Anonymous wrote:
Everyone gets fat if they eat too much and don't exercise. There's nothing genetic about that. True, there are outliers who can't gain weight or lose weight despite what they eat but they are the exception, not the rule.

As far as the Brits - yes, any person that eats like a typical American nowadays and refuses to leave the couch will get fat.

Not accurate. Everyone's body has a set point and without something seriously disrupting that set point, a body will fight like mad to stay where it is. They've done studies trying to get thin people to gain weight and keep it on. Curiously, it's as difficult to do that as it is to get a fat body to lose weight and keep it off. But enjoy the sanctimony - it feels good, right?

Personally, I enjoy hearing about people who just get full on half a plate. It's like hearing a first hand account of riding a unicorn.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Obviously. This post is about how people stay very thin, not how they get fat. And I think pp's point holds - very thin AMERICAN women are usually either genetically predisposed or, if not, obsessed with it.

This post was originally about how people stay thin. The OP wants to lose a few pounds. Comments like this are very defeating and basically imply there's nothing you can do short of being obsessive. I think many would disagree.

Most of us can eat better and exercise moderately without being obsessive. The problem is a lot of people don't know how to do this or where to start. You have to make incremental changes in the way you eat and your activity level. Cut back on processed food, alcohol, and excessive sugar. Cut out soda completely. Substitute healthy fat for the unhealthy kind. Some people who aren't genetically predisposed to keeping weight off will need to work harder, but it's not impossible for most people to get to a weight they're satisfied with.

I think that will work if people want to be average. Not what most people would consider THIN (I say this as an average woman myself - in great shape from tons of exercise but a size 8 or so). What you describe will not work for a naturally not-thin person and make them thin. That's all I'm saying.

Anonymous wrote:
Obviously. This post is about how people stay very thin, not how they get fat. And I think pp's point holds - very thin AMERICAN women are usually either genetically predisposed or, if not, obsessed with it.

This post was originally about how people stay thin. The OP wants to lose a few pounds. Comments like this are very defeating and basically imply there's nothing you can do short of being obsessive. I think many would disagree.

Most of us can eat better and exercise moderately without being obsessive. The problem is a lot of people don't know how to do this or where to start. You have to make incremental changes in the way you eat and your activity level. Cut back on processed food, alcohol, and excessive sugar. Cut out soda completely. Substitute healthy fat for the unhealthy kind. Some people who aren't genetically predisposed to keeping weight off will need to work harder, but it's not impossible for most people to get to a weight they're satisfied with.

I absolutely believe this. I have always been a normal weight but if I go on vacation, for example, where we are just eating and lots of rich and decadent foods that I would normally eat once in a while but there I'd be eating day in and day out, at first, I would get nauseated by SO MUCH FOOD. But over time, I think your body somehow adjusts and that becomes your new normal. But this is the thing that I think many overweight people don't really "get" - the same thing happens in reverse. Thus, if you are used to eating SO MUCH FOOD, but spend a few weeks or a month adjusting back down to normal portion sizes, your body/hunger cues will also adjust and you will not feel hungry. I constantly hear people accusing normal weight people of "starving themselves" and "being hungry all the time" when, in fact, you just don't need as much food to feel full in that state. I think a case can be made for this phenomenon.

+1. I think this is absolutely the key. And explains why when Americans spend significant time in another country, they often "naturally" shed weight as they adjust to smaller portions.

When you are heavier, you eat to maintain that body weight, which will translate into a fairly high daily calorie intake. If you diet, of course you will feel hungry because you are eating less than you need to maintain. I agree though that you can reset what your "normal" intake is as your weight goes down, and there is less to maintain. It takes some time - a month or more of being truly hungry, but it is not impossible. The residual desire to eat more I think is mostly habit and culture - not genetic - again you only have to look at what happens to overweight people when they are in a different place or different routine. I think the genetic component is the small but significant variance in metabolism: different people of similar height/sex/activity who eat 1600 cals may end up nonetheless at different weights - which is totally unfair. But I don't buy that Americans are just "genetically" programed to eat more - again, just compare to almost every other country/cultures where average weight is statistically far lower (anecdotes about portly Brits aside).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
PP. That's an interesting theory if true. I have wondered if the need to overeat which many people seem to have is a form of addiction that changes one's hunger cues over time. Like you start overeating for whatever reason and then over time your body needs more food to feel full, like developing a tolerance to a drug.

I absolutely believe this. I have always been a normal weight but if I go on vacation, for example, where we are just eating and lots of rich and decadent foods that I would normally eat once in a while but there I'd be eating day in and day out, at first, I would get nauseated by SO MUCH FOOD. But over time, I think your body somehow adjusts and that becomes your new normal. But this is the thing that I think many overweight people don't really "get" - the same thing happens in reverse. Thus, if you are used to eating SO MUCH FOOD, but spend a few weeks or a month adjusting back down to normal portion sizes, your body/hunger cues will also adjust and you will not feel hungry. I constantly hear people accusing normal weight people of "starving themselves" and "being hungry all the time" when, in fact, you just don't need as much food to feel full in that state. I think a case can be made for this phenomenon.

Right, but it's incredibly difficult to adjust down because you get so hangry! Then you break down and eat a snickers and the cycle continues..

my life

Anonymous wrote:
PP. That's an interesting theory if true. I have wondered if the need to overeat which many people seem to have is a form of addiction that changes one's hunger cues over time. Like you start overeating for whatever reason and then over time your body needs more food to feel full, like developing a tolerance to a drug.

I absolutely believe this. I have always been a normal weight but if I go on vacation, for example, where we are just eating and lots of rich and decadent foods that I would normally eat once in a while but there I'd be eating day in and day out, at first, I would get nauseated by SO MUCH FOOD. But over time, I think your body somehow adjusts and that becomes your new normal. But this is the thing that I think many overweight people don't really "get" - the same thing happens in reverse. Thus, if you are used to eating SO MUCH FOOD, but spend a few weeks or a month adjusting back down to normal portion sizes, your body/hunger cues will also adjust and you will not feel hungry. I constantly hear people accusing normal weight people of "starving themselves" and "being hungry all the time" when, in fact, you just don't need as much food to feel full in that state. I think a case can be made for this phenomenon.

Right, but it's incredibly difficult to adjust down because you get so hangry! Then you break down and eat a snickers and the cycle continues..

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:someone posted upthread something that has been proven by the responses to this thread. the majority of women who are thin (thinner than average) into their 40's are either

a) genetically thin - very thin kids, family is thin etc
or
b) obsessed with keeping thin - restrictive diets, obsessive exercise etc

Nope this is patently not true. People outside the US are thin in their 40s and older.

Americans don't have fat genes; we just eat like pigs and don't exercise.

obviously that comment referred to American women.

I don't know why you say this. People in the UK are quite portly. I think something like 61 % are overweight and obese. And if you head out of Paris into the country, like into Normandy, you'll see quite a number of obese people.

I am the PP from way back who comes from a thin family and who gets full easily -- I see this all the time when I compare my mother and my behavior with other women. We just eat a lot less, not because we are dieting but because too much food makes us feel stuffed and nauseated. I really think there is a genetic component to this.

Hence the post. No one is denying that there are overweight people in other countries.

Everyone gets fat if they eat too much and don't exercise. There's nothing genetic about that. True, there are outliers who can't gain weight or lose weight despite what they eat but they are the exception, not the rule.

As far as the Brits - yes, any person that eats like a typical American nowadays and refuses to leave the couch will get fat.

Obviously. This post is about how people stay very thin, not how they get fat. And I think pp's point holds - very thin AMERICAN women are usually either genetically predisposed or, if not, obsessed with it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:someone posted upthread something that has been proven by the responses to this thread. the majority of women who are thin (thinner than average) into their 40's are either

a) genetically thin - very thin kids, family is thin etc
or
b) obsessed with keeping thin - restrictive diets, obsessive exercise etc

Nope this is patently not true. People outside the US are thin in their 40s and older.

Americans don't have fat genes; we just eat like pigs and don't exercise.

obviously that comment referred to American women.

I don't know why you say this. People in the UK are quite portly. I think something like 61 % are overweight and obese. And if you head out of Paris into the country, like into Normandy, you'll see quite a number of obese people.

I am the PP from way back who comes from a thin family and who gets full easily -- I see this all the time when I compare my mother and my behavior with other women. We just eat a lot less, not because we are dieting but because too much food makes us feel stuffed and nauseated. I really think there is a genetic component to this.

Hence the post. No one is denying that there are overweight people in other countries.

Everyone gets fat if they eat too much and don't exercise. There's nothing genetic about that. True, there are outliers who can't gain weight or lose weight despite what they eat but they are the exception, not the rule.

As far as the Brits - yes, any person that eats like a typical American nowadays and refuses to leave the couch will get fat.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:someone posted upthread something that has been proven by the responses to this thread. the majority of women who are thin (thinner than average) into their 40's are either

a) genetically thin - very thin kids, family is thin etc
or
b) obsessed with keeping thin - restrictive diets, obsessive exercise etc

Nope this is patently not true. People outside the US are thin in their 40s and older.

Americans don't have fat genes; we just eat like pigs and don't exercise.

obviously that comment referred to American women.

I don't know why you say this. People in the UK are quite portly. I think something like 61 % are overweight and obese. And if you head out of Paris into the country, like into Normandy, you'll see quite a number of obese people.

I am the PP from way back who comes from a thin family and who gets full easily -- I see this all the time when I compare my mother and my behavior with other women. We just eat a lot less, not because we are dieting but because too much food makes us feel stuffed and nauseated. I really think there is a genetic component to this.

Hence the post. No one is denying that there are overweight people in other countries.

PP. That's an interesting theory if true. I have wondered if the need to overeat which many people seem to have is a form of addiction that changes one's hunger cues over time. Like you start overeating for whatever reason and then over time your body needs more food to feel full, like developing a tolerance to a drug.

I absolutely believe this. I have always been a normal weight but if I go on vacation, for example, where we are just eating and lots of rich and decadent foods that I would normally eat once in a while but there I'd be eating day in and day out, at first, I would get nauseated by SO MUCH FOOD. But over time, I think your body somehow adjusts and that becomes your new normal. But this is the thing that I think many overweight people don't really "get" - the same thing happens in reverse. Thus, if you are used to eating SO MUCH FOOD, but spend a few weeks or a month adjusting back down to normal portion sizes, your body/hunger cues will also adjust and you will not feel hungry. I constantly hear people accusing normal weight people of "starving themselves" and "being hungry all the time" when, in fact, you just don't need as much food to feel full in that state. I think a case can be made for this phenomenon.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:someone posted upthread something that has been proven by the responses to this thread. the majority of women who are thin (thinner than average) into their 40's are either

a) genetically thin - very thin kids, family is thin etc
or
b) obsessed with keeping thin - restrictive diets, obsessive exercise etc

Nope this is patently not true. People outside the US are thin in their 40s and older.

Americans don't have fat genes; we just eat like pigs and don't exercise.

obviously that comment referred to American women.

I don't know why you say this. People in the UK are quite portly. I think something like 61 % are overweight and obese. And if you head out of Paris into the country, like into Normandy, you'll see quite a number of obese people.

I am the PP from way back who comes from a thin family and who gets full easily -- I see this all the time when I compare my mother and my behavior with other women. We just eat a lot less, not because we are dieting but because too much food makes us feel stuffed and nauseated. I really think there is a genetic component to this.

Hence the post. No one is denying that there are overweight people in other countries.

PP. That's an interesting theory if true. I have wondered if the need to overeat which many people seem to have is a form of addiction that changes one's hunger cues over time. Like you start overeating for whatever reason and then over time your body needs more food to feel full, like developing a tolerance to a drug.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:someone posted upthread something that has been proven by the responses to this thread. the majority of women who are thin (thinner than average) into their 40's are either

a) genetically thin - very thin kids, family is thin etc
or
b) obsessed with keeping thin - restrictive diets, obsessive exercise etc

Nope this is patently not true. People outside the US are thin in their 40s and older.

Americans don't have fat genes; we just eat like pigs and don't exercise.

obviously that comment referred to American women.

I don't know why you say this. People in the UK are quite portly. I think something like 61 % are overweight and obese. And if you head out of Paris into the country, like into Normandy, you'll see quite a number of obese people.

I am the PP from way back who comes from a thin family and who gets full easily -- I see this all the time when I compare my mother and my behavior with other women. We just eat a lot less, not because we are dieting but because too much food makes us feel stuffed and nauseated. I really think there is a genetic component to this.

Hence the post. No one is denying that there are overweight people in other countries.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:someone posted upthread something that has been proven by the responses to this thread. the majority of women who are thin (thinner than average) into their 40's are either

a) genetically thin - very thin kids, family is thin etc
or
b) obsessed with keeping thin - restrictive diets, obsessive exercise etc

Nope this is patently not true. People outside the US are thin in their 40s and older.

Americans don't have fat genes; we just eat like pigs and don't exercise.

obviously that comment referred to American women.

I don't know why you say this. People in the UK are quite portly. I think something like 61 % are overweight and obese. And if you head out of Paris into the country, like into Normandy, you'll see quite a number of obese people.

I am the PP from way back who comes from a thin family and who gets full easily -- I see this all the time when I compare my mother and my behavior with other women. We just eat a lot less, not because we are dieting but because too much food makes us feel stuffed and nauseated. I really think there is a genetic component to this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:someone posted upthread something that has been proven by the responses to this thread. the majority of women who are thin (thinner than average) into their 40's are either

a) genetically thin - very thin kids, family is thin etc
or
b) obsessed with keeping thin - restrictive diets, obsessive exercise etc

Nope this is patently not true. People outside the US are thin in their 40s and older.

Americans don't have fat genes; we just eat like pigs and don't exercise.

obviously that comment referred to American women.

Anonymous wrote:someone posted upthread something that has been proven by the responses to this thread. the majority of women who are thin (thinner than average) into their 40's are either

a) genetically thin - very thin kids, family is thin etc
or
b) obsessed with keeping thin - restrictive diets, obsessive exercise etc

Nope this is patently not true. People outside the US are thin in their 40s and older.

Americans don't have fat genes; we just eat like pigs and don't exercise.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I gain weight quickly if I indulge- I've been known to eat a jar of PB in a week...and it catches up fast, but I can usually get back on track. I have 2 kids and am fast approaching 40 so there's no magic fairy dust or incredible metabolism here. But if I keep portion sizes under control and eat whole foods close to the source (ie buy grains in bulk, limit meat and dairy consumption, and eat fresh fruits and veggies and don't consume processed foods), I don't need to count calories..I also don't drink sweetened beverages. I eat mostly at home (restaurants usually only a few times per month- ie lunch out in a pinch) and try to include grains, healthy protein and either fruit or veg at every meal. I'm pretty convinced of the whole 'abs are made in the kitchen' philosophy. Work out about 3 days per week due to being busy with work and kids. Can't do crazy intense exercise due to arthritic condition. I'm able to maintain a normal weight if I do the above and eat when hungry and finish when satisfied.

ummm a jar of PB in a week is not hard to do- signed a person who finishes a jar every couple of days

Every couple days? Like 2 days? or like 5 days?

Because that's disgusting.

I looked in my cupboard and a 160z jar of jif has 2660 calories. So if you are finishing a jar every 2 days, that's more than half the calories you're supposed to eat as an average woman.