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

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Replies

  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    There's a great show on BBC called secret eaters. Most of the time large people where in denial or just did not consciously know how they ate.

    I bet when we were heavier we never recorded or thought about the food we put into our mouths. I think we did eat more than we were aware of.

    I was aware of and savored every heavenly morsel. I kept telling myself I would make up for it later with exercise, or just pushed it to the back of my mind. Sometimes I figured "I'll be alone for the rest of my life anyway, so what's the point".
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    No. What people say is "You were consuming too many calories." Not too much food.

    And they are correct.

    This.

    You are confusing the AMOUNT of food someone eats with how many CALORIES it contains.
  • spud_chick
    spud_chick Posts: 2,640 Member
    I wasn't averaging much off my current basic calorie limit before I started here; many days I would eat considerably less (sometimes forgetting to eat). But I was eating a very (likely problematically) low amount of fat, and not enough protein (I'm not crazy about meat so I have to work at that). Man cannot live by carbs alone, even if they're complex and rich in vitamins and fiber. There were other health issues involved which had to be addressed, but paying attention to the macros helped a lot, not just with weight loss but with my health. Maybe that's what she means by balance.

    Anyway, maybe she should have said "'you're fat therefore you were eating like a pig (giant portions, fried crap)'... NO". It's possible to get fat on modest portions, and on foods that appear to be (and even are!) healthy and lean, but if you don't know *how many calories you're eating* or not getting your basic nutrition right, it's not going to help your weight.

    Most people seem to think keeping a food diary is crossing a Pathetic Line of some sort, and they think they can lose weight just by keeping to the portion sizes on food packages or making "better choices", without knowing how much they're eating total and how much they need (not just calories but nutrition). Most people would benefit from keeping a diary for even just a couple of weeks so they can actually SEE what their typical days look like. But most won't.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    Pet peeve: using medical problems as an excuse

    At the beginning of my weight loss journey i was
    1. In a wheel chair
    2. Had a heart condition that prevented me from doing cardio
    Now :
    3. Currently have a thyroid problem
    4. Currently have an ostomy bag

    Guess how i lost weight???? Moved more and ate better... it works for EVERYONE stop making excuses!
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  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    I wasn't averaging much off my current basic calorie limit before I started here; many days I would eat considerably less (sometimes forgetting to eat). But I was eating a very (likely problematically) low amount of fat, and not enough protein (I'm not crazy about meat so I have to work at that). Man cannot live by carbs alone, even if they're complex and rich in vitamins and fiber. There were other health issues involved which had to be addressed, but paying attention to the macros helped a lot, not just with weight loss but with my health. Maybe that's what she means by balance.

    Anyway, maybe she should have said "'you're fat therefore you were eating like a pig (giant portions, fried crap)'... NO". It's possible to get fat on modest portions, and on foods that appear to be (and even are!) healthy and lean, but if you don't know *how many calories you're eating* or not getting your basic nutrition right, it's not going to help your weight.

    Most people seem to think keeping a food diary is crossing a Pathetic Line of some sort, and they think they can lose weight just by keeping to the portion sizes on food packages or making "better choices", without knowing how much they're eating total and how much they need (not just calories but nutrition). Most people would benefit from keeping a diary for even just a couple of weeks so they can actually SEE what their typical days look like. But most won't.

    Way to contradict yourself.


    You weren't eating too many calories before you kept a diary, but at the same time people need to keep a diary or they don't know how much they are eating.


    Bull****. You ate too many calories. Bingeing and restricting is pretty typical overeating behavior.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    There's a great show on BBC called secret eaters. Most of the time large people where in denial or just did not consciously know how they ate.

    I bet when we were heavier we never recorded or thought about the food we put into our mouths. I think we did eat more than we were aware of.

    I was aware of and savored every heavenly morsel. I kept telling myself I would make up for it later with exercise, or just pushed it to the back of my mind. Sometimes I figured "I'll be alone for the rest of my life anyway, so what's the point".

    Experiment on your friends at work, watch what they eat for lunch, and then ask them what they ate the next day. Might be surprised.
  • stop making excuses for other people. pretty much everyone who is fat ate too much, didn't move enough. end of story.

    Who said anything about making excuses? It's a pretty basic fact that a calorie imbalance is what will lead to excess fat, or lack thereof. No excuses here - just pointing out that 'too much food' if that food is veggies, isn't going to make you fat. Yet a normal size cheeseburger, fries, and shake, when eaten regularly, WILL make you fat (if it's along with other meals in the same day of the same calorie content). Too much 'food', i.e., 'volume/amount', does not make one fat by default. Nothing about excuses, just about people slamming other people for being gluttons, when it doesn't take gluttony to gain weight. You could be a glutton with veggies, and not gain an ounce - replace that with milkshakes, and WHAM!


    I see.

    You want to make distinction between the scientific "more than your body needs to maintain homeostasis", and the ambiguous moral concept of gluttony.

    You just forgot that science frees you from having to rely on morality when it comes to making choices that are essentially NOT ethical or moral dilemmas.

    ahem. I never referenced morality. Just because a word has been used in a religious/moral context, doesn't mean it doesn't have a valid basis - as defined by merriam webster:
    Definition of GLUTTONY
    1
    : excess in eating or drinking
    2
    : greedy or excessive indulgence
    http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gluttony

    And seriously? this is getting - or rather has gotten for some time - way out of hand. :noway: people talking about "Stop making Excuses" and this kind of argument are really pointless. No one is making excuses - not that I have seen. This is just crazy - just because someone says "simply eating a ton of food is not what made me fat, eating too much of the wrong kind of food did" all of a sudden, the 'holier than thou crowd' has to come out attacking such a simple fact. I swear, some people have nothing better to do than to stir the pot and pick a fight. Bullies abound... :drinker:
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    1/10 for incorrectness

    Did you give the 1 for using words?

    No it got the 1 for uniqueness. I've never seen this particular argument before.
  • spud_chick
    spud_chick Posts: 2,640 Member
    I wasn't averaging much off my current basic calorie limit before I started here; many days I would eat considerably less (sometimes forgetting to eat). But I was eating a very (likely problematically) low amount of fat, and not enough protein (I'm not crazy about meat so I have to work at that). Man cannot live by carbs alone, even if they're complex and rich in vitamins and fiber. There were other health issues involved which had to be addressed, but paying attention to the macros helped a lot, not just with weight loss but with my health. Maybe that's what she means by balance.

    Anyway, maybe she should have said "'you're fat therefore you were eating like a pig (giant portions, fried crap)'... NO". It's possible to get fat on modest portions, and on foods that appear to be (and even are!) healthy and lean, but if you don't know *how many calories you're eating* or not getting your basic nutrition right, it's not going to help your weight.

    Most people seem to think keeping a food diary is crossing a Pathetic Line of some sort, and they think they can lose weight just by keeping to the portion sizes on food packages or making "better choices", without knowing how much they're eating total and how much they need (not just calories but nutrition). Most people would benefit from keeping a diary for even just a couple of weeks so they can actually SEE what their typical days look like. But most won't.

    Way to contradict yourself.


    You weren't eating too many calories before you kept a diary, but at the same time people need to keep a diary or they don't know how much they are eating.


    Bull****. You ate too many calories. Bingeing and restricting is pretty typical overeating behavior.

    What did I say in my post that makes you think I was bingeing?

    I wasn't saying that I was not over *at all* before, just that I was actually not far from my current ballpark caloriewise. You don't have to be over much for it to start adding up. The point I was trying to make was that the number one useful thing I learned when I started diarizing was that I wasn't getting a good balance of macros. I have always gone for low-fat options in dairy and other foods, and used to avoid nuts and seeds, which I craved, thinking they would make me fat. Now I still eat low-fat dairy but eat nuts and seeds all the time for the healthy fats. And I still have to make an effort to get enough protein each day just at the defaults MFP recommends, so I know I was not getting nearly enough before. I was spinning my wheels without enough fat and protein, even if my calorie intake was moderate and my diet lean and mostly vegetarian.

    To keep my post short, I chose not to get into the other health issues I mentioned, one of which was chronic pain which prevented exercising without the pain snowballing; I found a great chiro about a year ago that finally helped with that after two decades of misery. I started MFP as soon as I started walking for exercise again. The other issues included (among others) endocrine/adrenal damage, which I corrected myself by researching supplements, and years of chronic insomnia. Those two things started improving about 3 years ago, or 2 years before MFP. When those things started getting under control, I had a little more energy and a better appetite and did not find myself skipping meals as much. I lost about 6-7 lbs when those things improved, without making any other changes.

    I'm not one of these people who had 50 or 100 or 200 lbs to lose, so I'm not trying to hold myself up as a prime example of anything. I'm at -22 now, and past my first two goals; not in a hurry for the stretch goal I have now. I'm happy with the habits and my pants size. And I feel it's all about the diary, because I didn't really know what I was getting out of my food until I started keeping one.
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    What did I say in my post that makes you think I was bingeing



    This

    many days I would eat considerably less (sometimes forgetting to eat)
  • stop making excuses for other people. pretty much everyone who is fat ate too much, didn't move enough. end of story.

    Who said anything about making excuses? It's a pretty basic fact that a calorie imbalance is what will lead to excess fat, or lack thereof. No excuses here - just pointing out that 'too much food' if that food is veggies, isn't going to make you fat. Yet a normal size cheeseburger, fries, and shake, when eaten regularly, WILL make you fat (if it's along with other meals in the same day of the same calorie content). Too much 'food', i.e., 'volume/amount', does not make one fat by default. Nothing about excuses, just about people slamming other people for being gluttons, when it doesn't take gluttony to gain weight. You could be a glutton with veggies, and not gain an ounce - replace that with milkshakes, and WHAM!

    If you were to eat an excess of calories of all vegetables you'd still gain weight. It's just not likely to actually do that so it's not often discussed.

    You could pull this off by drying the veggies maybe.

    *sigh* true - but really? we're stretching a bit aren't we? The odds of someone gaining weight from eating too many low cal foods are just, so low that it doesn't seem worth mentioning. but yes, you are right. :indifferent:
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    stop making excuses for other people. pretty much everyone who is fat ate too much, didn't move enough. end of story.

    Who said anything about making excuses? It's a pretty basic fact that a calorie imbalance is what will lead to excess fat, or lack thereof. No excuses here - just pointing out that 'too much food' if that food is veggies, isn't going to make you fat. Yet a normal size cheeseburger, fries, and shake, when eaten regularly, WILL make you fat (if it's along with other meals in the same day of the same calorie content). Too much 'food', i.e., 'volume/amount', does not make one fat by default. Nothing about excuses, just about people slamming other people for being gluttons, when it doesn't take gluttony to gain weight. You could be a glutton with veggies, and not gain an ounce - replace that with milkshakes, and WHAM!

    If you were to eat an excess of calories of all vegetables you'd still gain weight. It's just not likely to actually do that so it's not often discussed.

    You could pull this off by drying the veggies maybe.

    *sigh* true - but really? we're stretching a bit aren't we? The odds of someone gaining weight from eating too many low cal foods are just, so low that it doesn't seem worth mentioning. but yes, you are right. :indifferent:

    Considering the original post, I don't think it's appropriate to whine about my stretching.

    Nobody actually says what the OP claims they say. It's a completely illogical post about someone having a lightbulb moment over something most of us realized without incident.
  • peeaanuut
    peeaanuut Posts: 359 Member
    I always thought I didnt eat that much until i started to log. Then, daaaaaaammmmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!
  • spud_chick
    spud_chick Posts: 2,640 Member
    What did I say in my post that makes you think I was bingeing



    This

    many days I would eat considerably less (sometimes forgetting to eat)

    So you automatically extrapolate that I was bingeing the rest of the time.

    I explained more than I "owed" you in my last reply, especially considering that you apparently didn't bother to read it and/or refuse to respond to what I actually say, just what you believe you know.

    We're done here.
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
    OK, I THINK WHAT SHE MEANS IS...

    i can eat a bag of flaming hot cheetos, and that comes out to about 1800 calories... thats basically my maintenance. anything over without exercise, ill gain, so, it i eat a bag of flaming hot cheetos and a 6 pack of beer (my usual saturday "back then") i would be at a surplus...

    this, vs...

    1500 calories of lean meats, veggies, fruits, etc, which actually comes out to a hell of alot of food for the low amount of calories...

    so, i think what she is saying, is, many people got fat off of too many calories, (even tho the amount of food may have not been much, ie: bag of flaming hot cheetos vs. same size bag of no butter popcorn) and now, when attempting to eat healthy, they are able to get full at lower calories since the food they are eating is more in quantity and less in calories...

    i dont know if i make sense, but i get the "gist" of what she is saying...
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    What did I say in my post that makes you think I was bingeing



    This

    many days I would eat considerably less (sometimes forgetting to eat)

    So you automatically extrapolate that I was bingeing the rest of the time.

    I explained more than I "owed" you in my last reply, especially considering that you apparently didn't bother to read it and/or refuse to respond to what I actually say, just what you believe you know.

    We're done here.

    I noticed a typical pattern and pointed it out. Idk, something about seeing the same pattern, repeated over and over again, gives me the power to predict the whole thing by only seeing one part of it. I can do other tricks, like identifying individuals even when their faces are partially covered.

    Maybe you're a special snowflake. That very special snowflake that doesn't fit the pattern, yet still gets all huffy if someone suggests that she does.
  • peeaanuut
    peeaanuut Posts: 359 Member
    67155-Nicolas-Cage-laughing-gif-Face-sBwT.gif
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    What did I say in my post that makes you think I was bingeing



    This

    many days I would eat considerably less (sometimes forgetting to eat)

    So you automatically extrapolate that I was bingeing the rest of the time.

    I explained more than I "owed" you in my last reply, especially considering that you apparently didn't bother to read it and/or refuse to respond to what I actually say, just what you believe you know.

    We're done here.

    I completely agree with him. As you described it, it sounds exactly like someone who goes from binging to starving. Even if not, what you described cannot in any universe be considered a healthy relationship with food. Which is presumably why you ended up on MFP in the first place.
  • spud_chick
    spud_chick Posts: 2,640 Member
    What did I say in my post that makes you think I was bingeing



    This

    many days I would eat considerably less (sometimes forgetting to eat)

    So you automatically extrapolate that I was bingeing the rest of the time.

    I explained more than I "owed" you in my last reply, especially considering that you apparently didn't bother to read it and/or refuse to respond to what I actually say, just what you believe you know.

    We're done here.

    I noticed a typical pattern and pointed it out. Idk, something about seeing the same pattern, repeated over and over again, gives me the power to predict the whole thing by only seeing one part of it. I can do other tricks, like identifying individuals even when their faces are partially covered.

    Maybe you're a special snowflake.

    You fit a pretty predictable pattern around here too. And it looks a little bit like a snowflake... a pink one.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    What did I say in my post that makes you think I was bingeing



    This

    many days I would eat considerably less (sometimes forgetting to eat)

    So you automatically extrapolate that I was bingeing the rest of the time.

    I explained more than I "owed" you in my last reply, especially considering that you apparently didn't bother to read it and/or refuse to respond to what I actually say, just what you believe you know.

    We're done here.

    I noticed a typical pattern and pointed it out. Idk, something about seeing the same pattern, repeated over and over again, gives me the power to predict the whole thing by only seeing one part of it. I can do other tricks, like identifying individuals even when their faces are partially covered.

    Maybe you're a special snowflake.

    You fit a pretty predictable pattern around here too. And it looks a little bit like a snowflake... a pink one.

    Your rather extreme reaction to his post pretty much gives it away, btw.
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    What did I say in my post that makes you think I was bingeing



    This

    many days I would eat considerably less (sometimes forgetting to eat)

    So you automatically extrapolate that I was bingeing the rest of the time.

    I explained more than I "owed" you in my last reply, especially considering that you apparently didn't bother to read it and/or refuse to respond to what I actually say, just what you believe you know.

    We're done here.

    I noticed a typical pattern and pointed it out. Idk, something about seeing the same pattern, repeated over and over again, gives me the power to predict the whole thing by only seeing one part of it. I can do other tricks, like identifying individuals even when their faces are partially covered.

    Maybe you're a special snowflake.

    You fit a pretty predictable pattern around here too. And it looks a little bit like a snowflake... a pink one.


    I am actually pink in a lot of places. Especially on the inside. Aren't you?


    I fit lots of patterns. Everyone does. That's one reason we can function as a society.
  • grimm1974
    grimm1974 Posts: 337 Member
    I drank more calories than I ate.
  • peeaanuut
    peeaanuut Posts: 359 Member
    whats red and smells like blue paint?
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    I drank more calories than I ate.

    In that case you were scientifically fat, but morally quite svelte.
  • honkytonks85
    honkytonks85 Posts: 669 Member
    I'm so sick of seeing this 'logic' splashed over the boards. I ate less when I was big than I do now. I just ate different, more calorific food. When people say they are struggling to get to calories it's sometimes because they are genuine about doing this and they have restricted themselves to lean meat, veges, and not much else, all really low fat and low cal, because that is what they heard for years and they don't know that there is another, more effective way.

    People being sanctimonious and throwing about the 'you must know how to eat because you're fat' line is ridiculous. Everyones scenario is a little bit different and while the same solution (in variations) will work for everyone, NOT everyone is fat because they ate too much bulk of food, their balance was simply off. Or, like me, they had an accident and that, coupled with a thyroid problem and (at the time) ignorance of BMR led me to put on weight.

    end rant :p

    I think you addressed your issue in this post. Although people say 'eat less food' what they mean is 'eat fewer calories than your body requires'. Whether that means cutting your portion size or simply switching to less calorie dense foods. Most peoples weight problems are because they are consuming more than their body requires, and very rarely anything else physical. However, there are a range of emotional issues that lead people to overeat, or it could simply be a lack of education.

    Just chill.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    whats red and smells like blue paint?

    hey now there will be no huffing in this thread
  • oliviaboston
    oliviaboston Posts: 27 Member
    whuttt
  • sammi674
    sammi674 Posts: 41
    OP has a point. When people think of fat people, they imagine them sitting around all day shoving their face constantly, when really, one large fast food meal for lunch and then dinner alone is enough to make someone fat when it's high calorie junk. It doesn't mean they shove their face all day, it means that a couple horrible choices through-out the day easily adds up.

    Thus, replacing high calorie meals with more nutritious, lower calories foods means you will need to eat more and more frequently, simply because 1,500 calories of Burger King and 1,500 of fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc... look very different.

    But still, calories in vs. calories out is what matters at the end of the day!
  • 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.
  • @sammi674 exactly. People think because I'm big that I sit and snack on cookies and sweets and all that. They don't believe me when I tell them that I don't do that, that I rarely EVER have a pop, or sit down with a bag of chips.

    I grew up in an age where my mom made a full meal every night and EVERYTHING was fried.