I am a big girl. I can take it.

michedarnd

*chuckle* It's funny how some people GAIN sympathy, and some people LOSE sympathy when they succeed. I used to think that I couldn't lose my weight, either. I didn't have excuses like, "I can't cook," though. It had more to do with the fact that I had spent years trying. I once took two solid years of an 1100 calorie diet to lose 30 pounds. At the time, I was working out 4 hours a day, six days a week. I got sick several times during that time frame, and even then, the only way that I lost ANY weight was when I supplemented with MaHuang, which has since been banned from the market (I also stopped using it once it got to the point that I got chest pains and shortness of breath whenever I did so). Since that debacle, I have developed thyroid issues, gone menopausal, and become borderline insulin resistant. Needless to say, I honestly BELIEVED that I COULDN'T lose the weight. I've learned, of course, that the grotesque over-doing was my real problem, but I have tried a bunch of things before coming here. Some things made me dysfunctionally tired. Some of them made me sick (Atkins, anyone?). I am only in my third week, here, so I can't say, for certain, that my body won't fight me, here, either, but, for now, I'm losing. Because of all that, and because I understand the despair and inertia that comes to someone who has failed many times for many years, I am more inclined to tell people what I did that was so wrong and share my knowledge. But, I don't get frustrated with people. "Not having time," for instance, is a legitimate excuse, when you talk to parents of young children. "I just got a hip replacement" is a legitimate excuse for someone who is retired. The journey, and particularly, keeping it going, long-term, when the effectiveness of just maintaining a deficit tends to decrease, is a significant commitment, and there are people who simply can't commit to more than they already have. I'm not saying that you are wrong. You're not. A LOT of people make VERY lame excuses. It's just that, well, being older, in a less-than-fully-functional body, a single parent (of young children), and in a job/field that tends to have 60+ - hour work weeks, I have a deep understanding of how big a mountain adding "weight loss" can be. I've managed to get started, but I am juggling a lot to manage the obstacles. I'm a big cheerleader for people who, like you, have overcome it all and surmounted it.

k2d4p

*chuckle* It's funny how some people GAIN sympathy, and some people LOSE sympathy when they succeed. I used to think that I couldn't lose my weight, either. I didn't have excuses like, "I can't cook," though. It had more to do with the fact that I had spent years trying. I once took two solid years of an 1100 calorie diet to lose 30 pounds. At the time, I was working out 4 hours a day, six days a week. I got sick several times during that time frame, and even then, the only way that I lost ANY weight was when I supplemented with MaHuang, which has since been banned from the market (I also stopped using it once it got to the point that I got chest pains and shortness of breath whenever I did so). Since that debacle, I have developed thyroid issues, gone menopausal, and become borderline insulin resistant. Needless to say, I honestly BELIEVED that I COULDN'T lose the weight. I've learned, of course, that the grotesque over-doing was my real problem, but I have tried a bunch of things before coming here. Some things made me dysfunctionally tired. Some of them made me sick (Atkins, anyone?). I am only in my third week, here, so I can't say, for certain, that my body won't fight me, here, either, but, for now, I'm losing. Because of all that, and because I understand the despair and inertia that comes to someone who has failed many times for many years, I am more inclined to tell people what I did that was so wrong and share my knowledge. But, I don't get frustrated with people. "Not having time," for instance, is a legitimate excuse, when you talk to parents of young children. "I just got a hip replacement" is a legitimate excuse for someone who is retired. The journey, and particularly, keeping it going, long-term, when the effectiveness of just maintaining a deficit tends to decrease, is a significant commitment, and there are people who simply can't commit to more than they already have. I'm not saying that you are wrong. You're not. A LOT of people make VERY lame excuses. It's just that, well, being older, in a less-than-fully-functional body, a single parent (of young children), and in a job/field that tends to have 60+ - hour work weeks, I have a deep understanding of how big a mountain adding "weight loss" can be. I've managed to get started, but I am juggling a lot to manage the obstacles. I'm a big cheerleader for people who, like you, have overcome it all and surmounted it.

First, Congratulations on you effort to continue to lose weight dispite your personal obstacles. You are clearly a very strong person!

Second, I agree with a lot of what you said. There is always an exception to most rules. Some people have legitimate reasons for struggling harder to lose weight than others do. I would definitely consider a hip replacement a REASON, not an excuse.

Third, I was mostly referencing people in my own personal world of work, home, play life. People I pretty much know could take control if they really wanted to. Or people who tell me how they need to lose weight and I see personally that they eat over 2000 calories for lunch alone.

Fourth, Honestly, I believe I have gained sympathy for those who are actually putting an effort and trying to lose weight and for what ever reason are losing slowly or are struggling for some reason. I just struggle to have sympathy for people who are clearly capable and vocalize that they want to lose weight, but make no effort at all.

michedarnd

Heh. Well, I totally agree with that. When a certain family member of mine, who tends to eat around 800 calories a day complains about her weight, I try to help her figure out how to overcome it, starting with telling her to eat MORE. However, when another member of my family, who doesn't work, ignores me when I make useful suggestions and complains about "overreactions" and "depression" as being the only reasons, it does get somewhat head-banging, and when I see someone eating a triple-bacon-cheese-burger and complaining about their weight. Well, sympathy? I think not. So, I certainly see both sides of the coin, too.