Obesity

[vashti]

RSK - the best way I have found to lose weight is to stop driving my car. I walked up hill about 50 minutes to school and then home again afterwards, and lost about 20 lbs.

And BTW, you are NOT obese.

[Charlie Boy II]

I surf and go to the gym and go through phases of competitive swimming. Exercise is just a release for me. If I go a whole day without exercising i feel restless and irritable. I'm in good shape: good muscle development and low body fat.

[RSK]

hehe...thx shh! but to be honest, i've been kind of stressed since summer, and i've not been watching what i eat, i've put on quite a bit of weight, but have started exercising more frequently.

i like your idea of walking. i don't take short cuts anymore, and i actually enjoy walking while listening to my ipod music. the benefits of exercise in terms of health keep me going. i feel physically and mentally strong. i can sleep well at night, and i can concentrate for longer periods of time.

i really want to be an advocate for active lifestyle, and i'm becoming a believer in preventative medicine. i think people need access to correct ways of loosing weight, to live a healthy lifestyle. there is just way too much misinformation out there, and ridiculous fad diets by people who just want to make a quick dollar by selling books and bogus drugs. it is ridiculous.

[Charlie Boy II]

losing is spelt with one "o". I really cannot understand why so many people spell it "loosing" or "to loose". It is one of my pet hates.

[Aeradalia]

All through junior high and high school we had an ex-ranger as our coach... needless to say, I could run all day long, lift a lot more than you would think (still can), and I actually had abs! I'm not really chubby even now, but I've noticed that I gain about 10lbs in the fall and winter and lose it in the spring and summer. However, I am actively exercising now... call me selfish if you want, but I miss my abs dammit.

[Charlie Boy II]

Aeradilia I am not really one for internet crushes but I have to say you sound really nice and hot to boot.

[Aeradalia]

That's sweet Charlie Boy II... but if you grow tired of the crush... just look at my pic... that oughtta do the trick.. hah..

[vashti]

hehe...thx shh! but to be honest, i've been kind of stressed since summer, and i've not been watching what i eat, i've put on quite a bit of weight, but have started exercising more frequently.

Well, you said 15 pounds was your goal, and as I recall, you are around 6'3". Isn't that correct? That doesn't sound like it qualifies as obese. Also, I remember you being sensitive about your weight before you started med school, and you weren't fat then, either. Still, I understand your concern. Seriously, ditch the car and start walking anywhere that is closer than 3 miles.

[Kromat]

Everyone dances nowdays, and If you do lots of it, it's actually a good calorie burner.

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables

Drink lots of water, do weights and exercise doing squats to get rid of the size of thighs, since that weighs a lot.

P.S. Don't eat 2-3 hours before going to sleep, or it will stay with you during when you sleep, it has happened to me multiple times and it's not fun waking up still full from what you ate earlier and it truly is harder to fall asleep too.

[Cbrider]

I don't know how many of you have looked at a BMI chart, but its kind of scary what healthy is on the chart. I am 6'5" and tip the scales at like 190 as of this morning....I am 23 on the scale....25 is overweight. Theres a REALLY fine line of healthy on those things and I can see it being damn near impossible for some people to get to their target weight.

On a side note I was reading a book about climbing Mt. Everest. When you get above 25,000 feet above sea level you have entered the "death zone." Its the point at which your body becomes so oxygen deprived that it starts to manufacture more red blood cells and starts to shut down vital processes to conserve energy....your digestive system. So your body is now no longer efficiently processing food for nutrients and expending astronomical amounts of energy to just breath and get oxygen to your organs and muscles.

At the 25,000 foot mark your body will burn roughly 13,000 calories a day just to stay alive and it will consume muscle for energy, so......

Climb Everest to lose weight!

[IndiReloaded]

I think most weight loss is more to do with habit breaking and willpower.

I gain 5 - 10 lbs every xmas. Too much Baileys and those chocolate almonds. I will eat an entire 1kg bag by myself of those things. Terrible.

Anyway, here's what I find helps:

- exercise HARD at least 3 times a week
- stay away from fast & junk food (I let myself have snacks on Fri pms)
- NEVER eat after 8pm

[jeffyrud]

people that are over weight for reasons other then genetic are usually that way because they deal with stress and satisfy their need for instant gratification through food

[Kromat]

I think most weight loss is more to do with habit breaking and willpower.

I gain 5 - 10 lbs every xmas. Too much Baileys and those chocolate almonds. I will eat an entire 1kg bag by myself of those things. Terrible.

Anyway, here's what I find helps:

- exercise HARD at least 3 times a week
- stay away from fast & junk food (I let myself have snacks on Fri pms)
- NEVER eat after 8pm

During X-Mas I actually lost 5-10 Ibs while in Cuba because I was dancing at least 2 hours a day, as well as exercise, walk instead of getting a lift to get to a destination around the resort.

[lovesjoyajm]

I've thought about walking home from school every day. It's so cold though... usually I take a subway about 7 stops and then a tram about 5 stops... I wonder how far it actually is. But I really need to control my compulsive eating. I think my metabolism is nearing a tipping point and I'm going to go downhill fast if I don't get my eating and exercise habits under control.

[Mish]

But why do you think it is so hard for people to lose weight?

It all depends on what stage of obesity they are. The more obese they are the larger is the stomach, the more addictive cravings for food are generated the harder it is to fight them. And addiction to food is probably the hardest addiction to break out of, the withdrawal symptoms can be very severe. I think exercise and the right diet are still the best ways to loose weight, but how easily these can be exercised depends on the stage of obesity imo.