They tell us how to eat...

[saucy]

I admit that I'm a big guy. Over four-hundred pounds of manly lovin' and who do I blame! No, not McDonalds or Coca Cola. I blame myself partially and our government. Yes, it's our government's fault that we are fat. They are the ones who created the food pyramid and pushed it in our schools, but they had it all wrong. The pyramid should be upside down with a few changes to it. I really don't eat fast food or suck down sodas, nor do I eat sweets. I eat a lot of processed foods. Breads, pasta, little pizzas, everything that's on the bottom of the pyramid, but that's what's making us fat. Think what you will of him, but Atkins had it right. We should be eating natural foods...fruits, veggies, meat, nothing that's been processed. What does this food do for us? What kinds of things are we suffering from now that we weren't let's say a hundred years ago? Obesity was low, cancer was low, heart disease was almost non-existant, but now...well we're suffering from them all. Why is this? Because of the government. How can a woman eating a pound of bacon each day and eggs and big 'ole juicy steaks for dinner (mmmmm ) and eat all she wants can lose a hundred pounds in a year or less. Many, many people have done the Atkins thing and lost weight. The whole idea behind Atkins with a little revision is about staying away from those pesky breads and processed foods. Why would the government tell us to eat like that if it's making us fat? Could our increasingly lazy lifestyle be to blame as well?

[Stellar]

Atkins' diet is dangerous for pregnant women.

As for blaming the government, the food pyramid is the suggested foods to remain healthy, but you're not supposed to eat pounds and pounds of it each day. Also, how many times a day do you really exercise to get rid of the fat? Well? I think its time you stopped blaming others and blame yourself. You can eat whatever the hell you want and not get fat. Its as simple as that. All you gotta do is some exercise.

[chico del nacho]

at first i was going to disagree but then i remembered that we italians do loves us our pasta...and lots of italians aren't exactly svelte.

EDIT: almost forgot. i think the atkins diet is a load of crap. mankind's been eating bread since the dawn of civilization pretty much and i really don't think that it was lying in wait for the day it could make people fat.

Edited May 10, 2004 by chico del nacho

[wunarmdscissor]

U know how come so many overweight are blaming everyone else for their weight problems?

Ofcourse their are lots of people who can site medical conditions as hindering them, however peole can choose not to get a Mickey D's of BK.

So no its not the government whos making fat people fat. Its Bad parenting in my opinion.

I mean how many fat people were fat when they were kids. How many fat kids do you see greetin in the street and being given junk food to shut them up, only to go home and be told they can sit in front of the TV or play their computer as long as they want.

Thats really obesity is a problem.

[saucy]

Well, thank you for the insight Stellar. I don't know what I would do without you. I'm just going to go out there and start jogging and maybe I'll lose the weight.

You might've missed it, but I said that I do blame myself for my weight, but it's not all my fault. It can't be. I've been very, very active my whole life, playing football, riding my bike, I swim a lot, I go for walks, lift weights and I'm only twenty years old. The only food I would get is what my parents would fix and I honestly don't eat more than what any normal human would eat. Three, normal sized meals a day, but i've been large my whole life. Not four-hundred pounds worth, but pleasantly plump. I could be overweight for some other reason but doctors don't know what, but it's not the eating and I'm willing to bet I get more exercise than you, unless you're in the military or something. That's why I say it's got to be in the food. You might think Atkins is full of crap, but he's dead now and can't be full of crap.

Okay, not seriously, but a lot of people have lost weight on his diet and some don't because they don't do it right and cheat (can't live without breads and pastas!) or it's just not the right diet for them. I lost ten pounds in a month on the diet and ended up cheating. Oh well, I might go back on it. My opinion is that it's in the food.

[shirini]

Stay from the middle isles in supermakrets! Better yet, shop at your local farmers market.

it's the the packages foods that get you, like those new meal bakes things that come with canned meats. evil just say no!

[aquatus1]

My entire life I've been active. Everything from track and field, through boot camp, through OCS, the works. I even weightlifted for a time.

The best I ever did was maintain weight. I was always at 215-200 pounds with flab on my belly that I truly hated. Even in OCS, I got down to 175, but gained it all back before I graduated. I was still fit, mind you, but always overweight.

Two months ago I finally invested in a well-recommended personal trainer. We have been working together this entire time and in six weeks I have gone down to 193 pounds and I am starting to show some abs. It wasn't any one thing that i was doing wrong; it was the net result of everything that I was doing the wrong way. He straightened out my diet, my exercise (I found, to my chagrin, that I have been running incorrectly for the past 25 years), and I have been really happy with the results.

Sometimes, you just need to call in the experts. Good enough knowledge may just not be enough to get the results you want.

[shirini]

added comments;

Our food supply is so bombared with chemicals. I would really like to the a88h8le that came up with the idea to feeding farm animals, feed! "gee, i know for the like 6000 years, animals have been eating grass, corn and had clean water and plenty of clean fields to roam around in. But we are doing to somthing diffrent!" dum8as*

and that low-crab crap is even worst.

My parents always asked how hungrey i was before they stared to load up my plate with food.

I was only allowed to outside food ( fast food or resturat) once a week. And i could only watch t.v one hour a day. coming inside ang having to watch t.v. was like a punishment.

my father would take my brother and i to the park 3 or 4 times week, go bike riding, skaebroading, etc.

[Stellar]

Saucy, I think youve forgotten what youve wrote. You said you blamed yourself partially. Infact, its not the governments fault or anyone elses, its your own. Your motabolism is slower too which means that you will gain weight quicker than someone whos motabolism is fast, but no matter how much you want to blame someone else, its your fault. Its not anyone elses fault that your motabolism is low. Its not anyone elses fault that you dont do enough exercise to controle your weight neither. Oh and btw, lifting weights isnt a good way to get rid of torso fat. Some people can get away with eating lots and exercising little or not at all, and some eat little and need to exercise lots. Its not the governments fault or anyone elses.

[Seraphina]

Breads, pasta, little pizzas, everything that's on the bottom of the pyramid

....complex carbohydrates? Yeah...I...think if you eat a lot of those, you're guarenteed to put on weight You'd put on less weight eating the fat off a pork chop

The biggest factors to gaining weight are, obviously, what you eat, how much you eat, and how often you exercise. I wouldn't really recommend the Attcin's diet though...for a start, if you don't have enough carbohydrates, you'll be too lethargic to exercise, and that's as important than what you eat; sorting out your diet is only half the problem.

Moderation in what you eat, and regular exercise is what you want...miracle diets, in my experience, are just pipe dreams for people who want to believe they can lose weight by changing their shopping list, and still sitting on their couch all day.

Minute for minute, golf actually burns up more callories than any other sport...if you're too lazy to go swimming or cycling (which give the best long term benefits) you can even just do that Bottom line is what you eat matters less (providing you're eating in moderation...if you're plate looks like a mountain, it's obviously different) than what you're doing physically.

[bathory]

wanna know why you are fat? you stuff your face and don't excercise. Hardly the governments fault

[IvyItch]

Notice how the word blame keeps coming up in this discussion......

Perhaps food needs to go back to its proper place, nourishment

not a source of happiness, not a source of reward

No matter if you eat Carbs or veggies or bread or pasta, if you are eating

for the wrong reason, that reason is whats causing you to gain

Control your mind and you will control your body

food is a lifetime challenge.....

Accept yourself and food will lose a bit of its importance..

If at first you cant love yourself, look to those whom already do

[Stellar]

I eat constantly... I always need something to boost my energy... when I'm not at school I'm at home, eating supper or some snack. I have a high motabolism though and dont really gain weight (Well, except for winter when I just sit around and dont do anything AT ALL) but then when the snow melts I go back to normal. I never stop eating though. I dont need to exercise too much either. But if I had a low motabolism and exercised as much as I do now, I'd easily be about 40-50 pounds more.

[doomgirl]

I tried that Atkins diet, yeah I lost weight, yeah I hated eating the bacon and eggs every day, but in the end, it gave me to much protein in my Kidney's and I can never get rid of it now.

Diet's are nothing more then someone's idea to make money, you just have to eat right, and in moderation while moving your ass more, but at times even that is hard to do.

Having depression is a great motivational killer

[saucy]

Stellar, that time you sounded like a commercial! Hey, I don't know why, but I generally gain more weight during the summer. It might actually have something to do with being home from school all day. I understand all of your points. I shouldn't blame the government for teaching me wrong, I should blame my metabolism, which I admit is low and my tendancy to splurge. As I have put on the pounds, it's become increasingly tougher for me to get out there and do anything. Do any of you nutrition nuts have any advice for me so I can get out there this summer and start to lost this weight? I just got out of high school in January and I've been looking for a job, but nobody wants to hire me because of the weight. I desperately need to lose it beasue my blood pressure is a little higher than normal and doctors have said I might not make it to forty if I keep going. Not to use it as an excuse, but I have a hard time with carrot and celery dipped in fat-free ranch diets. There's got to be something out there. I'm desperate!

[Kismit]

Having depression is a great motivational killer 

It can also be a great reason to excersise Doomie . Honest , Endorphines are far better than prozac .

[aquatus1]

Saucy, seriously, invest in a personal trainer. He will be able to tell you exactly where you are going wrong. You don't need general advice. You need specific advice for yourself and your situation. Right now, I'm on a high protein diet, but it has nothing to do with weight loss; it has to do with muscle building and needing the right type of nutrients. All the sweat that I was doing before ended up being redundant, because I was training the wrong way for what I wanted to do, ending up with massive legs, but tiny hams.

Personal trainers are trained to guide you down a path specifically designed to achieve your goals. They will be able to tell you why something worked for Joe Schmoe, but not for you. If you are serious about getting into shape, then see an expert, don't rely on internet hearsay.

[Seraphina]

Kismit is correct...

As for you Saucy...I don't think there's much question about what you have to do You've been told to lose weight, or you're going to die. I suggest you make yourself lose it. Eat in moderation (there's no way you could be doing so if you're in the trouble you claim to be) and exercise...it's not hard to do, and I think you'll find a vast majority of people manage it just fine.

I don't even eat in moderation But between averaging 30 miles walk a week going into Uni, and wrestling training on a weekly basis, I'm perfectly trim; exercise is the most important thing you could do right now, and I suggest that you start out just going for frequent walks...say twenty to thirty minutes, most days.

When you get in better shape, you can build from there. You should also ask your doctor about any particular exercise he'd recomend to help you. However, the longer you allow yourself to remain at the weight you are, the harder and harder it'll be to shift it as you age. You're twenty now, so make sure you take advantage of your youth while you still have it.

[chico del nacho]

Having depression is a great motivational killer 

It can also be a great reason to excersise Doomie . Honest , Endorphines are far better than prozac .

stay away from prozac! it's very bad! they've been in and out of court all the time because they're pills increase anxiety in many depression patients. the anxiety gets so bad that many of them have killed themselves, others, or at least made attempts.

[Nxt2Hvn]

I use to work with a guy who was 400 pounds or more and he didn't think he ate much either....

But he always had food on his desk (he was a life editor for a newspaper)... he was always eating.

I think because he didn't just sit down and eat a lot at one setting... that he ate through out the day... he actually didn't think he ate much.

On another note... has your doctor mentioned Gastric By-Pass Surgery?... I know a few people that have had that procedure with tremendous results.... some losing 100 lbs in the first 4 months.

Hope you lose the weight... Good Luck!

Take Care,

Nxt2Hvn

[saucy]

Thanks guys, I've heard of gastric by-pass and even considered doing it, but the consequences outweigh (no pun intended) the results. I would lose a lot of weight, but in a lot of cases, people have many, even life-threatening problems. There's a lady in our church who has a daughter who did the surgery and she's always in the hospital due to complications. It's not worth it. Other than my weight and my blood pressure which is only a little higher than normal, I'm in perfect health and I do much more than you would think a 400-pounder would do, but as I age, it'll only get worse and I need to do something now. I guess I say I don't eat that much, but maybe I do. Maybe I eat more than I SHOULD when I weight this much. If I eat less and exercise more, then I should lose weight. My dad keeps telling me that I should be able to lose the weight quicker because I am younger and being that I'm larger, I burn more calories than someone of average size doing the same exercise. I don't know if he's right, but I do walk every day. Could my lack of water intake have consequences? I absolutely hate the taste of water. My sister and I argue that water has no flavor, but I can taste it. Instead, I drink a lot of crystal lite, which probably doesn't have the same benefits water does.