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Why do people overeat and/or become obese? Is it harder than average for some to lose weight?
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okay so lets for debates sake say that part of the reason for the obesity epidemic is as follows
some are addicted to food
***some have issues other than food addiction aka depression or use food as a comfort mechanism
some lack the knowledge
some just like food
and out of those 4 things which is most common?
***"Some have [underlying] issues other than food addiction"
would get my vote
but it's not just one answer to the question there are too many reasons for people over eating...and people need to figure out theirs and fix it if they want.
mine was lack of knowledge and love of food...I figured it out changed the lack of knowledge lost the weight and have kept it off even tho I still love food...cook all the time and will continue to eat all the foods I love and want when I want.0 -
sashayoung72 wrote: »mommarnurse wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I don't really see how this thread won't end up here anyway, so I'm going to go ahead and throw it out there:
In some (or many) cases, people are afflicted with a compulsion/addiction/condition/whatever-term-that-won't-cause-mental-anguish-to-people. I believe that there is both a physical and mental component to this.
The physical is that there is an abnormal reaction to the effects of certain behaviors and or experiences (such as overeating and/or eating highly palatable foods). This reaction manifests in a phenomenal craving. Once the craving is triggered, it cannot be satisfied.
The mental aspect is an obsession with the behavior or experience. They are inexplicably drawn to attempt normal consumption even if they have proven an inability to do so in the past. No matter their level of commitment or the seriousness of their situation (i.e. you'll have to get your leg amputated if you can't get this under control), they will trigger the craving again.
Basically it boils down to this, they can't stop once they've started and they can't stop themselves from starting.
I don't believe this for one second.
Lack of education.
That's fine.
Are you saying I lack education or the people I am talking about lack education. What education is lacking?
I think the majority of people who are overweight/obese lack education in anything food related.
I watched an episode of my 600lb life...the guy gained weight and the doctor was asking why? the patient said "I don't know I should be losing I switched out my white bread for whole wheat"....seriously.
And based on my own experience I knew about calories from being a teenager and having my mother diet all the time...but had no clue on how to lose weight and maintain...
I could lose like a demon...but gain it back.
diet books, diet websites, diet pills, diet programs aka WW etc...all teach people how to lose but not how to maintain...
and as adults if we weren't taught about nutrition and calories how do we teach our kids??????
So, you're basically saying people with weight problems do not know lack education on how to maintain?
No what I am saying is most people have no idea how calories work.
I'm not sure I believe this is true of most. It doesn't seem to mesh with the number of posts asking "why can't I stop overeating" or "how do I stop binge eating" or "how do I break my addiction to sugar"
To me these sound more like issues with control of cravings than a lack of knowledge that too many calories are being consumed.
This is a very small sample tho...I do firmly believe based on my own life most don't understand calories.
If they did there wouldn't be statements of CICO doesn't work for everyone and there wouldn't be this large diet industry preying on people...
Sure they get the concept of I need to eat fewer calories but when it comes down to it they have no idea what that truly means...
But I feel like this is going to get into "food addiction" area and I am not into that debate.
What does it truly mean if not; determining the calories of current intake and eating less than that; or determining caloric output and eating less than that?
to lose weight it truly means taking in less calories than you burn
to maintain weight it truly means that you are eating the same as what you are burning.
If your current intake is making you gain 1lb a week...eating 50 calories less a day won't work...but you know that
Ok, I'm still trying to fully understand what you meant by "Sure they get the concept of I need to eat fewer calories but when it comes down to it they have no idea what that truly means...". So for the sake of clarification, you are saying that they miscalculate their caloric needs or the number of calories they should cut from their diet? In other words, you are saying they know they need to eat fewer calories, but don't know how much fewer?
sort of...
People know that to lose weight they need to eat (for arguments sake) 1200 calories and that means to them 1lb a week. *I know this as a friend is on MFP and this is her life....
They log 1200 calories and really believe they ate 1200 calories.
They exercise and log 500 calories for 45mins of treadmill walking at 3.5 mph because that's what the treadmill says.
In reality they are eating 1600 a day and burning maybe 300..(I am being generous)
They lose 1/2 a week or maybe none because they really ate 1800 for a few days.
They ask "why am I not losing weight"...
They really believe that they are eating 1200 calories and exercising that much and feel they are one of those "that can't lose weight" or "it's the kinds of calories" or "it's because I ate after 7pm" or "because I didn't drink my hot lemon water this morning to rev my metabolism"
No concept of what 1200 calories looks like or how hard it is to exercise off 500 calories walking...
See for me I can tell you what 30gram of marble cheddar looks like and that fact it has 120 calories...or how much 180 grams of mix frozen tropical fruit looks like...I got cha...150 grams of chicken I know but if I am not familiar with the food I would need my food scale to know the weight to get the calories...
Ok, but this is somewhat different than what the thread seemed to be about....I suspect they're trying to say that, for them, either Calories In is harder to limit or that Calories Out is harder to achieve than for the average person...
...Why are they eating so much? What drives the desire and need to consume extra calories than needed?...
If you have been able to build a skill set which allows you to be able to eyeball what 30g of marble cheddar looks like, what makes you think others who have struggled for years haven't been able to develop the same skills? Surely many of them have and still struggle nonetheless. What drives overeating in people who know better? I'm talking about people who:
- know energy balance (CICO)
- Know a pound of fat is about 3500 calories
- know that exercise estimations are inaccurate
- know that measuring by volume is not always precise
- weigh everything that they eat
- have sustainable food plans
- know that forbidding foods could lead to greater temptation
- know that attempting to moderate could lead to greater temptation
- know that micro nutrients are important for body composition
- know that protein intake is recommended at .8-1g per pound of lean body mass
- know that certain food types are more satisfying for different people
- know that certain diets work because they make it easier for some to manipulate energy balance
- you get my point...
There are many who know all of this yet fail regardless. Why?
This interests me too and I've seen some comments on other threads that tell me there are a few people here who might say that this describes them. I would love to hear from them.
A friend of mine has been obese probably her entire life. As far as I can tell, she seems to know all of the above yet still struggles with her weight. It's something that I can never ask her about because it's none of my business and I would never want to risk hurting her feelings, but I know she's not the only one in her shoes and I hope someone can shed some light on what it might be like for her.
Because they aren't willing to change. I know this isn't the best analogy - but surely crack addicts know crack is bad? Surely that guy with diabetes who's repeatedly admitted to the hospital knows he shouldn't be chugging soda and what not? Knowledge isn't the first step in change, acknowledgement is. You can look in the mirror and say "hey, I'm fat" but you're not acknowledging that your own choices and lifestyle are the reason. And even if you do, you're not necessarily willing to step out of your comfort zone and make a change. That requires a very high , sustained level of emotional energy. You're settling for your lifestyle. Deep down, you don't believe that you deserve better.
People have had similar outlooks on alcoholics for decades (or mellenia), but now it is widely accepted to not be so cut and dry.
well if you want to go down the road of addiction fine I will say these couple of points on it.
1. I have yet to see someone derail their entire life aka lose their job, home, family because they do "stupid" and/or illegal acts for food.
2. Applying the logic of addiction to food doesn't even seem logical...we need food to survive so addicts have to stay away from their "drug" per say otherwise....
3. Addicts go through massive amounts of pain physical/mental when they give up their drug and to equate this to it after seeing an addict get off their "drug" is a slap in the fact to their battle.
and lastly
Addicts get treatment and stop if they so choose to...so barring all of the above if they are "addicts" then they can choose to get treatment and stop right??? so why don't they do that?
They understand the logic behind weight loss and just need to apply it to their life but don't because of a choice???
ACTUALLY on point one, there are people that lose their jobs because they become too obese to work at that job, sometimes it's side effects of the weight like high blood pressure. Also husbands and wives have left because they don't love them anymore.... Worse case they die from obesity side effects so slow suicide or OVERDOSE so to speak.
on your point 3. it is painful to let go of the things you can't have to lose the weight, maybe you are lucky and didn't have to do that but some do. And this is worse than drugs because you face it EVERY SINGLE *KITTEN* DAY!!! There is no GOING OFF THE DRUG when it comes to food.
And just like alcohol, most can take it or leave it so some DON't understand why someone else has a hard time and is addicted.
There are similarities yes ie hiding food, perhaps losing the job or a spouse or even die from side effects but that still does not mean food addiction is real....
still doesn't make it an addiction....why because I've seen people like that get WLS and lose the weight and keep it off.
and I have yet to see a "food" addict do illegal acts to get food or leave their family because food was more important...yes maybe their family leaves them...
no physical pain or withdrawal when you go on a diet....have you seen an addict give up a drug like alcohol or crack? seriously.
but again if this is an addiction and it's known to be an addiction and they have education and are smart why not get treatment? or as mentioned above what about people who have issues with food like BED and still manage to lose weight and maintain?
I do have a carb addiction. But thankfully I figured that out and eat complex carbs/low glycemic index food, and avoid sugar and simple carbs. It changed my life. I actually had carb withdrawal symptoms for a week when I initially abruptly dropped them down.
To me that's like saying you are an alcoholic that can't drink rum cause of effects but can drink vodka...really?
I am not getting into a food addiction debate, I personally find that notion distasteful considering what happens during an actual addiction and the aftermath...and find that saying eating is out of your control an excuse to not change.
Funny, I see it as an impetus for change.8 -
Gianfranco_R wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Gianfranco_R wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »AlabasterVerve wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »AlabasterVerve wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »AlabasterVerve wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »I really don't find it particularly surprising that people overeat and gain weight, and I certainly don't think it's contrary to CICO in any way. Nor do I think it makes "put down the fork" bad advice, although I know it can be challenging for lots of reasons.
We evolved in circumstances in which not having enough food was an issue and surplus food was not, and where we were required to be active. Throughout human history (until quite recently) activity was necessary and scarcity was the main concern, and on top of that all cultures had customs and rituals that regulated eating in some way (similar to how other basic urges, like sex, are regulated by culture). It was beneficial for humans, also, to be able to eat when food was available and go without when not, such that we can adapt to not eating/eating little for a period of time (periods of scarcity) and eat more than we need immediately when food is available. As a result, the assumption by some that a healthy human won't eat more than maintenance naturally is questionable -- why would we have evolved to prevent something that was not an issue? It's amazing how out bodies adapt to keep an equilibrium as is.
So given all that, put us in a situation of abundance, with food around at all times that we don't even have to prepare ourselves if we don't want to, a culture that says "eat whenever you feel like it, and for pure pleasure, not for hunger or according to overarching culture," I think it's completely unsurprising that many people overeat and gain weight. It's normal for humans to feel desire to eat tasty and available food when it is present and therefore in the mind. Not everyone feels that way, but that it's common, not surprising.
Add to this that many humans are bad with short term vs. long term tradeoffs -- yeah, overeating will keep you fat and eating less will allow for lost weight, but that will take a long time and it's easy to think one day or one meal won't matter and keep repeating that. And that's even before taking into account how easy it is to use any form of pleasure in a distorted or misplaced way, the power of habit, cultural associations with food (reminds me of a happy occasion or some such), and before worrying about actual messed up relationships with food and weight (which I think often feed into a cycle).
A human with a healthy appetite won't eat more than the body needs though even with abundant, delicious food available.
I'm not sure I am following your argument, but reality disproves this -- a majority of people do when food is abundant and cheap, as currently.
Overfeeding studies involve people who are not overweight, but you can't claim only those people are "healthy."I believe our mores around food evolved to protect the appetite - not to prevent overeating per se. Feasting, eating until full, "making room" for dessert are the exact opposite of not overeating and they were all part of a healthy eating pattern.
I don't think they evolved to avoid overeating (as that was not much of a problem until recently except among a small subset), but they operated to do so. One reason I didn't gain weight or think much about food between meals when growing up -- no matter what I ate -- was that you ate at mealtime. Even after I gained weight I took a trip to Nicaragua where we were doing lots of physical activity and busy all day and had no opportunities to eat except at regular meals (which were high carb/low protein compared to how I ate back home). I never thought about food, again, except at meals and ate smaller portions than at home (eating with other people when fat does this sometimes), and wasn't hungry at all. I think it was that food just wasn't available otherwise.If you truly overeat at one meal you naturally eat less at another and it all balances out. Providing you have a normal appetite.
Again, this is contrary to reality, as a majority of people seem to eat above maintenance sufficiently to become overweight.
My argument is simply that eating to the point of obesity is not normal or natural in those with a healthy, normal appetite regardless of the food environment.
How are you defining "normal and natural"? If a majority of people do it, it seems to be normal and natural, IMO.
That would be common to my mind, not normal. In other words, working as intended.
But there is no "intended" here. In many ways, eating food when it's available is a product of evolution, in all likelihood, and either useful or neutral in the conditions that prevailed for most of human history, so that a majority seem to do it easily if they don't take precautions against it is hardly surprising.
If a majority of people do it and they are generally otherwise healthy, how is that not normal?
Fact is that it is a majority only in few countries (like the U.S.) while elsewhere it seems the "normal" appetite doesn't lead the majority of people to overeat.
Increasingly other countries are like the US as food culture changes and environment becomes more similar. Basically, you are catching up.
yes, Western diet, together with obesity, is spreading across the world (food industry has nothing to do with it of course).
Of course the food industry has something to do with it -- it helps make food cheap and abundant, and promotes snacking/eating just for fun. In western countries, at least, the foods promoted (due to demand) are often lower nutrient and less satiating on average than more traditional foods.
None of this changes anything re my argument, though, so it seems like a non sequitur, but enjoy.0 -
@SezxyStef I must have missed a post? I don't see where @DebSozo says that she is out of control or using her issue with carbs as an excuse not to change. What I see is that she has figured out that she feels better when she eats complex carbohydrates and avoids simple sugars. That sounds as if she is in control and has changed her approach, the opposite of what you are implying. You may not agree with her using the term "addiction", but it does not give cause to misinterpret her entire post. This is what has worked for her and there is no need to dismiss it because you don't like her use of the term addiction.11
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sashayoung72 wrote: »mommarnurse wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I don't really see how this thread won't end up here anyway, so I'm going to go ahead and throw it out there:
In some (or many) cases, people are afflicted with a compulsion/addiction/condition/whatever-term-that-won't-cause-mental-anguish-to-people. I believe that there is both a physical and mental component to this.
The physical is that there is an abnormal reaction to the effects of certain behaviors and or experiences (such as overeating and/or eating highly palatable foods). This reaction manifests in a phenomenal craving. Once the craving is triggered, it cannot be satisfied.
The mental aspect is an obsession with the behavior or experience. They are inexplicably drawn to attempt normal consumption even if they have proven an inability to do so in the past. No matter their level of commitment or the seriousness of their situation (i.e. you'll have to get your leg amputated if you can't get this under control), they will trigger the craving again.
Basically it boils down to this, they can't stop once they've started and they can't stop themselves from starting.
I don't believe this for one second.
Lack of education.
That's fine.
Are you saying I lack education or the people I am talking about lack education. What education is lacking?
I think the majority of people who are overweight/obese lack education in anything food related.
I watched an episode of my 600lb life...the guy gained weight and the doctor was asking why? the patient said "I don't know I should be losing I switched out my white bread for whole wheat"....seriously.
And based on my own experience I knew about calories from being a teenager and having my mother diet all the time...but had no clue on how to lose weight and maintain...
I could lose like a demon...but gain it back.
diet books, diet websites, diet pills, diet programs aka WW etc...all teach people how to lose but not how to maintain...
and as adults if we weren't taught about nutrition and calories how do we teach our kids??????
So, you're basically saying people with weight problems do not know lack education on how to maintain?
No what I am saying is most people have no idea how calories work.
I'm not sure I believe this is true of most. It doesn't seem to mesh with the number of posts asking "why can't I stop overeating" or "how do I stop binge eating" or "how do I break my addiction to sugar"
To me these sound more like issues with control of cravings than a lack of knowledge that too many calories are being consumed.
This is a very small sample tho...I do firmly believe based on my own life most don't understand calories.
If they did there wouldn't be statements of CICO doesn't work for everyone and there wouldn't be this large diet industry preying on people...
Sure they get the concept of I need to eat fewer calories but when it comes down to it they have no idea what that truly means...
But I feel like this is going to get into "food addiction" area and I am not into that debate.
What does it truly mean if not; determining the calories of current intake and eating less than that; or determining caloric output and eating less than that?
to lose weight it truly means taking in less calories than you burn
to maintain weight it truly means that you are eating the same as what you are burning.
If your current intake is making you gain 1lb a week...eating 50 calories less a day won't work...but you know that
Ok, I'm still trying to fully understand what you meant by "Sure they get the concept of I need to eat fewer calories but when it comes down to it they have no idea what that truly means...". So for the sake of clarification, you are saying that they miscalculate their caloric needs or the number of calories they should cut from their diet? In other words, you are saying they know they need to eat fewer calories, but don't know how much fewer?
sort of...
People know that to lose weight they need to eat (for arguments sake) 1200 calories and that means to them 1lb a week. *I know this as a friend is on MFP and this is her life....
They log 1200 calories and really believe they ate 1200 calories.
They exercise and log 500 calories for 45mins of treadmill walking at 3.5 mph because that's what the treadmill says.
In reality they are eating 1600 a day and burning maybe 300..(I am being generous)
They lose 1/2 a week or maybe none because they really ate 1800 for a few days.
They ask "why am I not losing weight"...
They really believe that they are eating 1200 calories and exercising that much and feel they are one of those "that can't lose weight" or "it's the kinds of calories" or "it's because I ate after 7pm" or "because I didn't drink my hot lemon water this morning to rev my metabolism"
No concept of what 1200 calories looks like or how hard it is to exercise off 500 calories walking...
See for me I can tell you what 30gram of marble cheddar looks like and that fact it has 120 calories...or how much 180 grams of mix frozen tropical fruit looks like...I got cha...150 grams of chicken I know but if I am not familiar with the food I would need my food scale to know the weight to get the calories...
Ok, but this is somewhat different than what the thread seemed to be about....I suspect they're trying to say that, for them, either Calories In is harder to limit or that Calories Out is harder to achieve than for the average person...
...Why are they eating so much? What drives the desire and need to consume extra calories than needed?...
If you have been able to build a skill set which allows you to be able to eyeball what 30g of marble cheddar looks like, what makes you think others who have struggled for years haven't been able to develop the same skills? Surely many of them have and still struggle nonetheless. What drives overeating in people who know better? I'm talking about people who:
- know energy balance (CICO)
- Know a pound of fat is about 3500 calories
- know that exercise estimations are inaccurate
- know that measuring by volume is not always precise
- weigh everything that they eat
- have sustainable food plans
- know that forbidding foods could lead to greater temptation
- know that attempting to moderate could lead to greater temptation
- know that micro nutrients are important for body composition
- know that protein intake is recommended at .8-1g per pound of lean body mass
- know that certain food types are more satisfying for different people
- know that certain diets work because they make it easier for some to manipulate energy balance
- you get my point...
There are many who know all of this yet fail regardless. Why?
This interests me too and I've seen some comments on other threads that tell me there are a few people here who might say that this describes them. I would love to hear from them.
A friend of mine has been obese probably her entire life. As far as I can tell, she seems to know all of the above yet still struggles with her weight. It's something that I can never ask her about because it's none of my business and I would never want to risk hurting her feelings, but I know she's not the only one in her shoes and I hope someone can shed some light on what it might be like for her.
Because they aren't willing to change. I know this isn't the best analogy - but surely crack addicts know crack is bad? Surely that guy with diabetes who's repeatedly admitted to the hospital knows he shouldn't be chugging soda and what not? Knowledge isn't the first step in change, acknowledgement is. You can look in the mirror and say "hey, I'm fat" but you're not acknowledging that your own choices and lifestyle are the reason. And even if you do, you're not necessarily willing to step out of your comfort zone and make a change. That requires a very high , sustained level of emotional energy. You're settling for your lifestyle. Deep down, you don't believe that you deserve better.
People have had similar outlooks on alcoholics for decades (or mellenia), but now it is widely accepted to not be so cut and dry.
well if you want to go down the road of addiction fine I will say these couple of points on it.
1. I have yet to see someone derail their entire life aka lose their job, home, family because they do "stupid" and/or illegal acts for food.
2. Applying the logic of addiction to food doesn't even seem logical...we need food to survive so addicts have to stay away from their "drug" per say otherwise....
3. Addicts go through massive amounts of pain physical/mental when they give up their drug and to equate this to it after seeing an addict get off their "drug" is a slap in the fact to their battle.
and lastly
Addicts get treatment and stop if they so choose to...so barring all of the above if they are "addicts" then they can choose to get treatment and stop right??? so why don't they do that?
They understand the logic behind weight loss and just need to apply it to their life but don't because of a choice???
ACTUALLY on point one, there are people that lose their jobs because they become too obese to work at that job, sometimes it's side effects of the weight like high blood pressure. Also husbands and wives have left because they don't love them anymore.... Worse case they die from obesity side effects so slow suicide or OVERDOSE so to speak.
on your point 3. it is painful to let go of the things you can't have to lose the weight, maybe you are lucky and didn't have to do that but some do. And this is worse than drugs because you face it EVERY SINGLE *KITTEN* DAY!!! There is no GOING OFF THE DRUG when it comes to food.
And just like alcohol, most can take it or leave it so some DON't understand why someone else has a hard time and is addicted.
There are similarities yes ie hiding food, perhaps losing the job or a spouse or even die from side effects but that still does not mean food addiction is real....
still doesn't make it an addiction....why because I've seen people like that get WLS and lose the weight and keep it off.
and I have yet to see a "food" addict do illegal acts to get food or leave their family because food was more important...yes maybe their family leaves them...
no physical pain or withdrawal when you go on a diet....have you seen an addict give up a drug like alcohol or crack? seriously.
but again if this is an addiction and it's known to be an addiction and they have education and are smart why not get treatment? or as mentioned above what about people who have issues with food like BED and still manage to lose weight and maintain?
I do have a carb addiction. But thankfully I figured that out and eat complex carbs/low glycemic index food, and avoid sugar and simple carbs. It changed my life. I actually had carb withdrawal symptoms for a week when I initially abruptly dropped them down.
To me that's like saying you are an alcoholic that can't drink rum cause of effects but can drink vodka...really?
I am not getting into a food addiction debate, I personally find that notion distasteful considering what happens during an actual addiction and the aftermath...and find that saying eating is out of your control an excuse to not change.
Ummm. Eating is in our control.
Your overreaction/sensitivity to the word "addiction" is a bit much. I'm addicted to coffee. I will quit but if I start drinking it I will quickly go back. It is the same way with sugar so I avoid it. I don't know why you choose not to believe people?
I'm only a few pounds overweight, so I can and do manage my food choices.3 -
KetoGirl83 wrote: »AlabasterVerve wrote: »(...)
Of course today that's all nonsense. Everyone one knows calories in, calories out is how you manage your weight. What you eat and when you eat doesn't matter.
Seriously? It doesn't matter if I eat 1500 cals of broccoli or 1500 cals of twinkies?
::flowerforyou::
Nutritionally, it obviously does.
Also, you probably couldn't manage to eat 1500 calories of broccoli.
Both would be bad diets -- most mono diets are -- so I never understand why people bring up such things as if they were real choices.6 -
sashayoung72 wrote: »mommarnurse wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I don't really see how this thread won't end up here anyway, so I'm going to go ahead and throw it out there:
In some (or many) cases, people are afflicted with a compulsion/addiction/condition/whatever-term-that-won't-cause-mental-anguish-to-people. I believe that there is both a physical and mental component to this.
The physical is that there is an abnormal reaction to the effects of certain behaviors and or experiences (such as overeating and/or eating highly palatable foods). This reaction manifests in a phenomenal craving. Once the craving is triggered, it cannot be satisfied.
The mental aspect is an obsession with the behavior or experience. They are inexplicably drawn to attempt normal consumption even if they have proven an inability to do so in the past. No matter their level of commitment or the seriousness of their situation (i.e. you'll have to get your leg amputated if you can't get this under control), they will trigger the craving again.
Basically it boils down to this, they can't stop once they've started and they can't stop themselves from starting.
I don't believe this for one second.
Lack of education.
That's fine.
Are you saying I lack education or the people I am talking about lack education. What education is lacking?
I think the majority of people who are overweight/obese lack education in anything food related.
I watched an episode of my 600lb life...the guy gained weight and the doctor was asking why? the patient said "I don't know I should be losing I switched out my white bread for whole wheat"....seriously.
And based on my own experience I knew about calories from being a teenager and having my mother diet all the time...but had no clue on how to lose weight and maintain...
I could lose like a demon...but gain it back.
diet books, diet websites, diet pills, diet programs aka WW etc...all teach people how to lose but not how to maintain...
and as adults if we weren't taught about nutrition and calories how do we teach our kids??????
So, you're basically saying people with weight problems do not know lack education on how to maintain?
No what I am saying is most people have no idea how calories work.
I'm not sure I believe this is true of most. It doesn't seem to mesh with the number of posts asking "why can't I stop overeating" or "how do I stop binge eating" or "how do I break my addiction to sugar"
To me these sound more like issues with control of cravings than a lack of knowledge that too many calories are being consumed.
This is a very small sample tho...I do firmly believe based on my own life most don't understand calories.
If they did there wouldn't be statements of CICO doesn't work for everyone and there wouldn't be this large diet industry preying on people...
Sure they get the concept of I need to eat fewer calories but when it comes down to it they have no idea what that truly means...
But I feel like this is going to get into "food addiction" area and I am not into that debate.
What does it truly mean if not; determining the calories of current intake and eating less than that; or determining caloric output and eating less than that?
to lose weight it truly means taking in less calories than you burn
to maintain weight it truly means that you are eating the same as what you are burning.
If your current intake is making you gain 1lb a week...eating 50 calories less a day won't work...but you know that
Ok, I'm still trying to fully understand what you meant by "Sure they get the concept of I need to eat fewer calories but when it comes down to it they have no idea what that truly means...". So for the sake of clarification, you are saying that they miscalculate their caloric needs or the number of calories they should cut from their diet? In other words, you are saying they know they need to eat fewer calories, but don't know how much fewer?
sort of...
People know that to lose weight they need to eat (for arguments sake) 1200 calories and that means to them 1lb a week. *I know this as a friend is on MFP and this is her life....
They log 1200 calories and really believe they ate 1200 calories.
They exercise and log 500 calories for 45mins of treadmill walking at 3.5 mph because that's what the treadmill says.
In reality they are eating 1600 a day and burning maybe 300..(I am being generous)
They lose 1/2 a week or maybe none because they really ate 1800 for a few days.
They ask "why am I not losing weight"...
They really believe that they are eating 1200 calories and exercising that much and feel they are one of those "that can't lose weight" or "it's the kinds of calories" or "it's because I ate after 7pm" or "because I didn't drink my hot lemon water this morning to rev my metabolism"
No concept of what 1200 calories looks like or how hard it is to exercise off 500 calories walking...
See for me I can tell you what 30gram of marble cheddar looks like and that fact it has 120 calories...or how much 180 grams of mix frozen tropical fruit looks like...I got cha...150 grams of chicken I know but if I am not familiar with the food I would need my food scale to know the weight to get the calories...
Ok, but this is somewhat different than what the thread seemed to be about....I suspect they're trying to say that, for them, either Calories In is harder to limit or that Calories Out is harder to achieve than for the average person...
...Why are they eating so much? What drives the desire and need to consume extra calories than needed?...
If you have been able to build a skill set which allows you to be able to eyeball what 30g of marble cheddar looks like, what makes you think others who have struggled for years haven't been able to develop the same skills? Surely many of them have and still struggle nonetheless. What drives overeating in people who know better? I'm talking about people who:
- know energy balance (CICO)
- Know a pound of fat is about 3500 calories
- know that exercise estimations are inaccurate
- know that measuring by volume is not always precise
- weigh everything that they eat
- have sustainable food plans
- know that forbidding foods could lead to greater temptation
- know that attempting to moderate could lead to greater temptation
- know that micro nutrients are important for body composition
- know that protein intake is recommended at .8-1g per pound of lean body mass
- know that certain food types are more satisfying for different people
- know that certain diets work because they make it easier for some to manipulate energy balance
- you get my point...
There are many who know all of this yet fail regardless. Why?
This interests me too and I've seen some comments on other threads that tell me there are a few people here who might say that this describes them. I would love to hear from them.
A friend of mine has been obese probably her entire life. As far as I can tell, she seems to know all of the above yet still struggles with her weight. It's something that I can never ask her about because it's none of my business and I would never want to risk hurting her feelings, but I know she's not the only one in her shoes and I hope someone can shed some light on what it might be like for her.
Because they aren't willing to change. I know this isn't the best analogy - but surely crack addicts know crack is bad? Surely that guy with diabetes who's repeatedly admitted to the hospital knows he shouldn't be chugging soda and what not? Knowledge isn't the first step in change, acknowledgement is. You can look in the mirror and say "hey, I'm fat" but you're not acknowledging that your own choices and lifestyle are the reason. And even if you do, you're not necessarily willing to step out of your comfort zone and make a change. That requires a very high , sustained level of emotional energy. You're settling for your lifestyle. Deep down, you don't believe that you deserve better.
People have had similar outlooks on alcoholics for decades (or mellenia), but now it is widely accepted to not be so cut and dry.
well if you want to go down the road of addiction fine I will say these couple of points on it.
1. I have yet to see someone derail their entire life aka lose their job, home, family because they do "stupid" and/or illegal acts for food.
2. Applying the logic of addiction to food doesn't even seem logical...we need food to survive so addicts have to stay away from their "drug" per say otherwise....
3. Addicts go through massive amounts of pain physical/mental when they give up their drug and to equate this to it after seeing an addict get off their "drug" is a slap in the fact to their battle.
and lastly
Addicts get treatment and stop if they so choose to...so barring all of the above if they are "addicts" then they can choose to get treatment and stop right??? so why don't they do that?
They understand the logic behind weight loss and just need to apply it to their life but don't because of a choice???
ACTUALLY on point one, there are people that lose their jobs because they become too obese to work at that job, sometimes it's side effects of the weight like high blood pressure. Also husbands and wives have left because they don't love them anymore.... Worse case they die from obesity side effects so slow suicide or OVERDOSE so to speak.
on your point 3. it is painful to let go of the things you can't have to lose the weight, maybe you are lucky and didn't have to do that but some do. And this is worse than drugs because you face it EVERY SINGLE *KITTEN* DAY!!! There is no GOING OFF THE DRUG when it comes to food.
And just like alcohol, most can take it or leave it so some DON't understand why someone else has a hard time and is addicted.
There are similarities yes ie hiding food, perhaps losing the job or a spouse or even die from side effects but that still does not mean food addiction is real....
still doesn't make it an addiction....why because I've seen people like that get WLS and lose the weight and keep it off.
and I have yet to see a "food" addict do illegal acts to get food or leave their family because food was more important...yes maybe their family leaves them...
no physical pain or withdrawal when you go on a diet....have you seen an addict give up a drug like alcohol or crack? seriously.
but again if this is an addiction and it's known to be an addiction and they have education and are smart why not get treatment? or as mentioned above what about people who have issues with food like BED and still manage to lose weight and maintain?
I do have a carb addiction. But thankfully I figured that out and eat complex carbs/low glycemic index food, and avoid sugar and simple carbs. It changed my life. I actually had carb withdrawal symptoms for a week when I initially abruptly dropped them down.
So fruits and veg, plain roasted potatoes, plain pasta are issues?
Most who claim to have issues with carbs don't have issues with these foods. They have issues with some (not all) highly palatable foods that are partly carbs, partly fat. The fat is typically an important part -- most popular trigger foods are either carbs, fat, salt or carbs (including sugar) and fat. Also, the withdrawal thing makes no sense if one is still eating carbs -- how much did you reduce?
I cut out added sugar for a while and felt no effects, which makes sense as I was still eating carbs (although probably less). The US diet isn't particularly high in carbs -- what distinguishes it is the types of carbs people eat, on average.
I don't see any actual physical differences between the foods people claim to be addicted to and foods they are fine with (for example, basically the same macros or even ingredients as others in many cases), which is why I think using the term addiction makes no sense. It's like claiming to be addicted to pinot but not cabernet.0 -
The same reason why many alcoholics and drug addicts don't get treatment. Again, many people with food issues do get treatment. Of course there is a certain stigma to overcome with food addiction which other addiction programs have already overcome.mommarnurse wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I don't really see how this thread won't end up here anyway, so I'm going to go ahead and throw it out there:
In some (or many) cases, people are afflicted with a compulsion/addiction/condition/whatever-term-that-won't-cause-mental-anguish-to-people. I believe that there is both a physical and mental component to this.
The physical is that there is an abnormal reaction to the effects of certain behaviors and or experiences (such as overeating and/or eating highly palatable foods). This reaction manifests in a phenomenal craving. Once the craving is triggered, it cannot be satisfied.
The mental aspect is an obsession with the behavior or experience. They are inexplicably drawn to attempt normal consumption even if they have proven an inability to do so in the past. No matter their level of commitment or the seriousness of their situation (i.e. you'll have to get your leg amputated if you can't get this under control), they will trigger the craving again.
Basically it boils down to this, they can't stop once they've started and they can't stop themselves from starting.
I don't believe this for one second.
Lack of education.
That's fine.
Are you saying I lack education or the people I am talking about lack education. What education is lacking?
I think the majority of people who are overweight/obese lack education in anything food related.
I watched an episode of my 600lb life...the guy gained weight and the doctor was asking why? the patient said "I don't know I should be losing I switched out my white bread for whole wheat"....seriously.
And based on my own experience I knew about calories from being a teenager and having my mother diet all the time...but had no clue on how to lose weight and maintain...
I could lose like a demon...but gain it back.
diet books, diet websites, diet pills, diet programs aka WW etc...all teach people how to lose but not how to maintain...
and as adults if we weren't taught about nutrition and calories how do we teach our kids??????
So, you're basically saying people with weight problems do not know lack education on how to maintain?
No what I am saying is most people have no idea how calories work.
I'm not sure I believe this is true of most. It doesn't seem to mesh with the number of posts asking "why can't I stop overeating" or "how do I stop binge eating" or "how do I break my addiction to sugar"
To me these sound more like issues with control of cravings than a lack of knowledge that too many calories are being consumed.
This is a very small sample tho...I do firmly believe based on my own life most don't understand calories.
If they did there wouldn't be statements of CICO doesn't work for everyone and there wouldn't be this large diet industry preying on people...
Sure they get the concept of I need to eat fewer calories but when it comes down to it they have no idea what that truly means...
But I feel like this is going to get into "food addiction" area and I am not into that debate.
What does it truly mean if not; determining the calories of current intake and eating less than that; or determining caloric output and eating less than that?
to lose weight it truly means taking in less calories than you burn
to maintain weight it truly means that you are eating the same as what you are burning.
If your current intake is making you gain 1lb a week...eating 50 calories less a day won't work...but you know that
Ok, I'm still trying to fully understand what you meant by "Sure they get the concept of I need to eat fewer calories but when it comes down to it they have no idea what that truly means...". So for the sake of clarification, you are saying that they miscalculate their caloric needs or the number of calories they should cut from their diet? In other words, you are saying they know they need to eat fewer calories, but don't know how much fewer?
sort of...
People know that to lose weight they need to eat (for arguments sake) 1200 calories and that means to them 1lb a week. *I know this as a friend is on MFP and this is her life....
They log 1200 calories and really believe they ate 1200 calories.
They exercise and log 500 calories for 45mins of treadmill walking at 3.5 mph because that's what the treadmill says.
In reality they are eating 1600 a day and burning maybe 300..(I am being generous)
They lose 1/2 a week or maybe none because they really ate 1800 for a few days.
They ask "why am I not losing weight"...
They really believe that they are eating 1200 calories and exercising that much and feel they are one of those "that can't lose weight" or "it's the kinds of calories" or "it's because I ate after 7pm" or "because I didn't drink my hot lemon water this morning to rev my metabolism"
No concept of what 1200 calories looks like or how hard it is to exercise off 500 calories walking...
See for me I can tell you what 30gram of marble cheddar looks like and that fact it has 120 calories...or how much 180 grams of mix frozen tropical fruit looks like...I got cha...150 grams of chicken I know but if I am not familiar with the food I would need my food scale to know the weight to get the calories...
Ok, but this is somewhat different than what the thread seemed to be about....I suspect they're trying to say that, for them, either Calories In is harder to limit or that Calories Out is harder to achieve than for the average person...
...Why are they eating so much? What drives the desire and need to consume extra calories than needed?...
If you have been able to build a skill set which allows you to be able to eyeball what 30g of marble cheddar looks like, what makes you think others who have struggled for years haven't been able to develop the same skills? Surely many of them have and still struggle nonetheless. What drives overeating in people who know better? I'm talking about people who:
- know energy balance (CICO)
- Know a pound of fat is about 3500 calories
- know that exercise estimations are inaccurate
- know that measuring by volume is not always precise
- weigh everything that they eat
- have sustainable food plans
- know that forbidding foods could lead to greater temptation
- know that attempting to moderate could lead to greater temptation
- know that micro nutrients are important for body composition
- know that protein intake is recommended at .8-1g per pound of lean body mass
- know that certain food types are more satisfying for different people
- know that certain diets work because they make it easier for some to manipulate energy balance
- you get my point...
There are many who know all of this yet fail regardless. Why?
This interests me too and I've seen some comments on other threads that tell me there are a few people here who might say that this describes them. I would love to hear from them.
A friend of mine has been obese probably her entire life. As far as I can tell, she seems to know all of the above yet still struggles with her weight. It's something that I can never ask her about because it's none of my business and I would never want to risk hurting her feelings, but I know she's not the only one in her shoes and I hope someone can shed some light on what it might be like for her.
Because they aren't willing to change. I know this isn't the best analogy - but surely crack addicts know crack is bad? Surely that guy with diabetes who's repeatedly admitted to the hospital knows he shouldn't be chugging soda and what not? Knowledge isn't the first step in change, acknowledgement is. You can look in the mirror and say "hey, I'm fat" but you're not acknowledging that your own choices and lifestyle are the reason. And even if you do, you're not necessarily willing to step out of your comfort zone and make a change. That requires a very high , sustained level of emotional energy. You're settling for your lifestyle. Deep down, you don't believe that you deserve better.
People have had similar outlooks on alcoholics for decades (or mellenia), but now it is widely accepted to not be so cut and dry.
as I mentioned previous for the sake of "debate". Alcoholics can get treatment and stop drinking...and lots never touch it again. Same with other drugs...
So these people who feel they are food addicts need to get in treatment and get help but don't...explain why not...ETA: there is a post back a page or 2 where a woman admits to still having a food binge about once a week but yet she has managed to lose the weight...and maintain the weight loss for 2 years...by applying CICO to her life and allowing for the binge and saving calories and or reducing them later.
So by the logic of issues with food or addiction you can still apply the knowledge, lose the weight and maintain it....
True, but many eventually succumb to those issues and eventually gain some or all of the weight back. This exact situation was also presented on this thread by another user but has since been removed. Also, not everybody that has a problem with food is overweight. The same way that there are functioning alcoholics. Sometimes this is due to compensating measures, but it is not always necessarily healthy.KetoneKaren wrote: »Some people (me) are "food thinkers", always thinking about what they are going to eat next, and when.
Others can get to the end of a busy day and suddenly realize they are hungry and haven't eaten (or thought about food) all day.
Food thinkers have to monitor themselves and say "no" to food a hundred times a day. Many food thinkers eat when they are not physically hungry.
People who are not food thinkers say "yes" to food 2-3 times a day, usually when they are physically hungry, and the rest of the time they don't think about it, or if they do, they do not become obsessed with the thought.
When I am totally absorbed at work on a demanding day, I am not a food thinker. I find this intriguing glimpse into what it would be like to be "normal" exhilarating. I would like to have that experience every day so I would think about food only when hungry.
I'm not much of a food thinker and haven't ever been obese. You have a point there! I only think about food that is in my immediate environment. Out of sight out of mind in my case. My, we are all so different! It would be agonizing, IMO, to think about food when it isn't near me. I do have trouble when someone puts it on the table in front of me. Then I have physiological response within that makes me want it and am reminded of how good it will feel to have it. My husband occasionally food pushes. But on my own I don't have trouble keeping away from simple carbs. Hubbie is a carboholic. He can eat a half a loaf of bread or a ton of noodles in one sitting. I don't usually go for quantity thankfully.1 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »sashayoung72 wrote: »mommarnurse wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I don't really see how this thread won't end up here anyway, so I'm going to go ahead and throw it out there:
In some (or many) cases, people are afflicted with a compulsion/addiction/condition/whatever-term-that-won't-cause-mental-anguish-to-people. I believe that there is both a physical and mental component to this.
The physical is that there is an abnormal reaction to the effects of certain behaviors and or experiences (such as overeating and/or eating highly palatable foods). This reaction manifests in a phenomenal craving. Once the craving is triggered, it cannot be satisfied.
The mental aspect is an obsession with the behavior or experience. They are inexplicably drawn to attempt normal consumption even if they have proven an inability to do so in the past. No matter their level of commitment or the seriousness of their situation (i.e. you'll have to get your leg amputated if you can't get this under control), they will trigger the craving again.
Basically it boils down to this, they can't stop once they've started and they can't stop themselves from starting.
I don't believe this for one second.
Lack of education.
That's fine.
Are you saying I lack education or the people I am talking about lack education. What education is lacking?
I think the majority of people who are overweight/obese lack education in anything food related.
I watched an episode of my 600lb life...the guy gained weight and the doctor was asking why? the patient said "I don't know I should be losing I switched out my white bread for whole wheat"....seriously.
And based on my own experience I knew about calories from being a teenager and having my mother diet all the time...but had no clue on how to lose weight and maintain...
I could lose like a demon...but gain it back.
diet books, diet websites, diet pills, diet programs aka WW etc...all teach people how to lose but not how to maintain...
and as adults if we weren't taught about nutrition and calories how do we teach our kids??????
So, you're basically saying people with weight problems do not know lack education on how to maintain?
No what I am saying is most people have no idea how calories work.
I'm not sure I believe this is true of most. It doesn't seem to mesh with the number of posts asking "why can't I stop overeating" or "how do I stop binge eating" or "how do I break my addiction to sugar"
To me these sound more like issues with control of cravings than a lack of knowledge that too many calories are being consumed.
This is a very small sample tho...I do firmly believe based on my own life most don't understand calories.
If they did there wouldn't be statements of CICO doesn't work for everyone and there wouldn't be this large diet industry preying on people...
Sure they get the concept of I need to eat fewer calories but when it comes down to it they have no idea what that truly means...
But I feel like this is going to get into "food addiction" area and I am not into that debate.
What does it truly mean if not; determining the calories of current intake and eating less than that; or determining caloric output and eating less than that?
to lose weight it truly means taking in less calories than you burn
to maintain weight it truly means that you are eating the same as what you are burning.
If your current intake is making you gain 1lb a week...eating 50 calories less a day won't work...but you know that
Ok, I'm still trying to fully understand what you meant by "Sure they get the concept of I need to eat fewer calories but when it comes down to it they have no idea what that truly means...". So for the sake of clarification, you are saying that they miscalculate their caloric needs or the number of calories they should cut from their diet? In other words, you are saying they know they need to eat fewer calories, but don't know how much fewer?
sort of...
People know that to lose weight they need to eat (for arguments sake) 1200 calories and that means to them 1lb a week. *I know this as a friend is on MFP and this is her life....
They log 1200 calories and really believe they ate 1200 calories.
They exercise and log 500 calories for 45mins of treadmill walking at 3.5 mph because that's what the treadmill says.
In reality they are eating 1600 a day and burning maybe 300..(I am being generous)
They lose 1/2 a week or maybe none because they really ate 1800 for a few days.
They ask "why am I not losing weight"...
They really believe that they are eating 1200 calories and exercising that much and feel they are one of those "that can't lose weight" or "it's the kinds of calories" or "it's because I ate after 7pm" or "because I didn't drink my hot lemon water this morning to rev my metabolism"
No concept of what 1200 calories looks like or how hard it is to exercise off 500 calories walking...
See for me I can tell you what 30gram of marble cheddar looks like and that fact it has 120 calories...or how much 180 grams of mix frozen tropical fruit looks like...I got cha...150 grams of chicken I know but if I am not familiar with the food I would need my food scale to know the weight to get the calories...
Ok, but this is somewhat different than what the thread seemed to be about....I suspect they're trying to say that, for them, either Calories In is harder to limit or that Calories Out is harder to achieve than for the average person...
...Why are they eating so much? What drives the desire and need to consume extra calories than needed?...
If you have been able to build a skill set which allows you to be able to eyeball what 30g of marble cheddar looks like, what makes you think others who have struggled for years haven't been able to develop the same skills? Surely many of them have and still struggle nonetheless. What drives overeating in people who know better? I'm talking about people who:
- know energy balance (CICO)
- Know a pound of fat is about 3500 calories
- know that exercise estimations are inaccurate
- know that measuring by volume is not always precise
- weigh everything that they eat
- have sustainable food plans
- know that forbidding foods could lead to greater temptation
- know that attempting to moderate could lead to greater temptation
- know that micro nutrients are important for body composition
- know that protein intake is recommended at .8-1g per pound of lean body mass
- know that certain food types are more satisfying for different people
- know that certain diets work because they make it easier for some to manipulate energy balance
- you get my point...
There are many who know all of this yet fail regardless. Why?
This interests me too and I've seen some comments on other threads that tell me there are a few people here who might say that this describes them. I would love to hear from them.
A friend of mine has been obese probably her entire life. As far as I can tell, she seems to know all of the above yet still struggles with her weight. It's something that I can never ask her about because it's none of my business and I would never want to risk hurting her feelings, but I know she's not the only one in her shoes and I hope someone can shed some light on what it might be like for her.
Because they aren't willing to change. I know this isn't the best analogy - but surely crack addicts know crack is bad? Surely that guy with diabetes who's repeatedly admitted to the hospital knows he shouldn't be chugging soda and what not? Knowledge isn't the first step in change, acknowledgement is. You can look in the mirror and say "hey, I'm fat" but you're not acknowledging that your own choices and lifestyle are the reason. And even if you do, you're not necessarily willing to step out of your comfort zone and make a change. That requires a very high , sustained level of emotional energy. You're settling for your lifestyle. Deep down, you don't believe that you deserve better.
People have had similar outlooks on alcoholics for decades (or mellenia), but now it is widely accepted to not be so cut and dry.
well if you want to go down the road of addiction fine I will say these couple of points on it.
1. I have yet to see someone derail their entire life aka lose their job, home, family because they do "stupid" and/or illegal acts for food.
2. Applying the logic of addiction to food doesn't even seem logical...we need food to survive so addicts have to stay away from their "drug" per say otherwise....
3. Addicts go through massive amounts of pain physical/mental when they give up their drug and to equate this to it after seeing an addict get off their "drug" is a slap in the fact to their battle.
and lastly
Addicts get treatment and stop if they so choose to...so barring all of the above if they are "addicts" then they can choose to get treatment and stop right??? so why don't they do that?
They understand the logic behind weight loss and just need to apply it to their life but don't because of a choice???
ACTUALLY on point one, there are people that lose their jobs because they become too obese to work at that job, sometimes it's side effects of the weight like high blood pressure. Also husbands and wives have left because they don't love them anymore.... Worse case they die from obesity side effects so slow suicide or OVERDOSE so to speak.
on your point 3. it is painful to let go of the things you can't have to lose the weight, maybe you are lucky and didn't have to do that but some do. And this is worse than drugs because you face it EVERY SINGLE *KITTEN* DAY!!! There is no GOING OFF THE DRUG when it comes to food.
And just like alcohol, most can take it or leave it so some DON't understand why someone else has a hard time and is addicted.
There are similarities yes ie hiding food, perhaps losing the job or a spouse or even die from side effects but that still does not mean food addiction is real....
still doesn't make it an addiction....why because I've seen people like that get WLS and lose the weight and keep it off.
and I have yet to see a "food" addict do illegal acts to get food or leave their family because food was more important...yes maybe their family leaves them...
no physical pain or withdrawal when you go on a diet....have you seen an addict give up a drug like alcohol or crack? seriously.
but again if this is an addiction and it's known to be an addiction and they have education and are smart why not get treatment? or as mentioned above what about people who have issues with food like BED and still manage to lose weight and maintain?
I do have a carb addiction. But thankfully I figured that out and eat complex carbs/low glycemic index food, and avoid sugar and simple carbs. It changed my life. I actually had carb withdrawal symptoms for a week when I initially abruptly dropped them down.
So fruits and veg, plain roasted potatoes, plain pasta are issues?
Most who claim to have issues with carbs don't have issues with these foods. They have issues with some (not all) highly palatable foods that are partly carbs, partly fat. The fat is typically an important part -- most popular trigger foods are either carbs, fat, salt or carbs (including sugar) and fat. Also, the withdrawal thing makes no sense if one is still eating carbs -- how much did you reduce?
I cut out added sugar for a while and felt no effects, which makes sense as I was still eating carbs (although probably less). The US diet isn't particularly high in carbs -- what distinguishes it is the types of carbs people eat, on average.
I don't see any actual physical differences between the foods people claim to be addicted to and foods they are fine with (for example, basically the same macros or even ingredients as others in many cases), which is why I think using the term addiction makes no sense. It's like claiming to be addicted to pinot but not cabernet.
No I don't have issues with potatoes, fruit or veggies. I can eat small servings. I only have issues with sugar and refined flour.0 -
KetoneKaren wrote: »Some people (me) are "food thinkers", always thinking about what they are going to eat next, and when.
Others can get to the end of a busy day and suddenly realize they are hungry and haven't eaten (or thought about food) all day.
Food thinkers have to monitor themselves and say "no" to food a hundred times a day. Many food thinkers eat when they are not physically hungry.
People who are not food thinkers say "yes" to food 2-3 times a day, usually when they are physically hungry, and the rest of the time they don't think about it, or if they do, they do not become obsessed with the thought.
When I am totally absorbed at work on a demanding day, I am not a food thinker. I find this intriguing glimpse into what it would be like to be "normal" exhilarating. I would like to have that experience every day so I would think about food only when hungry.
Maybe because I'm a food thinker, but I think this is a normal (not universal) way to be for a human. We are aware of food, food tends to make us want to eat. Evolutionarily it makes sense. For me it has simply meaned that I had to figure out how not to be that way -- limiting the times at which I eat works best for me.
I think it's a shame that so many want to tell us we aren't normal or healthy if we are this way. Better to focus on strategies to control it or control our environments when possible.
The biggest change I see since I was a kid is that food is always available and around and there's the idea that one can eat whenever. I think for many of us that leads to overeating unless we are careful.4 -
@lemurcat12 That would be a paradigm shift for me to think "food thinking" is normal. I am going to have to chew on that awhile.
2 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »sashayoung72 wrote: »mommarnurse wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I don't really see how this thread won't end up here anyway, so I'm going to go ahead and throw it out there:
In some (or many) cases, people are afflicted with a compulsion/addiction/condition/whatever-term-that-won't-cause-mental-anguish-to-people. I believe that there is both a physical and mental component to this.
The physical is that there is an abnormal reaction to the effects of certain behaviors and or experiences (such as overeating and/or eating highly palatable foods). This reaction manifests in a phenomenal craving. Once the craving is triggered, it cannot be satisfied.
The mental aspect is an obsession with the behavior or experience. They are inexplicably drawn to attempt normal consumption even if they have proven an inability to do so in the past. No matter their level of commitment or the seriousness of their situation (i.e. you'll have to get your leg amputated if you can't get this under control), they will trigger the craving again.
Basically it boils down to this, they can't stop once they've started and they can't stop themselves from starting.
I don't believe this for one second.
Lack of education.
That's fine.
Are you saying I lack education or the people I am talking about lack education. What education is lacking?
I think the majority of people who are overweight/obese lack education in anything food related.
I watched an episode of my 600lb life...the guy gained weight and the doctor was asking why? the patient said "I don't know I should be losing I switched out my white bread for whole wheat"....seriously.
And based on my own experience I knew about calories from being a teenager and having my mother diet all the time...but had no clue on how to lose weight and maintain...
I could lose like a demon...but gain it back.
diet books, diet websites, diet pills, diet programs aka WW etc...all teach people how to lose but not how to maintain...
and as adults if we weren't taught about nutrition and calories how do we teach our kids??????
So, you're basically saying people with weight problems do not know lack education on how to maintain?
No what I am saying is most people have no idea how calories work.
I'm not sure I believe this is true of most. It doesn't seem to mesh with the number of posts asking "why can't I stop overeating" or "how do I stop binge eating" or "how do I break my addiction to sugar"
To me these sound more like issues with control of cravings than a lack of knowledge that too many calories are being consumed.
This is a very small sample tho...I do firmly believe based on my own life most don't understand calories.
If they did there wouldn't be statements of CICO doesn't work for everyone and there wouldn't be this large diet industry preying on people...
Sure they get the concept of I need to eat fewer calories but when it comes down to it they have no idea what that truly means...
But I feel like this is going to get into "food addiction" area and I am not into that debate.
What does it truly mean if not; determining the calories of current intake and eating less than that; or determining caloric output and eating less than that?
to lose weight it truly means taking in less calories than you burn
to maintain weight it truly means that you are eating the same as what you are burning.
If your current intake is making you gain 1lb a week...eating 50 calories less a day won't work...but you know that
Ok, I'm still trying to fully understand what you meant by "Sure they get the concept of I need to eat fewer calories but when it comes down to it they have no idea what that truly means...". So for the sake of clarification, you are saying that they miscalculate their caloric needs or the number of calories they should cut from their diet? In other words, you are saying they know they need to eat fewer calories, but don't know how much fewer?
sort of...
People know that to lose weight they need to eat (for arguments sake) 1200 calories and that means to them 1lb a week. *I know this as a friend is on MFP and this is her life....
They log 1200 calories and really believe they ate 1200 calories.
They exercise and log 500 calories for 45mins of treadmill walking at 3.5 mph because that's what the treadmill says.
In reality they are eating 1600 a day and burning maybe 300..(I am being generous)
They lose 1/2 a week or maybe none because they really ate 1800 for a few days.
They ask "why am I not losing weight"...
They really believe that they are eating 1200 calories and exercising that much and feel they are one of those "that can't lose weight" or "it's the kinds of calories" or "it's because I ate after 7pm" or "because I didn't drink my hot lemon water this morning to rev my metabolism"
No concept of what 1200 calories looks like or how hard it is to exercise off 500 calories walking...
See for me I can tell you what 30gram of marble cheddar looks like and that fact it has 120 calories...or how much 180 grams of mix frozen tropical fruit looks like...I got cha...150 grams of chicken I know but if I am not familiar with the food I would need my food scale to know the weight to get the calories...
Ok, but this is somewhat different than what the thread seemed to be about....I suspect they're trying to say that, for them, either Calories In is harder to limit or that Calories Out is harder to achieve than for the average person...
...Why are they eating so much? What drives the desire and need to consume extra calories than needed?...
If you have been able to build a skill set which allows you to be able to eyeball what 30g of marble cheddar looks like, what makes you think others who have struggled for years haven't been able to develop the same skills? Surely many of them have and still struggle nonetheless. What drives overeating in people who know better? I'm talking about people who:
- know energy balance (CICO)
- Know a pound of fat is about 3500 calories
- know that exercise estimations are inaccurate
- know that measuring by volume is not always precise
- weigh everything that they eat
- have sustainable food plans
- know that forbidding foods could lead to greater temptation
- know that attempting to moderate could lead to greater temptation
- know that micro nutrients are important for body composition
- know that protein intake is recommended at .8-1g per pound of lean body mass
- know that certain food types are more satisfying for different people
- know that certain diets work because they make it easier for some to manipulate energy balance
- you get my point...
There are many who know all of this yet fail regardless. Why?
This interests me too and I've seen some comments on other threads that tell me there are a few people here who might say that this describes them. I would love to hear from them.
A friend of mine has been obese probably her entire life. As far as I can tell, she seems to know all of the above yet still struggles with her weight. It's something that I can never ask her about because it's none of my business and I would never want to risk hurting her feelings, but I know she's not the only one in her shoes and I hope someone can shed some light on what it might be like for her.
Because they aren't willing to change. I know this isn't the best analogy - but surely crack addicts know crack is bad? Surely that guy with diabetes who's repeatedly admitted to the hospital knows he shouldn't be chugging soda and what not? Knowledge isn't the first step in change, acknowledgement is. You can look in the mirror and say "hey, I'm fat" but you're not acknowledging that your own choices and lifestyle are the reason. And even if you do, you're not necessarily willing to step out of your comfort zone and make a change. That requires a very high , sustained level of emotional energy. You're settling for your lifestyle. Deep down, you don't believe that you deserve better.
People have had similar outlooks on alcoholics for decades (or mellenia), but now it is widely accepted to not be so cut and dry.
well if you want to go down the road of addiction fine I will say these couple of points on it.
1. I have yet to see someone derail their entire life aka lose their job, home, family because they do "stupid" and/or illegal acts for food.
2. Applying the logic of addiction to food doesn't even seem logical...we need food to survive so addicts have to stay away from their "drug" per say otherwise....
3. Addicts go through massive amounts of pain physical/mental when they give up their drug and to equate this to it after seeing an addict get off their "drug" is a slap in the fact to their battle.
and lastly
Addicts get treatment and stop if they so choose to...so barring all of the above if they are "addicts" then they can choose to get treatment and stop right??? so why don't they do that?
They understand the logic behind weight loss and just need to apply it to their life but don't because of a choice???
ACTUALLY on point one, there are people that lose their jobs because they become too obese to work at that job, sometimes it's side effects of the weight like high blood pressure. Also husbands and wives have left because they don't love them anymore.... Worse case they die from obesity side effects so slow suicide or OVERDOSE so to speak.
on your point 3. it is painful to let go of the things you can't have to lose the weight, maybe you are lucky and didn't have to do that but some do. And this is worse than drugs because you face it EVERY SINGLE *KITTEN* DAY!!! There is no GOING OFF THE DRUG when it comes to food.
And just like alcohol, most can take it or leave it so some DON't understand why someone else has a hard time and is addicted.
There are similarities yes ie hiding food, perhaps losing the job or a spouse or even die from side effects but that still does not mean food addiction is real....
still doesn't make it an addiction....why because I've seen people like that get WLS and lose the weight and keep it off.
and I have yet to see a "food" addict do illegal acts to get food or leave their family because food was more important...yes maybe their family leaves them...
no physical pain or withdrawal when you go on a diet....have you seen an addict give up a drug like alcohol or crack? seriously.
but again if this is an addiction and it's known to be an addiction and they have education and are smart why not get treatment? or as mentioned above what about people who have issues with food like BED and still manage to lose weight and maintain?
I do have a carb addiction. But thankfully I figured that out and eat complex carbs/low glycemic index food, and avoid sugar and simple carbs. It changed my life. I actually had carb withdrawal symptoms for a week when I initially abruptly dropped them down.
So fruits and veg, plain roasted potatoes, plain pasta are issues?
Most who claim to have issues with carbs don't have issues with these foods. They have issues with some (not all) highly palatable foods that are partly carbs, partly fat. The fat is typically an important part -- most popular trigger foods are either carbs, fat, salt or carbs (including sugar) and fat. Also, the withdrawal thing makes no sense if one is still eating carbs -- how much did you reduce?
I cut out added sugar for a while and felt no effects, which makes sense as I was still eating carbs (although probably less). The US diet isn't particularly high in carbs -- what distinguishes it is the types of carbs people eat, on average.
I don't see any actual physical differences between the foods people claim to be addicted to and foods they are fine with (for example, basically the same macros or even ingredients as others in many cases), which is why I think using the term addiction makes no sense. It's like claiming to be addicted to pinot but not cabernet.
No I don't have issues with potatoes, fruit or veggies. I can eat small servings. I only have issues with sugar and refined flour.
So calling it "carbs" seems inaccurate. And again most people eat sugar and refined flour in combination with fat.0 -
I try to stay out of all this, but I can't help myself after reading some things. I also realize that nothing I will say will change anyone's opinion. I truly believe that unless you've been through this, you will never understand.
I smoke, I'm addicted to smoking. I haven't lost my Job, I haven't ruined personal relationships from smoking, I don't go to extremes to get my cigarettes. Nonetheless, I'm addicted. I know it's killing me, I know there are things out there to help me stop smoking, but I choose not to do it. I did stop for two years. During that time, even though my body wasn't physically addicted to nicotine, I thought about smoking everyday.
And maybe food addiction isn't the right word, but there is something different in my brain that certain food triggers a euphoric feeling. I'm a binge eater, I eat my emotions, etc.
I am one of those people who had WLS surgery and have managed to keep the majority of the weight off. I tried many times before having surgery, would lose 40-50lbs then gain it all back. This time though, post op, it stuck for the most part. After surgery, I joined mfp and learned about CICO, weighing my food, etc and 4 years later it's the tool I still use To mange my weight.
As a WLS patient your usually warned about transfer addiction. A lot of us will pick up new bad habits such as drugs, alcohol, gambling, excessive shopping, etc. It often makes me wonder why some people are more prone to addiction. Some people can drink, experiment in drugs, gambling and not have issues. While some people become addicts.
I'm a probation/parole officer, I help get the people in caseload into rehabs, counseling etc. lots of those people go right back out and relapse. It doesn't always stick the first, 2nd or 3rd time. Some of these people have been on my caseload almost my whole career (14 years), and there will be long periods of recovery, and eventually a relapse. Some people, get it right the first time.
I consider myself to be in recovery right now. I also know I have to be hyper viligant about my behaviors as a relapse could be around the corner.
As far as help, there is help, through counseling. I did enroll in counseling four years ago. However, you really need to find a therapist that specializes in bariatric issues. I'm from a small area, and none of our counselors specialize in that field. I dropped out of counseling a year later when we were no closer to figuring out why I have these triggers.
I continue to try to figure out my under lying issues on my own, as to why I was a normal weight until around age 20 then ballooned up to almost 300lbs18 -
My best friend since middle school days is a food thinker. I never understood it but love and accept her and she understands me. I do have a problem that I don't understand when I eat certain foods. For instance if I eat a couple Ritz crackers I have a craving response for more. So I eliminate them. I can eat them and ignore the cravings for more afterward, but I don't like the feeling of the carb crash afterward.2
-
KetoGirl83 wrote: »AlabasterVerve wrote: »(...)
Of course today that's all nonsense. Everyone one knows calories in, calories out is how you manage your weight. What you eat and when you eat doesn't matter.
Seriously? It doesn't matter if I eat 1500 cals of broccoli or 1500 cals of twinkies?
::flowerforyou::
But drinking 1500 cals of coconut oil is probably okay.
Love extremes.7 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »sashayoung72 wrote: »mommarnurse wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I don't really see how this thread won't end up here anyway, so I'm going to go ahead and throw it out there:
In some (or many) cases, people are afflicted with a compulsion/addiction/condition/whatever-term-that-won't-cause-mental-anguish-to-people. I believe that there is both a physical and mental component to this.
The physical is that there is an abnormal reaction to the effects of certain behaviors and or experiences (such as overeating and/or eating highly palatable foods). This reaction manifests in a phenomenal craving. Once the craving is triggered, it cannot be satisfied.
The mental aspect is an obsession with the behavior or experience. They are inexplicably drawn to attempt normal consumption even if they have proven an inability to do so in the past. No matter their level of commitment or the seriousness of their situation (i.e. you'll have to get your leg amputated if you can't get this under control), they will trigger the craving again.
Basically it boils down to this, they can't stop once they've started and they can't stop themselves from starting.
I don't believe this for one second.
Lack of education.
That's fine.
Are you saying I lack education or the people I am talking about lack education. What education is lacking?
I think the majority of people who are overweight/obese lack education in anything food related.
I watched an episode of my 600lb life...the guy gained weight and the doctor was asking why? the patient said "I don't know I should be losing I switched out my white bread for whole wheat"....seriously.
And based on my own experience I knew about calories from being a teenager and having my mother diet all the time...but had no clue on how to lose weight and maintain...
I could lose like a demon...but gain it back.
diet books, diet websites, diet pills, diet programs aka WW etc...all teach people how to lose but not how to maintain...
and as adults if we weren't taught about nutrition and calories how do we teach our kids??????
So, you're basically saying people with weight problems do not know lack education on how to maintain?
No what I am saying is most people have no idea how calories work.
I'm not sure I believe this is true of most. It doesn't seem to mesh with the number of posts asking "why can't I stop overeating" or "how do I stop binge eating" or "how do I break my addiction to sugar"
To me these sound more like issues with control of cravings than a lack of knowledge that too many calories are being consumed.
This is a very small sample tho...I do firmly believe based on my own life most don't understand calories.
If they did there wouldn't be statements of CICO doesn't work for everyone and there wouldn't be this large diet industry preying on people...
Sure they get the concept of I need to eat fewer calories but when it comes down to it they have no idea what that truly means...
But I feel like this is going to get into "food addiction" area and I am not into that debate.
What does it truly mean if not; determining the calories of current intake and eating less than that; or determining caloric output and eating less than that?
to lose weight it truly means taking in less calories than you burn
to maintain weight it truly means that you are eating the same as what you are burning.
If your current intake is making you gain 1lb a week...eating 50 calories less a day won't work...but you know that
Ok, I'm still trying to fully understand what you meant by "Sure they get the concept of I need to eat fewer calories but when it comes down to it they have no idea what that truly means...". So for the sake of clarification, you are saying that they miscalculate their caloric needs or the number of calories they should cut from their diet? In other words, you are saying they know they need to eat fewer calories, but don't know how much fewer?
sort of...
People know that to lose weight they need to eat (for arguments sake) 1200 calories and that means to them 1lb a week. *I know this as a friend is on MFP and this is her life....
They log 1200 calories and really believe they ate 1200 calories.
They exercise and log 500 calories for 45mins of treadmill walking at 3.5 mph because that's what the treadmill says.
In reality they are eating 1600 a day and burning maybe 300..(I am being generous)
They lose 1/2 a week or maybe none because they really ate 1800 for a few days.
They ask "why am I not losing weight"...
They really believe that they are eating 1200 calories and exercising that much and feel they are one of those "that can't lose weight" or "it's the kinds of calories" or "it's because I ate after 7pm" or "because I didn't drink my hot lemon water this morning to rev my metabolism"
No concept of what 1200 calories looks like or how hard it is to exercise off 500 calories walking...
See for me I can tell you what 30gram of marble cheddar looks like and that fact it has 120 calories...or how much 180 grams of mix frozen tropical fruit looks like...I got cha...150 grams of chicken I know but if I am not familiar with the food I would need my food scale to know the weight to get the calories...
Ok, but this is somewhat different than what the thread seemed to be about....I suspect they're trying to say that, for them, either Calories In is harder to limit or that Calories Out is harder to achieve than for the average person...
...Why are they eating so much? What drives the desire and need to consume extra calories than needed?...
If you have been able to build a skill set which allows you to be able to eyeball what 30g of marble cheddar looks like, what makes you think others who have struggled for years haven't been able to develop the same skills? Surely many of them have and still struggle nonetheless. What drives overeating in people who know better? I'm talking about people who:
- know energy balance (CICO)
- Know a pound of fat is about 3500 calories
- know that exercise estimations are inaccurate
- know that measuring by volume is not always precise
- weigh everything that they eat
- have sustainable food plans
- know that forbidding foods could lead to greater temptation
- know that attempting to moderate could lead to greater temptation
- know that micro nutrients are important for body composition
- know that protein intake is recommended at .8-1g per pound of lean body mass
- know that certain food types are more satisfying for different people
- know that certain diets work because they make it easier for some to manipulate energy balance
- you get my point...
There are many who know all of this yet fail regardless. Why?
This interests me too and I've seen some comments on other threads that tell me there are a few people here who might say that this describes them. I would love to hear from them.
A friend of mine has been obese probably her entire life. As far as I can tell, she seems to know all of the above yet still struggles with her weight. It's something that I can never ask her about because it's none of my business and I would never want to risk hurting her feelings, but I know she's not the only one in her shoes and I hope someone can shed some light on what it might be like for her.
Because they aren't willing to change. I know this isn't the best analogy - but surely crack addicts know crack is bad? Surely that guy with diabetes who's repeatedly admitted to the hospital knows he shouldn't be chugging soda and what not? Knowledge isn't the first step in change, acknowledgement is. You can look in the mirror and say "hey, I'm fat" but you're not acknowledging that your own choices and lifestyle are the reason. And even if you do, you're not necessarily willing to step out of your comfort zone and make a change. That requires a very high , sustained level of emotional energy. You're settling for your lifestyle. Deep down, you don't believe that you deserve better.
People have had similar outlooks on alcoholics for decades (or mellenia), but now it is widely accepted to not be so cut and dry.
well if you want to go down the road of addiction fine I will say these couple of points on it.
1. I have yet to see someone derail their entire life aka lose their job, home, family because they do "stupid" and/or illegal acts for food.
2. Applying the logic of addiction to food doesn't even seem logical...we need food to survive so addicts have to stay away from their "drug" per say otherwise....
3. Addicts go through massive amounts of pain physical/mental when they give up their drug and to equate this to it after seeing an addict get off their "drug" is a slap in the fact to their battle.
and lastly
Addicts get treatment and stop if they so choose to...so barring all of the above if they are "addicts" then they can choose to get treatment and stop right??? so why don't they do that?
They understand the logic behind weight loss and just need to apply it to their life but don't because of a choice???
ACTUALLY on point one, there are people that lose their jobs because they become too obese to work at that job, sometimes it's side effects of the weight like high blood pressure. Also husbands and wives have left because they don't love them anymore.... Worse case they die from obesity side effects so slow suicide or OVERDOSE so to speak.
on your point 3. it is painful to let go of the things you can't have to lose the weight, maybe you are lucky and didn't have to do that but some do. And this is worse than drugs because you face it EVERY SINGLE *KITTEN* DAY!!! There is no GOING OFF THE DRUG when it comes to food.
And just like alcohol, most can take it or leave it so some DON't understand why someone else has a hard time and is addicted.
There are similarities yes ie hiding food, perhaps losing the job or a spouse or even die from side effects but that still does not mean food addiction is real....
still doesn't make it an addiction....why because I've seen people like that get WLS and lose the weight and keep it off.
and I have yet to see a "food" addict do illegal acts to get food or leave their family because food was more important...yes maybe their family leaves them...
no physical pain or withdrawal when you go on a diet....have you seen an addict give up a drug like alcohol or crack? seriously.
but again if this is an addiction and it's known to be an addiction and they have education and are smart why not get treatment? or as mentioned above what about people who have issues with food like BED and still manage to lose weight and maintain?
I do have a carb addiction. But thankfully I figured that out and eat complex carbs/low glycemic index food, and avoid sugar and simple carbs. It changed my life. I actually had carb withdrawal symptoms for a week when I initially abruptly dropped them down.
So fruits and veg, plain roasted potatoes, plain pasta are issues?
Most who claim to have issues with carbs don't have issues with these foods. They have issues with some (not all) highly palatable foods that are partly carbs, partly fat. The fat is typically an important part -- most popular trigger foods are either carbs, fat, salt or carbs (including sugar) and fat. Also, the withdrawal thing makes no sense if one is still eating carbs -- how much did you reduce?
I cut out added sugar for a while and felt no effects, which makes sense as I was still eating carbs (although probably less). The US diet isn't particularly high in carbs -- what distinguishes it is the types of carbs people eat, on average.
I don't see any actual physical differences between the foods people claim to be addicted to and foods they are fine with (for example, basically the same macros or even ingredients as others in many cases), which is why I think using the term addiction makes no sense. It's like claiming to be addicted to pinot but not cabernet.
No I don't have issues with potatoes, fruit or veggies. I can eat small servings. I only have issues with sugar and refined flour.
So calling it "carbs" seems inaccurate. And again most people eat sugar and refined flour in combination with fat.
I think I have clarified this by mentioning simple/refined carbs and sugar.1 -
okay so lets for debates sake say that part of the reason for the obesity epidemic is as follows
some are addicted to food
***some have issues other than food addiction aka depression or use food as a comfort mechanism
some lack the knowledge
some just like food
and out of those 4 things which is most common?
***"Some have [underlying] issues other than food addiction"
would get my vote
but it's not just one answer to the question there are too many reasons for people over eating...and people need to figure out theirs and fix it if they want.
mine was lack of knowledge and love of food...I figured it out changed the lack of knowledge lost the weight and have kept it off even tho I still love food...cook all the time and will continue to eat all the foods I love and want when I want.
You said pick one out of your 4 choices.3 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »sashayoung72 wrote: »mommarnurse wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I don't really see how this thread won't end up here anyway, so I'm going to go ahead and throw it out there:
In some (or many) cases, people are afflicted with a compulsion/addiction/condition/whatever-term-that-won't-cause-mental-anguish-to-people. I believe that there is both a physical and mental component to this.
The physical is that there is an abnormal reaction to the effects of certain behaviors and or experiences (such as overeating and/or eating highly palatable foods). This reaction manifests in a phenomenal craving. Once the craving is triggered, it cannot be satisfied.
The mental aspect is an obsession with the behavior or experience. They are inexplicably drawn to attempt normal consumption even if they have proven an inability to do so in the past. No matter their level of commitment or the seriousness of their situation (i.e. you'll have to get your leg amputated if you can't get this under control), they will trigger the craving again.
Basically it boils down to this, they can't stop once they've started and they can't stop themselves from starting.
I don't believe this for one second.
Lack of education.
That's fine.
Are you saying I lack education or the people I am talking about lack education. What education is lacking?
I think the majority of people who are overweight/obese lack education in anything food related.
I watched an episode of my 600lb life...the guy gained weight and the doctor was asking why? the patient said "I don't know I should be losing I switched out my white bread for whole wheat"....seriously.
And based on my own experience I knew about calories from being a teenager and having my mother diet all the time...but had no clue on how to lose weight and maintain...
I could lose like a demon...but gain it back.
diet books, diet websites, diet pills, diet programs aka WW etc...all teach people how to lose but not how to maintain...
and as adults if we weren't taught about nutrition and calories how do we teach our kids??????
So, you're basically saying people with weight problems do not know lack education on how to maintain?
No what I am saying is most people have no idea how calories work.
I'm not sure I believe this is true of most. It doesn't seem to mesh with the number of posts asking "why can't I stop overeating" or "how do I stop binge eating" or "how do I break my addiction to sugar"
To me these sound more like issues with control of cravings than a lack of knowledge that too many calories are being consumed.
This is a very small sample tho...I do firmly believe based on my own life most don't understand calories.
If they did there wouldn't be statements of CICO doesn't work for everyone and there wouldn't be this large diet industry preying on people...
Sure they get the concept of I need to eat fewer calories but when it comes down to it they have no idea what that truly means...
But I feel like this is going to get into "food addiction" area and I am not into that debate.
What does it truly mean if not; determining the calories of current intake and eating less than that; or determining caloric output and eating less than that?
to lose weight it truly means taking in less calories than you burn
to maintain weight it truly means that you are eating the same as what you are burning.
If your current intake is making you gain 1lb a week...eating 50 calories less a day won't work...but you know that
Ok, I'm still trying to fully understand what you meant by "Sure they get the concept of I need to eat fewer calories but when it comes down to it they have no idea what that truly means...". So for the sake of clarification, you are saying that they miscalculate their caloric needs or the number of calories they should cut from their diet? In other words, you are saying they know they need to eat fewer calories, but don't know how much fewer?
sort of...
People know that to lose weight they need to eat (for arguments sake) 1200 calories and that means to them 1lb a week. *I know this as a friend is on MFP and this is her life....
They log 1200 calories and really believe they ate 1200 calories.
They exercise and log 500 calories for 45mins of treadmill walking at 3.5 mph because that's what the treadmill says.
In reality they are eating 1600 a day and burning maybe 300..(I am being generous)
They lose 1/2 a week or maybe none because they really ate 1800 for a few days.
They ask "why am I not losing weight"...
They really believe that they are eating 1200 calories and exercising that much and feel they are one of those "that can't lose weight" or "it's the kinds of calories" or "it's because I ate after 7pm" or "because I didn't drink my hot lemon water this morning to rev my metabolism"
No concept of what 1200 calories looks like or how hard it is to exercise off 500 calories walking...
See for me I can tell you what 30gram of marble cheddar looks like and that fact it has 120 calories...or how much 180 grams of mix frozen tropical fruit looks like...I got cha...150 grams of chicken I know but if I am not familiar with the food I would need my food scale to know the weight to get the calories...
Ok, but this is somewhat different than what the thread seemed to be about....I suspect they're trying to say that, for them, either Calories In is harder to limit or that Calories Out is harder to achieve than for the average person...
...Why are they eating so much? What drives the desire and need to consume extra calories than needed?...
If you have been able to build a skill set which allows you to be able to eyeball what 30g of marble cheddar looks like, what makes you think others who have struggled for years haven't been able to develop the same skills? Surely many of them have and still struggle nonetheless. What drives overeating in people who know better? I'm talking about people who:
- know energy balance (CICO)
- Know a pound of fat is about 3500 calories
- know that exercise estimations are inaccurate
- know that measuring by volume is not always precise
- weigh everything that they eat
- have sustainable food plans
- know that forbidding foods could lead to greater temptation
- know that attempting to moderate could lead to greater temptation
- know that micro nutrients are important for body composition
- know that protein intake is recommended at .8-1g per pound of lean body mass
- know that certain food types are more satisfying for different people
- know that certain diets work because they make it easier for some to manipulate energy balance
- you get my point...
There are many who know all of this yet fail regardless. Why?
This interests me too and I've seen some comments on other threads that tell me there are a few people here who might say that this describes them. I would love to hear from them.
A friend of mine has been obese probably her entire life. As far as I can tell, she seems to know all of the above yet still struggles with her weight. It's something that I can never ask her about because it's none of my business and I would never want to risk hurting her feelings, but I know she's not the only one in her shoes and I hope someone can shed some light on what it might be like for her.
Because they aren't willing to change. I know this isn't the best analogy - but surely crack addicts know crack is bad? Surely that guy with diabetes who's repeatedly admitted to the hospital knows he shouldn't be chugging soda and what not? Knowledge isn't the first step in change, acknowledgement is. You can look in the mirror and say "hey, I'm fat" but you're not acknowledging that your own choices and lifestyle are the reason. And even if you do, you're not necessarily willing to step out of your comfort zone and make a change. That requires a very high , sustained level of emotional energy. You're settling for your lifestyle. Deep down, you don't believe that you deserve better.
People have had similar outlooks on alcoholics for decades (or mellenia), but now it is widely accepted to not be so cut and dry.
well if you want to go down the road of addiction fine I will say these couple of points on it.
1. I have yet to see someone derail their entire life aka lose their job, home, family because they do "stupid" and/or illegal acts for food.
2. Applying the logic of addiction to food doesn't even seem logical...we need food to survive so addicts have to stay away from their "drug" per say otherwise....
3. Addicts go through massive amounts of pain physical/mental when they give up their drug and to equate this to it after seeing an addict get off their "drug" is a slap in the fact to their battle.
and lastly
Addicts get treatment and stop if they so choose to...so barring all of the above if they are "addicts" then they can choose to get treatment and stop right??? so why don't they do that?
They understand the logic behind weight loss and just need to apply it to their life but don't because of a choice???
ACTUALLY on point one, there are people that lose their jobs because they become too obese to work at that job, sometimes it's side effects of the weight like high blood pressure. Also husbands and wives have left because they don't love them anymore.... Worse case they die from obesity side effects so slow suicide or OVERDOSE so to speak.
on your point 3. it is painful to let go of the things you can't have to lose the weight, maybe you are lucky and didn't have to do that but some do. And this is worse than drugs because you face it EVERY SINGLE *KITTEN* DAY!!! There is no GOING OFF THE DRUG when it comes to food.
And just like alcohol, most can take it or leave it so some DON't understand why someone else has a hard time and is addicted.
There are similarities yes ie hiding food, perhaps losing the job or a spouse or even die from side effects but that still does not mean food addiction is real....
still doesn't make it an addiction....why because I've seen people like that get WLS and lose the weight and keep it off.
and I have yet to see a "food" addict do illegal acts to get food or leave their family because food was more important...yes maybe their family leaves them...
no physical pain or withdrawal when you go on a diet....have you seen an addict give up a drug like alcohol or crack? seriously.
but again if this is an addiction and it's known to be an addiction and they have education and are smart why not get treatment? or as mentioned above what about people who have issues with food like BED and still manage to lose weight and maintain?
I do have a carb addiction. But thankfully I figured that out and eat complex carbs/low glycemic index food, and avoid sugar and simple carbs. It changed my life. I actually had carb withdrawal symptoms for a week when I initially abruptly dropped them down.
So fruits and veg, plain roasted potatoes, plain pasta are issues?
Most who claim to have issues with carbs don't have issues with these foods. They have issues with some (not all) highly palatable foods that are partly carbs, partly fat. The fat is typically an important part -- most popular trigger foods are either carbs, fat, salt or carbs (including sugar) and fat. Also, the withdrawal thing makes no sense if one is still eating carbs -- how much did you reduce?
I cut out added sugar for a while and felt no effects, which makes sense as I was still eating carbs (although probably less). The US diet isn't particularly high in carbs -- what distinguishes it is the types of carbs people eat, on average.
I don't see any actual physical differences between the foods people claim to be addicted to and foods they are fine with (for example, basically the same macros or even ingredients as others in many cases), which is why I think using the term addiction makes no sense. It's like claiming to be addicted to pinot but not cabernet.
No I don't have issues with potatoes, fruit or veggies. I can eat small servings. I only have issues with sugar and refined flour.
So calling it "carbs" seems inaccurate. And again most people eat sugar and refined flour in combination with fat.
I think I have clarified this by mentioning simple/refined carbs and sugar.
That was my point. I just hate the current demonization of all carbs, as if "carbs" were an easily generalizable category, and despite the fact that many call foods that are half fat "carbs." Pet peeve not directed at you.
Many traditional healthy diets that don't result in obesity or health issues are higher carb than the US diet.2 -
Packerjohn wrote: »I don't really see how this thread won't end up here anyway, so I'm going to go ahead and throw it out there:
In some (or many) cases, people are afflicted with a compulsion/addiction/condition/whatever-term-that-won't-cause-mental-anguish-to-people. I believe that there is both a physical and mental component to this.
The physical is that there is an abnormal reaction to the effects of certain behaviors and or experiences (such as overeating and/or eating highly palatable foods). This reaction manifests in a phenomenal craving. Once the craving is triggered, it cannot be satisfied.
The mental aspect is an obsession with the behavior or experience. They are inexplicably drawn to attempt normal consumption even if they have proven an inability to do so in the past. No matter their level of commitment or the seriousness of their situation (i.e. you'll have to get your leg amputated if you can't get this under control), they will trigger the craving again.
Basically it boils down to this, they can't stop once they've started and they can't stop themselves from starting.
I don't believe this for one second.
Lack of education.
That's fine.
Are you saying I lack education or the people I am talking about lack education. What education is lacking?
I think the majority of people who are overweight/obese lack education in anything food related.
I watched an episode of my 600lb life...the guy gained weight and the doctor was asking why? the patient said "I don't know I should be losing I switched out my white bread for whole wheat"....seriously.
And based on my own experience I knew about calories from being a teenager and having my mother diet all the time...but had no clue on how to lose weight and maintain...
I could lose like a demon...but gain it back.
diet books, diet websites, diet pills, diet programs aka WW etc...all teach people how to lose but not how to maintain...
and as adults if we weren't taught about nutrition and calories how do we teach our kids??????
It's actually pretty simple. Your pants get too tight, you are getting fatter. Oh, better back off on the eating and/or exercise more
This is actually the system that kept me from getting fat for years. When my clothes started to get too tight, it triggered a high level of anxiety in me and a change in my behavior - I just found it unacceptable that the solution was to go out and buy bigger clothes sizes rather than modify the way that I eat and exercise.3 -
People are just not aware of what the food intake energy is for their own body and there is too much food every where you turn. All the fad diets make it seem so complicated. It's not easy for anyone. So many think they have it harder, the bottom line is that disipline, facing the truth about food intake and the fact that we don't get to have everything all the time and right now, is HARD. The calorie deficit is HARD. Losing weight is like paying off a mortgage debt - that is hard and takes daily effort. So does maintaining, it's like managing a checkbook to make sure you don't go into debt again, it still takes awareness and we don't get to go back to our old ways. Nothing easy about it for anyone. No one gets a free pass, even those who achieved their goal and keep it. Everyone thinks it's easier for them, but no, it is not.10
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