The struggle is worse the older you get.
This is a joke but I lost 20 pounds so far just by eating half as much as I normally would.
That’s the way it works, you’re no joke homie
Thermodynamics is a cruel but fair mistress
She gives but she takes, equally.
Reminder to readers thay there is a stark difference between “cutting back” and starving yourself.
Smaller portions and less calorie-dense options make a huge difference over time.
It’s also much more sustainable. Make small tweaks as you go versus making big, drastic swings at your eating habits.
Also, fruits are better than fruit-juice, unless you really need those quick calories.
It is, the trick is it’s easier said than done for people.
It’s tricky to require your brain and overhaul your habits.
I say this as someone who also has lost 25 lbs. there’s a reason people refer to it as a journey.
I say this less to diminish your point and more for support of others who are going through this thinking “man this is impossible but everyone makes it sound easy”. It’s not. It’s a marathon not a sprint.
Lots of things are easy to do once, but doing them continuously for as long as necessary is extremely hard.
That being said I was starving for like two weeks but eventually I found I can’t eat that much anymore and it got easier.
The one that gets me is switching from full sugar to diet sodas. Having a full sugar soda now tastes like I’m being face fucked with syrup. That one’s hard to go back.
I gave up soda entirely and now I can’t drink any of it. It tastes like fizzy battery acid to me.
It’s simple math, burn more than what goes in. No tricks, no fad diets, no regimen, eat less, do more.
Yep. And the last time I did this I helped by keeping my house around 50 degrees all the time. I figure if we spend most of our energy keeping warm then making that harder would burn more calories.
Do you think that’s something you’ll be able to keep doing for the long term? Or, do you expect that you’ll put the weight back on when you inevitably give up and start eating more?
Not the same person, but I’ll add my 2 cents.
Eating less of what you always eat is HARD, because you eat that much to stay full. Feeling hungry 24/7 is super fucking hard, and I don’t think anyone can maintain that for long.
But it’s amazing how not-filling most processed foods are. Swapping out high-calorie, unfilling food for low-calorie filling foods made it pretty much effortless.
I didn’t feel hungry, I didn’t need to eat that much. But dieting is still hard, because I also ate out of habit. A bag of snacks in front of the tv, a snack with a drink after lunch, etc etc. Not because I was hungry just because it’s tasty.
Breaking that habit was also pretty easy. See, you don’t need to diet 24/7. I only need to focus on dieting half an hour every other day, when I’m buying food at the supermarket. If I don’t buy snacks, I can’t eat snacks, it’s really simple. Anyone can be strong for 30 minutes every other day, that’s easy.
So yeah, dieting is done first your head, and then in the supermarket!
Step 1: admit your obesity is your own fault, and thus within your control.
Step 2: buy better food, buy less crap.
Step 3: eat what you buy.
Step 4: keep doing step 2 and 3 forever.Now that I’m used to eating less I’ve found that I simply can’t eat like I used to without discomfort.
Case in point: last night I got an Italian sub and was full after half of it, while previously I would have housed the entire thing.
Isn’t there someone you forgot to ask?
no reason to ai pennyworth over ronald. mr McDonald has a vastly greater kill count.
edit: pennywise
I’ve changed my mind. Pennywise working at mcd’s because ronald is the vastly more successful killer clown is hilarious
I mean…yes?
I get that this is supposed to be a joke, but, I don’t get the joke. This is literally how weight loss works.
Eat less.
Eat healthier.
Exercise.
Weight loss is hard because it’s hard to stick to it. But the concepts aren’t complicated. Caleries in minus caleries burned equals caleries stored as fat.
Less caleries means less unburned caleries means less fat.
Just don’t have an eating disorder / addiction is what these posts suggest you know. 4Head shit. The entire problem is they struggle with saying no. Like a heroin addict. “Just eat less” is worthless advice.
“Eat less, and here’s how to learn this disipline while dealing with the myriad of possible root causes of your disordered function” would be a start. Nutritionists exist for this purpose.
It’s a mental weakness many people clearly have given it’s an epidemic. Exploited by their dealers: Capitalists involved in food industry.
Edit: evidently i’ve stumbled into /r/fatpeoplehate
It’s not fat people hate to acknowledge that eating less is how you lose weight.
Your take or stance about capitalism and addiction is true also, but yeah addicts are addicts if it’s heroin or food or sex or alcohol.
Some addictions / pleasures aren’t super unhealthy and some are.
Either way, the trick to it is to eat less. Same as the “trick” to getting off opiates is to stop using them.
Do you also tell smokers that smoking causes cancer? Like yeah no shit buddy.
If they pretend it doesn’t, yeah.
👏 thank 👏 you 👏
“Depression? Just do more fun things and watch silly TV shows.”
As most things about the human body, it actually is more complicated. Caloric restriction also causes biological responses in our bodies, influencing hormones such as ghrelin and leptin which physiologically alter hunger and satiety. Some people can even be resistant to leptin for example, meaning that they struggle with a lack of satiety. Our bodies have also been shown to reduce their energy requirements by about 200 calories per day when intake is restricted.
So even if we disregard the problems the claim it’s just a matter of willpower, there are other, biological things to consider.
All this to say, it is undoubtedly good to have more fiber, around 1.2-1.6g protein per kg of bodyweight, 120minutes of excercise a week and strength training, or just whatever we can implement into our routines.
Oh, and one more thing, fatness isn’t a ubiquitous measure of healthiness or virtue, and thinness isn’t either. We have to challenge our assumptions and biases, a lot of which come from our cultures and media.
Oh, and one more thing, fatness isn’t a ubiquitous measure of healthiness or virtue, and thinness isn’t either. We have to challenge our assumptions and biases, a lot of which come from our cultures and media.
I’ve discovered this more and more playing pickleball, of all things. People who “look” out of shape have handed my ass to me, MANY times, because their knowledge, range of motion, and discipline have gotten them to where they were, without being traditionally “skinny”.
If anything I’ve learned not to discount “older” players, because they hold up with me, sometimes 20 years younger, fantastically. I hope to have the same drive in the future.
Oh, and one more thing, fatness isn’t a ubiquitous measure of healthiness or virtue, and thinness isn’t either. We have to challenge our assumptions and biases, a lot of which come from our cultures and media.
It kinda is… obesity is not healthy. Period. It’s bad for your joints, your organs, it’s a driver for cancers and other illnesses. The HAES movement is partially to blame for this massive spike in obesity we’re seeing. All of those links you post, are not causing the majority of people to be obese. The epidemic is not something that happened in the past, it’s quite recent.
I work in participation sports, and agree with OP. I’ve seen people running in a long distance triathlon (which means they’ve already swum and biked a long distance) who, if I saw them in a different context, I’d not have thought them fit. Usually women, not men. Fat and cardiovascularly fit >skinny and idle. And I’ve seen really strong fat guys, maybe that’s not as perfect as lean & strong but is it worse than thin and weak?
It’s not the usual arrangement (fit and fat) but skinny and unfit is pretty common.
I don’t make fitness assumptions anymore, about people within some range, obviously there is a point where this isn’t true. I haven’t ever been fat and do not think I’d be one of those people (if I am in shape it shows in my visual shape) but plump fit people do exist.
Sure, look at the WSM guys, they look fat and are fit, but even they know what they’re doing isn’t healthy…but let’s stop trying to suggest that the norm is fit people who look obese. You know exactly what I’m talking about, the mass majority are not fit and look obese, the mass majority are obese. There is a reason cancers and diseases are spiking, and it’s not from fit people.
this “common knowledge” “weight loss” stuff typically neglects how dieting will affect ur caloric rate. if u just starve urself, ur muscles will grow smaller and u will need fewer calories to maintain ur normal functioning body, meaning u need to eat even less again to not put on fat. but if u train ur muscles directly, they will beg for more calories so they can grow, and the calories needed to maintain them will also increase.
for anyone interested, i suggest reading a physical education by casey johnston.
U cud jst cut bak n the no of ltrs u use 2 rite wiv
Y use mny ltrs wen few ltrs do trik?
“If you legitimately don’t consent to the calories, the body has a way of trying to shut that whole thing down.” - Todd Akin
Now replace calories with rape
I believe that was the reference yes
The one fad diet doctors really dont want you to know about!
That sounds terrible.
Every fat person on earth already knows that too much food makes you fat.
Yet somehow, even armed with this knowledge, we’re all fat.
Curious.
It’s funny how you never visualise the person on an internet forum as fat, but some of the people typing here are fat.
We tens to visualise the people typing like us. At least, I do
So that’s why I see everybody as fat as fuck and tipping a fedora to me. Good to know.
Most.
What happened in the 80s
Isn’t the correct answer that glucose-fructose syrup got subsidised?? (I might have my history wrong)
Yes. Well that and sugar tariffs combined.
And the long trend of decreasing home cooking really gained steam. Homemade food can be delicious, but it is rarely hypersatiable. It’s also more likely to contain things like vegetables (though I’ll admit, I don’t use enough in my household, my wife hates my “could eat it nonstop” veggie and I’m allergic to hers).
We’ve also increasingly been doing jobs that don’t fulfill a meaningful portion of physical fitness, and as such we’re increasingly underexercised
Also, the “low fat” fitness craze started and manufacturers started replacing fat with sugar.
A combination of sugar subsidies, market penetration of transformed food while the food industry figured they could make their customers sugar-addict, the start of GDP and minimum salary drifting away from each other, meaning poor households no longer able to afford quality food, and running through 2 or 3 jobs doesn’t leave you much time to cook.
So, in a summary: that’s completely a personal responsibility issue.
A significant part of it is the stuff they put in our food.
Addicted to alcohol: Stop drinking. You can’t control an addiction so you have to completely stop.
Addicted to cigarettes: Stop smoking. You can’t control an addiction so you have to completely stop.
Addicted to crack: Stop smoking crack. You can’t control an addiction so you have to completely stop.
Addicted to food: Must be your fault for being weak-willed. Just don’t consume so much of that thing that you’re addicted to. You can control your addiction. Just stop being a loser…
The literal solution to every addiction is stop it, cold turkey. One Day At A Time. But you can’t stop eating food. You’ll die.
So it’s as if an alcoholic has to constantly have just a little alcohol. Or a crackhead has to keep smoking crack, but only every once in a while. No problem, just control yourself…
I’m sure telling people that they’re pieces of shit for eating food will fix the problem, eventually. We just have to try a little harder.
That’s all true, and it’s all pointless.
It doesn’t matter whose fault it is or how hard it is. There literally is only one person who can fix your obesity, and it’s you. Yes, that’s hard. Yes, that sucks. But it’s also the only way.
Discussing whose fault it is and what of blame there should be is, at an individual level, completely pointless. There is one person in charge of what you eat, and it’s you. Factors may influence it, but in the end, you move the food to your mouth. You are the only person in the universe who can fix the situation, and if you don’t, it won’t get fixed.
Taking the position that you’re a powerless victim of circumstances will just hurt. Admitting that you’re obese because you eat too much, and that you can control how much you eat, will help fix your problems.
Every time you hear someone say “it’s my thyroid” or “I have PCOS” or “I can’t afford the gym”, or “I have a food addiction” or “I have BED” as an excuse, you’re talking to someone who sees themselves as a victim rather than the person who can fix their problem. All those things might be true, but none of those issues move food into your mouth. You do that, and you can stop doing that because you’re a thinking human being and not a seacucumber or a daffodil.
Getting from “I am obese” to “I am keeping myself obese” was very hard too. It requires taking ownership of your mistakes, it requires introspection. And then you go into a long and uncomfortable process of fixing the problem you caused, and it sucks. Losing weight is shit. Feeling hungry sucks, and it sucks 24/7. But damn, losing weight feels amazing and it’s all worth it.
Congratulations on your weight loss. You are correct that it is such a psychological battle to place yourself at the helm.
After having kids I really struggled with losing the weight. Now it probably was hormonal, but naming the reason doesn’t take the weight off. I had to accept that I was going to have to work harder than some people. That there is no such thing as fair - just because some tiny person can eat a double cheeseburger with fries and not gain weight does not mean that my body will afford me that same luxury.
Once I realized that there was really no way out but creating a calorie differential, I started logging calories. When my brain begged me to snack constantly I ate cherry tomatoes or cucumber slices. I worked my ass off at the gym. And I would go weeks without dropping a single pound before my body finally would give a few up all at once. But there is no such thing as easy weight loss, and you are so correct that you have to force yourself to be the boss.
Thanks for this, I had an idea about food addiction but that explanation puts it in perspective.
Companies also try to make foods as addictive as possible and as flashy as possible. It’s like avoiding the constant casino ads as a gambling addict, but you had to keep stepping into a casino every week forever and only doing low bets.
but you had to keep stepping into a casino every week forever and only doing low bets.
at least 3 times a day, plus once in a while in between, maybe on your phone.
good luck not going bankrupt
That’s just one approach to addiction. Personally, I think it assumes people are weak with no self-control, which seems to be exactly the argument you’re making.
The emphasis on abstinence and any exposure at all being a failure might even make binging more likely if someone gives in just a little, as their counter is now reset, so might as well take advantage.
And the obsession/fascination with the addiction target continues or even gets ramped up.
I like the moderation approach a lot better. I don’t binge drink every weekend anymore, but if I do feel like having a drink every now and then, I just do instead of spiraling because I need to treat it like some sort of personal failure.
on top of that, if someone is using excess food to “self medicate” issues like… IDK, anxiety? by forcing the body to go from the Sympathetic nervous system response to the Parasympathetic nervous system response… yeah. Fun coping mechanism makes one fat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasympathetic_nervous_system
The way chemicals interact with dopamine, some of those substances are a LOT harder than others. You just need to change the food you eat. I found fasting easier than meticulous dieting. I had the willpower and was enable to accept the simplicity of simply not eating.
Oh for sure…fasting is waaay easier. That’s kinda my point. Fasting is literally not eating.
Unfortunately you can’t just do it forever. Well I mean, you can…
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I control my addictions by limiting supply. I buy a fifth of bourbon and a case of beer once a month and that’s what I get. If I go on a bender for a week and run out tough shit.
I don’t have problems with overeating but if I did my strategy would be to have a limited supply of things I don’t have to cook. No chips or soda or sugary bullshit. Just full ingredients that have to be prepped and cooked. When I did cook or order food it would be in an amount that’s appropriate. Add friction between me and the things that are a problem for me so it’s easier to put off consuming them. Maybe that would work. I don’t know.
I also have an abhorrence for delivery services so that helps too.
The bourbon and the case of beer are just empty calories and cancer-causing carcinogens. They’re an escape but there are other escapes out there that won’t harm you.
Oooo…Im ready for suggestions too.
I swear to God if you say something about a runner’s high or something…
I understand the burger bit but who eats a human hand? That’s just gross
Jokes on you I got some sort of undiagnosed malabsorption issues and won’t get fat even when I eat burgers and candy and alcohol day after day.
Coeliac disease? Does your poop float?
Well I’ve been tested for celiacs a bunch. Blood tests and even an upper GI endoscopy (prolly one of the worst medical procedures I’ve had and I’ve had a bunch, you’re forced to deepthroat an endoscope so that they can go from your mouth to your small intestine and grab a sample), my villi don’t show signs of coeliac damage.
But yeah, my poop does float whenever I have gluten in my diet, which is why I’m now without it. Also milk proteins seem to have an effect. But goddamn leaving gluten has been a somewhat challenge, not to mention how hard it is if I can’t have any nice yoghurt (Greek or Turkish mainly) or cheeses.
But yeah I told healthcare about my poop consistently being yellow/orange and floating and I even have photos from almost a year of me following it. Nah they just dismissed me said “it’s probably just air trapped in your poop”. Sure, yeah, except I’ve also considered that and the photos clearly show that’s not the case. They don’t care. Just do whatever is the easiest for them no matter how it affects me.
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Lost 100 pounds going vegan. 10 years later lost another 15 pounds adopting running as a passion. Ten years later gained 15 pounds becoming a weight lifter. Ten more years after that I weight 185 pounds, body fat 12-15% , feel strong look great. Now I added triathlons to my routine.
It’s both nutrition and staying active. We’re such lazy animals that we have to fight our impulse to sit still and eat silly … Who knew that the key is having a healthy, active lifestyle…
I wish I could like running. It hurts and is awkward and just generally sucks. Thank fuck I found bicycles.
So, yeah, for those who can’t make themselves like running, check out Craigslist or a local bicycle co-op to find a reasonably priced used bike and start riding. It’s transportation, it’s exercise, it can be meditation, and it’s easy on the joints.
Ultimately, find an activity that makes you physically exhausted that you enjoy. If you aren’t having any fun you’re likely to give up when life gets in the way, but if you enjoy it, even if you go a year without, you’re likely to want to get back into it, and that’s vital.
Running sucks, doing a sport you don’t like is impossible to maintain. Thankfully there are a LOT of fun things out there.
I used to hate “every sport”, but after losing weight I took up bodybuilding/weightlifting, and HEMA for years (can’t recommend sports that cause brain damage though, regardless of fun)
I don’t know about that. I used to hate running haha. I remember my first 3km I swore I would never run again. 20 years later it’s my favorite thing in life. I’m not saying it’s for everyone but a little grit sometimes allows us to work out through the challenging bits and reach a fun place. Don’t get hurt or insist if it’s bad for you and all that, so don’t get me wrong…!
LOL… getting downvoted by protein brahs. Colostomy bags are so hot right now. Luis Vuitton should make them.
My bestie is a protein bro and he’s 300 pounds at 5 foot 10. Any time he tries losing weight his number one priority is eating enough proteins. Usually he gains weight when he goes on a diet because that makes no sense. I love him to death but I worry about him. Humans eat way too much. I workout 7 or 8 times per week and I eat a lot less than my mom who’s 75, a bad knee and 250 pounds . I worry about her too.
Make your own food as much as possible, move everyday, slow down on the “am I eating enough” bullshit, have a general idea of your calorie expenditure and intake… It’s not rocket science! it’s mostly being aware of the brain trying to trick us into a sedentary lifestyle. That organ does not care about your long term health; it’s still in caveman mode.
I’ve got that fun bit of autism where I can just will myself to not be hungry. Can only do it so often before my instincts put a stop to that by making me ravenous for like 2 days straight though. Probably shouldn’t be doing it for days at a time now that I think about it.
Same lol, but I’m still sorta fat because the food I and family members make is actually SCRUMPTIOUS that I can’t avoid it, but when I want to or feel like it, I can just go like a whole day without eating. The downside is that I constantly forget to drink water because I have zero clue when I’m absolutely parched
I learned how to harness it to do intermittent fasting, I like food, I lift heavy but sometimes not often enough so it is helpful sometimes to just go eh I’ll skip a meal or two.
WITHDRAW CONSENT (projectile vomits)
YSK: If you are an American Citizen or US Tax Resident, your first 200 pounds of fat is legally exempt and therefore does not count for BMI Purposes. Nutritionists hate this one simple trick!
Follow me for more advice.
omg guys! this actually works!
I was just eating a fat burger for lunch and was getting really full. I wasn’t sure how I could finish the rest of it and I just told the calories to fuck off and I was able to finish the whole thing!
There’s a lot of people in here talking about fitness, fasting, etc. but it really just comes down to calories in, calories out.
You have to acknowledge what you’re eating and what it does to your body. Calling out yourself, and the foods you eat.
All you need is:
- How many calories in a serving
- How big is a serving
- How many calories can I have today
- Self control
- Water
Yeah, #4 is the real trick there. Self control, discipline, sacrifice. None of those things are easy. It’s very simple and straightforward yes, but not easy.
People seem to equate being simple with being easy. Smoking cigarettes? Just stop. Losing money gambling? Just don’t gamble. Alcoholic? Just don’t drink. All very straightforward and clear paths forward, all very difficult for an average person to accomplish.
The magic number for me was “calories per kilo”. I made a list (I’m sure you could just Google it now) of foods graded by calories per kilo, and just ate the lowest ones.
And presto: suddenly you’re full much faster, longer and you’re losing weight.
Then it was a matter of not snacking out of habit, which is MUCH harder. Of course, you can’t eat food you didn’t buy, so i really only diet at the supermarket.
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