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Why do so many fat people say they can't lose weight?

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The problems are many. For one, the laziness of a lot of individuals. 🙂

Genetics *do* play a role; however, they play more of a role in where and how body fat is stored than determining how "easy" or "hard" it is to lose it once you gain it.

I'd say the biggest problem is the "fad" diets and the gimmicks out there. Not to mention the laughable misinformation coming from the government. The high-carb, low-fat diets promoted heavily today are actually making people fatter and more prone to diabetes and other serious health risks.

I've went from an all-time high of 274lbs. about 2 years ago down to 180lbs. now. I haven't starved myself, I'm not going keto-crazy on Atkins, and I'm not spending hours in the gym or anything like that. I watch my diet as best I can (I do cheat, of course 😀) and lift weights twice a week (more or less a full-body workout). I don't spend hundreds of dollars on gimmick supplements or magic potions to gain muscle. All it requires is some time, motivation, and honest-to-goodness willpower. If you don't want a lifestyle change (thinking of it as a "diet" is a mistake as well) then you are wasting your time. Only you can make positive changes and they've got to be because you want them -- not to impress the hot blonde you've been courting or because your gal pal mentions your love handles in an unfavorable light 🙂
 
Originally posted by: AmusedOne
Originally posted by: MrsSkoorb
Skoorb, don't you remember the show we saw on TLC about this? They proved beyond fact (and the study was peer reviewed and published in a medical journal) that obese people CAN lose weight, no matter what, and keep the body at a reasonable weight once the weight has been lost.
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I watched that TLC show, and came away with a completely different viewpoint than you did.

They said people can lose the weight, but that the majority of diets are actually counter productive in that the body reacts to the diet as it does to starvation... this is why the vast majority of dieters gain back ALL the weight, plus additional weight. In fact, the typical dieter who loses the weight, the gains it back, then loses it again, and gains it back will weight 50% more in the end than when they started.

It appears the body is geared to gain weight much more easily than it is to lose weight. The starvation mode our body falls into seems to be a throwback to the days when our meals were irregular and rare.

They also said that once the weight is gained, it does not require significantly more calories per day to maintain that weight. And that once the weight is lost, it does not require significantly more calories to gain it back, as the body has changed to starvation mode and stores the calories on a mass scale.

In other words, they were making the point that once you've gained the weight, you're pretty much screwed unless you have massive will power and can stand what your body does to you as it goes through what is essentially a constant starvation cycle with your brain screaming at you to eat, and your body storing every calorie it can find.

It made me feel really bad for people who have to go through this.

[edit]It made me think about what the future holds. We are destined to me less active in the future if past trends hold out. What is needed is a way to turn off the starvation reaction our body has. It is this that makes diets fail. I know of very few people who could stand what the body does to them when it thinks it is starving.
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I saw that show as well. I was referring to another however....

 
Ever hear of genetics? It's the same reason why skinny people like me have a hard time gaining weight. I only weigh 150 - 155 at 6'1", and it took a diet of 4500 calories for a few months just to get to there. I was like 140 before. I worked at McDonalds for a few months too and had a double quarter or double mcextra every day I worked there and never gained an ounce.
 
Genes have a lot to do with it. Alot of other contributing factors too. I am 5'11 and weigh 215. Before I started taking Zyprexa I only weighed 165. I went from 165 to 215 in less than SIX MONTHS. Ever since I got off of Zyprexa I have been trying to get back below 200. I wear 36 in the waist and large shirts. For me it was a lot easier to gain than to lose. Now I am down to like 205. The thing that has done it for me has been exercise and eating reasonable meals at reasonable times. I didn't gain weight because of a lack of activity or overeating. Zyprexa makes you gain a crapload of 6eight. So now I have to eat a lot less or exercise a lot more because it is harder to lose than gain. I am taking action to lose the weight I gained due to Zyprex. It isn't easy because I exercised and ate right before. Now I have to double my efforts. Damn doctors and their medicine.

That is just my opinion on it. I could be totally wrong. I do think my case differs from people who eat a jar of mayo and three dozen eggs for every meal. That kind of stuff is dangerous.
 

Instead of putting in an ounce of self-control she is simply waiting around for somebody to find something that allows her to have mcdonalds every night and cheesecake before bed and still lose weight.
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I'm waiting for that too 😀

I'm just too damn lazy to start trying to lose weight even tho I know I really should. Where the hell can I find the motivation to do so?
 
In other words, they were making the point that once you've gained the weight, you're pretty much screwed unless you have massive will power and can stand what your body does to you as it goes through what is essentially a constant starvation cycle with your brain screaming at you to eat, and your body storing every calorie it can find.
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Welcome to my world. I was borderline anorexic when I was younger because I had such a fear of gaining the weight back, so I just never ate and rode my bike constantly.

You know what motivates me to keep it the weight off?

Revenge. Living well and looking good while you are doing it is the sweetest form of revenge that I know. LOL, I am fit and healthy to spite the world! 😀
 
Originally posted by: Isla
In other words, they were making the point that once you've gained the weight, you're pretty much screwed unless you have massive will power and can stand what your body does to you as it goes through what is essentially a constant starvation cycle with your brain screaming at you to eat, and your body storing every calorie it can find.
Click to expand...

Welcome to my world. I was borderline anorexic when I was younger because I had such a fear of gaining the weight back, so I just never ate and rode my bike constantly.

You know what motivates me to keep it the weight off?

Revenge. Living well and looking good while you are doing it is the sweetest form of revenge that I know. LOL, I am fit and healthy to spite the world! 😀
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A lot of people make the mistake of straving themselves when they diet, I've found that varying your calorie
intake fools the body and gets you out of that "starvation mode" I try to stay fit because I feel better and
because it pisses certain people I know off 🙂
 
What it really comes down to is knowledge and willpower. First you have to know what you need to do to loose the weight, and then you have to have the willpower to follow it through. I'm 26 and I've been overweight all my life. For the past 8-10 years I've averaged about 70lbs. overweight (6'3", 285 usually). About a year ago I got all the way up to 307, which prompted a change in diet to healthier eating but in the same quanities.

Anyway, 3 months ago, still hovering around 296, I decided that I had to choose to give up and be fat for the rest of my life or get into shape. Basically I told myself that there was no future decision. That moment was the only time I could make this decision and either way I choose I would stick to it, otherwise I'd drive myself crazy. I went out and got a personal trainer (yes, I know we all can't afford that) and I've lost 36 pounds during that time (in a healthy manner). Besides one trip out of state during that time period I haven't cheated or missed a single workout and I usually put in one extra cardio session per week.

The program I'm on is:

Eat 4-6 times per day. You must eat every 3-4 hours in smaller ammounts to keep your body from going into starvation mode.
Balanced Carbs and Proteins with low fat and very little simple sugars.
Cardio a minimum of 5 times a week (I usually do 6) for 40:00 each.
Weight lifting 3 times a week for 30:00 each.

If I had known it was this easy years ago I would've started working out regularly years ago. Part of the problem was that I had convinced myself that I couldn't loose weight. When I was in High School I was stuck at 265 for a couple of years even when I was doing soccer and basketball for those two years.

I think that's the major hurdle, people have just convinced themselves that no matter what they do they'll be fat. They look around and see thin people all over (well, fewer and fewer lately 🙂 eating the same things they eat and not gaining weight. You don't see that that person spends 5+ hours a week in a gym working it all off.
 
BTW, if I see your ass at the gym walking and reading a freaking book on the last available treadmill I'm going to take that book and shove it so far up that workout outfit your unborn children will be learning to read. If you're not sweating, you're not freaking working out damnit!
 
Why do so many fat people say they can't lose weight
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There are a few reasons, depending upon the individual, but largely it is due to ignorance or misunderstanding of weight loss issues and nutrition. Don't be fooled, some of this ignorance is willful and deliberate. Of all the significantly overweight people I've ever known, I would say that a full half cannot lose weight because they love the life-style of a fat person, but they hate the body that goes along with it. They don't hate the body more than they love the life-style so their motivation to change is low. Its called complacency and laziness.

I've seen the reverse many times, thin people wishing they had a more muscular physique. But will they get into the gym and start lifting weights? At least thin people are usually more honest about why they don't go to the gym...its hard work and they have an aversion to lifting all those heavy weights. We've all heard a stand-up comedian or three talk about this and use it in their act. I think it was Bill Marr who once said to Arnold Schwarzenegger "If it weren't for my aversion to all those years of lifting heavy weights, I'd look like you, too." At least he's honest and doesn't try to blame it on his genetics.
It appears the body is geared to gain weight much more easily than it is to lose weight. The starvation mode our body falls into seems to be a throwback to the days when our meals were irregular and rare.
Click to expand...
What you are essentially saying is that its 'hard' to lose weight while its comparatively 'easy' to gain it. We don't need a multi-million dollar study to know this. Sitting in front of the TV and eating a bag of chips isn't exactly Olympic level training.

Of course its 'easy' to gain weight and 'difficult' to lose weight! If you allow yourself to get overweight, its a tough road back and NOBODY is spared from this reality no matter their genetics.
 
Originally posted by: pyonir
Originally posted by: justint
Would you all consider 5 10 195 as fat?
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WOW! do you crash through walls and hear kids yell, "Hey! Kool-aid!!"?


😀
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

i dunno why but i thought that was the funniest thing ever...
 
as they lack the self discipline to do it.

Takes time and a lot of effort to do it. A whole lifestyle change. Genetics help.

The way you have been brought up IMHO dictate a lot of what your going to turn out like. If your parents feed you lots of junk and greasy food and no fruit or water then you ARE very likely going to be eating the same when you are older. And the cycle continues on and on. My parents eat lots of good food and no junk food. As a result I've been brought up to eat good food. We never have burgers, chips and other foods like that at home EVER. We eat rice and more rice with other dishes. My parents don't chocolate and I don't eat it. My parents love fruit and veg and so do I. My parents don't drink I don't drink beer.

My dad is built like a tank all muscley and has little fat. I am muscley but a lot taller then him.

SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS.

You do that you'll lose weight.
 
why are there so many fat people in the us ?

Because if you come here, you see that the majority of people almost *never* moves their a$$es.

You go to a freakin' drive-thru getting your burgers, you go to a freakin' drive-thru to get your money to the ATM.

I know so many people which's only exercise is to get out of the house towards the car (like 10 ft)..drive to work where they sit at their butts for 9 hours, then drive home....or pople for whom it's is the only exercise they get like once every two weeks going to the grocery store and pushing a cart.

In my opinion the known causes are more or less clear....its only exercise and good nutrition. Period. Its no rocket science. The amazing thing is that many people can get thoese EASY things together.

I (however) have to counter with an argument: I have exactly the opposite problem..i am too thin and i'd gain some more 🙂

Problem is only i can eat (and i eeat), and eat, and eat...and i hardly gain anything....so it might be kinda understandable that it is a problem losing a lot of weight, its not that easy to gain either 🙂

Anyway..instead of looking for the 'miracle cure' those people just need to have some common sense and take a look at their eating habbits and (in conjunction) how often they actually move their b*tt around....and..btw...all the celebrities, the good looking and thin ones...MANY (if not not most) of them actually DO something, working out to keep in shape etc.....there will be no result just from 'wishes'...actually people have to DO something for the results to happen.

my 0.2$


 
Originally posted by: tcsenter
Why do so many fat people say they can't lose weight
Click to expand...
There are a few reasons, depending upon the individual, but largely it is due to ignorance or misunderstanding of weight loss issues and nutrition. Don't be fooled, some of this ignorance is willful and deliberate. Of all the significantly overweight people I've ever known, I would say that a full half cannot lose weight because they love the life-style of a fat person, but they hate the body that goes along with it. They don't hate the body more than they love the life-style so their motivation to change is low. Its called complacency and laziness.

I've seen the reverse many times, thin people wishing they had a more muscular physique. But will they get into the gym and start lifting weights? At least thin people are usually more honest about why they don't go to the gym...its hard work and they have an aversion to lifting all those heavy weights. We've all heard a stand-up comedian or three talk about this and use it in their act. I think it was Bill Marr who once said to Arnold Schwarzenegger "If it weren't for my aversion to all those years of lifting heavy weights, I'd look like you, too." At least he's honest and doesn't try to blame it on his genetics.
It appears the body is geared to gain weight much more easily than it is to lose weight. The starvation mode our body falls into seems to be a throwback to the days when our meals were irregular and rare.
Click to expand...
What you are essentially saying is that its 'hard' to lose weight while its comparatively 'easy' to gain it. We don't need a multi-million dollar study to know this. Sitting in front of the TV and eating a bag of chips isn't exactly Olympic level training.

Of course its 'easy' to gain weight and 'difficult' to lose weight! If you allow yourself to get overweight, its a tough road back and NOBODY is spared from this reality no matter their genetics.
Click to expand...


Like I already posted in this thread, I say it is genetics for some people (like me, 150, 6'1") cause for several months I lifted weights 3-5 times a week, and while I did get stronger, (not strong, just stronger), I only gained about 5-10 pounds while on a 4500 cal diet. During the school year I didn't go to the gym as much nor did I continue that 4500 diet cause it was making me sick, literally, and I lost all the weight I gained.
 
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Lots and lots of fat people say they can't lose weight and yet damn near every fricking one of them HAS lost weight from a diet before which proves the fact that they are capable of losing weight. They quickly regain it but this doesn't change the fact that their body is physiologically capable of weight loss does it? So, if they simply took that diet and followed it through and maintained it long term with excercise and cut back calories there is no reason on God's green earth that their body would suddenly start to pile on weight again is there?

No, sir there ain't!
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I am not going to comment on all fat people, but here is my experience.
I am big boned to begin with (size 8.25 head, with proportional body) , and fat on top of it.
One month ago, I went to gap, and I saw some size 42 shorts on sale for $9.99 that are regularly $25. I was really happy about that, so I bought some, even though I was size 40. But when I got home, I was kinda sad about it, because that's like the end of the line for me. After that it's big and tall stores. I was 273 lbs 6 ft tall then.
So I bought a scale and started going to the gym and running on that precor machine for 35 minutes a day. That was good, but after a week, I only lost like 2 lbs, and I was pissed big time.
So then I went out, bought a bike, and started biking to work. Then I cleaned up my fridge, and just kept chicken breast, turkey, veggies and juices. Now I just eat a little pasta or rice with turkey or veggies, salads, and never add oil or fat to anything. Sometimes I treat myself to some Sorbet or yogurt or whatever.
So now I bike to work and back twice everyday (20 miles total), I cook for myself (thank you George Foreman 😀) and I go to the gym every day for 35 mins on that eliptical precor thingy. First I would burn like 500 calories in 35 mins. Now that I've been doing it for 1 month, I get the revs up and do 800 calories in the same time. I bike everywhere, and I drive once or twice a week to the store or long distance.
Bottom line I am losing something like half a pound/day on average. So I went from 273 to 255 in 1 month. My goal is to get to 200. I want to build up some muscle mass as I lose the fat.
Most important thing is to not give up if you miss some workout or go out with friends and eat too much. Just make it up later by working out more, or going hiking, or biking somewhere.
It's kinda like work, if you have to miss work one day, you don't quit your job.
 
Of course it's genetic for some people. What I find amazing is the fact that the vast majority of people on AT seem to fall into that "I'm fat because it's genetic" category...or some other excuse.
 
Like I already posted in this thread, I say it is genetics for some people (like me, 150, 6'1") cause for several months I lifted weights 3-5 times a week, and while I did get stronger, (not strong, just stronger), I only gained about 5-10 pounds while on a 4500 cal diet. During the school year I didn't go to the gym as much nor did I continue that 4500 diet cause it was making me sick, literally, and I lost all the weight I gained.
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And you're what...19? I was universally referred to as the 'human garbage disposal' by all my friends, family, and co-workers, because I would finish everyone's left-overs after having a second helping of my own. I basically ate several meals through-out the day and never gained any weight. I was accustomed to hearing the question "Where do you put it all?"

Around the age of 24, that all changed. I started to notice a little weight gain and 6 years later I weigh 35lbs more than I did when I was 23...and its all fat. I've probably lost 5lbs of lean muscle mass since then so I've actually put on about 40lbs of fat. They all told me it would happen, and I would just say 'Ok whatever', but sure enough they were right.
 
Originally posted by: Gooberlx2
BMI: 22.3

God I love HowStuffWorks

here's some Info just for the hell of it.
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Awesome link. Just looked it up. I use 4700 calories a day, and eat about 2000 calories. So no wonder I am losing weight. 😀
 
As someone with a medical background I have the perfect solution 🙂 Sex lots of it I read somewhere it burns lots of calories 🙂
 
You guys that are posting BMIs of less then 20 are probably going to drop dead soon. I'm 6'5" tall, weigh 180 and my BMI is 21.3.

Russ, NCNE
 
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