'you're fat therefore you were eating too much food'... NO

sweetchildomine

astrovivi

I ate less when I was big than I do now. I just ate different, more calorific food.

it's not the volume of food that makes you fat, it's the calories in vs calories out.

if you used to eat a very calorie dense diet, you probably ate a lot more calories than now.

simple logic.


so yes, you are wrong.

babyluthi

So you're saying you ate less food but you still ate more calories? Didn't you just contradict your whole post? :grumble:

Translation.

A cheese loaded piece of pizza vs a plate of steamed cabbage.
(less food - more calories) vs (more food - less calories)

Sky_09

You sound like the people on "Secret Eaters"

babyluthi

stop making excuses for other people. pretty much everyone who is fat ate too much, didn't move enough. end of story.

Ate too much food or ate too any calories?
There can be a difference.

babyluthi

Her point seems to be "you can eat a small volume of food and still get fat, or you can eat a huge volume of food and get thin."

The problem is that's kind of a meaningless thing to say in terms of people saying "you're fat because you eat too much." No one is talking about the overall volume you eat, period. They mean that, whatever you're eating, you're eating too much of it.

If you eat less, you lose weight. Hence the "eat less move more" common sense diet plan. Consume fewer calories (and in many minds this means less fat, or whatever).

That's it, end of story. Yes, some foods have more calories per gram. However, "you're fat because you eat too much" is simply true.

The uneducated people that are most likely to abuse and throw slurs at overweight people are highly unlikely to be educated to know calories in vs calories out. They usually mean quantity not quality. It is abject ignorance and it is out there..

babydiego87

To the OP, I know EXACTLY WHAT YOU MEAN! I could go out with friends and we could order the exact same thing and I would eat less of what was on my plate than they did, but I'm still larger than they are. I can honestly say that I dieted my way to this weight - high carb, low fat; low carb, low fat, all veggie; high protein, NO carb - I really do believe I starved myself to the point I am now.

astrovivi

stop making excuses for other people. pretty much everyone who is fat ate too much, didn't move enough. end of story.

Ate too much food or ate too any calories?
There can be a difference.

no, too much food implies too many calories because the food is deemed "too much".

You can eat a large volume of food that is lower in calories, staying within your (eg) maintenance calorie limits. This is a large volume of food but is not TOO MUCH food.

It becomes too much only when your calories exceed what you require.

Geez people, simple arithmetic.

pcastagner

So you're saying you ate less food but you still ate more calories? Didn't you just contradict your whole post? :grumble:

Translation.

A cheese loaded piece of pizza vs a plate of steamed cabbage.
(less food - more calories) vs (more food - less calories)

Umm, that's the thing. If you know what you are talking about, you know that a tablespoon of oil is a lot of food. The whole point of MFP is teaching you EXACTLY THAT.

That's why this post is so silly.


Although maybe in my case I got fat because I don't drink enough water? Because in all cases, if two people disagree, the opinions must be of equally valid right? Or is that false equivalence?

smantha32

Of course if you get into the habit of eating large volumes of food just because it's under the calories you need, that doesn't really do much to teach you portion control and weight maintenance.

whierd

This thread should probably die now.

sweetchildomine

You sound like the people on "Secret Eaters"

I LOVE THAT SHOW!

Calliope610

I, too, think the OP implied VOLUME - eating a large amount of 'food' does not necessarily automatically equal large amount of calories.

You can eat smaller VOLUME, and still consume a TON of calories. Milkshakes, an easy way to get in over 1000 calories in a glass - vs drinking water - same VOLUME - guaranteed if you have 3 milkshakes a day vs 3 large glasses of water, you're bound to gain weight, and that's just ONE example. Add in mayo laden, cheese laden, butter laden anything, and you've got calorie dense foods that pack on the pounds, with small volume.

Anyhow - we could use a thousand examples here, I get what the OP was implying, and agree 100%. I've eaten both ways, calorie dense, and non calorie dense, same amount of food by volume, and lost weight one way, gained it the other. Pretty simple if you ask me.

I think you missed my point. Yes, OP is talking about volume of food versus calorie density. My point is, just like with the lb of fat vs lb of muscle debate, when people tell her that she is fat because she ate too much, the volume of food is implied.

No.

When people say she ate too much food, they're talking about any particular food. They're saying that, whatever type of food she eats, she eats too much of it.

I'm not sure I agree with this - my personal experience is that if people generalize the 'too much food' rule, they just think people that are overweight, eat tons of junk food all the time. this is not necessarily true. Two people who eat exactly the same, workout the same, and are otherwise burning the same number of calories, you could tip the balance by simply adding in one large milkshake per day to one of their diets. Over time, they could gain 50 lbs, and be 50 lbs heavier. Yet put those 2 side by side, and the immediate assumption by the general public, is that one pigs out on junk food all day. People, who are NOT on this site, not aware of calories in vs. out, can easily jump to the conclusion that someone sits and eats multiple cheeseburgers, fries and shakes at every meal, just because they are 50 lbs overweight. I get what the OP is saying, and have seen the ignorance. People just assume and it can be frustrating being judged by those that have no idea what they are talking about.

Well, obviously, the one eating the extra daily milkshake and gaining weight, is by definition, EATING TOO MUCH!!