NO FOOD MAKES YOU FAT!
Replies
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Main Causes
The two main causes of obesity in America are fast food and lack of exercise. Fast food contains extremely high levels of fat, calories and carbohydrates that your body doesn't need. As portion sizes at these establishments have risen, so has the caloric intake for those who eat there regularly.
Read more: 5 Causes of Obesity in America | eHow http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5558417_causes-obesity-america.html#ixzz2TQH2D9Te0 -
I totally get what the OP is saying i.e. just listening to your body, and eating when you are genuinely hungry, and stopping when full. Choosing the right type of foods, etc. And staying active.
However, not many of us are there yet, MFP keeps us accountable to what we are putting in our mouths. And maybe, one day, we'd know our body well enough to do away with counting calories. After all, MFP is not all about counting calories, but learning about which foods is good for you, and having a supportive community.
Counting calories does seem quite unfeasible to keep up with in the future, but this works for me now, and I shall stick to it
Thanks OP, for not demonizing food at all, and actually listing some good points about how excess of food, guilt etc, makes us fat and not food on its own
I agree with this. I don't understand why most that have replied feel the need to look down their nose at this kind of thing. I lost most of my weight NOT counting calories, just eating until I was satisfied (and cutting out the crappier food, too), not stuffed and I also have an emotional eating problem. The key is you just have to find something else besides eating to keep your brain occupied. I don't know why it's so astounding to people that some don't track every single little thing and lose. I'd get super over obsessive if I did that with foods. This site is also used more than just for calorie counting--like, ya know, support. If you count calories and lose weight, great, if you don't count calories and lose weight, great.
Y u gaiz gotta argue all the time?0 -
But ALL the food does.0
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To say that the reason we are fat is because calories in > than calories out is probably over-simplifying the issue a bit, obviously it's true but it doesn't address the underlying issues.
I think what the OP is trying to point out that there are reasons why so many people given the choice between a healthy nutritious balanced meal and a calories/carb/fat laden meal they will choose the latter or why people binge on calorie dense foods. I think that most people on a basic level know that type of food in excess quantities isn't good for you and most people also don't like being overweight or obese so there is obviously some other reason why people continuously make bad choices and therefore end up overweight.
The OP's post lists some of the reasons why people make bad food choices even when they know better and simply points out, quite rightly, that if you want to be successful long term than you need to recognise and address these issues. Recognising and addressing the issues that cause over-eating and the scenarios in which you are likely to over eat will ultimately help with controlling the calories in calories out equation.0 -
It actually doesn't work like that at all whatsoever. What most people fail to realize is that basically any website you go to that calculates your TDEE is inaccurate. There's no possible way for a website to know exactly how many calories YOUR body needs to maintain it's current weight every single day.If you ate 100 calories over your TDEE everyday for 6 years....BAM! Over 60 lbs. overweight. Does anyone know how easy it is to trip, fall, and land face first into a 100 calorie dark cherry yoplait greek yogurt?
I've never been an emotional eater. I've always been a hungry eater. That's my problem. I'm hangry all the time.
And even if there was a site that could do that, something else that people don't realize is that no normal human being eats the exact same number of calories every day. None. This is mostly because your energy needs vary from day to day depending on activity level and other factors. So, if someone were eating at their estimated TDEE daily, they'd more often than not be overeating or undereating the majority of the time.
The "I'm always hungry" claim is a common one from people who struggle with their weight. I'm not saying this to insult you by any means, because I used to feel the same way at one point, but I am almost 100% positive that you're not aware of what true hunger actually feels like. Hunger has many symptoms, but it mostly revolves around the physical sensation of your stomach being empty. It can easily be confused with lethargy (I'm so tired, i have no energy, I should eat something) or even digestion (my stomach is making funny noises, I must be hungry). But, unless you have some sort of disorder, hunger is a VERY reliable indicator of when and how much to eat. Think about it. How have humans in generations past been able to maintain their physiques without counting calories or anything of the sort? How do toddlers know when to turn away from the spoon and stop eating? It's a biological signal with a very specific purpose.0 -
Millions of Americans eat at McDonalds and still remain slim.really millions of americans eat at mcdonalds and are obese
food makes u fat
along with not exercising
Millions of Americans do not workout and still remain slim.0 -
I am an emotional eater. I know that is why I have gained excess weight in addition to eating food that wasn't all that healthy and being lazy. I have lost weight without counting a calorie before. I end up gaining in back because i didn't stick with the healthier lifestyle.
I understand where you are coming from. Thanks for posting!0 -
But here's the thing, no one has to eat nothing but high calorie food just because it's easily accessible. Just as easily as I can drive to the grocery store and buy a bag of fruit, I can drive to the gas station and buy a pack of candy. It all comes down to what the individual wants to eat/is familiar with eating. That's why I said you must expose yourself to a wide range of foods. You must be open to eating everything, from veggies & lean meat to ribs & white bread. If you're on either extreme of the spectrum, either only eating junk food or only eating food you deem as "healthy", there can be physical/psychological consequences.
Do you think all fat people are simply stuffing their fat faces with fast food and high calorie crap? A few weeks ago, I decided to try out a raw vegan diet. Even after loads of ruffage....still hungry! I have always eaten lean meats, veggies, etc. But hunger levels vary greatly from one person to another. I'm posting the calories (in brackets) of that day. Aside from an ice cream bar (not vegan), everything else was. My point? I spent years vegan....and I stayed around 225 lbs. No fast food, not overeating. Just eating normally. I had a very physical job at the time, so I imagine I would have been fatter if it wasn't for that:
Lunch
(12) Homemade - Organic Juiced Wheatgrass, 2 oz
(140) My Organic Market (Mom's) - Chunks of Energy (Organic Cha Cha Chia 100% Raw), 2 chunks
(220) Go Raw - Organic Real Live Apricot Bar, 1 bar
(140) Alive & Radiant - Kale Krunch Tarragon Dijon, 1 oz
Dinner
(90) Grimmway Farms Bunny Luv - Fresh Organic Carrots, 21 " long about 1 1/4" diameter (78g)
(34) Organic Vegetables - Raw Tomato, 1 Cup
(110) Homemaker - Premium 100% Florida Orange Juice With Pulp, 8 oz
(34) Kale - Raw, 1 cup, chopped
(170) Wonderful - Natural Almonds- Whole- Raw, 28 almonds
(90) Garden of Life - Raw Protein - Chocolate Cacao, 23 g
(12) Lemon juice - Raw, 1 lemon yields
(60) Generic - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 0.5 Tbsp
(14) Lettuce - Red leaf, raw, 5 leaf outer
Snacks
(70) Weight Watcher's Dark Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream Bar - Ice Cream Bar, 1 bars
(60)Alive & Radiant - Organic Veggie Krunch Terriyaki Greens, 28 grams
Just over 1300 calories. And that was one day that I actually slept in, so I didn't bother with breakfast. If this had been a work day? I would have eaten more than 1300.....and still hungry...lol.0 -
Dr. Oz has been lying to ME??? But he promised me a thigh gap!TL;DR:
What does?
Calories eaten > calories utilized.0 -
It's not even about what works for me. Look around you. Look at other countries, for instance. Asians consume the highest quantities of white rice in the world. The French have some of the richest cuisines in the world. it's nearly impossible to find anything "low fat" or "low carb" in a French market. But yet both countries have the lowest obesity rates in the world. Can you explain why that is? No other country is as obsessed with calories and dieting as we are, yet we struggle the most with our weights. There's a reason for that. The prior two countries value eating as an experience, and listen to their bodies, knowing when to start eating and when to stop. Americans, according to studies and polls and just by making observations in our everyday lives, typically do not do those things. We have many attachments to food that have nothing to do with hunger & nourishing our bodies.You don't have to agree with me, you really don't. But so many people in the world (who don't count calories or even care about them) are proof, and now I'm proof of it to. Counting calories is unnecessary if you learn to eat when you're hungry, only when you're hungry, and stop when you're not. It sounds too simple to be true, but it is.
You have no idea what the word "proof" means.
All you can prove is that what you've done works FOR YOU. And even for you you're talking a tiny amount of time.
For many of us counting calories is necessary if we want to lose weight/maintain. And I've "proved" that over and over again on myself.
Good for you if you've found something that works for you but please don't think you've got the answer for everyone. That's arrogant and makes you look stupid.
I'm sorry if my original post came off as pompous and all-knowing, that wasn't my intention at all. I just want someone out there to realize they don't have to be a slave to calorie counting anymore. And I know being discreet and sugar coating it, no one will listen. Even if I'm provocative and I upset people in my delivery, I'd rather do that and help the few people on this site who are sick of counting calories and want another way out.0 -
No specific food, in and of itself, makes you fat.
What does?
Eating when you are stressed
Eating to avoid confronting problems
Eating to stifle your emotions (sadness, boredom, loneliness, etc.)
Eating when you are not hungry (ie when it's "time to eat", when food happens to be in front of you, when someone offers you food & you don't wanna say no, when everyone else is eating, & my least favorite, eating many times a day because it will "rev your metabolism")
Not eating when you ARE hungry (and therefore eating much more later)
Continuing to eat when you are no longer hungry (Thanksgiving dinner, anyone?)
Eating so fast that you don't realize you stopped being hungry several bites ago
Dieting & purposely restricting calories (the yo-yo effect)
Restricting certain foods (and therefore binging later)
Feeling guilty because of eating (and therefore binging later)
Being distracted while eating (and therefore not enjoying your food to its full potential & eating past the point of satisfaction)
When your relationship with food is emotional in any way, you will eventually gain weight. You will almost always choose very calorie dense foods by default because those are most likely to induce the pleasure you're looking for when you're eating for reasons besides hunger. That's why most peoples "trigger" or "binge" foods include sugary things and very fatty things.
When your relationship with food is purely physical and you eat just to fulfill your hunger, your body will return to a weight that it is most comfortable at. As long as you've been exposed to a wide range of foods (both those dubbed "healthy" and "unhealthy"), you likely will choose a reasonable balance of all types of food when you're eating only to satisfy the physical need. Think back to a time you were really, truly hungry (if you can remember how that feels). What sounded better, a plate of grilled chicken and seasoned rice, or a bag of gummy worms and an icecream bar?
People on here, and on almost all weight-loss related mediums, put so much focus on WHAT they're eating and HOW MUCH they're eating, and ignore WHY they're eating. They don't realize that WHY they're eating is directly linked to WHAT and HOW MUCH. Most of you don't need to count calories to get down to a good weight, you honestly don't. You're treating the symptoms and not the ailment itself.
I just want you to know that I had enjoyed reading your post. Sitting back and examining my own struggles with food I can see alot of that in me, from the emotional eating to the skipping out on eating when I should had, until it backfires on me and I binge that evening. I do think keeping track is still probably important to help encourage a healthier and more nutritious diet but definitely a person shouldn't ignore the issues you'd mention if it has helped create the cause to the problem. I'm just starting with trying to break some of those cycles myself in order to have a more complete positive life.
Edit: Corrected spelling.0 -
Does anyone know how easy it is to trip, fall, and land face first into a 100 calorie dark cherry yoplait greek yogurt?
In for dark cherry Yoplait Greek yogurt and ALL the food. A girl can dream!But ALL the food does.0 -
It's not just knowing why but APPLYING the why. People who count calories as a primary method of losing weight without at least dealing with the emotional eating/overeating issues gain the weight BACK - that's the issue here. Anyone can cut calories for a month, two months, maybe up to even a year and LOSE weight, okay cool, calories in vs calories out, it really was that simple, yay!
Thanks but no thanks, you've completely missed the point.TL;DR:
What does?
Calories eaten > calories utilized.
A person can artificially reduce the amount of calories they eat for a certain amount of time, ignoring all the factors I stated. But what happens when the diets over, when you stop counting calories? Or even when you just take a break from counting? All the pounds come back because you're still eating for the wrong reasons. No one can count calories forever. This is why 90%+ of diets fail.
Knowing the why doesn't change the fact that you need to eat less than you use in order to lose weight. The how doesn't change.
But what about AFTERWARDS. THAT is when the why comes in. So many people on this site and others have come back months or a year later, upset about how they gained back the weight. Guess what, that isn't uncommon. It happens to MOST PEOPLE who attempt dieting/restricting calories as a means of weight loss. That's what you're not understanding.0 -
Thanks but no thanks, you've completely missed the point.TL;DR:
What does?
Calories eaten > calories utilized.
A person can artificially reduce the amount of calories they eat for a certain amount of time, ignoring all the factors I stated. But what happens when the diets over, when you stop counting calories? Or even when you just take a break from counting? All the pounds come back because you're still eating for the wrong reasons. No one can count calories forever. This is why 90%+ of diets fail.
90% of diets fail because people treat it as a diet, not a lifestyle change.
What is the common factor of everything that you mentioned leading to obesity in your original post? Overeating.
Overeating leads to too many calories. When calories are more than what they body needs or what will be utilized, you gain weight.
I used to weight 294 pounds. I lost 100 pounds by changing my lifestyle, not dieting.0 -
Main Causes
The two main causes of obesity in America are fast food and lack of exercise. Fast food contains extremely high levels of fat, calories and carbohydrates that your body doesn't need. As portion sizes at these establishments have risen, so has the caloric intake for those who eat there regularly.
Read more: 5 Causes of Obesity in America | eHow http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5558417_causes-obesity-america.html#ixzz2TQH2D9Te
I eat fast food, and I'm not fat. Its not the fast food making people fat, its the people that have no self control and eat it all the time. Can't blame that on the food itself.0 -
:yawn:
NEXT!
Why so rude? Jealous?
Seriously. Why is everybody getting so defensive and sarcastic? OP has some very good points here. Does it apply to absolutely EVERYONE in the entire world, ever? Probably not. Would a lot of people benefit by shutting up and listening to what she has to say? I'd bet a lot on it.0 -
I don't disagree that emotional issues may affect how much food is consumed and what type of food is consumed but it is incorrect to suggest that 'no food makes you fat' just as it is incorrect to suggest there is truth in Calories eaten > calories utilized.
the chemistry of the body is much more sophisticated than that.
High Carbohydrate foods trigger the body to release insulin which the only hormone in the body which builds adipose (i.e. fat) tissue.
So a high carbohydrate food has the potential to make you fatter than a low carbohydrate food regardless of the caloric content of the two foods. It's easier to get fat on bread products than meat products.
so some foods do in that sense make you fat. it is possible to burn off these calories of course but harder.
reducing caloric intake may cause the body to slow the metabolism thus making it difficult to lose weight on the calories in calories out model. The body will tend to approach a healthy weight when carbohydrates are minimized and the body is nourished with adequate amounts of fats and proteins for energy. It's very difficult on a low carbohydrate diet to eat more fats and protein than your body requires because the hunger mechanism is more stable on a low carbohydrate program because insulin levels are jumping around too much.
for more check the links below or follow the low carbohydrate blogs on the site.
http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/endocrine/pancreas/insulin_phys.html
http://www.dragaonordestino.net/Drachenwut_Blog_DragaoNordestino/Ernaehrung/Ernaehrung_arquivos/Notes-to-Good-Calories-Bad-Calories.pdf0 -
:yawn:
NEXT!
Why so rude? Jealous?
Seriously. Why is everybody getting so defensive and sarcastic? OP has some very good points here. Does it apply to absolutely EVERYONE in the entire world, ever? Probably not. Would a lot of people benefit by shutting up and listening to what she has to say? I'd bet a lot on it.
I agree, plus we've all heard you must restrict calories in order to drop weight. I haven't ran into a person who has never heard of that concept or doesn't under the concept of dieting; so if we all know this then why are we in this mess? Why don't we just do that and allow everything to be fine? It probably has to do with many of the issues the OP had mentioned.0 -
It's not even about what works for me. Look around you. Look at other countries, for instance. Asians consume the highest quantities of white rice in the world. The French have some of the richest cuisines in the world. it's nearly impossible to find anything "low fat" or "low carb" in a French market. But yet both countries have the lowest obesity rates in the world. Can you explain why that is? No other country is as obsessed with calories and dieting as we are, yet we struggle the most with our weights. There's a reason for that. The prior two countries value eating as an experience, and listen to their bodies, knowing when to start eating and when to stop. Americans, according to studies and polls and just by making observations in our everyday lives, typically do not do those things. We have many attachments to food that have nothing to do with hunger & nourishing our bodies.You don't have to agree with me, you really don't. But so many people in the world (who don't count calories or even care about them) are proof, and now I'm proof of it to. Counting calories is unnecessary if you learn to eat when you're hungry, only when you're hungry, and stop when you're not. It sounds too simple to be true, but it is.
You have no idea what the word "proof" means.
All you can prove is that what you've done works FOR YOU. And even for you you're talking a tiny amount of time.
For many of us counting calories is necessary if we want to lose weight/maintain. And I've "proved" that over and over again on myself.
Good for you if you've found something that works for you but please don't think you've got the answer for everyone. That's arrogant and makes you look stupid.
I'm sorry if my original post came off as pompous and all-knowing, that wasn't my intention at all. I just want someone out there to realize they don't have to be a slave to calorie counting anymore. And I know being discreet and sugar coating it, no one will listen. Even if I'm provocative and I upset people in my delivery, I'd rather do that and help the few people on this site who are sick of counting calories and want another way out.
France and China, two countries where the people actually walk all over the place. Therefore, calories burned are greater than calories taken in.
I am not saying that you do not make good points, but weight loss is about calories. Sometimes people who are very overweight have low self-esteem and must lose weight before they can address the emotional changes that cause them to indulge in excess calories. That is why one should look at this as a lifestyle change. In a lifestyle change, the person is addressing not only the physical needs, but the spiritual and emotional needs as well. In doing so, they address those emotional issues you bring up. If they don't address them, then they only have themselves to blame.
On the flip side, I am wondering how you can say that the people on this site only count calories in their attempt to lose weight. Do you know all the people here personally? If not, you are making a blanket statement without justification because you don't know if they are addressing their emotional eating issues or not.0 -
Using this site is no different than taking a medication. Let's say you have high blood pressure. The best thing is to exercise and eat better to get your blood pressure down. However, that isn't always feasible. Sometimes medication is needed. Sometimes assistance is needed. Sometimes calorie counting is needed, because it forces you to reexamine what you're eating (for whatever reason).
Perhaps it doesn't get at some psychological root cause, but it creates accountability. Being accountable is an important step in changing how you view food. For me, meticulous calorie counting is the only way that I can truly *see* how much I'm eating. I don't necessarily know when I'm hungry. Being overweight, I may not be getting those signals or interpreting them as well.
So, to the OP, you make good points (and we in Western society are at higher risk for overeating) but you're also speaking to ideals. This site helps us who aren't always ideal!0 -
I'm glad you found something that works for you. That does not make you a food, fitness or diet expert. Different things work for different people, or as my nutritionist said, "If one weight-loss method were right for everyone, we'd have a whole lot less obesity in this country."
Too bad you felt the need to put your experience into a preachy post.0 -
OP, dear you're only 19, at that age I could lose weight in my sleep. Come back in about 20 years, a few children and a simple thing called life. Oh!!! To be young again :-)0
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If i only ate when i was hungry, id be really fat, cause im hungry a lot. Thats how i got here in the first place. I love food and eating it.
LOL!!!! Me too!!!!0 -
In for wisdom0
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Oooooo....this is going to get interesting!
Where's my 100 calorie bag of popcorn?0 -
Before, I only ate when I was hungry and exercised all the time. All I ever did was gain weight. In January I started restricting carbs (I use myfitnesspal to track carbs because let's face it- it's easier) and I've lost 56 lbs so far and I have tons more energy than I ever did before. What works for some people, may not work for others. And considering it's more of a lifestyle change than a diet, I doubt I'll be going through the yo-yo effect.0
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It's not even about what works for me. Look around you. Look at other countries, for instance. Asians consume the highest quantities of white rice in the world. The French have some of the richest cuisines in the world. it's nearly impossible to find anything "low fat" or "low carb" in a French market. But yet both countries have the lowest obesity rates in the world. Can you explain why that is? No other country is as obsessed with calories and dieting as we are, yet we struggle the most with our weights. There's a reason for that. The prior two countries value eating as an experience, and listen to their bodies, knowing when to start eating and when to stop. Americans, according to studies and polls and just by making observations in our everyday lives, typically do not do those things. We have many attachments to food that have nothing to do with hunger & nourishing our bodies.
Ok. This is seriously ignorant. Asia is not a country. I really hope you do realise that.
Also I'm not American. When I look around me what I see is Japanese people. And before I lived here what I saw was Chinese people. After a decade in Asia I can assure you that they have a growing obesity problem here. 10 years of working with Asian teenagers means I can also assure you that there is a huge amount of pressure to be thin and they most certainly don't all achieve that by listening to their bodies. Ridiculous crash diets are just as popular here as anywhere. In fact a few years back it was all over the news that we were suffering a banana shortage due to this
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1850454,00.html
Again. I'm not saying your points are completely invalid. I accept what you are saying may work for you. It's a shame you didn't choose to present the information as "here's what works for me" rather than "here's what will work for everyone".0 -
oh geez, it's the way you're saying it...
you're coming of antagonistic(this can happen with CAPITAL LETTERS, etc),
Instead of, "NO FOOD MAKES YOU FAT!"
you could've wrote maybe, "How I believe your emotions can cause you to gain weight" or something like that...
then maybe you would get better responses from people your points effect,
otherwise everybody has their own way. Maybe calorie counting, and not eating certain foods, just works for some, while not for others.0 -
Oooooo....this is going to get interesting!
Where's my 100 calorie bag of popcorn?
LOL!!!!0 -
If you ate 100 calories over your TDEE everyday for 6 years....BAM! Over 60 lbs. overweight. Does anyone know how easy it is to trip, fall, and land face first into a 100 calorie dark cherry yoplait greek yogurt?
.
I tripped and fell into some rootbeer during dinner today.. hey it was made from all natural ingredients, gluten free, caffeine free, sodium free and no preservatives.. that's a win in my book.. .. it didn't fit my macros either.. I'm a rebel like that..0
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