Everything you know about obesity is wrong.

[Anonymous]

Interesting little nod in that piece to the idea that some people gain weight after things like being sexually abused. Get fat and get to be invisible. No one whistles at you. You honestly have no idea what people are dealing with, the pain they carry or the coping mechanisms they develop, some people have other methods which are less visible but some people
Get the double whammy of something like sexual or physical abuse and then being fat shamed, passed over for promotions and being lectured by thin people. How about we all just stay in our own lanes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Obese and overweight women are hungrier than their naturally thin counterparts. I have witnessed my overweight friends eating habits over the years and I can definitely see how they eat more because they are physically hungry. It’s no real accomplishment for me to be at a healthy weight when I am not hungry for more than my body requires. People need some humility and stop thinking that overweight people are needlessly eating food they are not hungry for.

I wouldn't generalize on that. I am obese (5'7" and 245). I gained about 80 lbs in the past 6 years. This was definitely not the case for me. I am an emotional eater to the max (for both good and bad feelings). Bad day at work? Maybe a drive through McD's on the way home will help. Need a little something to get me pumped up for a big presentation? Stop at Starbucks and get a treat on the way to work. Big accomplishment? Let's go out for ice cream! I have never been diagnosed with binge eating disorder but I do see many signs of it in myself- eating when not hungry, eating even when physically full, eating as a way to cope with difficult emotions. It is not really that I'm physically hungry when I load up on crap, it is generally a coping mechanism. Food fills a void for a LOT of people, myself included! And I am humble enough to admit that!

I understand, but it’s what I‘m trying to explain: naturally thin people don‘t face those urges to overeat to that degree. Imagine that every time you felt the urge to eat like that, someone handed you a cigarette and said this will help. That’s how smokers feel. Same with gambling addictions or whatever, people who don’t feel the urge to binge might think it’s as easy as eating smaller portions when the lived experience of obese people is quite different from thin or healthy-weight individuals.

Well said.

I think the shocking results from Wegovy demonstrate this point well.

I was on trulicity and lost nothing. Doc wanted me to try trulicity before thyroid meds because my thyroid was borderline. Lost 0 on trulicity. Have lost 10lbs since my recent dose increase from thyroid and I am still not at an optimal dose. I sleep better, have more energy to work out, and most importantly, because of sleep and better habits, I dont emotionally eat as much. I was never ending hungry and tired and a huge push for me was sugar carbs and coffee. I would crash no matter my food intake so at least the sugar gave me a quick high/rush. My body temp has raised by almost a degree in 8 months.
I 100% have missed social events because of judgement. A lot of people see it as a moral failing or that I am lazy or whatever the case may be. The only people who have ever understood the absolutely bone-tired exhaustion I felt for the past few years (that was always blamed on depression because if you are obese you must be depressed or vice versa) are people with chronic health conditions, especially auto immune. There is no day of feeling good; a good day is where you dont feel bad.

Wow, that sounds familiar. Who finally helped you get on the right track? An endocrinologist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting little nod in that piece to the idea that some people gain weight after things like being sexually abused. Get fat and get to be invisible. No one whistles at you. You honestly have no idea what people are dealing with, the pain they carry or the coping mechanisms they develop, some people have other methods which are less visible but some people
Get the double whammy of something like sexual or physical abuse and then being fat shamed, passed over for promotions and being lectured by thin people. How about we all just stay in our own lanes?

Thank you for this reminder. Well stated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, the societal pressure not to be fat does keep a good portion of the people who are not overweight or not obese from sliding up to the next level. There are many, many overweight and obese MC and UMC people who can afford heavier food, take the stairs, and probably even have exercise equipment gathering dust.

Here’s the problem…it’s inconvenient to walk or ride your bike instead of driving, if you aren’t into exercise it’s a chore. For food, products with highly processed carbs and sugar taste good. Eating is an enjoyable experience that is convenient and accessible. There are so many flavor and food options that it’s hard not to enjoy it. The only incentive people have to not get fat is societal pressure because let’s be honest the concern about distant future health issues does not push people to restrict themselves.

Short of extremely limiting food options so eating on a daily basis is boring and less appetizing, there isn’t much policy people can do. Monetary incentives might do it for some but probably not most.

You are entirely wrong. Fat shaming—which is what you are talking about—does not work. Period. It does not stop obesity. It does not cause weight loss. It does not work at all, and it’s time we we as a society recognized that.

To be perfectly honest, I work out and limit my calorie intake because with don’t want to get fat. I don’t enjoy it at all, but do it to avoid excess weight. Doesn’t that kind of mean the shame around being fat does work for some people?

Who is shaming you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about cutting ALL the subsidies to the wheat and corn producers and moving them to others? For example, I spent $22 on wild salmon yesterday. What about making the salmon $5 and the twinkies $55?

This is the answer right here and everyone has known it forever. Read the history of government food subsidies. It is tragic how entrenched this is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not put too much stock in Maintenance Phase. They did an episode on a topic on which I am a subject matter expert and the research was completely shoddy. They missed key publications. Their product is a product designed to generate buzz and likes, like everything else. Plus obviously she has an agenda to advance. Researchers need to be neutral.

So fat people haven’t been treated poorly by health care providers?
So fat people don’t suffer from eating disorders?
So it’s really just a matter of calories in/calories out, and if fat people just had some more self-control and will power, they could fix themselves.

Is that what you’re saying? Because those are the big agenda items of Maintenance Phase, and if they’re way off base, please enlighten us.

There have been studies done of some of the people who appeared on the biggest loser. One of the guys was a great success story but the follow up is more interesting. Google for the info. He was followed for years by researches interested in the subject. To maintain his weight loss he had to maintain an almost starvation diet. His body was more efficient in storing and maintaining fat. We know genetics plays a big part of this and many twin studies have been done. There are differences in how bodies react to calories so to say it is a matter of calories in/calories out is not helpful.

Isn't part of this due to the way the weight was lost -- total crash diet vs slow & sustained?

I have an older sister who is obese. She is a closet eater. If you go into her kitchen, cabinet contents rarely change -- because that isn't the actual, healthy food she is eating. She loses and gains weight over and over. Diets, prescription pills, two weight loss surgeries (the band and that other one...can't recall the name), you name it she has done it. But the issue it always comes down to? Behavior; she is a closet, emotional eater who will not continue therapy for her underlying issues.

No one in our family has criticized her weight. And she has a loving husband that does not now or every criticize her body.

For every diet, she lets us all know what she is doing and how it will be different from the last one. She shares diet milestones, tells us about the shopping sprees (she is wealthy) she goes on when she meets them, etc. No one congratulates or compliments her on the losses; we know better by now. If anyone dares, she becomes enraged.

It is like dealing with an addict who tries time and again to stay clean.

I know that there are different reasons for obesity and reason why people can't lose and/or keep it off. But she is my motivation for staying on the thin side. I love her, but her experiences frighten me.

She IS an addict. Her problem is as behavioral as taking herion and alcoholic drinking. Sugars bind to the same receptors in the brain as heroin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Obese and overweight women are hungrier than their naturally thin counterparts. I have witnessed my overweight friends eating habits over the years and I can definitely see how they eat more because they are physically hungry. It’s no real accomplishment for me to be at a healthy weight when I am not hungry for more than my body requires. People need some humility and stop thinking that overweight people are needlessly eating food they are not hungry for.

I mean, it’s sad but it’s also a known thing now. People must guard against gaining weight. Parents must help their kids to stay at healthy weights. Yes, there are people who truly have disorders or are too poor to have access to good food that will gain weight no matter what, but not the current 75-80% of Americans. I was in rural NY watching an obese grandma and obese 10 yo boy buy frozen dinners and ice cream as their dinner. The store was well-stocked with produce and fresh meat. Part of it is culture, part of it is laziness, some of it is genetics. Once you are obese, it’s game over. It becomes much harder to ever be at a normal bmi again. The conversation has to shift away from losing weight to helping our kids learn to eat well and maintain a norma bmi.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Obese and overweight women are hungrier than their naturally thin counterparts. I have witnessed my overweight friends eating habits over the years and I can definitely see how they eat more because they are physically hungry. It’s no real accomplishment for me to be at a healthy weight when I am not hungry for more than my body requires. People need some humility and stop thinking that overweight people are needlessly eating food they are not hungry for.

I mean, it’s sad but it’s also a known thing now. People must guard against gaining weight. Parents must help their kids to stay at healthy weights. Yes, there are people who truly have disorders or are too poor to have access to good food that will gain weight no matter what, but not the current 75-80% of Americans. I was in rural NY watching an obese grandma and obese 10 yo boy buy frozen dinners and ice cream as their dinner. The store was well-stocked with produce and fresh meat. Part of it is culture, part of it is laziness, some of it is genetics. Once you are obese, it’s game over. It becomes much harder to ever be at a normal bmi again. The conversation has to shift away from losing weight to helping our kids learn to eat well and maintain a norma bmi.

This is why semaglutides are so promising. People really are losing weight and not obsessed with food all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Obese and overweight women are hungrier than their naturally thin counterparts. I have witnessed my overweight friends eating habits over the years and I can definitely see how they eat more because they are physically hungry. It’s no real accomplishment for me to be at a healthy weight when I am not hungry for more than my body requires. People need some humility and stop thinking that overweight people are needlessly eating food they are not hungry for.

I wouldn't generalize on that. I am obese (5'7" and 245). I gained about 80 lbs in the past 6 years. This was definitely not the case for me. I am an emotional eater to the max (for both good and bad feelings). Bad day at work? Maybe a drive through McD's on the way home will help. Need a little something to get me pumped up for a big presentation? Stop at Starbucks and get a treat on the way to work. Big accomplishment? Let's go out for ice cream! I have never been diagnosed with binge eating disorder but I do see many signs of it in myself- eating when not hungry, eating even when physically full, eating as a way to cope with difficult emotions. It is not really that I'm physically hungry when I load up on crap, it is generally a coping mechanism. Food fills a void for a LOT of people, myself included! And I am humble enough to admit that!

I understand, but it’s what I‘m trying to explain: naturally thin people don‘t face those urges to overeat to that degree. Imagine that every time you felt the urge to eat like that, someone handed you a cigarette and said this will help. That’s how smokers feel. Same with gambling addictions or whatever, people who don’t feel the urge to binge might think it’s as easy as eating smaller portions when the lived experience of obese people is quite different from thin or healthy-weight individuals.

Well said.

I think the shocking results from Wegovy demonstrate this point well.

I was on trulicity and lost nothing. Doc wanted me to try trulicity before thyroid meds because my thyroid was borderline. Lost 0 on trulicity. Have lost 10lbs since my recent dose increase from thyroid and I am still not at an optimal dose. I sleep better, have more energy to work out, and most importantly, because of sleep and better habits, I dont emotionally eat as much. I was never ending hungry and tired and a huge push for me was sugar carbs and coffee. I would crash no matter my food intake so at least the sugar gave me a quick high/rush. My body temp has raised by almost a degree in 8 months.
I 100% have missed social events because of judgement. A lot of people see it as a moral failing or that I am lazy or whatever the case may be. The only people who have ever understood the absolutely bone-tired exhaustion I felt for the past few years (that was always blamed on depression because if you are obese you must be depressed or vice versa) are people with chronic health conditions, especially auto immune. There is no day of feeling good; a good day is where you dont feel bad.

Wow, that sounds familiar. Who finally helped you get on the right track? An endocrinologist?

Yes but you have to find one who believes in treating the symptoms especially if you are borderline and who will do a full panel. I used to drink at least 2 espresso a day sometimes 3 or 4. I would literally shut down after exercise. I tried peloton class and would fall asleep within 2 hours after and could not wake up.
I'm now working out 4times a week and I look forward to it. It makes me sad sometimes to think of how many years I wasted. Being told to just lose weight and it would get better. Yeah....I'm aware, thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Obese and overweight women are hungrier than their naturally thin counterparts. I have witnessed my overweight friends eating habits over the years and I can definitely see how they eat more because they are physically hungry. It’s no real accomplishment for me to be at a healthy weight when I am not hungry for more than my body requires. People need some humility and stop thinking that overweight people are needlessly eating food they are not hungry for.

I mean, it’s sad but it’s also a known thing now. People must guard against gaining weight. Parents must help their kids to stay at healthy weights. Yes, there are people who truly have disorders or are too poor to have access to good food that will gain weight no matter what, but not the current 75-80% of Americans. I was in rural NY watching an obese grandma and obese 10 yo boy buy frozen dinners and ice cream as their dinner. The store was well-stocked with produce and fresh meat. Part of it is culture, part of it is laziness, some of it is genetics. Once you are obese, it’s game over. It becomes much harder to ever be at a normal bmi again. The conversation has to shift away from losing weight to helping our kids learn to eat well and maintain a norma bmi.

You aren’t able to understand the article, I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Obese and overweight women are hungrier than their naturally thin counterparts. I have witnessed my overweight friends eating habits over the years and I can definitely see how they eat more because they are physically hungry. It’s no real accomplishment for me to be at a healthy weight when I am not hungry for more than my body requires. People need some humility and stop thinking that overweight people are needlessly eating food they are not hungry for.

I wouldn't generalize on that. I am obese (5'7" and 245). I gained about 80 lbs in the past 6 years. This was definitely not the case for me. I am an emotional eater to the max (for both good and bad feelings). Bad day at work? Maybe a drive through McD's on the way home will help. Need a little something to get me pumped up for a big presentation? Stop at Starbucks and get a treat on the way to work. Big accomplishment? Let's go out for ice cream! I have never been diagnosed with binge eating disorder but I do see many signs of it in myself- eating when not hungry, eating even when physically full, eating as a way to cope with difficult emotions. It is not really that I'm physically hungry when I load up on crap, it is generally a coping mechanism. Food fills a void for a LOT of people, myself included! And I am humble enough to admit that!

I understand, but it’s what I‘m trying to explain: naturally thin people don‘t face those urges to overeat to that degree. Imagine that every time you felt the urge to eat like that, someone handed you a cigarette and said this will help. That’s how smokers feel. Same with gambling addictions or whatever, people who don’t feel the urge to binge might think it’s as easy as eating smaller portions when the lived experience of obese people is quite different from thin or healthy-weight individuals.

Well said.

I think the shocking results from Wegovy demonstrate this point well.

I was on trulicity and lost nothing. Doc wanted me to try trulicity before thyroid meds because my thyroid was borderline. Lost 0 on trulicity. Have lost 10lbs since my recent dose increase from thyroid and I am still not at an optimal dose. I sleep better, have more energy to work out, and most importantly, because of sleep and better habits, I dont emotionally eat as much. I was never ending hungry and tired and a huge push for me was sugar carbs and coffee. I would crash no matter my food intake so at least the sugar gave me a quick high/rush. My body temp has raised by almost a degree in 8 months.
I 100% have missed social events because of judgement. A lot of people see it as a moral failing or that I am lazy or whatever the case may be. The only people who have ever understood the absolutely bone-tired exhaustion I felt for the past few years (that was always blamed on depression because if you are obese you must be depressed or vice versa) are people with chronic health conditions, especially auto immune. There is no day of feeling good; a good day is where you dont feel bad.

Wow, that sounds familiar. Who finally helped you get on the right track? An endocrinologist?

Yes but you have to find one who believes in treating the symptoms especially if you are borderline and who will do a full panel. I used to drink at least 2 espresso a day sometimes 3 or 4. I would literally shut down after exercise. I tried peloton class and would fall asleep within 2 hours after and could not wake up.
I'm now working out 4times a week and I look forward to it. It makes me sad sometimes to think of how many years I wasted. Being told to just lose weight and it would get better. Yeah....I'm aware, thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, the societal pressure not to be fat does keep a good portion of the people who are not overweight or not obese from sliding up to the next level. There are many, many overweight and obese MC and UMC people who can afford heavier food, take the stairs, and probably even have exercise equipment gathering dust.

Here’s the problem…it’s inconvenient to walk or ride your bike instead of driving, if you aren’t into exercise it’s a chore. For food, products with highly processed carbs and sugar taste good. Eating is an enjoyable experience that is convenient and accessible. There are so many flavor and food options that it’s hard not to enjoy it. The only incentive people have to not get fat is societal pressure because let’s be honest the concern about distant future health issues does not push people to restrict themselves.

Short of extremely limiting food options so eating on a daily basis is boring and less appetizing, there isn’t much policy people can do. Monetary incentives might do it for some but probably not most.

You are entirely wrong. Fat shaming—which is what you are talking about—does not work. Period. It does not stop obesity. It does not cause weight loss. It does not work at all, and it’s time we we as a society recognized that.

To be perfectly honest, I work out and limit my calorie intake because with don’t want to get fat. I don’t enjoy it at all, but do it to avoid excess weight. Doesn’t that kind of mean the shame around being fat does work for some people?

This is me and almost every person I know my age. For brunch this morning I made my teens waffles and fruit smoothies. I had a spinach salad and hard boiled egg. If I didn’t care about not being fat, I would have just eaten waffles. For dinner, we made chili topped hot dogs. DH and I had grilled shrimp instead. If we didn’t care about being a normal weight we would have had chili dogs, chips and a few beers.

I also think people confuse hunger with cravings. They are very different things. Habit plays a role too. If you are used to snacking, it’s a very hard habit to break. As a former smoker, it honestly wasn’t the nicotine but the habit of always doing it at certain times. I’d still get cravings from time to time even though I was way past the nicotine addiction. I would never have quit if there wasn’t societal pressure.

I’m not saying it’s easy but if you want to lose weight the vast majority can lose weight,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, the societal pressure not to be fat does keep a good portion of the people who are not overweight or not obese from sliding up to the next level. There are many, many overweight and obese MC and UMC people who can afford heavier food, take the stairs, and probably even have exercise equipment gathering dust.

Here’s the problem…it’s inconvenient to walk or ride your bike instead of driving, if you aren’t into exercise it’s a chore. For food, products with highly processed carbs and sugar taste good. Eating is an enjoyable experience that is convenient and accessible. There are so many flavor and food options that it’s hard not to enjoy it. The only incentive people have to not get fat is societal pressure because let’s be honest the concern about distant future health issues does not push people to restrict themselves.

Short of extremely limiting food options so eating on a daily basis is boring and less appetizing, there isn’t much policy people can do. Monetary incentives might do it for some but probably not most.

You are entirely wrong. Fat shaming—which is what you are talking about—does not work. Period. It does not stop obesity. It does not cause weight loss. It does not work at all, and it’s time we we as a society recognized that.

To be perfectly honest, I work out and limit my calorie intake because with don’t want to get fat. I don’t enjoy it at all, but do it to avoid excess weight. Doesn’t that kind of mean the shame around being fat does work for some people?

This is me and almost every person I know my age. For brunch this morning I made my teens waffles and fruit smoothies. I had a spinach salad and hard boiled egg. If I didn’t care about not being fat, I would have just eaten waffles. For dinner, we made chili topped hot dogs. DH and I had grilled shrimp instead. If we didn’t care about being a normal weight we would have had chili dogs, chips and a few beers.

I also think people confuse hunger with cravings. They are very different things. Habit plays a role too. If you are used to snacking, it’s a very hard habit to break. As a former smoker, it honestly wasn’t the nicotine but the habit of always doing it at certain times. I’d still get cravings from time to time even though I was way past the nicotine addiction. I would never have quit if there wasn’t societal pressure.

I’m not saying it’s easy but if you want to lose weight the vast majority can lose weight,

The difference is you can stop smoking completely. You can't stop eating completely. I disagree that the vast majority can lose weight. You seem to be saying the exact opposite of the article. You're saying if overweight/obese people just tried a little harder, put in more effort like you do, stopped being lazy, then they'd lose weight. Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a "skinny" person and probably get some very small fraction of body shaming in people telling me I'm too thin, offering me cookies, etc. I eat healthy and I eat a lot, and I also want to be left alone. But bullies will bully you for whatever they can articulate, and there are a surprisingly high number of the.

While I really like the article, I really wish we would stop talking about bullies so much (who are unlikely to change after reading the article, no matter how factual it is) and start integrating healthy food and habits into society so they are accessible. It is very hard to choose healthy foods when they are either MUCH more expensive or MUCH more time consuming to prepare. It's also harder to walk or bike to work in most of the USA. Systemically removing sugar and processed foods from the food chain and building livable cities is nowhere in the policy conversation. We are adding bike lanes, which is great, but that's about the only real initiative I've seen in major American cities. I am surprised insurance companies aren't lobbying for these changes.

Your last paragraph is so on point.

I currently live in London and my default mode of getting around is on foot and bike and I have 15-20 minute walks and bikes at least 2x a day. I love it.

We are planning to move back to the US to a car centric city and my DH (who struggles to keep under the “morbidly obese” category) are already talking about how much harder it will be to manage our weights!in the US. Portion sizes, too many additives to processed foods. All of it.

Watching my DH has been extremely eye opening.

I have stopped using my car for local trips. I ride my bike or walk now and it has changed my body and weight. I really think this is key to creating a healthy and sustainable lifestyle but sadly most Americans won't adopt these types of changes.

If you live miles from a grocery store like most people do, it's next to impossible but good for you. I hope you adopt better thinking someday but sadly you probably won't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting little nod in that piece to the idea that some people gain weight after things like being sexually abused. Get fat and get to be invisible. No one whistles at you. You honestly have no idea what people are dealing with, the pain they carry or the coping mechanisms they develop, some people have other methods which are less visible but some people
Get the double whammy of something like sexual or physical abuse and then being fat shamed, passed over for promotions and being lectured by thin people. How about we all just stay in our own lanes?

I think the abuse connection is real. I personally know obese people who have been abused as children. These people have so much mental pain that it drives them into addiction to food. The addiction brings more pain and judgment from doctors and society. Sometimes people are so big because they are carrying so much pain inside.