Guys you are so wrong about this.

Is it the fault of someone transplanted from Fiji, or Samoa, where they have no fast food to an American culture where they have so much of it that their favorable genes for maintaining weight in their native land causes them to become obese?

I'm not saying that every case is like this, but some are.

In my own situation I used to blame myself, and thought I had no willpower. But the truth was I was (and am still) a carb addict.

Once I eliminated white carbs and sugar from my diet, losing weight became much easier and I'm only 15 lbs above my weight when I was 30-ish, and now have a 32" waistline at about 5'9".

However had I not rediscovered the Atkins diet (which is not for everyone, admittedly), I'd still be many lbs overweight.

The factor at work in carb addiction, in my opinion, is not the food, it's your own endorphins. You get the carb 'fix' and use it as a comfort food, but what's really happening is that it is producing endorphins, the body's own natural morphine and it's very addictive.

I think what people need is information that works. This is what helped me. Being told to look at the FDA food pyramid with all those servings of bread and pasta and sugar just doesn't work for me.

In fact some people that know me tell me I have extraordinary willpower once I put my mind to something.

No kidding, I used to really beat myself up over this weight loss issue and it turned out not to be my fault - I just was a product of a society that pushed refined foods, corn syrup, refined sugar and all the white carbs.

Anyway, sorry about the rant. Again, I realize that not all obesity is like this. One poster just the other day mentioned he'd rather be overweight and happy then restrict food and be missing out on gratification. He's made a choice in that instance.

BTW, my wife has actually quit smoking, once for 15 years and then she started up again and quit again. Well we all know how addictive nicotine is. But she struggles with weight issues.

So losing weight is one of the hardest things you can do - it's a drive almost on the level of breathing. Only a few tenths of 1% manage to keep the weight off for more than 5 years.



[edit on 17-10-2007 by Badge01]

Originally posted by budski

It's a myth that fast food is cheaper - it's not. It's about time, and most people would rather sit in front of the TV after work than spend 30 minutes making something fresh.

i think it depends on where you live.
i agree that a lot of people do it for 'convenience'...
still though, round these parts food is not cheap. i know as i am the one that does the shpping/cooking and i get disgusted every time i go shopping.

there are so many cheap joints poping up.
not even .4 miles down the road from me there is a new pizza joint that just opened up. a large peperoni pie for $4.99.
thats pretty cheap and i can understand why some people go for it.
if i wanted to buy the fixings to make a large pizza i would be over 5 bones.

food is not cheap around here and if we factor in cost, we have to factor in all costs right.
like storage..how much money does it cost to keep stuff frozen?

like i said, i disagree very much with people not taking responsibility but i do understand why people don't cook at home.

well, i'm 6 ft tall and the doctor tells me I should weight 180. it's crap! like I said, I was totally skinny and I weight'd 200lbs and I used to run everyday..this was when I was 19-24. after that I got married and gained weight after my divorce. now i'm at 245lbs up to 255lbs. I go to the gym and workout. I do one hour on the threadmill, still can't loose weight. I have a dense frame, large bones and a loads of water. so you can't tell me I should be 180. I don't eat a lot, I rarely eat bad foods..still 50 lbs overweight according to statistics. they don't take muscle mass into consideration. the research is right..it's genetic and the fault from all the processed food and bad dealings.

People get fat because there greedy cows it's as simple as that. People get fat because they eat to much and can't resist the pies and scratchings. If people got of there own arses and walked for a change instead of going to the shop in the car which is only two away minutes away maybe there bums wouldn't be so fat and horrible. Nobody is to blame but the person himself and the quicker people stop treading on egg shells and tell it how it is the quicker people will take notice and stop being so greedy and start thinking about the starving people in Africa.



[edit on 17uWednesday07/27/20 by paul76]

people also tend to keep eating after they are full.
if you go to the local tgi fridays or applebees and order a burger platter, that is more than enough food for two people....
as of late, if/when we go out my wife and i order one meal and split it.

take a look at the portions next time you are at one of those restaurants...it's insane.
go to taco bell and get a soda with your meal...you take note of the size of that soda?

again, as of late, even though we are paying for the large one, we tell them to give us a small. i don't want to waste it and i sure ain't gonna drink the whole damn thing.

portions yo

You'd be surprised how much it's not genetic. I used to be a fat kid myself. I hang out at 140 pounds steady, 145 if I beef up. I was 180. It's all about diet and dedication. You really have to push your limits to see results.

This is meaningless without posting your height and age.

Are you 5'1"? Then you're overweight at 145 lbs.

Are you 10 years old? Then you're overweight at 145lbs.


[edit on 17-10-2007 by Badge01]

Americans are obese because the affordable food contains chemicals that cause obesity. The food industry is not going to advertise this fact, the FDA is not going to inform anyone and neither will your doctor because they all make huge amounts of revenue from it. Yes, people could be more responsible but how can you make informed decisions when you're not being informed of the facts?

You can't lose weight on "Weight Watchers" microwave meals because they contain the same chemicals that cause obesity. The sure-fire way to lose weight permanently is to adopt a raw diet and get a moderate amount of exercise. That's what our bodies were designed for by nature. The rest is trash.

oh come on! so now being fat is because we are american? that's so rude. I'm not even full american, my ancestors were spanish/pirates. yes like in the movie.

I have a desk job too and that's probably why i'm overweight too. but saying "you are fat because your american" deserves a banning in my books.