Anonymous wrote:Lots of excuses on this thread: Fat people are healthy. Fat people are depressed. Thin people are jerks. It's impossible to lose weight. Exercise doesn't work. Cutting back calories doesn't work. It's my ethnicity. It's my body type. It's okay if I'm fat because I do triathalons. I overeat instead of keeping a bottle of booze in my desk drawer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of excuses on this thread: Fat people are healthy. Fat people are depressed. Thin people are jerks. It's impossible to lose weight. Exercise doesn't work. Cutting back calories doesn't work. It's my ethnicity. It's my body type. It's okay if I'm fat because I do triathalons. I overeat instead of keeping a bottle of booze in my desk drawer.

No, the jerk PP admits she's fat. I don't think anyone else was called a jerk. Minor point, I know....

Anonymous wrote:Lots of excuses on this thread: Fat people are healthy. Fat people are depressed. Thin people are jerks. It's impossible to lose weight. Exercise doesn't work. Cutting back calories doesn't work. It's my ethnicity. It's my body type. It's okay if I'm fat because I do triathalons. I overeat instead of keeping a bottle of booze in my desk drawer.

Anonymous wrote:I think what OP is asking, albeit in a very inartful way, is how very obese people got that way. I once read answers to this question on a Weight Watchers forum, it was anonymous. Pretty much every single person who responded told a story of some sort of trauma, the majority of which were sexual abuse. It seems that some people cover up their inner hurt with food rather than alcohol or drugs. They don't really pay attention to how big they are until one day they realize they are 300 pounds. It's easy to make fun of these people or label them as stupid or lazy for getting that way but there is so so much more to it. We should sympathize with them and help them, not offer our scorn.

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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.

I'm 40 pounds overweight. I'm also a triathlete. This week, I biked 20 miles twice, swam 1600 twice, and ran 5 miles twice. (I have a spring tri in August.) I ran a half-marathon in April. I also go to karate class twice a week. I'm fit AND fat. My doctor is very happy with all of my blood work.

I am not eating 1300 calories a day just to change the way I look. Fuck that.

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.

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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?

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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?