Why do we get fat?

We just came back from an errand run. And with the thought of this thread on my mind, I paid more attention to the Joes and Janes out there, and to tell you the truth, we need no stinkin' BMI to see that people are, ah, well, too big.

Appearance aside, is there any question that there are health risks to be so big? It is funny how we take it for granted that it is normal for people to be bulging all over the place, until we go abroad and suddenly see these foreigners being so thin.

By the way, I have not seen a doctor who is overweight. In fact nearly all the ones I encountered are on the thin side. Nurses on the other hand may be a bit thinner than the overall population, but do not match doctors on the trimness.
 
Sure you do:

Calculate Your BMI - Standard BMI Calculator


I believe there are several different ideal weight calculators not sure any of them are any better than BMI. Since these just work on height/weight/sex they all appear to have the same limitations.
You assume I know my weight and height. I mean my weight fluctuates weekly so how does anybody else know. I don't mean how to calculate my BMI.
 
We just came back from an errand run. And with the thought of this thread on my mind, I paid more attention to the Joes and Janes out there, and to tell you the truth, we need no stinkin' BMI to see that people are, ah, well, too big.

Appearance aside, is there any question that there are health risks to be so big? It is funny how we take it for granted that it is normal for people to be bulging all over the place, until we go abroad and suddenly see these foreigners being so thin.

By the way, I have not seen a doctor who is overweight. In fact nearly all the ones I encountered are on the thin side. Nurses on the other hand may be a bit thinner than the overall population, but do not match doctors on the trimness.

My sister knows of an overweight doctor and he had a stroke. He is now unemployed and on wheel chair. I mean he failed as a doctor. She said he was turned down for teaching position too.
 
Appearance aside, is there any question that there are health risks to be so big?

No, health risks and longevity will both be negatively affected, especially if your carrying fat around your middle, and internally.
 
My sister knows of an overweight doctor and he had a stroke. He is now unemployed and on wheel chair. I mean he failed as a doctor. She said he was turned down for teaching position too.
Did he smoke too? :)

I suspect some doctors sneak a smoke, but have not caught one. But smoking nurses are not rare.
 
You assume I know my weight and height. I mean my weight fluctuates weekly so how does anybody else know. I don't mean how to calculate my BMI.

I hope your height doesn't fluctuate too.:)

In regards to weight we all fluctuate. Mine changes 5 or more pounds daily, that's normal, some people even more. From what I've learned, pick a time of day and weigh, just track it awhile, most folks find a pattern just pick your consistent spot.
 
Why do we make things complicated that are actually quite simple. You cannot accumulate wealth if you spend more than you make. You cannot be overweight unless you eat too much. Some things are complicated, but others really are not.
 
Why do we make things complicated that are actually quite simple. You cannot accumulate wealth if you spend more than you make. You cannot be overweight unless you eat too much. Some things are complicated, but others really are not.

People don't make it complicated... life does. There are way too many variables in both of those example that are out of an individual's control. And no amount of will power (or whatever macho thing) will change that. In fact, the harder you push against the world, the harder the world pushes back.
 
I've been in London for a week and I've yet to see an overweight person yet. I myself had to do lot of walking that I now could easily fit in my jeans, it was snugged before I left for London. Last night I went to bed without having arthritis pain. I think spend a few months overseas in a walkable city is a must for my health. Plus food and vegetables here are just too tasty. That comes from a person who grows vegetables year round. I think it must be the rain and cool weather.
 
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Breaking my own vow not to be oppressed by having conversations regarding weight loss. 199% of the time people just want to talk about weight loss. Then they go back and do what the hell they were doing anyway.

Those that do, don't talk*. Those that talk, don't do.

*and those that do but mistakenly post in threads like this need to rethink their commitment to never providing counsel again to people who talk about the same thing over and over and over for several years and yet always seem to have the same "problem".
 
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Sounds like a great excuse (blaming being fat ((or any reason you're not producing the results you want)) on "life"), but no pass is given here.

Unless physiological barriers to individual weight control exist, no external "variable" can keep one from losing weight if they want to. Almost all barriers and constraints to effectiveness are internal anyway. "Willpower" and "macho thing" (what??) have nothing to do with it. Self-discipline, self-mastery, and self-control are always inextricably intertwined with results, in one way or the other.

No effort. No results. It's that simple. Nothing in life beats taking personal responsibility. The alternative is to play victim and lose any sense of personal power over the situation.

Not what I said... or, at least, not what I meant. However, you do make my point... this issue is not simple. Life makes it complicated in that each and every person has a (somewhat) different enemy to battle. Not to mention all those hollering advice from the sidelines... advice of mostly opposing and arguable views.

In any event, I have no argument with your statement.
 
It is complicated because some (many?) of us eat to relieve stress; the overabundance of sugary products and the fact that they are addictive; the overabundance of cheap food, etc etc. It IS will power in many cases, but the will is weak when the body insists it needs to eat! I've felt urges for sweets/carbs as strong as the urge some people have for alcohol or cigarettes. I'm certainly not alone in this struggle.
 
It is complicated because some (many?) of us eat to relieve stress; the overabundance of sugary products and the fact that they are addictive; the overabundance of cheap food, etc etc. It IS will power in many cases, but the will is weak when the body insists it needs to eat! I've felt urges for sweets/carbs as strong as the urge some people have for alcohol or cigarettes. I'm certainly not alone in this struggle.
This thread is making me hungry.
 
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Breaking my own vow not to be oppressed by having conversations regarding weight loss. 199% of the time people just want to talk about weight loss. Then they go back and do what the hell they were doing anyway.

Those that do, don't talk*. Those that talk, don't do.

*and those that do but mistakenly post in threads like this need to rethink their commitment to never providing counsel again to people who talk about the same thing over and over and over for several years and yet always seem to have the same "problem".

It would be nice to think "just do it" and calling it "problem" solving ties everything into a nice little bow. In real life as we age and our bodies slow down, lots of fine tuning is needed. Someone might need to talk about 3 or 4 before deciding to tackle the problem once and for all. Weight control is not easy or one size fits all. Wow, it's not that much of an inconvenience to post a little real life experience or a helpful tip to someone who might find it useful. Even sharing the yea, it's not easy might offer a little comfort.

I "do" and I also "talk"....and I'm not into labeling people by how much they weigh. Curious why you used the word "oppressed"...
 
Simple, when you consume more calories than you expend, you gain weight.

+1, its pretty simple.

Most folks are amazed at how little a human needs to live, it looks like a starvation diet compared to eating at the buffet restaurant.

Society has a negative view of fat (maybe related to gluttony?) so I know a couple of fat folks that will eat normal portions or even less in public, like a lunch, then snack a bunch later when nobody is around.
 
What works for me should work for you. If it doesn't then you are not doing it right, or you are defective in some way.

The above seems to be the thought process of many people who give advice on healthy eating and weight control. We are all different. For me, cutting out sugar and highly processed carbs is the key. Sugary, highly processed foods, often leave me hungry only a few hours later. OTOH, a descent piece of meat with some veggies and cheese fill me up until the next meal. Same calorie count, but what a difference in how my body processes those calories. That's me. YMMV.
 
What works for me should work for you. If it doesn't then you are not doing it right, or you are defective in some way.

Sorry - not true. Metabolism can be very different between people.
For example thyroid issues can slow down your food burn.
Long diet history with lots of failure would do the same.
 
Sorry - not true. Metabolism can be very different between people.
For example thyroid issues can slow down your food burn.
Long diet history with lots of failure would do the same.

That is what Chuckanut was explaining in his text below the italicized sentence. You two are in agreement:D
 
I get tired of hearing about all the excuses and all of the miracle remedies for obesity. I think it is fairly simple.

If you eat too much, too much of the wrong foods, and your idea of exercise is going from the TV chair to the kitchen to get some potato chips or hiking from your car to your front door then your chances of being fat are fairly good. One only has to go to a buffet restaurant and watch people for a few seconds. Or get on a cruise ship and do the same at the buffet.

I have a sister and sister in law who are obese. No, they are just plain fat. It impacts their health. Back problems, knee problems, tired, borderline diabetics. They keep wondering why and talking about loosing weight. But talk is all it gets other than maybe one or two days of cutting out masses of butter on their bread. They shovel in the cake, pies, breads, pasta, french fries, etc.


If you say salad to them it means potato or macaroni salad. They are too darn lazy to make a fresh salad and if they did they would smother it with some high fat dressing to mask the taste. They buy all of the diet variants on the grocery shelf without bothering to examine the package details. And they shovel that down their throats in copious amounts. Their idea of a balanced meal is asking what is for dessert. One of them actually believes that gobbling up some of those high cost vitamins not sold in stores will actually help her burn the fat off. In reality, a truckload of that stuff won't help her loose a pound. And if it did, she would quickly regain it.

And I have another relative trying to make money sell some expensive gear to cleanse your system and make you feel and look 20 years younger. It is your basic American make it happen fast with no effort or change in lifestlyle product. I suspect her clients are eating what she sells plus what they regularly have. I think it is a scam-one that appeals to lazy people who expect instant gratification. Not going to happen without a permanent change in diet and lifestyle.

No secret to this. Don't need expensive diet plans, fads, cleansings, whatever. All most people have to do is eat a balanced diet in moderation and get a little exercise. Plus...they need to stop making excuses about why they are not or fooling themselves that they are.
 
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If your thyroid has gone haywire, it's going to be hard dealing with the weight. And a lot of people develop thyroid problems after age 50.
 
If your thyroid has gone haywire, it's going to be hard dealing with the weight. And a lot of people develop thyroid problems after age 50.

This is certainly a minority of obese people, but just the same -- if you are one of them, can you imagine what it feels like to be prejudged as a lazy, gluttonous slob and looked down upon for that reason, all because of a medical condition?

I believe our collective social attitudes about "fat" people are one of the last socially acceptable forms of prejudice.
 
Sorry - not true. Metabolism can be very different between people.
For example thyroid issues can slow down your food burn.
Long diet history with lots of failure would do the same.

Ummm..... Go back and read what I wrote after that comment.
 
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