Thank you.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Lol you're welcome, I say it from experience. I have hypothyroidism, and after shattering my vertebrae in a car accident in 2008 I am unable to walk or lift over 5lbs. I gained about 40lbs the year after since I couldn't exercise but I figured out what I actually need to eat for my situation, and have lost the weight plus more and went from a 28 BMI to a 20 BMI. To maintain my current weight I fast 2 days a week and eat no more than 800 calories the other 5. People will say it's unhealthy to eat under a certain amount of calories, but I'm healthier eating the way I do (I am under doctor supervision). Some people just don't put the effort in and say they can't. If I can, I'm confident others can.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

My mom has hypothyroidism but doctors tell her she //can't// lose weight so she should stop trying. She refuses to stop but doesn't lose any weight. She belongs to weight watchers, eats like 1000 calories a day, runs at last three miles twice a day and still doesn't lose a pound a month. All the effort but its supposedly her thyroidism and "being almost 40" were her doctor's exact words.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

KirstenAnn I would never pretend to know everything and I sure am no doctor, but I find it odd that your mom's doctor would tell her to stop trying? Is she close to a healthy weight or do you think she needs to lose weight to be healthy (or is it just HER that wants to lose weight)? I don't know her situation at all, but for me, I GAIN weight eating 1000 calories a day. I also can't exercise though. I've found though that when eating such a small amount even a slight miscalculation of calories can make weightloss painfully slow. Things you wouldn't think of, like olive oil has more calories than butter. I also found that eating for 1 day 3-4x your "dieting" calorie amount would restart weight loss when it slowed. So for your mom, if she's been dieting for a long time, if she ate 3000-4000 calories for one day, then went down to 1000 again after that, maybe it would help? It could be a small error that keeps her from losing weight, or you know what? I could be wrong too! But think about it

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Her doctors exact words were "You're almost forty (she really isn't) and you'll be lucky to lose two pounds by the time your 45 so you should stop trying". If your saying overeat then go back to your diet, that happens to eveyone all the time and I know it has happened to her. She is only a little overweight but still chubby and has decent flab, most people would say. Since shes so short, people think she's so skinny based off of her weight but with height... And I don't think fasting 2 days is the best way to lose weight. That's bordering anorexia.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Okay I get it and my post is more meant for people that do need to lose weight for health (obese people). I think it DOES get harder to lose weight the older a woman gets too, but because of horomones not genetics (other than being genetically female lol). I never suggested that you or your mom fast. But fasting isn't borderlining anything. Many, many people do it for spiritual reasons and health reasons. Sure, if you are underweight it might be dangerous to fast. But as I said, I AM under doctor's supervision and I drink water on the days I fast so I am not dehydrated. Just because you hear the word "fast", don't assume the person is unhealthy. Technically, the human body fasts every time you sleep. Many people just prolong the fast and it can actually lengthen your lifespan.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I never said you suggested that we fast. And while people do fast for spiritual reasons, not eating for 48 hours //is// birding anorexia. I'd also like to see some medical studies that suggest what your saying.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Bzzzzzzt. My friend is obese, but never eats over 1,000 calories a day. Not by choice but more because she's poor and her mother's good for nothing. It's her genetics mostly. Some people can't help being fat or thin regardless of how much they eat or work out. It doesn't matter what you say; for some people, it's nearly impossible to change without some kind of surgery or extreme medication.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

THANK YOU OP is basing solely off of their own experiences and not taking other possibilities into account. This post is stated in a very absolute way and if people actually really thought about this, it could be into the negatives.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Unfortunately, a lot of people think like OP. Many people will reject the idea of genetics being involved with body weight (even though it's true). Not to worry, though. Maybe in about 100 years or so, we'll have the technology and medicine to make genetics a mere bump in the road.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I do not object at all to genetics and body size. I see it every day, some families have mostly slender long-limbed people, other families all have wide hips. And I am basing it off my own experiences, isn't that what you're both doing? I state it in an absolute way because that way voting is clearer; if I said "everyone can lose weight, but some can't" that is not an opinion that's just looking for easy yes votes. I completely realize there can be exceptions, but I'm trying to point out how many people use excuses or go about losing weight in a way that is not right for them. There is always exceptions like there is for everything. But you also said it's nearly impossible to change without surgery/medication, which means Hard, bot NOT impossible which is the whole point of my post. And if someone uses surgery, it's so that they'll eat less calories, which means they are still taking in less calories. If they use medication it's to speed up metabolism so youburn more calories. So taking in less and burning more calories, like I said in my post is still the only way to lose weight. And surgery or medication are "more effort", like I also said in my post not only diet & exercise.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

And I'm curious how you know exactly how many calories your friend eats a day? Most people don't even know exactly how many calories a day they put in their own mouth. Did she tell you that or are you guessing, and I'm not saying I don't believe you or that she doesn't I was just wondering? As a side note: a higher percentage of low-income families are obese than middle or high income families. Why? Because it is cheaper to buy prepackaged high calorie food than it is to buy healthier options (in general). This could be a possibility for your friend (but you would know better than me). I know I don't get full eating a chocolate bar, but I would from eating 15 heads of lettuce and they have around the same calories. Not that I'd want to eat that much lettuce lol.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I say 1,000 because she has no money to buy or bring lunch, and her mother is way too lazy to even take a step outside the door, and she's constantly hungry and I think she only has breakfast maybe once every several weeks. And it's not because she doesn't have enough time in the morning. So she's basically told me how much she eats and I've deduced from that.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

She could eating high calorie, cheap food. Here in the UK, £1 will buy you three 600kcal bars of chocolate (1800kcal), and even £5 a a day for food can easily buy you 3500 - 4000 calories. If she doesn't eat breakfast or lunch she could be just binge eating after school. Also, you have to consider that she might be lying to make it seem like she just can't lose weight or something.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Turnip you got what I was trying to say so thank you. Tails first of all I think that is really really sad for your friend. Is there maybe a Breakfast Program at your school (idk if that's just for elementary students though). It's hard to really know. On a side note, my little sister is extremely obese and she's constantly hungry too. But in her case, she's hungry because she eats literally all the time, even wakes up in the night to eat, so if she goes a few hours without food, she feels like she's starving cause her body's used to always being full. Whether your friend is obese from food or not, I would never say it's "her fault"; it sounds like an emotionally horrible situation to be in, I am really thankful that my mother put me first and it doesn't seem like your friend's mom cares at all. This has made my morning really sad :( Good luck to your friend.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I hate it when people whine because they can't lose weight because of genetics. Okay, so maybe they make it a little harder to lose, but you weren't born 50lbs over weight. YOU gained the weight, and it's tough luck you can't lose it, so quite whining.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I understand the point of this post, but it's not about eating less calories than you take it; that's actually the biggest fallacy, because calories are nothing more than energy; if you limit your energy, your body will go into starvation mode, turn muscle into fat, ergo you gain weight. It's a matter of the TYPE of calories you eat and how you burn them. E.g. Eating a 500-calorie salad is infinitely better than a 500-calorie big mac. Other example: Eating 2500 calories and burning 2500 calories with daily activities is perfect, but limiting yourself to 1500 calories yet burning 2000 will do some serious damage. I know it sounds a bit hard to grasp, but that's really how it's supposed to be done the healthy way.

by Anonymous 11 years ago