Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you've lived or been overseas you will see that most Americans are not at a healthy weight.

People from other countries do not necessarily eat better. They eat junk food too. However, they DO walk a lot more and use public transportation.

Um my mom weighed 90 pounds when she came to the US but even though she walked miles everyday in the us she gained 20 pounds here due to the food

90 lbs isn't healthy on nearly anyone so she probably lacked adequate food in her home country.

Not at all. She is small and was a teenager when she came to the US. She was raised wealthy in her home country so it had nothing to do with lack of adequate food (organic food is plentiful there and 3x cheaper than here).

Most people gain weight during the transition from teens to adult. Nothing you are saying proves your point.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you've lived or been overseas you will see that most Americans are not at a healthy weight.

People from other countries do not necessarily eat better. They eat junk food too. However, they DO walk a lot more and use public transportation.

Um my mom weighed 90 pounds when she came to the US but even though she walked miles everyday in the us she gained 20 pounds here due to the food

+1 every time we are posted overseas I lose weight, and every time we come back to the US, I gain. 5 countries, 3 US tours.

Us, too. We were actually wondering however if maybe it had to do with that whole gut bacteria thesis. We ate less processed food and also fewer GMO's when overseas. Stuff was organic in the sense that it was just grown naturally vs. hydroponic tomatoes etc. We wondered if maybe we just had better bacteria in our systems when we were abroad that made us digest things differently. More stomach upsets but also maybe better digestion.

I'm the 5 countries pp. We have wondered the same, because we exercise every day no matter where we live, and don't drink soda anywhere. I have wondered if it's gut bacteria here, or if it could be some kind of "obesogen" in the food or water, such as BPA, trace pharmaceuticals in the water, or flame retardants. Some of these chemicals cause obesity and diabetes in animal studies, in low doses, not high doses.

I think you're onto something. I always lose weight overseas even though I eat pretty healthy here and don't eat that much processed food and I'm relatively active. When I'm in Europe I usually drop 5 lbs in a week or so on an already pretty skinny frame even though I'm eating out at restaurants all the time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's interesting is that the difference in food consumption between a thin woman and overweight woman isn't THAT much. It seems this difference makes an impact though. I notice that one of my overweight friends will have one more drink that I do and also finish her entire plate while I will take half of it to go.

Add that up, and that difference is thousands of calories a week. Over the course of a year, that's several pounds, over the course of 2 years, that's many pounds. That's the difference between one more drink and finishing the (highly caloric) entree on a regular basis. It really is that simple, and that's why so many of us think the heavy among us don't eat much more or much differently. Often, on a daily basis, they don't. But the small differences add up very quickly, especially in a sedentary society.

+1. I also think it's the difference between American and European diets. It's all about portion control and small differences.

Anonymous wrote:Those of you who are thin, how to do it? Do you workout like a mad woman daily; eat a really strict diet; count calories; skip meals; ED; etc.

It seems like everytime I turn around, I'm standing next to a thin woman and I feel like a hippo. I could stand to lose a few pounds and it seems like the thinner you are, the easier it is to maintain it.

Adderall

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Probably the two biggest differences between me and my heavier friends (and I've seen this my whole life) is that I do not eat food when I am upset, or bored etc. I am not a comfort or stress eater at all.

The second is that I feel full pretty easily. It is rare for me to finish anything. I never eat the whole meal, or dessert at a restaurant, and no mater how much people tell me I'm wasting food, I just will not eat past the point that I feel full. And I think I feel full earlier than other people do.

I'm a pp and i'm the same. I eat exactly what I feel like eating when I feel like it but stop when I'm full. For example I bought a large bar of lindy chocolate to have at lunch at work on Friday. I ate half of it then. Then today I ate another few squares until id eaten enough. It's back in the work fridge now waiting until I crave chocolate again later in the week. A lot of my overweight friends would have eaten the whole thing in one sitting even if they felt completely stuffed.

totally agree with the above. i have a thin friend who eats anything she wants, but she wants more healthy food and never finishes everything on her plate no matter how good it tastes. She just stops when she is done. On the other hand, I am someone who will eat past feeling full if the food tastes good.

I'm the pp above. Why don't you give yourself permission to eat whatever you want when you want it? Then you won't have to stuff yourself until you burst on the food you love as you can have it again next time you're hungry. That's what I do.

Anonymous wrote:What's interesting is that the difference in food consumption between a thin woman and overweight woman isn't THAT much. It seems this difference makes an impact though. I notice that one of my overweight friends will have one more drink that I do and also finish her entire plate while I will take half of it to go.

Add that up, and that difference is thousands of calories a week. Over the course of a year, that's several pounds, over the course of 2 years, that's many pounds. That's the difference between one more drink and finishing the (highly caloric) entree on a regular basis. It really is that simple, and that's why so many of us think the heavy among us don't eat much more or much differently. Often, on a daily basis, they don't. But the small differences add up very quickly, especially in a sedentary society.

What's interesting is that the difference in food consumption between a thin woman and overweight woman isn't THAT much. It seems this difference makes an impact though. I notice that one of my overweight friends will have one more drink that I do and also finish her entire plate while I will take half of it to go.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Probably the two biggest differences between me and my heavier friends (and I've seen this my whole life) is that I do not eat food when I am upset, or bored etc. I am not a comfort or stress eater at all.

The second is that I feel full pretty easily. It is rare for me to finish anything. I never eat the whole meal, or dessert at a restaurant, and no mater how much people tell me I'm wasting food, I just will not eat past the point that I feel full. And I think I feel full earlier than other people do.

I'm a pp and i'm the same. I eat exactly what I feel like eating when I feel like it but stop when I'm full. For example I bought a large bar of lindy chocolate to have at lunch at work on Friday. I ate half of it then. Then today I ate another few squares until id eaten enough. It's back in the work fridge now waiting until I crave chocolate again later in the week. A lot of my overweight friends would have eaten the whole thing in one sitting even if they felt completely stuffed.

totally agree with the above. i have a thin friend who eats anything she wants, but she wants more healthy food and never finishes everything on her plate no matter how good it tastes. She just stops when she is done. On the other hand, I am someone who will eat past feeling full if the food tastes good.

Anonymous wrote:

Probably the two biggest differences between me and my heavier friends (and I've seen this my whole life) is that I do not eat food when I am upset, or bored etc. I am not a comfort or stress eater at all.

The second is that I feel full pretty easily. It is rare for me to finish anything. I never eat the whole meal, or dessert at a restaurant, and no mater how much people tell me I'm wasting food, I just will not eat past the point that I feel full. And I think I feel full earlier than other people do.

I'm a pp and i'm the same. I eat exactly what I feel like eating when I feel like it but stop when I'm full. For example I bought a large bar of lindy chocolate to have at lunch at work on Friday. I ate half of it then. Then today I ate another few squares until id eaten enough. It's back in the work fridge now waiting until I crave chocolate again later in the week. A lot of my overweight friends would have eaten the whole thing in one sitting even if they felt completely stuffed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you've lived or been overseas you will see that most Americans are not at a healthy weight.

People from other countries do not necessarily eat better. They eat junk food too. However, they DO walk a lot more and use public transportation.

Um my mom weighed 90 pounds when she came to the US but even though she walked miles everyday in the us she gained 20 pounds here due to the food

90 lbs isn't healthy on nearly anyone so she probably lacked adequate food in her home country.

Not at all. She is small and was a teenager when she came to the US. She was raised wealthy in her home country so it had nothing to do with lack of adequate food (organic food is plentiful there and 3x cheaper than here).

Well if she was a teenager that explains a lot. People fill out naturally.

Anonymous wrote:I'm 37 and can still fit into clothes from high school. Partly genetics but I can say for certain if my not so thin friends did this they could get thinner without much effort
-No soda at all. No diet soda either. No juice. Water, black coffee, sugarless tea, sparkling flavored waters. Maybe 4 ounces. I haven't had a soda in 4 years.
-high protein breakfast, NO bagels no bread. Eggs and more eggs
-cut the alcohol . save for weekends
- limit processed foods, almost zero, eat heavy nicer restaurant food than a healthy choice TV dinner
-drink at least 2 liters of water a day
-eat high protein lunches, skimp on dinners
-cut late snacking, if I get hungry I eat eggs
-no sugar or candy. Seems like no brainer but people snack on candy without thinking twice

Working out-eh, twice a week half hour, nothing hard. I find the lifestyle eating habits more effective

I'm about to turn 41, and I operate in a similar fashion. I'm 5'8", 140 lbs., size 6 in most off-the-rack clothes. The same weight as high school/college.

-beverages include plain water, sparkling water, unsweetened ice tea, black coffee. Wine limited to once per weekend and/or special occasions. Gave up diet soda several years ago.
-my standard breakfast choices are 1) 2 eggs scrambled with guacamole or salsa (bought fresh in the produce section), 2) one chicken apple sausage with some berries, 3) apple slices with unsweetened almond butter. And black coffee.
-I don't snack except for a handful of mixed nuts (<1/4 cup) if I am ravenous and a meal is not in the near future.
-Lots of protein and vegetables, very little dairy, grains, added sugar.
-Desserts are only for special occasions, not a nightly affair.
-Zero junk food, no candy or other sweets. If you cut way back on your added sugar, you will be astounded by how sweet fruit tastes!

I do cook quite a bit, but I also eat out at restaurants all the time. I just try to make good choices when I do. I also don't exercise that much. I am a very outdoorsy person and usually on the go, but I probably work out in the traditional sense less than half a dozen times per month. I am blessed with mesomorphic body type; my body builds and maintains muscle easily. When I do work out, it is weight training exercises.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm 37 and can still fit into clothes from high school. Partly genetics but I can say for certain if my not so thin friends did this they could get thinner without much effort
-No soda at all. No diet soda either. No juice. Water, black coffee, sugarless tea, sparkling flavored waters. Maybe 4 ounces. I haven't had a soda in 4 years.
-high protein breakfast, NO bagels no bread. Eggs and more eggs
-cut the alcohol . save for weekends
- limit processed foods, almost zero, eat heavy nicer restaurant food than a healthy choice TV dinner
-drink at least 2 liters of water a day
-eat high protein lunches, skimp on dinners
-cut late snacking, if I get hungry I eat eggs
-no sugar or candy. Seems like no brainer but people snack on candy without thinking twice

Working out-eh, twice a week half hour, nothing hard. I find the lifestyle eating habits more effective

This is exactly what I do I can't seem to drop a pound.

lol...I was going to say the same thing. I know lots of people thing that those of us who are overweight sit around eating crap all day, but I can assure you I do not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you've lived or been overseas you will see that most Americans are not at a healthy weight.

People from other countries do not necessarily eat better. They eat junk food too. However, they DO walk a lot more and use public transportation.

Um my mom weighed 90 pounds when she came to the US but even though she walked miles everyday in the us she gained 20 pounds here due to the food

+1 every time we are posted overseas I lose weight, and every time we come back to the US, I gain. 5 countries, 3 US tours.

Us, too. We were actually wondering however if maybe it had to do with that whole gut bacteria thesis. We ate less processed food and also fewer GMO's when overseas. Stuff was organic in the sense that it was just grown naturally vs. hydroponic tomatoes etc. We wondered if maybe we just had better bacteria in our systems when we were abroad that made us digest things differently. More stomach upsets but also maybe better digestion.

I'm the 5 countries pp. We have wondered the same, because we exercise every day no matter where we live, and don't drink soda anywhere. I have wondered if it's gut bacteria here, or if it could be some kind of "obesogen" in the food or water, such as BPA, trace pharmaceuticals in the water, or flame retardants. Some of these chemicals cause obesity and diabetes in animal studies, in low doses, not high doses.

I'm 45 and still thin. Was very, very skinny when I was younger, so I think genetics does play a large role. Both my parents stayed thin into their 80s.

But I eat pretty well, no soda, very little processed food. I do like home-baked goods -- coffee cake and cookies etc, but I make these myself with really good ingredients.

Not an exercise nut but with my dog, I do walk about three miles a day.

Probably the two biggest differences between me and my heavier friends (and I've seen this my whole life) is that I do not eat food when I am upset, or bored etc. I am not a comfort or stress eater at all.

The second is that I feel full pretty easily. It is rare for me to finish anything. I never eat the whole meal, or dessert at a restaurant, and no mater how much people tell me I'm wasting food, I just will not eat past the point that I feel full. And I think I feel full earlier than other people do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you've lived or been overseas you will see that most Americans are not at a healthy weight.

People from other countries do not necessarily eat better. They eat junk food too. However, they DO walk a lot more and use public transportation.

Um my mom weighed 90 pounds when she came to the US but even though she walked miles everyday in the us she gained 20 pounds here due to the food

+1 every time we are posted overseas I lose weight, and every time we come back to the US, I gain. 5 countries, 3 US tours.

Us, too. We were actually wondering however if maybe it had to do with that whole gut bacteria thesis. We ate less processed food and also fewer GMO's when overseas. Stuff was organic in the sense that it was just grown naturally vs. hydroponic tomatoes etc. We wondered if maybe we just had better bacteria in our systems when we were abroad that made us digest things differently. More stomach upsets but also maybe better digestion.