Responses

nmiller0813 · January 2014

I was having a conversation with someone that was well over 300lbs. We were talking about losing weight and they stated that they don't have a problem with food, it is just that they don't eat often enough.

Now I know that this can not be true, but I did not know how to respond without offending. Suggestions?

This has happened to me more than once.

chickenz · January 2014

The person is not ready to lose weight. I would not respond to that comment, change the subject.

seltzermint555 · January 2014

While I would agree that the person is not ready to lose weight or hasn't yet discovered how to lose weight...I also think it may kind of be true.

A lot of the time I hear stories about binging here on MFP, people eating crazy amounts of calories and stuff. That is a very real problem for many people. But not every "fat person" is a binge eater! Some are quite the opposite!

I used to weigh 307. I ate when I felt hungry. That meant some days I ate 700-800 cal and other days, 3,000 and higher. I'm not lying or deluding myself. That's how it was for me, for years and years. I thought something was wrong with my metabolism because I was not secretly eating on those low calorie days...yet I didn't lose weight. On a regular basis, my fast food order was a small burger no cheese and a diet soda. My friends who were 100 lb lighter than me usually got a cheeseburger, fries, and a regular Coke.

Now I'm not saying I didn't eat too much. I did sometimes. I ignorantly sucked down lattes with 400 cal thinking they were only slightly 'worse' than regular coffee with creamer. But I was NEVER in my house secretly snarfing Oreos and whole chickens. I think a lot of people, especially thinner people with binge eating disorders, think that's what everyone over 200 lb does in private. No.

My ex husband was in the range of 280-350 lb for most the decade I was with him. He usually ate 1-2 times per day. He woke up in the morning and smoked a cigarette and maybe had some coffee. Then he didn't usually eat until he got home from work in the afternoon/early evening. He may have eaten a lot - a whole pizza sometimes, or a footlong sub, followed up with dessert. But I GUARANTEE that most days he was not even eating 2,000 calories.

A lot of people are very quick to say "it's so simple, calories in/calories out". I don't believe that entirely. Mainly because I know in years past when I would make an effort to eat healthier (with no clue of what appropriate calories were for me) I would not lose any weight or inches, and I believe in that starvation mode stuff that other people here often say is 100% untrue. For example I know for SURE that in 2008-2009 when I was first starting to exercise more and eat healthier, I was barely losing. I was not aware about eating exercise calories and I walked 2-3 miles every night. I ate less than I eat right now (1,350 daily) and it took me 4 years to lose 45 lb.

I don't claim to have the answers to all of this mysterious stuff but I believe there are people out there who are very overweight/obese and not eating enough and/or often enough and not losing weight because of it.

qtgonewild · January 2014

i thought the same thing before i figured this whole thing out. I thought i was fat because i only ate once a day. and my body was holding on to what i ate. because truly i only ate once a day. but what I ATE was at least 2000 + calories from a fast food restaurant. Notice I said ate once a day.. that statement is accurate, however it doesnt include the proabably 2 liters of coke i would drink a day as well. so slowly but surely the weight creeped up. i never even paid attention as in my brain i thought i was skinnier then i was, until my eyes opened i saw myself clearly and something clicked. i signed up on here the next day and havent looked back. i had to train myself to eat properly. and so far so good. this is something i will be able to sustain for life and I am so happy now that I have been educated on healthier living and eating.

wheird · January 2014

Many people who are overweight do not realize they are eating more than they think. Oftentimes they believe they are eating 45% less than they actually are. They might graze while preparing food, adding hundreds of calories per day. Or simply forget that they had a snack. Those people who actually log what they are eating are usually very surprised.

Contrary to what someone said above, it IS all about calories in versus calories out.

arghbowl · January 2014

But I was NEVER in my house secretly snarfing Oreos and whole chickens.

What's wrong with whole chickens? IIFYM...

seltzermint555 · January 2014

Many people who are overweight do not realize they are eating more than they think. Oftentimes they believe they are eating 45% less than they actually are. They might graze while preparing food, adding hundreds of calories per day. Or simply forget that they had a snack. Those people who actually log what they are eating are usually very surprised.

Contrary to what someone said above, it IS all about calories in versus calories out.

I think there's a lot of truth in this I just don't believe it's the last word or complete explanation.

I started MFP with about 1600 calories per day and for awhile I was eating around 1200 and didn't lose weight for a month. Went back to 1500-1600 and lost 11 lb the following month.

nmiller0813 · January 2014

i thought the same thing before i figured this whole thing out. I thought i was fat because i only ate once a day. and my body was holding on to what i ate. because truly i only ate once a day. but what I ATE was at least 2000 + calories from a fast food restaurant. Notice I said ate once a day.. that statement is accurate, however it doesnt include the proabably 2 liters of coke i would drink a day as well. so slowly but surely the weight creeped up. i never even paid attention as in my brain i thought i was skinnier then i was, until my eyes opened i saw myself clearly and something clicked. i signed up on here the next day and havent looked back. i had to train myself to eat properly. and so far so good. this is something i will be able to sustain for life and I am so happy now that I have been educated on healthier living and eating.

In my past, I felt that I did not eat alot, but I failed to realize that I ate FAST FOOD most days of the week and I grazed all day long. I ate something sweet every single day, so I see where they may think that they don't eat alot. But, my question was more geared to how do I respond when I am told this.

More often than not, we are having a conversation about my weight loss and that is when I hear that... untruth!!! :-)

wheird · January 2014

Many people who are overweight do not realize they are eating more than they think. Oftentimes they believe they are eating 45% less than they actually are. They might graze while preparing food, adding hundreds of calories per day. Or simply forget that they had a snack. Those people who actually log what they are eating are usually very surprised.

Contrary to what someone said above, it IS all about calories in versus calories out.

I think there's a lot of truth in this I just don't believe it's the last word or complete explanation.

I started MFP with about 1600 calories per day and for awhile I was eating around 1200 and didn't lose weight for a month. Went back to 1500-1600 and lost 11 lb the following month.

And why do you think that is?

skullshank · January 2014

Many people who are overweight do not realize they are eating more than they think. Oftentimes they believe they are eating 45% less than they actually are. They might graze while preparing food, adding hundreds of calories per day. Or simply forget that they had a snack. Those people who actually log what they are eating are usually very surprised.

Contrary to what someone said above, it IS all about calories in versus calories out.

I think there's a lot of truth in this I just don't believe it's the last word or complete explanation.

I started MFP with about 1600 calories per day and for awhile I was eating around 1200 and didn't lose weight for a month. Went back to 1500-1600 and lost 11 lb the following month.

And why do you think that is?

RIP Uncle Phil

seltzermint555 · January 2014

I honestly do not know. It was a huge mystery and surprise to me. I don't think it's seriously "starvation mode" when a person is clearly healthy and overweight, but I think there's something along those lines at play. You can disagree, or refute that...doesn't really make a difference to me. I'm not claiming to know the answers. Just my experience and observations!

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