Why is losing weight so effortless for some and so difficult for others?
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missblondi2u wrote: »DeguelloTex wrote: »
Hi, I'm DeguelloTex and I had 14 chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting over the weekend. Then we ran out.refuseresist wrote: »DeguelloTex wrote: »
Why should she have as much extra cupcake as someone much larger, though?honkytonks85 wrote: »People who are shorter and lighter have fewer calories to work with. If you are 5'3 and weigh 65kg unfortunately you need to cut calories pretty much down to 1200 calories to create a reasonable deficit and be super accurate with your logging.
Not always true. Many women workout hard to be able to eat more. This thread isn't specifically about short women, but several are peppered through the responses:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/506349/women-who-eat-more-than-1800-calories-a-day/
Yeah but it will still be harder on the petite woman to have that extra cupcake than for the 6 foot man, if both exercise the same.
I've never been a 5' woman, but I'd think that her appetite and caloric needs should be roughly proportional to the 6' man's, such that an extra cupcake would be out of proportion for her.
Lol I am a 5' woman, and my desire and capacity for cupcakes outstrips any man I have ever known.
As a 5'2" woman who loves her cupcakes, I have to chime in. If you and I were in a cupcake eating competition, I have no doubt you'd be able to smoke me. And yes, I could take a scalpel and do cupcake surgery to adjust the portion for my caloric needs. But it's just much more mentally satisfying to have 1 cupcake rather than .67 of a cupcake. And after a certain point, a portion of a treat just gets so small that it doesn't even seem worth it. If my husband and I are both really craving a treat, that 300 calorie cupcake is over 20% of my daily calories vs. less than 12% of his, so in very real terms, yes it's harder for me to decide to go get a cupcake than for him.
I'm not complaining, just explaining.
Eh, I'm not beyond splitting a cupcake with my fiance (although he usually ends up with 1.5 for all the above reasons). Sometimes I make it work in my calories, sometimes I say F* the calories I want a cupcake. I'm ok with both choices really.
LOL Yes, my husband used to be the "receptacle" for all of my half donuts, brownies, cupcakes, etc. I think that's one of the reasons he decided to join MFP
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The mental aspect is what makes it hard for some and easy for some. When I want something, I go after it with gusto and never give up. But I realize not everyone is like me. I've only tried to lose weight 1x, and I lost more than I intended. It wasn't ever hard. Yes, I stalled multiple times, but I never said, forget it and quit. I also don't have the problems that some people do, like emotional eating, stress eating, etc. I overeat and eat mindlessly on occasion, but its usually a couple days at the most. Its very easy for me to refocus. Recognize that we all have our struggles and we are all different.0
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If I want a cupcake, I'll eat one...maybe two. I also run or elliptical on a daily basis and get over 20K in steps on most days. I could probably fit a half dozen cupcakes in my diet if I wanted to.
I think we all have to find what works for us...and what our sweet spot is (pun intended) with diet and activity.
Lucky. Even with my 2200 calorie maintenance, the days I could fit a 400 calorie cupcake are few and far between, they don't fill me up at all then I end up hangry... It was easier for me to fit that stuff when I was losing though... I was less hungry.
Hunger levels DEFINITELY make a difference about how easy or hard weight loss is. And sweet tooth too... someone who loves burgers and steaks will be full after having their burgers... people who love cake, candy and cupcakes, well... nope.0 -
It became easier when I started to see it as a continuous process rather than a period of suffering to achieve some goal: a MECHANICAL process of (measuring calories in) + (measuring calories out) + TIME = eventual weight-loss.
However, it took many many years of yo yo dieting to get here. For the longest time, the primary obstacles has been a mentality of, if I have to constantly watch what I eat, ugh, what's the point of even being alive -_=
Understanding the role of the time factor was something that helped click this time around - I was so sad I couldn't have chocolate etc anymore now that I had that big lifestyle change - until I realised that I could eat anything I wanted, if I just didn't eat all of it at once, and not all the time. With that in mind, and understanding what amounts I have to work with, it's not so difficult to pass up chocolate etc most of the time. Something has happened to my head
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If I want a cupcake, I'll eat one...maybe two. I also run or elliptical on a daily basis and get over 20K in steps on most days. I could probably fit a half dozen cupcakes in my diet if I wanted to.
I think we all have to find what works for us...and what our sweet spot is (pun intended) with diet and activity.
Lucky. Even with my 2200 calorie maintenance, the days I could fit a 400 calorie cupcake are few and far between, they don't fill me up at all then I end up hangry... It was easier for me to fit that stuff when I was losing though... I was less hungry.
Hunger levels DEFINITELY make a difference about how easy or hard weight loss is. And sweet tooth too... someone who loves burgers and steaks will be full after having their burgers... people who love cake, candy and cupcakes, well... nope.
I'd say with all due respect that luck has nothing to do with it.
Luck and circumstances always have something to do with it. You can walk 20k steps most days. Some people just can't.
But you're right, it's probably not luck or bad luck that some people can be satisfied on less. Just wish I knew what it was.
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If I want a cupcake, I'll eat one...maybe two. I also run or elliptical on a daily basis and get over 20K in steps on most days. I could probably fit a half dozen cupcakes in my diet if I wanted to.
I think we all have to find what works for us...and what our sweet spot is (pun intended) with diet and activity.
Lucky. Even with my 2200 calorie maintenance, the days I could fit a 400 calorie cupcake are few and far between, they don't fill me up at all then I end up hangry... It was easier for me to fit that stuff when I was losing though... I was less hungry.
Hunger levels DEFINITELY make a difference about how easy or hard weight loss is. And sweet tooth too... someone who loves burgers and steaks will be full after having their burgers... people who love cake, candy and cupcakes, well... nope.
As a person who prefers sweets over protein, I can and have eaten a single dessert as one meal (a DQ peanut buster parfait) and was happily full for 5 hours. I don't expect or tell people they should be full on eating ice cream just because it satiates me because humans are not cookie cutters of the same mold. Some people need high fat, some need high protein, and some need high carbs to be full/satiated.
As for the whole ideology of short women can't eat cupcakes like a man can it's simply BS. I'm 5'2". 45 y/o, female and you bet your butt I will match Deguello Tex his 14 cupcakes. My height isn't going to stop me from eating a cupcake (or several cupcakes). It's irritaing to read all the crap of how "shorties" and "fun-sized" women can't eat certain foods because of height.0 -
If I want a cupcake, I'll eat one...maybe two. I also run or elliptical on a daily basis and get over 20K in steps on most days. I could probably fit a half dozen cupcakes in my diet if I wanted to.
I think we all have to find what works for us...and what our sweet spot is (pun intended) with diet and activity.
Lucky. Even with my 2200 calorie maintenance, the days I could fit a 400 calorie cupcake are few and far between, they don't fill me up at all then I end up hangry... It was easier for me to fit that stuff when I was losing though... I was less hungry.
Hunger levels DEFINITELY make a difference about how easy or hard weight loss is. And sweet tooth too... someone who loves burgers and steaks will be full after having their burgers... people who love cake, candy and cupcakes, well... nope.
As a person who prefers sweets over protein, I can and have eaten a single dessert as one meal (a DQ peanut buster parfait) and was happily full for 5 hours. I don't expect or tell people they should be full on eating ice cream just because it satiates me because humans are not cookie cutters of the same mold. Some people need high fat, some need high protein, and some need high carbs to be full/satiated.
As for the whole ideology of short women can't eat cupcakes like a man can it's simply BS. I'm 5'2". 45 y/o, female and you bet your butt I will match Deguello Tex his 14 cupcakes. My height isn't going to stop me from eating a cupcake (or several cupcakes). It's irritaing to read all the crap of how "shorties" and "fun-sized" women can't eat certain foods because of height.
Nothing stops you from eating them. But it's probably a good 20% of your TDEE... while for a tall man it will be closer to 15%. It's just math... obviously assuming the same activity level and age.
But yeah a DQ parfait could keep me full for hours some days too. And other days I can eat a huge piece of cheesecake and still be as hungry afterwards. Again, I'm just happy that started happening after I lost all the weight. Maintenance sucks but at least I did manage to lose weight. I'm guessing some are not that lucky (yes, I used the word again, because that's what it is). And for them, it *is* probably much harder to lose weight.0 -
honkytonks85 wrote: »People who are shorter and lighter have fewer calories to work with. If you are 5'3 and weigh 65kg unfortunately you need to cut calories pretty much down to 1200 calories to create a reasonable deficit and be super accurate with your logging.
That's not true, I am 5'2, 46 years old and weigh 117, can lose weight eating 1700-1800 calories on average. Maintain around 2200-2500 depending on exercise.0 -
If I were six feet tall and mostly muscle I could eat more cupcakes without having to worry about is there enough hours in the day to burn them off because absent a medical condition, my resting metabolic rate would be higher. That's all.0
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SamandaIndia wrote: »In for you the CICO numbers game matches your theoretical predicted weight loss then that indeed would be relatively easy. In my view, for many of us we can be disciplined for weeks and then plateau or gain (salt, PMS, Constipation, muscles etc) and be put off _why bother? I am failing anyway and food is my! . We didn't gain weight, most likely, without some issues around mental health and food. Thus folk can beat themselves up mentally and give up when these hurdles occur. Thus it is hard, especially close to ideal weight for many folk.lemurcat12 wrote: »Like I said, I wonder if part of this comes down to a different understanding of the term hard. I made fitness into a hobby, but because I enjoy the hobby I don't see the time spent on it as hard. In fact, what helped was changing my mind set so the things I needed to do seemed fun or appealing in some other way, not burdensome.The mental aspect is what makes it hard for some and easy for some. When I want something, I go after it with gusto and never give up. But I realize not everyone is like me. I've only tried to lose weight 1x, and I lost more than I intended. It wasn't ever hard. Yes, I stalled multiple times, but I never said, forget it and quit. I also don't have the problems that some people do, like emotional eating, stress eating, etc. I overeat and eat mindlessly on occasion, but its usually a couple days at the most. Its very easy for me to refocus. Recognize that we all have our struggles and we are all different.
I am getting a clearer understanding of why I think this is so easy and why others may find it difficult. I love tables and plans and getting all the little details to line up. Dieting and calories and meal planning and food shopping became a game, a hobby, something fun and interesting, and very rewarding, for me. CICO is such a simple principle and I believe in maths
I have never had emotional - body image - eating issues (but that is all you ever hear about, so I reckoned that was why I couldn't stop eating. I guess I didn't question that until a month ago.). For someone who does base their self-worth on what they eat or don't eat, "just do it" will be somewhat useless advice.
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i'm both, when i'm mentally ready to lose weight i can get rid of it really easily...but i feel like if i'm not deliberate with my food choices i can gain weight so easily.0
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If I want a cupcake, I'll eat one...maybe two. I also run or elliptical on a daily basis and get over 20K in steps on most days. I could probably fit a half dozen cupcakes in my diet if I wanted to.
I think we all have to find what works for us...and what our sweet spot is (pun intended) with diet and activity.
Lucky. Even with my 2200 calorie maintenance, the days I could fit a 400 calorie cupcake are few and far between, they don't fill me up at all then I end up hangry... It was easier for me to fit that stuff when I was losing though... I was less hungry.
Hunger levels DEFINITELY make a difference about how easy or hard weight loss is. And sweet tooth too... someone who loves burgers and steaks will be full after having their burgers... people who love cake, candy and cupcakes, well... nope.
I'd say with all due respect that luck has nothing to do with it.
Luck and circumstances always have something to do with it. You can walk 20k steps most days. Some people just can't.
But you're right, it's probably not luck or bad luck that some people can be satisfied on less. Just wish I knew what it was.
It's still not luck. I didn't wake up one morning and be able to run 13 miles or logging 20K+ per day. It wasn't luck and wishes coming true. But I'm gonna bow out of this and no longer participate in derailing this nice lady's thread.
But you are lucky to be in a position where you CAN. Ask a single mother of little kids if she has time to run 13 miles and logging 20K+ per day. My guess is that the answer is no.
I'm not saying that you didn't work hard to get there, heck I couldn't run 13 miles a day. What I'm saying is that people circumstances DO matter. Like that person above who talked about how her mom just was not in a situation where she could do it. That's what I'm talking about.
And yeah, some people need more food to be satisfied. And there again, maybe luck isn't the best word for it, but it will be harder for those people to lose... I'm sure there are long distance runners who are overweight because they get so much hungrier from their workouts too...0 -
If I want a cupcake, I'll eat one...maybe two. I also run or elliptical on a daily basis and get over 20K in steps on most days. I could probably fit a half dozen cupcakes in my diet if I wanted to.
I think we all have to find what works for us...and what our sweet spot is (pun intended) with diet and activity.
Lucky. Even with my 2200 calorie maintenance, the days I could fit a 400 calorie cupcake are few and far between, they don't fill me up at all then I end up hangry... It was easier for me to fit that stuff when I was losing though... I was less hungry.
Hunger levels DEFINITELY make a difference about how easy or hard weight loss is. And sweet tooth too... someone who loves burgers and steaks will be full after having their burgers... people who love cake, candy and cupcakes, well... nope.
I'd say with all due respect that luck has nothing to do with it.
Luck and circumstances always have something to do with it. You can walk 20k steps most days. Some people just can't.
But you're right, it's probably not luck or bad luck that some people can be satisfied on less. Just wish I knew what it was.
It's still not luck. I didn't wake up one morning and be able to run 13 miles or logging 20K+ per day. It wasn't luck and wishes coming true. But I'm gonna bow out of this and no longer participate in derailing this nice lady's thread.
But you are lucky to be in a position where you CAN. Ask a single mother of little kids if she has time to run 13 miles and logging 20K+ per day. My guess is that the answer is no.
I'm not saying that you didn't work hard to get there, heck I couldn't run 13 miles a day. What I'm saying is that people circumstances DO matter. Like that person above who talked about how her mom just was not in a situation where she could do it. That's what I'm talking about.
And yeah, some people need more food to be satisfied. And there again, maybe luck isn't the best word for it, but it will be harder for those people to lose... I'm sure there are long distance runners who are overweight because they get so much hungrier from their workouts too...
Sorry to butt in or maybe this isn't what you're talking about
- but I don't have the lungs to run 200 meters, and still I lost 45 pounds. 0 -
If I want a cupcake, I'll eat one...maybe two. I also run or elliptical on a daily basis and get over 20K in steps on most days. I could probably fit a half dozen cupcakes in my diet if I wanted to.
I think we all have to find what works for us...and what our sweet spot is (pun intended) with diet and activity.
Lucky. Even with my 2200 calorie maintenance, the days I could fit a 400 calorie cupcake are few and far between, they don't fill me up at all then I end up hangry... It was easier for me to fit that stuff when I was losing though... I was less hungry.
Hunger levels DEFINITELY make a difference about how easy or hard weight loss is. And sweet tooth too... someone who loves burgers and steaks will be full after having their burgers... people who love cake, candy and cupcakes, well... nope.
It's irritaing to read all the crap of how "shorties" and "fun-sized" women can't eat certain foods because of height.
I agree, the blanket statements that because someone is petite, they are doomed to a lifetime of losing weight at 1200 cals and maintaining at low levels as well, drives me crazy. I'm 5'2, 40 years old, and my TDEE according to my FitBit is ~2200. I lost weight netting 1600 cals. I have an office job. I don't run marathons or lift extremely heavy things. I walk around 14,000 steps/day and lift dumbbells a couple times a week.
So as not to derail the OP - I too think that the process of weight loss is simple, may not be "easy". It is just math. And not even particularly hard math either. Figure out how many calories you burn. Eat less calories than that. Exercise if you enjoy it. Have reasonable expectations. Know that much of this is about estimation. Be patient.
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WinoGelato wrote: »If I want a cupcake, I'll eat one...maybe two. I also run or elliptical on a daily basis and get over 20K in steps on most days. I could probably fit a half dozen cupcakes in my diet if I wanted to.
I think we all have to find what works for us...and what our sweet spot is (pun intended) with diet and activity.
Lucky. Even with my 2200 calorie maintenance, the days I could fit a 400 calorie cupcake are few and far between, they don't fill me up at all then I end up hangry... It was easier for me to fit that stuff when I was losing though... I was less hungry.
Hunger levels DEFINITELY make a difference about how easy or hard weight loss is. And sweet tooth too... someone who loves burgers and steaks will be full after having their burgers... people who love cake, candy and cupcakes, well... nope.
It's irritaing to read all the crap of how "shorties" and "fun-sized" women can't eat certain foods because of height.
I agree, the blanket statements that because someone is petite, they are doomed to a lifetime of losing weight at 1200 cals and maintaining at low levels as well, drives me crazy. I'm 5'2, 40 years old, and my TDEE according to my FitBit is ~2200. I lost weight netting 1600 cals. I have an office job. I don't run marathons or lift extremely heavy things. I walk around 14,000 steps/day and lift dumbbells a couple times a week.
So as not to derail the OP - I too think that the process of weight loss is simple, may not be "easy". It is just math. And not even particularly hard math either. Figure out how many calories you burn. Eat less calories than that. Exercise if you enjoy it. Have reasonable expectations. Know that much of this is about estimation. Be patient.
But you have to workout more than someone taller to be able to eat so much... and everyone can't do that.
I guess I must be confused. I thought this thread was about why it's easier for some people than others to lose weight. I'm not really talking rocket science here.
- it will be harder for people who get hungry faster than for people who are full on 1200 calories (guessing that's hormone related)
- it will be harder for people who have medical issues that affect their appetite or metabolism
- it will be harder for people with a lower metabolism because a cupcake is still going to be 400 calories whether your sedentary maintenance is 1400 or 2300 calories
- it will be harder for people who have a busy lifestyle and less time to exercise (YES, it's 100% diet, but when you have time to exercise, it's much easier to fit in that 400 calories cupcake than when you don't... I think we've pretty much established that)
Then obviously there's all the mental stuff that has been mentioned before. Does it mostly come down to willpower? Definitely. But I don't think you can deny that some people will have to work more for it than others... sometimes more than they're willing to do (like kudos to the 13 miles runners because I'd rather be chubby than do that, for example).
Ok I hope my posts make more sense now.0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »If I want a cupcake, I'll eat one...maybe two. I also run or elliptical on a daily basis and get over 20K in steps on most days. I could probably fit a half dozen cupcakes in my diet if I wanted to.
I think we all have to find what works for us...and what our sweet spot is (pun intended) with diet and activity.
Lucky. Even with my 2200 calorie maintenance, the days I could fit a 400 calorie cupcake are few and far between, they don't fill me up at all then I end up hangry... It was easier for me to fit that stuff when I was losing though... I was less hungry.
Hunger levels DEFINITELY make a difference about how easy or hard weight loss is. And sweet tooth too... someone who loves burgers and steaks will be full after having their burgers... people who love cake, candy and cupcakes, well... nope.
It's irritaing to read all the crap of how "shorties" and "fun-sized" women can't eat certain foods because of height.
I agree, the blanket statements that because someone is petite, they are doomed to a lifetime of losing weight at 1200 cals and maintaining at low levels as well, drives me crazy. I'm 5'2, 40 years old, and my TDEE according to my FitBit is ~2200. I lost weight netting 1600 cals. I have an office job. I don't run marathons or lift extremely heavy things. I walk around 14,000 steps/day and lift dumbbells a couple times a week.
So as not to derail the OP - I too think that the process of weight loss is simple, may not be "easy". It is just math. And not even particularly hard math either. Figure out how many calories you burn. Eat less calories than that. Exercise if you enjoy it. Have reasonable expectations. Know that much of this is about estimation. Be patient.
But you have to workout more than someone taller to be able to eat so much... and everyone can't do that.
I guess I must be confused. I thought this thread was about why it's easier for some people than others to lose weight. I'm not really talking rocket science here.
- it will be harder for people who get hungry faster than for people who are full on 1200 calories (guessing that's hormone related)
- it will be harder for people who have medical issues that affect their appetite or metabolism
- it will be harder for people with a lower metabolism because a cupcake is still going to be 400 calories whether your sedentary maintenance is 1400 or 2300 calories
- it will be harder for people who have a busy lifestyle and less time to exercise (YES, it's 100% diet, but when you have time to exercise, it's much easier to fit in that 400 calories cupcake than when you don't... I think we've pretty much established that)
Then obviously there's all the mental stuff that has been mentioned before. Does it mostly come down to willpower? Definitely. But I don't think you can deny that some people will have to work more for it than others... sometimes more than they're willing to do (like kudos to the 13 miles runners because I'd rather be chubby than do that, for example).
Ok I hope my posts make more sense now.
I guess I was more after the mental aspect, not the physical aspect, of difficulties losing weight. Why some people seem to make things more difficult for themselves - not logging properly, not believing that water weight fluctuations are normal, looking for diet pills and the latest fad, not realising that calories is math, that it's more about (in my opinion) about skillpower than willpower, all the fuddling we do when we can't see the whole picture because the details are in the way.0 -
kommodevaran wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »If I want a cupcake, I'll eat one...maybe two. I also run or elliptical on a daily basis and get over 20K in steps on most days. I could probably fit a half dozen cupcakes in my diet if I wanted to.
I think we all have to find what works for us...and what our sweet spot is (pun intended) with diet and activity.
Lucky. Even with my 2200 calorie maintenance, the days I could fit a 400 calorie cupcake are few and far between, they don't fill me up at all then I end up hangry... It was easier for me to fit that stuff when I was losing though... I was less hungry.
Hunger levels DEFINITELY make a difference about how easy or hard weight loss is. And sweet tooth too... someone who loves burgers and steaks will be full after having their burgers... people who love cake, candy and cupcakes, well... nope.
It's irritaing to read all the crap of how "shorties" and "fun-sized" women can't eat certain foods because of height.
I agree, the blanket statements that because someone is petite, they are doomed to a lifetime of losing weight at 1200 cals and maintaining at low levels as well, drives me crazy. I'm 5'2, 40 years old, and my TDEE according to my FitBit is ~2200. I lost weight netting 1600 cals. I have an office job. I don't run marathons or lift extremely heavy things. I walk around 14,000 steps/day and lift dumbbells a couple times a week.
So as not to derail the OP - I too think that the process of weight loss is simple, may not be "easy". It is just math. And not even particularly hard math either. Figure out how many calories you burn. Eat less calories than that. Exercise if you enjoy it. Have reasonable expectations. Know that much of this is about estimation. Be patient.
But you have to workout more than someone taller to be able to eat so much... and everyone can't do that.
I guess I must be confused. I thought this thread was about why it's easier for some people than others to lose weight. I'm not really talking rocket science here.
- it will be harder for people who get hungry faster than for people who are full on 1200 calories (guessing that's hormone related)
- it will be harder for people who have medical issues that affect their appetite or metabolism
- it will be harder for people with a lower metabolism because a cupcake is still going to be 400 calories whether your sedentary maintenance is 1400 or 2300 calories
- it will be harder for people who have a busy lifestyle and less time to exercise (YES, it's 100% diet, but when you have time to exercise, it's much easier to fit in that 400 calories cupcake than when you don't... I think we've pretty much established that)
Then obviously there's all the mental stuff that has been mentioned before. Does it mostly come down to willpower? Definitely. But I don't think you can deny that some people will have to work more for it than others... sometimes more than they're willing to do (like kudos to the 13 miles runners because I'd rather be chubby than do that, for example).
Ok I hope my posts make more sense now.
I guess I was more after the mental aspect, not the physical aspect, of difficulties losing weight. Why some people seem to make things more difficult for themselves - not logging properly, not believing that water weight fluctuations are normal, looking for diet pills and the latest fad, not realising that calories is math, that it's more about (in my opinion) about skillpower than willpower, all the fuddling we do when we can't see the whole picture because the details are in the way.
Ok then yeah ignore my posts, lol.0
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