Am I just naturally big?

I think the problem we have is we " eat healthy & exercise ", and never ask if that is not the answer, since it is NOT working.

Exercise won't make you lose much weight. You can speed up your metabolism some, and more muscle does it, but as a chubby kid who read about Arnold Schwarzenegger, and was determined to build muscle finds out quickly... you CAN build some muscle but most of us won't add enough to help with weight loss. Exercise has cardiovascular benefits, as well as building muscle, and strengthening tendons, and ligaments, but it should be looked to for weight loss.

Diet is 90% of weight loss, and we diligently follow the recommendations. I'm not saying we EAT what we plan, because that is almost impossible.. we eat our 2000 calorie diet, with fruit, grains, veggies, low fat, and low protein. 30% fat, 50% carbs, and 20% protein is what we learn, or a set amount of servings of each food group.

Since we are not idiots, ANY of us can plan a diet which does what is needed. Some of us even get a diet made by a dietitian/nutritionist, and all we have to do, is eat that.. so WHY do we fail?

The answer is because we feel hungry.. cravings, hunger.. whatever it is.. we eat because we feel we should. We can resist some, but in the end, we all succumb, and those who succeed, often do so, while feeling hungry and miserable all the time. Those who give in are looked upon as failures.

What you should do, is ask why a diet which gives you the right mix of macros, and the right amount of calories.. leaves you feeling hungry 3 hours after a meal.

I say the answer is that you are not eating the proper macros. We fail, because what is suggested doesn't work for most people.

Losing weight is simple.. eat a diet which eliminates any hunger on the recommended calories.

For me, that is 75-80% fat, 1-3% carbs, and 19-24% protein. Yes, calories matter. I eat 1600-1800 calories a day. I am 240 lbs. @ 5'6".. down 120 lbs.

Most people aren't diabetic, and can have more carbs, less fat.. we all need to find out what works for us.. but imagine if we started with a 60% fat, 20% protein, and carbs, with carbs coming from almost all non-starchy vegetables, a small amount of fruit throughout the year, and limited dairy, nuts, legumes, if you can handle them.

High fat, low carb, is an extreme corrective diet, I am doing AFTER becoming diabetic, from eating such high carbs for decades.. and bad carbs as well, but if we ate a high fat, moderate protein and carb diet from birth, we wouldn't be damaging our body until it breaks down, and we start to think hunger is NORMAL.. because it isn't. You should be able to go 2-3 days before you feel the need to eat. I eat every 5 hours, then fast 14 hours overnight, BUT, if I didn't eat for 48 hours, I would be fine.. THAT is normal.

We struggle, because we have been lied to, and think our diet is normal, so everything that occurs to us.. hunger, overeating, weight gain, aching joints, lethargy, and eventually diseases like heart disease, cancer & diabetes are ALSO normal. They are normal patterns in a life. They ARE NOT!

Doctors, nutritionists, and anyone dispensing dietary advice, which requires a license, has to repeat the common beliefs, even if it has made the majority of America sick, hungry, and miserable.

If following the advice ( if you can ) works for you, then you are lucky, and should stick to it. I feel the same about ANY plan which makes us healthy, since THAT is the goal.. to never be hungry, unless we fast for days, not hurt, have lots of energy, and not be low in nutrition, when we get tested.. and a healthy weight as well.

BUT, if it is NOT working, why are you trying it, failing, cheating until the memory of the last attempt fades, and trying the same thing over again... and again. It won't work the second time, or the 50th time. It won't work for you.

So try something else. I recommend what has worked for me, but if being a vegetarian works.. do THAT.. just stop doing what does not work.. makes sure you have given it a fair shot.. you ate as intended, so you know the diet failed, not that you failed to do it properly.. but I think all of us have done the recommended diet correctly in the end, at some point, and were still hungry, overate, and remained overweight, because we can't control our appetite.

Which is why I recommend cutting carbs.. because they tend to be what causes cravings. Think about steak, or mayo.. you don't overeat THOSE. If you eat a huge steak by itself, you are stuffed for 10 hours, but if you add potatoes, you find yourself wanting to eat in 5-6 hours, as soon as you digest it enough to have a little room in the stomach. Not all carbs do this.. greens with olive oil & vinegar dressing ( nothing else ), and green beans.. do you ever overeat these? Do you wake in the middle of the night craving green beans? No.. of course not. It is important to note that while ice cream & pretzels are obvious bad carbs, so are corm & potatoes for most people. They cause cravings.

A vegan diet, has more carbs than a LCHF diet, but usually, they are better carbs, so it is better than the recommended diet, and FAR better than what we end up eating.

If you decide that lower carb is the way to go.. or to try ANY other way of eating, see your doctor first, explain what you want to do, possibly see a dietitian who is willing to work with you. I don't think everyone needs to eat as strict as me, but if you eat better carbs.. non-starchy veggies mostly, maybe some cheese, nuts, and berries on occasion, and cut the amount until you stop having cravings, then you can eat the proper number of calories CONSISTENTLY, and lost weight.

We may not be " thin ", but you should be able to reach a healthy weight, and at the very least , should not think of yourself as big in the way you currently do.. you may be tall, or have big bones, and be 5-10 lbs. heavier than others your height, but no one is supposed to be obese.. 20% above your ideal weight.

My overall goal is 200 lbs. lost.. 120 gone now, and 80 to go, and it's just a matter of time.. of course, if I bottom out at 165-175, I won't cry about it.. but it's where I am supposed to be according to charts.. a 360 lb. guy has no idea what he should be at the end. I just picked 200, because it sounds great.

In the end, I want the same thing as my doctor.. to be healthy, and able to maintain it for the rest of my life. We just disagree on how I do that, and 2 decades of failure, and my success since switching, argue in MY favor.

Be careful, but don't continue doing what isn't working for you. Make a plan with your medical team, and try something different.

You can be overweight and be healthy. It all depends on what your doctor tells you about your bloodwork. You won't get the answer here,, ask him or her. But most people think being skinny is overall healthy. A lot of skinny people have heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure too. Being overweight is a common trait...but not exclusively.