Understanding obesity rather than weight loss

show previous quotes

Op I love your post!

I think and have been saying for years that food addiction is real, especially sugar addiction. Just like people don't understand why a junkie can't quit shooting up or an alcoholic can't stop drinking; a sugar addict can't stop taking in all those sugary treats and drinks. It calls to you, begs you, shoots that message to you brain that it makes things better and causes that feel good response and you want more and more and more. That is what addiction is and that is what sugar does to me. I haven't had a sugary treat or drink since Christmas. My cravings are done, I feel better, I have no more headaches, mood swings and I getting more and more energy.

IMO, food addiction is real, it's not an excuse. I think there should be treatment centers for food/sugar addicts just like drug and alcohol abuse.

can someone find that stamp gif with that has the big words on it that says REJECTED

this is biggest piece of nonsense I have seen in a while..and that is saying something...

I don't believe in the idea of "food addiction" either, but I do know that eating processed sugary foods like cupcakes will make me insanely hungry a few hours later. That's why I just avoid stuff like that altogether - it's not worth it.

While fruit has sugar, it doesn't have the same effect, and I eat plenty of it.

Just my experience, anyways...

show previous quotes

No, it took hard work and persistence for a year. My results were slower and less dramatic than other people who put in equivalent effort. My diet had to be more finely tuned. It's insulting for you to call the results of my effort "luck". Frankly, it's more insulting than when you called me an idiot. There's no such thing as lucky weight loss with hypothyroid, there's consistency and hard work, or no results.

I have two close friends who both have hypothyroid, PCOS, and insulin resistance. They've gained over 100 lbs from the conditions. They've been CONSISTENTLY trying to lose weight for years… they take Metformin… they have a dietician… they exercise daily for almost 2 hours every day… and they still can't lose more than 10 lbs. So no there isn't consistency and hard work or no results. Because they give their all and still have little to no results. Some just aren't as fortunate/don't have as much success when it comes to losing weight with those diseases.

Except, the question is, did they become obese only after being diagnosed with medical conditions, or did they consume more calories than they burn driving up their bodyweight and create or contribute to these disorders?

show previous quotes

The sugar addiction? really? do you eat fruit????? it has sugar.

That's not fair. One piece of fruit does not lead to a 2nd or third.
One slice of cake, brownie, cookie, cupcake, & soda, can in fact lead to a 2nd and 3rd serving with out realizing it.

That's not some biologically hardwired propensity toward eating sweetened baked goods. That's habit and taste preference. If sugar magically made a body want more sugar, then all sugars would have that effect.

Not true. Because fiber sorcery.

show previous quotes

No, it took hard work and persistence for a year. My results were slower and less dramatic than other people who put in equivalent effort. My diet had to be more finely tuned. It's insulting for you to call the results of my effort "luck". Frankly, it's more insulting than when you called me an idiot. There's no such thing as lucky weight loss with hypothyroid, there's consistency and hard work, or no results.

I have two close friends who both have hypothyroid, PCOS, and insulin resistance. They've gained over 100 lbs from the conditions. They've been CONSISTENTLY trying to lose weight for years… they take Metformin… they have a dietician… they exercise daily for almost 2 hours every day… and they still can't lose more than 10 lbs. So no there isn't consistency and hard work or no results. Because they give their all and still have little to no results. Some just aren't as fortunate/don't have as much success when it comes to losing weight with those diseases.

Except, the question is, did they become obese only after being diagnosed with medical conditions, or did they consume more calories than they burn driving up their bodyweight and create or contribute to these disorders?

They began gaining weight out of the blue. Then contacted their doctor who referred them to an endocrinologist who proceeded to do blood tests and ultrasounds, CT scans, etc. Ultrasounds and CT scans showed massive cysts on their ovaries. One of them has had 4 emergency surgeries to remove ovarian cysts.

Today, I learned about magic and its properties of granting weight loss to those with lucky charms...

*nod nod*

show previous quotes

Obesity is the result of behavior - it is absolutely NOT a disease.

OP, I do applaud you for sharing your experience, even if it's different from my own. That said, you could have done this without pills or surgery. Most women can lose weight on around 1600 calories a day, which if you eat the right foods at the right times of the day you shouldn't be that hungry.


Change your lifestyle - this should not result in starving yourself, and you don't have to work out for hours a day.

You obviously aren't familiar with diseases of the endocrine system which cause obesity. Hence why obesity is a disease. Cushing's syndrome, thyroid malfunction or hyperfunction of the adrenal gland, insulinoma, tumors on the pituitary gland, carcinoid tumors, PCOS… just to name a few. People with these conditions suffer every day of their life with their weight. Do you know how difficult it is to lose weight with any of those diseases? The weight piles on no matter how much you exercise, what your diet is like, etc.

How dare you tell the OP that she could have lost weight without surgery or medication. I think if she could have lost weight without undergoing life-threatening surgery and having to take pills every day of her life, that she would have taken that route instead. You don't know her whole life story. Some people NEED an appetite suppressant because their leptin/ghrelin levels are screwed up and don't tell the brain when they are full or when they are truly hungry. Instead they send mixed messages- the person always "feels" hungry… they never feel "full." There's nothing wrong with taking a pill to correct the hunger hormones in the brain.

You named other diseases that contribute to obesity, not any evidence that obesity itself is a disease.



Many of those diseases also contribute to laziness. Is laziness a disease?

My point is that some people have certain diseases that make them obese. Their eating behaviors and exercise habits did not give them PCOS, carcinoid tumors, hypothyroidism. If you think those are caused by laziness, I'm sorry but you are an idiot and should really do your research before talking about something you clearly know nothing about.

I'm an idiot with hypothyroid disease that didn't use it as an excuse and used a calorie deficit and exercise to lose the weight I accumulated.

You're just one of the lucky ones who was able to lose weight through exercise and diet alone.

Lucky? Ouch. Way to marginalize hard work and a ton of effort.

Another idiot here. I have a pituitary gland tumor, as referenced above. I have lost weight at a calorie deficit and exercise. Hmmm.

show previous quotes

Obesity is the result of behavior - it is absolutely NOT a disease.

OP, I do applaud you for sharing your experience, even if it's different from my own. That said, you could have done this without pills or surgery. Most women can lose weight on around 1600 calories a day, which if you eat the right foods at the right times of the day you shouldn't be that hungry.


Change your lifestyle - this should not result in starving yourself, and you don't have to work out for hours a day.

You obviously aren't familiar with diseases of the endocrine system which cause obesity. Hence why obesity is a disease. Cushing's syndrome, thyroid malfunction or hyperfunction of the adrenal gland, insulinoma, tumors on the pituitary gland, carcinoid tumors, PCOS… just to name a few. People with these conditions suffer every day of their life with their weight. Do you know how difficult it is to lose weight with any of those diseases? The weight piles on no matter how much you exercise, what your diet is like, etc.

How dare you tell the OP that she could have lost weight without surgery or medication. I think if she could have lost weight without undergoing life-threatening surgery and having to take pills every day of her life, that she would have taken that route instead. You don't know her whole life story. Some people NEED an appetite suppressant because their leptin/ghrelin levels are screwed up and don't tell the brain when they are full or when they are truly hungry. Instead they send mixed messages- the person always "feels" hungry… they never feel "full." There's nothing wrong with taking a pill to correct the hunger hormones in the brain.

You named other diseases that contribute to obesity, not any evidence that obesity itself is a disease.



Many of those diseases also contribute to laziness. Is laziness a disease?

My point is that some people have certain diseases that make them obese. Their eating behaviors and exercise habits did not give them PCOS, carcinoid tumors, hypothyroidism. If you think those are caused by laziness, I'm sorry but you are an idiot and should really do your research before talking about something you clearly know nothing about.

I'm an idiot with hypothyroid disease that didn't use it as an excuse and used a calorie deficit and exercise to lose the weight I accumulated.

You're just one of the lucky ones who was able to lose weight through exercise and diet alone.

Lucky? Ouch. Way to marginalize hard work and a ton of effort.

Another idiot here. I have a pituitary gland tumor, as referenced above. I have lost weight at a calorie deficit and exercise. Hmmm.

Congrats to you!!! You are so lucky...

:drinker: :laugh:

Seriously though, great job.

show previous quotes

I swear, it's gotten to the point that everyone has some "disease" or some other affliction they blame for causing whatever perceived bad is happening to them.

I got these symptoms once then I looked on WebMD and found out I had scurvy. It's what I get though, being a pirate.

And a patch and a parrot, too, right? Don't let anything cheat you out of a pretty bird!

There is so much more to the human body that personkind has left to learn. I know what works for one will not for another, many in the real world have health issues for which they are given no medical support or encouragement, reading threads similar to this can help them glean that "something" which might just help them turn their lives round. Something else to read up on, which may or may not apply to them but provide another learning opportunity.

In 1993 when I was being frowned on for not being smaller for the umpteenth time by family. I said my problem lay in something I was eating not the quantity. Little did I realise it was the salicylate, aspirin, hidden in so many fruits and veg, I became riddled with joint and muscle pain, breathing problems and much much more. Eventually I was reduced to using walking sticks just to get about, Doing the perceived "right thing" was of no help, it was causing my problem. Being put in a "box" as a perennial over eater, by medics, who ignored other factors like asking why I had so many other health issues and could there be a connection has taken me to a point now where I am unable to spend much time in public places because of the residual smells of perfumes and household and personal hygiene products, probably salicylate or salicylate mimics, synthetic copies which act much the same way as the real thing. Those of you who are able to loose weight with calorie restriction and exercise be grateful because when the body goes "wrong" it can go wrong in big ways, believe me. I never saw myself as a victim, I never gave up trying to live a "normal" life either.

I might start getting help. I might have found the right button to press. I am off to immunology in the hope of discovering how to counteract the things which are restricting me. Its only been an adult lifetime of frustration what the hell. What was the saying I need? Don't let the .......................

True that!

show previous quotes

Obesity is the result of behavior - it is absolutely NOT a disease.

OP, I do applaud you for sharing your experience, even if it's different from my own. That said, you could have done this without pills or surgery. Most women can lose weight on around 1600 calories a day, which if you eat the right foods at the right times of the day you shouldn't be that hungry.


Change your lifestyle - this should not result in starving yourself, and you don't have to work out for hours a day.

You obviously aren't familiar with diseases of the endocrine system which cause obesity. Hence why obesity is a disease. Cushing's syndrome, thyroid malfunction or hyperfunction of the adrenal gland, insulinoma, tumors on the pituitary gland, carcinoid tumors, PCOS… just to name a few. People with these conditions suffer every day of their life with their weight. Do you know how difficult it is to lose weight with any of those diseases? The weight piles on no matter how much you exercise, what your diet is like, etc.

How dare you tell the OP that she could have lost weight without surgery or medication. I think if she could have lost weight without undergoing life-threatening surgery and having to take pills every day of her life, that she would have taken that route instead. You don't know her whole life story. Some people NEED an appetite suppressant because their leptin/ghrelin levels are screwed up and don't tell the brain when they are full or when they are truly hungry. Instead they send mixed messages- the person always "feels" hungry… they never feel "full." There's nothing wrong with taking a pill to correct the hunger hormones in the brain.

I'm another idiot with Hashimoto's-with complications, plus severe chronic pain issues (from multiple sources) who is 'magically' losing weight from eating less and moving more-and no, I'm not starving, nor am I working out for hours per day, nor am I taking any pills to curb appetite.

Huh. Funny how that works.

BTW, people can not be addicted to sugar, at least physically.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20056521

"Conclusion: There is no support from the human literature for the hypothesis that sucrose may be physically addictive or that addiction to sugar plays a role in eating disorders."