Question for thick-skinned, overweight men and women

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are so many different factors that go into it for every overweight person. Combination of stress, mental well being, job (type, number of hours, stress level), length of commute, on and on.

But I'd say on the whole, it's damn hard to stay thin right now. We are all tired, stressed, and crappy food is relatively cheap and everywhere. We don't get enough sleep. Our jobs, our commutes, everything about our lives is geared towards sitting down. 50 years ago gyms didn't even exist. Humans take the path of least resistance. We only have so much willpower. We all need help.

That's a cop-out. No one is too busy to exercise and lose weight. If you have an hour to watch a TV show, you have an hour to exercise. I need to shed 30 pounds. I'm also the married mom of 4 and I WOHM. I've started getting off the Metro several stops before my usual spot and walking to work; I do the same in the afternoon. Totals 2.5 miles/day. Not much, but it's a start and, combined with eating 1300 calories a day, I'm seeing results.

Again, it's not as simple as you are saying. Everyone goes through bad periods in their lives where they have stress, depression, or lack of sleep that ends up creating a really bad situation that's hard to dig out of. People with that much extra wait often get discouraged when they don't see results. It's one thing to need to lose 10 lbs. But quite another to lose 50 or more. That requires a lot of time and a drama-free life that affords that kind of dedication. Additionally, many people let themselves go so much that exercising is difficult if not impossible. Bad knees, etc from carrying around too much. So this is where is starts to snowball and hard to ever break it.

Congrats on your progress but report back in 6 months to see if you've managed to keep it up. That no other roadblock in your life has come up that's put a stop to your progress. No discouraging plateau reached.

Again, it's a cop-out. Most of the overweight people out here are not that way because they are depressed, stressed or sleep-deprived. It's because they're lazy, aren't motivated to eat better/work-out and/or just don't really care that much about it.

I actually *lose* weight when I'm stressed, depressed, etc. I overeat when I'm happy. I'm working to shed weight that I packed on after a tubal ligation. I'm concentrating on doing this slowly and making walking a normal part of my life. I would never stick with going to the gym, but I have to walk to work anyway, so making my walk a little further has been no matter thing. But thanks for your "well wishes".

You are a piece of work. are you op??? Actually, you are dead wrong. Most overweight people ARE that way because of depression or some emotional issue - not because they're lazy unmotivated, etc. Just because you lose weight when you're depressed, doesn't mean every person in the world is like you. Are you really that dense? You can't see past your own experiences? i've also read that most overweight/obese people (those with emotional issues like depression etc.) have MORE will power, motivation and strength than those that are normal/thin. Because they've been on so many diets and programs to lose weight they have great will power/motivation/strength. It's the emotional aspect that sabatoges their attempts - not their will power/motivation/laziness. you are such an idiot!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are so many different factors that go into it for every overweight person. Combination of stress, mental well being, job (type, number of hours, stress level), length of commute, on and on.

But I'd say on the whole, it's damn hard to stay thin right now. We are all tired, stressed, and crappy food is relatively cheap and everywhere. We don't get enough sleep. Our jobs, our commutes, everything about our lives is geared towards sitting down. 50 years ago gyms didn't even exist. Humans take the path of least resistance. We only have so much willpower. We all need help.

That's a cop-out. No one is too busy to exercise and lose weight. If you have an hour to watch a TV show, you have an hour to exercise. I need to shed 30 pounds. I'm also the married mom of 4 and I WOHM. I've started getting off the Metro several stops before my usual spot and walking to work; I do the same in the afternoon. Totals 2.5 miles/day. Not much, but it's a start and, combined with eating 1300 calories a day, I'm seeing results.

Again, it's not as simple as you are saying. Everyone goes through bad periods in their lives where they have stress, depression, or lack of sleep that ends up creating a really bad situation that's hard to dig out of. People with that much extra wait often get discouraged when they don't see results. It's one thing to need to lose 10 lbs. But quite another to lose 50 or more. That requires a lot of time and a drama-free life that affords that kind of dedication. Additionally, many people let themselves go so much that exercising is difficult if not impossible. Bad knees, etc from carrying around too much. So this is where is starts to snowball and hard to ever break it.

Congrats on your progress but report back in 6 months to see if you've managed to keep it up. That no other roadblock in your life has come up that's put a stop to your progress. No discouraging plateau reached.

Again, it's a cop-out. Most of the overweight people out here are not that way because they are depressed, stressed or sleep-deprived. It's because they're lazy, aren't motivated to eat better/work-out and/or just don't really care that much about it.

I actually *lose* weight when I'm stressed, depressed, etc. I overeat when I'm happy. I'm working to shed weight that I packed on after a tubal ligation. I'm concentrating on doing this slowly and making walking a normal part of my life. I would never stick with going to the gym, but I have to walk to work anyway, so making my walk a little further has been no matter thing. But thanks for your "well wishes".

You are a piece of work. are you op??? Actually, you are dead wrong. Most overweight people ARE that way because of depression or some emotional issue - not because they're lazy unmotivated, etc. Just because you lose weight when you're depressed, doesn't mean every person in the world is like you. Are you really that dense? You can't see past your own experiences? i've also read that most overweight/obese people (those with emotional issues like depression etc.) have MORE will power, motivation and strength than those that are normal/thin. Because they've been on so many diets and programs to lose weight they have great will power/motivation/strength. It's the emotional aspect that sabatoges their attempts - not their will power/motivation/laziness. you are such an idiot!

No, I'm not OP. In fact, I'm a fatty. But I'm a fatty who is not in denial and realizes that I'm this way because I allowed myself to get this way. Blaming depression, stress, "big-bones, etc is a cop-out. Do you seriously want me to believe that most of the fat people in the US are this way because they are/were depressed? What about 20 years ago? Were there less depressed/stressed people...because there were certainly less fat people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are so many different factors that go into it for every overweight person. Combination of stress, mental well being, job (type, number of hours, stress level), length of commute, on and on.

But I'd say on the whole, it's damn hard to stay thin right now. We are all tired, stressed, and crappy food is relatively cheap and everywhere. We don't get enough sleep. Our jobs, our commutes, everything about our lives is geared towards sitting down. 50 years ago gyms didn't even exist. Humans take the path of least resistance. We only have so much willpower. We all need help.

That's a cop-out. No one is too busy to exercise and lose weight. If you have an hour to watch a TV show, you have an hour to exercise. I need to shed 30 pounds. I'm also the married mom of 4 and I WOHM. I've started getting off the Metro several stops before my usual spot and walking to work; I do the same in the afternoon. Totals 2.5 miles/day. Not much, but it's a start and, combined with eating 1300 calories a day, I'm seeing results.

Again, it's not as simple as you are saying. Everyone goes through bad periods in their lives where they have stress, depression, or lack of sleep that ends up creating a really bad situation that's hard to dig out of. People with that much extra wait often get discouraged when they don't see results. It's one thing to need to lose 10 lbs. But quite another to lose 50 or more. That requires a lot of time and a drama-free life that affords that kind of dedication. Additionally, many people let themselves go so much that exercising is difficult if not impossible. Bad knees, etc from carrying around too much. So this is where is starts to snowball and hard to ever break it.

Congrats on your progress but report back in 6 months to see if you've managed to keep it up. That no other roadblock in your life has come up that's put a stop to your progress. No discouraging plateau reached.

Again, it's a cop-out. Most of the overweight people out here are not that way because they are depressed, stressed or sleep-deprived. It's because they're lazy, aren't motivated to eat better/work-out and/or just don't really care that much about it.

I actually *lose* weight when I'm stressed, depressed, etc. I overeat when I'm happy. I'm working to shed weight that I packed on after a tubal ligation. I'm concentrating on doing this slowly and making walking a normal part of my life. I would never stick with going to the gym, but I have to walk to work anyway, so making my walk a little further has been no matter thing. But thanks for your "well wishes".

You are a piece of work. are you op??? Actually, you are dead wrong. Most overweight people ARE that way because of depression or some emotional issue - not because they're lazy unmotivated, etc. Just because you lose weight when you're depressed, doesn't mean every person in the world is like you. Are you really that dense? You can't see past your own experiences? i've also read that most overweight/obese people (those with emotional issues like depression etc.) have MORE will power, motivation and strength than those that are normal/thin. Because they've been on so many diets and programs to lose weight they have great will power/motivation/strength. It's the emotional aspect that sabatoges their attempts - not their will power/motivation/laziness. you are such an idiot!

No, I'm not OP. In fact, I'm a fatty. But I'm a fatty who is not in denial and realizes that I'm this way because I allowed myself to get this way. Blaming depression, stress, "big-bones, etc is a cop-out. Do you seriously want me to believe that most of the fat people in the US are this way because they are/were depressed? What about 20 years ago? Were there less depressed/stressed people...because there were certainly less fat people.

seriously, how is depression an excuse? I get lazy when I am depressed, and sit on my ass and eat too much. Doesn't mean I could not go for a walk, which would help my depression and help me lose weight.

[Anonymous]

I'm not saying it's an excuse. I'm saying it's an explanation.

And you aren't clinically depressed if you can just get up and walk and exercise. When you're depressed (really depressed) you can't even get out of bed sometimes. It takes so much energy to do anything!

And to anwer PPs question - I don't know about the stats of depressed people 20 years ago, but people coped in a lot of different ways - there were plenty more alcoholics and smokers - that's for sure. People used to keep bottles of liquor in their desk drawers. So, my guess is people gravitated to something more socially acceptable (or more hidden) like food over booze (or cigs).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not saying it's an excuse. I'm saying it's an explanation.

And you aren't clinically depressed if you can just get up and walk and exercise. When you're depressed (really depressed) you can't even get out of bed sometimes. It takes so much energy to do anything!

And to anwer PPs question - I don't know about the stats of depressed people 20 years ago, but people coped in a lot of different ways - there were plenty more alcoholics and smokers - that's for sure. People used to keep bottles of liquor in their desk drawers. So, my guess is people gravitated to something more socially acceptable (or more hidden) like food over booze (or cigs).

If you can't even get out of bed, how do you get the unhealthy foods to gain the weight? Who's cooking? Who's going to the store to buy the unhealthy foods? Again, a cop-out.

While I'm sure there are clinically depressed people who are obese because of their struggles, that is not the case for most obese people in the US. Sorry, but it's just not the case. The obese people I see are walking around, in public....these folks are not clinically depressed.

[Anonymous]

I'm not saying they are all clinically depressed. I also said "or other emotional issues." I have struggled with my weight for most of my adult life and tried every diet under the sun. The two times I've lost weight and kept the weight off for a long time (the first for about 6 years and this time, it's been off for 4) were when I saw a therapist - and NOT joined WW, Jenny Craig, Physicians Diet, Nutrisystem, etc.

And what I learned is that most fat/obese people have emotional issues and are using food in the same way others use alcohol, drugs, exercise, shopping, or any other (good OR bad) activity that becomes an escape.

And please stop debating the merits of clinical depression with me until you read and learn about it yourself - Asking

If you can't even get out of bed, how do you get the unhealthy foods to gain the weight? Who's cooking? Who's going to the store to buy the unhealthy foods?

really shows your ignorance on the topic and I don't want to debate it with you until you at least learn the basics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No, I'm not OP. In fact, I'm a fatty. But I'm a fatty who is not in denial and realizes that I'm this way because I allowed myself to get this way. Blaming depression, stress, "big-bones, etc is a cop-out. Do you seriously want me to believe that most of the fat people in the US are this way because they are/were depressed? What about 20 years ago? Were there less depressed/stressed people...because there were certainly less fat people.

I'm a NP here, and not sure why I'm reading this (bored at work I guess) and I'm thin. Never had a weight problem. But I'm sitting here reading your posts and you are such an amazing jerk. Does being fat take away your ability to empathize? Consider other's people's experiences, emotions, perspectives, struggles, etc? You lack all of that. Empathy. Look it up in the dictionary and perhaps you'll try to find some.

[Anonymous]

I think in addition to emotional issue purple are more sedentary in general than we were 20 years ago. Then if we wanted to know something we had to go to a library to fine out. Now we sit in front odd a screen...phone, computer, tablet, whatever, and then get sidetracked by Ganges, social networking etc. Life is far more sedentary than ever. We can get information at our fingertips, food delivered to our door, our jobs are more sedentary and Pepe work longer houra in an effort to be more productive and keep our jobs. There's a lot to the obesity epidemic, and the answer isn't as simple as lazy, busy, depressed etc. It's a wide spread cultural thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not saying they are all clinically depressed. I also said "or other emotional issues." I have struggled with my weight for most of my adult life and tried every diet under the sun. The two times I've lost weight and kept the weight off for a long time (the first for about 6 years and this time, it's been off for 4) were when I saw a therapist - and NOT joined WW, Jenny Craig, Physicians Diet, Nutrisystem, etc.

And what I learned is that most fat/obese people have emotional issues and are using food in the same way others use alcohol, drugs, exercise, shopping, or any other (good OR bad) activity that becomes an escape.

And please stop debating the merits of clinical depression with me until you read and learn about it yourself - Asking

If you can't even get out of bed, how do you get the unhealthy foods to gain the weight? Who's cooking? Who's going to the store to buy the unhealthy foods?

really shows your ignorance on the topic and I don't want to debate it with you until you at least learn the basics.

When did I begin debating the "merits" of clinical depression? Just calling you on your BS. Why weren't you able to keep the weight off? It's very obvious that you're a disgruntled overweight/obese woman looking to blame everyone but herself. Have at it; I prefer a more proactive approach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No, I'm not OP. In fact, I'm a fatty. But I'm a fatty who is not in denial and realizes that I'm this way because I allowed myself to get this way. Blaming depression, stress, "big-bones, etc is a cop-out. Do you seriously want me to believe that most of the fat people in the US are this way because they are/were depressed? What about 20 years ago? Were there less depressed/stressed people...because there were certainly less fat people.

I'm a NP here, and not sure why I'm reading this (bored at work I guess) and I'm thin. Never had a weight problem. But I'm sitting here reading your posts and you are such an amazing jerk. Does being fat take away your ability to empathize? Consider other's people's experiences, emotions, perspectives, struggles, etc? You lack all of that. Empathy. Look it up in the dictionary and perhaps you'll try to find some.

If being a realist is being a jerk, so be it. Just fed up with the excuses. Most fat/obese people aren't that way because they're depressed. Please. Not saying that pp is not depressed, etc, but to suggest that this is the case for most fat people is a bit of a stretch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No, I'm not OP. In fact, I'm a fatty. But I'm a fatty who is not in denial and realizes that I'm this way because I allowed myself to get this way. Blaming depression, stress, "big-bones, etc is a cop-out. Do you seriously want me to believe that most of the fat people in the US are this way because they are/were depressed? What about 20 years ago? Were there less depressed/stressed people...because there were certainly less fat people.

I'm a NP here, and not sure why I'm reading this (bored at work I guess) and I'm thin. Never had a weight problem. But I'm sitting here reading your posts and you are such an amazing jerk. Does being fat take away your ability to empathize? Consider other's people's experiences, emotions, perspectives, struggles, etc? You lack all of that. Empathy. Look it up in the dictionary and perhaps you'll try to find some.

If being a realist is being a jerk, so be it. Just fed up with the excuses. Most fat/obese people aren't that way because they're depressed. Please. Not saying that pp is not depressed, etc, but to suggest that this is the case for most fat people is a bit of a stretch.

And you know this because you know most fat and obese people? That's a lot of people to know. How about this jerk PP. How about you say, "In MY experience, I'm fat because I'm lazy and don't know how to take care of myself properly. I can't speak for anyone but MYSELF but can certainly empathize with those who are fat because they're depressed or have other issues. That must be really hard, to have a physical manifestation of an emotional or mental issue available for anyone to see and scrutinize and judge. Again, in MY experience, I'm just a lazy slob."

You could try that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not saying they are all clinically depressed. I also said "or other emotional issues." I have struggled with my weight for most of my adult life and tried every diet under the sun. The two times I've lost weight and kept the weight off for a long time (the first for about 6 years and this time, it's been off for 4) were when I saw a therapist - and NOT joined WW, Jenny Craig, Physicians Diet, Nutrisystem, etc.

And what I learned is that most fat/obese people have emotional issues and are using food in the same way others use alcohol, drugs, exercise, shopping, or any other (good OR bad) activity that becomes an escape.

And please stop debating the merits of clinical depression with me until you read and learn about it yourself - Asking

If you can't even get out of bed, how do you get the unhealthy foods to gain the weight? Who's cooking? Who's going to the store to buy the unhealthy foods?

really shows your ignorance on the topic and I don't want to debate it with you until you at least learn the basics.

When did I begin debating the "merits" of clinical depression? Just calling you on your BS. Why weren't you able to keep the weight off? It's very obvious that you're a disgruntled overweight/obese woman looking to blame everyone but herself. Have at it; I prefer a more proactive approach.

God you're such an idiot. When you (think you are) "calling me on my bs" that's debating the merits of my comments on clinical depression. And you should learn to read better. I have kept the weight off, I'm normal weight/BMI so obviously NOT disgruntled overweight/obese. And since you've already admitted to being overweight, how's that "proactive approach" working for ya?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not saying it's an excuse. I'm saying it's an explanation.

And you aren't clinically depressed if you can just get up and walk and exercise. When you're depressed (really depressed) you can't even get out of bed sometimes. It takes so much energy to do anything!

And to anwer PPs question - I don't know about the stats of depressed people 20 years ago, but people coped in a lot of different ways - there were plenty more alcoholics and smokers - that's for sure. People used to keep bottles of liquor in their desk drawers. So, my guess is people gravitated to something more socially acceptable (or more hidden) like food over booze (or cigs).

If you can't even get out of bed, how do you get the unhealthy foods to gain the weight? Who's cooking? Who's going to the store to buy the unhealthy foods? Again, a cop-out.

While I'm sure there are clinically depressed people who are obese because of their struggles, that is not the case for most obese people in the US. Sorry, but it's just not the case. The obese people I see are walking around, in public....these folks are not clinically depressed.

Personal trainer PP here. You have no freaking idea what you're talking about. Some clinically depressed people still go to work and "function" in society just like any other individual. How dare you diagnose them like this? HOW DARE YOU?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was there not some point you looked in the mirror and realized something was horribly wrong with your body?

Looking at people at the beach in their suits makes it so clear the way the human body was meant to be shaped and the way the majority of people actually are. Do you really miss the early stages when you can just scale back and drop 5 pounds? Do you just reach a point where you don't care? I don't mean this in a snarky, judgemental way. I am truly curious.

I don't think there is something wrong with my body. Are you saying that the standard by which we should evaluate the health and wellness of our bodies is how a stranger thinks we look in a swimsuit? Whatever.

[Anonymous]

I'm with the "jerk pp". Depression is a cop out. Being fit would be a great start towards getting out of that depression. and most fat people that may be depressed that we are talking about are functional - they go to work, go out, go shopping, certainly go to restaurants, etc. they are not Brian Wilson spending a decade in bed. I've been depressed, been on SSRI many times, so I know this stuff well. It is hard. But it is not an excuse.