of his life). What is it about food that had such a stronger hold over him? The high blood pressure came first. For that, he took medication. Did he change his eating habits? No. The self-induced diabetes came next. Being a doctor, he always had insulin injections ready. Instead of altering his eating habits, he would just inject himself. Many times a day. The joint and tendon problems came next. So, he injected cortizone regularly. Then, the gout. Very painful. He started taking medicine for the pain. It’s easy for a doctor to get OxyContin and other painkillers. Especially when one can spread purchases over various internet sources. He was taking Prozac and other pills for the depression. Again, self-medicated. I think he was ashamed of his condition. I know he was in denial. The “every problem can be cured with medication” type of denial. The “if one pill is good, three must be even better” type of denial. Then came the circulation and leg problems. Open, suppurating sores. He had medical creams and more pain medication. I didn’t know the depth of these problems (especially the leg problems) until after he died and I was straightening out his affairs. We found a suitcase (one of the big ones) full of all his injections, creams, and pills. It’s easier for a doctor to hide medical problems. I cried harder when I opened that suitcase and saw with my own eyes the depths of his pain than I have in my entire life. Still, with all this pain, he decided (again, on some level–not saying is was conscious) that dealing with all this was preferable to changing his eating habits. I never put my Dad down about his weight. However, his parents regularly did, even from childhood (“Fat and getting fatter” was something his dad would say). I agree that probably contributed greatly to whatever demons my Dad tried to fight with food. Am I bitter? A little, I guess. I miss my father (did I mention that he was my best friend?), and what he did was a type of suicide. It wasn’t some outside force or action that killed my father, it was his own decsion to die like that. To have all his organ sytems shut down one by one while lying in a hospital bed hooked to a breathing tube. Should I have been more confrontational? I don’t think so. There is nothing I could have told him he didn’t already know. And I know how deeply his parents’ comments cut him. I could never contribute to that. I apoligize for the length of this post that really has nothing to do with the OP, but it felt good to write it. ---
**Author:** ![elfje](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19b73/32.png) [@elfje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfje)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/173 "2003-07-23T15:19:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by norinew \* > **I’m not into making blanket statements, but I certainly can speak for myself, and I believe there are many others like me. It is my personal belief that many (not all, and maybe not even most) very obese people are addicted to food; more often, simple carbs like sugar, white flour, white potatoes and white rice. There have been books written about it. For myself, and for other sugar junkies, moderation doesn’t work. The only workable solution is to give this stuff up completely, forever. I put this plan into effect the beginning of the year, and have lost about 60 pounds. I have about 55 left to go. > \*\* good for you. Congratulations. The “no sympathy” remark came from me. Maybe I should make that remark more nuanced: as in the OP’s case, I would be as sympathetic to a clearly obese person buying and eating junkfood, then I would to a person coughing up their lungs but holding a smoke in their hands. Yes, eating is an addiction for some people. So is smoking. People still get rid of those addictions. Granted, it’s not easy. But nobody ever said it was. When I know some friends of mine are trying to give up smoking, I’m very supportive. I suffer their moodswings and tempers, and listen to their endless litanies of how difficult it is (i’ve given up smoking myself). Likewise, when I catch them with a fag in their hands, I show my disappointment. Seeing an obese person eating/buying a donut/icecream/burgermeal, is the same to me as seeing an asthmatic person lighting up: you know it’s bad for you, you still do it, ergo: don’t expect sympathy.** > > At some point in their lives (often childhood), people like me learn that eating junkfood is an appropriate way to deal with emotional difficulties; this is one reason that it seems to “run in families”. My sisters and I learned it from our mother. She was diabetic, but the diabetes barely slowed her down in her eating. When we would fall down and skin our knee, we were given cookies to make us feel better. If kids at school teased us, and we came home crying, out came the snack cakes. The message was loud and clear: feel bad? Eat! A lesson we all learned well. I tried (and was partially successful at) other dieting strategies. I counted calories, and ended up screwing up my metabolism so badly that I was down to 800 calories a day before I decided I couldnt’ live like that, and gave it up. I tried WW, and actually lost 100 pounds, but every day was a struggle, because I still had the cravings. I regained the weight. I will never again eat refined sugar, white flour, white rice or white potatoes, because once I start, I can’t stop. The fact that I’m looking better is a fringe benefit. I’m really doing it because I want to live long enough to enjoy an active life with my husband once the kids are gone. I’m also doing it so the kids don’t “catch” my addiction, the way I caught it from my mother. > **the fact that you realise that your eating habits are rooted in your upbringing, is already a big step. Psycho analysis would be very useful (but then again, I’ve never met anyone who couldn’t benefit from some psycho analysis), to explore and change your bond with food. Much more productive than just dieting. A diet is still perceived as a punishment. So is quitting smoking. I think that that is also more or less Alan Carr’s theory: stopping smoking is no punishment, but a reward for your body. You just have to get your head around thinking that way.** > I could care less about sympathy, but putting us down isn’t going to help us come to a realization about what we need to do, any more than insulting a drunk in gonna make him sober up! \*\* I don’t put overweight people down. My best friend is overweight, by quite a bit (well, she’s had 6 kids), and I would never dream of putting her down. She is honest about it, though, says she eats too unhealthily and too much. But still, sometimes she just wants to moan and complain about her weight. I listen. Patiently. I give her support. I tell her she knows what the cause is and what she can do to change it . She always agrees, but her excuse is always the same: no money, no time. Which I accept (no money to buy dietary stuff, which is usually more expensive, and no time to prepare an extra meal when you’re already cooking for 6 kids, a brother and a husband). ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/174 "2003-07-23T15:25:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Morrigoon \* > **And on a side note: berating people for every little achievement because it’s not big enough for you is NOT going to help encourage people to achieve more. I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been able to hald and reverse my average weight without ever feeling like I’m on some kind of diet.** My above post was not meant to berate, but is a fairly reasonable statement of fact. Holding your weight is a good thing, but there are other health concerns than just weight - for example the salt and fat levels of the burger. Bearing that in mind, I thought the suggestion of a similar item - a beef sandwhich - was fairly reasonable. For example a BK cheeseburger costs you 360 calories and 7g of sat fats. A subway 6" Roast Beef sandwich costs you 290 calories and 2 g of sat fats. And that’s just subway - a chain who aren’t that good at keeping down calories, and are pretty bad for salt levels. > [@](#): > > \*\*By the way- with my current digestive system, too much fruit and vegetables gives me diarrhea. So kiss my carnivorous ass. I _have_ to introduce healthy food slowly to allow my body to adjust to it, which it is doing. \*\* Please see above. While I’m obviously ignorant about your digestive system, perhaps a transition from Burger to sandwich is possible? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/175 "2003-07-23T15:32:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by divemaster \* > \*\*I apoligize for the length of this post that really has nothing to do with the OP, but it felt good to write it. \*\* Divemaster, thank you for a particularly moving post. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/176 "2003-07-23T15:41:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \* > \*\*As has been pointed out, it _isn’t_ fucking simple in some cases. Glandular problems have been mentioned earlier in this thread, certain antipsychotic medications also cause people to be predispositioned towards weight gain. I have a helpful hint for you: “Close mouth, open _mind_.” > > On preview: what **Scylla** said. \*\* To an extent these things do happen, but they are very rare. I think that of people who claim glandular problems for their weight, about 1 in 10 is true. If you eat fewer calroies than you burn, there is no way you can gain weight. **BUT** this is a long term pocily we’re talking about here: Measuring your caloric intake for two or three days and then complaining about going up a pound is ludicrous. You have to account for calories burnt over a long period of time before you can attribute a pouond gained or lost to any behavior. Your body’s weight will vary several pounds easily just from water gain and loss. Try to base any weight gain/loss on the basis of a single day or two is like trying to declare a bull or bear market on the NYSE by using two days worth of results. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/177 "2003-07-23T15:51:27Z")
> [@](#): > > **Mr. Miskatonic** : Originally posted by Zoe > > Mr. Miskatonic, the article that you linked to was written by a man without any bariatric credentials at all. His is an attorney and a journalist – with a reputation for making absurd claims not founded on current scientific research. > > For example??? Here are two of his unsubstantiated claims: > [@](#): > > Every one of the multitude of studies in which people’s caloric intake and output are measured, as opposed to the studies that simply ask subjects what they eat and how much exercise they get, verifies just what mama told you. Eat too much, don’t get enough exercise, and you balloon. And… > [@](#): > > More good news is that another obesity myth is that our bodies, like ratchet-wrenches, readily put pack on the pounds but thereafter refuse jealously to let go of them. In reality, what goes up can come down. The following website on eating disorders has a more balanced and less simplistic view of the causes of obesity. Certainly he talks about caloric intake and exercise as a factor – but not the _only_ factor: > **[ANRED: Obesity. Is it an Eating Disorder?](https://www.anred.com/obese.html)** > > Obesity. Is it an eating disorder? Like most things, obesity is a complex phenomenon about which it is dangerous to generalize. What is true for one person is not necessarily true for the next. Nevertheless, we shall try to make sense out of... > [@](#): > > Diets and prolonged caloric restriction. When people try to make the body thinner than it is genetically programmed to be, it retaliates by becoming ravenous and vulnerable to binge eating. Ninety-eight percent of dieters regain all the weight they manage to lose, plus about 10 extra pounds, within five years. Yo-yo dieting repeats the cycle of weight loss followed by ever-increasing weight gain when hunger ultimately wins. Here is more information from this site that speaks directly to the issues discussed here (bold type added): > [@](#): > > What can be done about obesity? > **The simplistic answer: eat less and exercise more.** > > **The realistic answer:** > Work with a physician to identify and correct any underlying medical, biological, or metabolic problems contributing to excess weight. > > Check with a counselor to see if you are using food for a purpose food cannot fulfill: love, comfort, escape, an antidote to boredom, and so forth. If you are self-medicating with food, work with the therapist to come up with better ways of managing stress, painful emotions, and problems. > > Don’t ever diet or restrict calories when you are legitimately hungry. If you do, you will set yourself up to binge later. > > Eat normal, reasonable, moderate amounts of healthy foods. Emphasize fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Don’t cut out sweets and fats completely. If you do, you will crave and sneak them. Besides, your body needs the nutrients found in fats and carbohydrates. Just don’t overdo it. > > Most important: Exercise consistently. Get regular amounts of moderate, self-loving exercise. Start with a few minutes of walking and slowly extend the time until you can do 30-60 minutes a day, 3-5 days a week. If you haven’t exercised in a while, be sure to check with your doctor first. > > Find a support system. Friends are great; so are support groups. There are both online and in-person opportunities. Check our Links page for suggestions. > > Be gentle and realistic with yourself. If everyone in your family is round and sturdy, chances are you will never be a super model – but you can be happy and healthy. Also remember that healthy, realistic weight loss takes time. Losing one-half to one pound a week isn’t very glamorous, but if you go any faster, you will make yourself hungry, and hunger will inevitably make you overeat. **Tarantula** , “Shut up” is one of the last resorts of someone who has obviously chosen the wrong battle. Other “less subtle” suggestions won’t do you any good either. Also, I spoke of neither “pain” nor “difficulties” – you have things all confused again – another sign of grasping at straws. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/178 "2003-07-23T15:57:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by fessie \* > \*\* > In fact, I just read a piece the other day on an experiment concerning apples vs. oatmeal cookies of the same caloric value. The group who ate an apple each day lost significantly more weight than the ones who ate the oatmeal cookie. I’m sure it’s not the only study to show that the issue is more complicated than calories in = calories out. > \*\* Do you have a link to this experiment? Did they only eat apples and oatmeal cookies all day? I can see how the apple eating group would lose more weight because an apple is more filling than a cookie because of the water and fiber. I would guess they’d be less likely to snack so they’d be taking in less calories during the day. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/179 "2003-07-23T16:00:47Z")
**ThatDDPerson** , I remember reading one of your posts from another thread on this same subject. I meant to comment then and let it slip away. I appreciate _very_ much your willingness to tell us about what you are facing. I don’t understand when some of the others don’t seem to hear you. Since that other post, I really have thought of you often and wondered how you are. If you would like to talk in email, I will make my address available to you. I can explain why only in private. If you are not up for private email, I will take no offense at all. I will continue to send you good thoughts. ~Z~ (Zorro Syndrome) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118/180 "2003-07-23T16:02:24Z")
**divemaster** thank you for writing an outstanding post. You honor your father’s memory. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fat-people-are-their-own-worst-enemies/190118.md?page=10)