Hello my name is.......and I am OBESE

[madwife2002]

When I googled the word obesity I was astonished to find that I had 156,002,803 results.

What is Obesity?

• Wikipedia describes it as a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) describes obesity as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. A crude population measure of obesity is the body mass index (BMI), a person's weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of his or her height (in metres). A person with a BMI of 30 or more is generally considered obese. A person with a BMI equal to or more than 25 is considered overweight.

There's even a society for Obesity: Home - The Obesity Society

Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Once considered a problem only in high income countries, overweight and obesity are now dramatically on the rise in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings.

So my question is how does all this information help me?

• I love eating ... there's no question and I love eating foods which are 'bad' for me ... I can't help it - they are delicious.
• So why can't I stop eating?
• Why can't I change my lifestyle?
• How can I stop the delicious foods cravings?
• And, I know that 95% of diets fail ... 1 in 20 dieters will succeed.

We discussed this at work recently and decided that you can do without cigarettes and drugs; and, you can freely move around in society without ever coming into contact with them.

Unfortunately, you cannot avoid food. You have to eat - there are no two ways around it!

In all societies, we eat food for pleasure! We have restaurants, weddings, christenings, birthday parties, July 4th parties ... you name it we have a party and it all includes FOOD. Our mouths drool at the thought of all the delicious food we are going to eat.

If the food is bad then we complain and moan, for days, weeks and even years. We remember.

If the food is good we compliment that person, party, or restaurant, for days, weeks and years. We return to good restaurants for ever or as long as the food is good.

So how is it possible to lose weight and stay slim?

We read about success stories in magazines, newspapers and television.

We the OB's have to stay away from food because we can diet, and we do diet a lot, but we can't stop returning to the food which pleasures us!

I diet one year - lose 30lbs easily. I am almost starved to death whilst I am losing it. Then one day my resolve is broken ... just one candy, just one or two chips, a small bite of the cookie or the cake, an extra serving of potato and WHAM I am right back to square one! Then I feel comforted inside - Oh boy the food I am missing tastes soooooooooooooo ... it is not in my imagination it is real!!

I love the feeling of being slim I really do it is great but the problem is I love food more. The 30lb's I lost is now 50 lbs gain. How did it happen? I really don't know but who cares ... who really cares ... only ME.

Everywhere I go there is food! It's on the TV, there are cooking programs which make food look so yummy, movies and tv shows have everybody eating, at work people are eating, machines give us food, free samples in supermarkets ... you name it there it is!

I can change my lifestyle but I love my lifestyle. That's where the problem lies-it's not against the law to eat! You don't beat people up, murder or cause fights and arguments in the home, it doesn't make you abuse children or women. It is socially acceptable to eat, food is sold everywhere-you don't have to go down a back alley to deal food.

Honestly, it frightens me that I am killing myself with my weight problems-but I am happy and contented as long as nobody takes my photo.

I really don't know anybody who has weight problems and has kept off the weight! Every single person I know replaces the lost weight within a couple of years and puts more on.

This is the area we have to look at, not how to diet because I am sure every single person who is overweight knows how to diet! The problem is keeping it off. Yes! You have to change your lifestyle but I think the problem is we like our lifestyle-to change it means we can't go out every week to eat or to people's houses for meals, or go to the food parties because Temptation is why we return to our bad eating habits! If we were strong willed we would all be a size 6-10 I guarantee that.

So to all the diet companies out there...

We all know how to diet! We have been on a diet and most of us still exercise. We don't eat more, we just can't stop the weight from piling on. We need more than just salads, chicken, or fish no carbs, no cakes, no chips, choc, or candy. Give us something that is close to what we normally eat - allow certain treats. It's by no means the answer but it can help those who stray from their diets.

I want to stop this yo yo diet

Quote

The only diet that works is a change of life style. You might be able to loss weight and stay off in a few months. However, you will bounce back if you stop dieting. A recent research found women that are frequently on yo yo diet ( if they gain/lose more than 10 pound for 10 or more time in their adulthood) are 2.5 time more likely to get kidney cancer than those who have stable weight (even if they are overweight).

Yo Yo diet - How typical dieter failed to lose weight and became heavier in long term

[vegas2009]

Ya'll should try to visit Japan, there's hardly obese people there. There are a few overweight people and the ONLY morbidly obese people I know of are called SUMO WRESTLERS! --->> Well, at least they're MAKING MONEY out of ALL THEIR FAT. The morbidly obese in United States don't make squat! (unless ofcourse, they get featured on TLC or another realty show).

Okinawa, Japan is placed probably second or third place (I know it's top five) for having people live the longest life spans in the world. There have been reports of several people living there making it in their 100's. My grammy on my mother's side is from there! So, it is in my genes... yay! :) Happy Sunday everyone!

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

Okay - there are obese people and then there are those that you HAVE to stop and think - DID YOU NOT SEE THIS COMING??? Fifty pounds - maybe even a hundred pounds - overweight, okay, I get that. I feel bad for you; my mom has struggled with her own weight for years. I've had my own issues, thanks to what has amounted to bad hormonal birth control choices (and I have the pictures and the medical record to prove it). But when someone weighs over 300, 350? 400 lbs? That's completely unnatural, and no one's going to convince me it's not. THAT'S what drives me nuts. And I'm sorry.

I've met some very lovely people of all sizes, but I can't understand how someone who weighs 350 lbs can lament their size while they're eating a lunch of junk food (and I've seen it, oh have I seen it).

I'm no skinny minnie - and I'm in the military! - I could very easily lose ten pounds and I hover about two pounds under my max allowed weight, but I can pass my PT test and run two miles in eighteen minutes (not bad for someone who was pretty sedentary just a few months ago - and that time's improving by the week). There's a lot of muscle on my five foot, six inch frame. I don't judge those who serve with me who find it hard to dump weight - but by the same token, they pass their fitness test and look decent in uniform.

It's the horribly obese folks I can't understand.

I still feel bad for them, because I have to wonder - how did it get so out of control that they were unable to see what was happening? But while I may have some empathy, I have very very little sympathy.

If it makes me a jerk, I'm sorry.

[vegas2009]

300? 350? I don't even think I can pass 200! Actually, if I ever hit 180 lbs., I THINK I'LL EXPLODE... My body can't hold that much weight, so I don't know how other people do it. It sounds painful.

[RedhairedNurse, BSN, RN]

llg -

Even tho I'm naturally thin, or use to be, I now have to fight it every single day, the older I get

the harder it gets. I am no different than you all. My weight got up to 180 recently,

my normal weight is around 140. I gained 40 lbs on night shift in less than one year.

And like I said, when I saw that weight at the doctors office, I did something about it, and got it off. It was easy to get off, but to keep it off is an every day struggle.

Like I have said, I don't really understand how it happened so quickly, or maybe I do.

I have hypothyroidism, a bad case of it at that and have to take meds. Maybe it's

getting worse and harder to fight as I age. But these are the cards I've been dealt, and

have to fight accordingly. I've had this condition for many years so I have to fight my

weight every day just like any body else. I can eat just as you all explain here, and I guarantee

you, I'd be obese before the year was through.

BUT, just because I take care of myself doesn't put me in a different category than you all.

I just try very hard not to let myself go; I MAKE myself exercise and try to eat right.

I didn't say that I love exercise, I said that "i love the way it makes me feel." I still have to fight and mAke myself move!

I have horrible knees and prob need replacements by now, but I exercise any way,

I'll get on a low impact ellipitical machine so it's less damaging. But I sweat my butt

off on that thing for an hour, I don't just passively go at it like I see so many people do

at a gym.

I could think of excuse after excuse to not exercise if I wanted to, but I

don't want to be Fat, I don't want to set a poor example on my children, I don't want to die young,

I don't want to smother in my fat when I'm laying in bed, I like to be able to climb a flight of stairs

and be able to breath, the list goes on and on.

I don't want to judge any body here and if it seems that way, my apologies. My sibling has an underactive

thyroid just as I and she is very obese. She fights her weights with diet, but she won't exercise. I

just want to share my story and my personal beliefs over this subject. But in the end, I'm no different than you.

Take care!

[RedhairedNurse, BSN, RN]

carolina pooh -

I agree with you 100%. It just seems that when it gets to a certain extent, something would or could be done. I feel sorry for them too. But when I see them in the hospital struggling to breath and asking for double portion trays - what am I suppose to think? Scratching my head and wonder ????

[RedhairedNurse, BSN, RN]

To Anne36 on page 2 --

It's because you have to learn what to eat. Carrots and veges are not protein.

Protein will make you feel FULL. Very full. If you work nights, take a chicken breast

with you to work one night. It should just make you so full and satified just this alone,

if you're not eating for pleasure. Then snack on carrots in between some good protein meals.

I take whey protein drinks with me to work and believe me, it makes me more satisfied than

eating a meal, some times, it makes me feel too full.

The reason you stay hungry are the sugary carbs you are eating. It's simple nutrition basics,

you're blood sugar will rise from the carbs you've eaten, then you'll crash making you feel hungry

again. You have to learn how to eat. Protein w/good carbs. No pasta!!

I've sworn off pasta, never again. That stuff is so heavy and horrible and literally makes me sick

if I eat it. Buy Jillian Michaels book and learn how to eat, right.

[talaxandra]

i know it is possible to lose weight and keep it off, because i have done it. i lost 80 pounds over the course of a year, and i have kept it off for 6 years now...

i maintain my weight by:

1. writing down everything i eat, every day.

2. weighing in at weight watchers monthly, at a minimum... it motivates me to be good.

7. i weigh myself every day. that doesn't work for everybody, but it does for me. i have a weight limit, and if i find myself over that limit, i take some time to examine what's going on and change some things around. it doesn't take long to get back on track.

i'm always interested to see how much dieting and weight loss maintenance resembles anorexia, a realisation relatively new to me. and i emphasised sweetoldworld's motivation because it so beautifully demonstrates how weight has become synonymous with virtue and sin. as christian bachman courageously points out

when i started this blog some months ago, i was not aware that weight loss is a religion and that i was a believer. i was convinced that science had proven obesity to be bad for health. i took for granted that obese people must lose weight in order to gain health and to live longer and better. today is the day when i have changed my mind. source

some members have posted on the hideous consequences of obesity, which is certainly a commonly held myth in our society. though it's hard to confront this distortion, particularly for the thin, there are health benefits to being overweight: [color=#5588aa]fit men live longer when obese; [color=#999999]weight loss may be bad for your health; the [color=#999999]war on fat does more harm than good; [color=#5588aa]overweight prostate cancer patients survive better; overweight dialysis patients survive longer; [color=#5588aa]overweight heart failure patients survive better; overweight smokers live longer; [color=#5588aa]weight has no effect on mortality of the elderly; [color=#5588aa]older breast cancer patients live longer ig they're overweight; [color=#5588aa]fat people are more likely to survive coronary bypass surgery; [color=#5588aa]fat people are more likely to survive a heart attack; [color=#5588aa]older overweight japanese live longer; [color=#5588aa]fat heart patients have better outcomes; [color=#c40000]fat people live longer than thin people; fat can protect against [color=#c40000]“infections, cancer, lung disease, heart disease, osteoporosis, anemia, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis and type 2 diabetes"; not to mention the obesity paradox (fat people live longer than thin people).

and there have been comments on the 'simple and obvious fact' that weigh control in behaviour-based and consists of calories in vs calories out, a position that ignores

studies about confounding factors like [color=#c40000]genetics, [color=#c40000]gut flora, and [color=#c40000]metabolism [color=#c40000]changes from dieting, not to mention studies showing that [color=#c40000]eating can’t make naturally thin people permanently fat. people who think diets work ignore studies on [color=#c40000]haes and the metabolic and psychological effects of [color=#c40000]starvation (in that study, “starvation” means up to twice the caloric intake of some doctor-recommended diets). people who think fat will kill you also have to ignore haes studies, not to mention new research showing that [color=#c40000]certain behaviors are salutary no matter your weight, that [color=#c40000]a higher bmi may have a protective effect, and that people who worry about fat are at least [color=#c40000]self-reportedly less healthy than people — even fat people — who don’t. people who want us to think about the children ignore studies about [color=#c40000]the real effects of diet culture on children, both their mental health and their weight. source

poor nutrition and sedentary behaviour unquestionably contribute to significant health problmes. but you know what? there are fat people who eat well and exercise! there are thin people who eat rubbish and rarely get off the couch. it's the behaviour, not the size, that [color=#c40000]matters.

dieting doesn't work for the overwhelming majority of people. you know what? just like we don't know how to make fat people thin, [color=#c40000]no one knows how to make a naturally thin person fat. we do, however know that [color=#c40000]dieting permanently alters metabolism, regardless of how fat you were to begin with and how much weight you lost — once you diet, you need to eat less to stay the same weight ([color=#c40000]here’s a link to another study showing the same thing). when [color=#c40000]study after study shows fat people eat the same as thin people, that's a lot less food. and for what?

we know that the body of evidence, as even acknowledged by an expert review conducted by the national institutes of health, shows that weight gain with age or stable weights even if fat, for both men and women has the lowest death rates; while dieting, weight loss or fluctuating weights (yo-yoing), significantly increases the risk of actual death, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and cancers. (source)

[Jellicoe13]

Most of the friends I have that do have a problem with weight have been on various diets and find themselves kind of depressed because the weight does not stay off and like you, they enjoy eating.

There are some ways to lose the weight without starving yourself or doing the various diets that are available: drinking lots of water is very filling, and those chewable fibre supplements they sell OTC have also helped some of my friends feel full longer than they normally would.

It can also be a matter of metabolism--you've probably already done this, but do get your thyroid hormones checked out. Regular exercise can also help; the trick is finding something that you like and sticking with it. I walk several miles per day and on my off days, do strength and flexibility training.

You don't need to be skinny to be fit and healthy. I know plenty of full-figured women who are just as fit and healthy as I am.

You're right about food being everywhere...at least when I quit drinking I was able to avoid it by simply staying away from bars and liquor stores.

Hopefully some of this helps you out.

[MereBuffNurse, BSN, RN]

What is going to decide if you lose weight and are healthy or not is your motivation. It has to be a LIFESTYLE change, not a diet that cuts any one nutrient totally....ESPECIALLY carbohydrates. Your brain runs off carbs.

Yes, we do have food at every occasion, cake, cookies, burgers, etc. You have to decide if it's worth it. Is it worth it to have that big slice of cake hanging off your a** when you're looking at bathing suits and nothing looks good because you don't have enough self control to avoid it?

As a nurse, it is really hard to eat every 3-4 hours, but this does 2 things: 1) keeps you satisfied so you don't over eat and 2) keeps your metabolism up and your body from going into starvation mode.

Moderation is ok. Allow yourself a treat occasionally. Get to a gym or join a tennis team. MOVE, walk, run, cycle, swim, do something that burns calories. Find something that motivates you, maybe getting over an ex, looking good for summer, avoiding CHF and diabetes, maybe set an example for your children, look hot for your spouse...whatever it is that motivates you..... Make a list, tape it to your mirror. Don't buy junk food.

If it grows on a farm, eat it, think twice if it does not.

:)

[carolmaccas66, BSN, RN]

Howdy.

I think we have to accept that certain people will never be thin (as society so wants us all to be). We are all too different with differing body chemistry, genes, life experiences. I do agree that most people are TOO overweight today though.

I'm sure as nurses we have all cared for people who have tried to commit suicide, got depressed, etc because of their weight, or constantly being told they need to lose weight. Yes being overweight, or obese, does cause health problems especially when people get older. But I have known women who were a size 16 or 18, very fit with no health problems at all, who hated their shape/weight and got depressed about it. I also hate hearing of the anorexics who commit suicide/die because they can't live in a world where they think they are not thin or thin enough; very, very sad I think.

I do however blame parents to a certain extent, for letting their children eat and drink all this garbage you see constantly advertised and in our faces every hour of the day. You turn on TV & you can't get away from it - McDonald, Hungry Jacks, etc - and billboards are everywhere. And believe me, they could not care less about your health. They just want you to spend a buck at THEIR business. Probably a hamburger for instance with salad is not really that bad, but let's face it, we all have our fried chips, slushy, sugary drinks and who wants to cook when you can satisfy the kids with all that? If you give your kids salt and fat for years and years, that is what they will crave.

I have always said programs as well like the Biggest Loser are very dangerous - I don't care if they have doctors on site - getting a very obese person to run so their face is red as a tomato, so they have chest pain, can't breathe, etc is DANGEROUS! And that Jillian Michaels said it is better when they throw up from too much exercise (words to that effect), cos that means they are doing it properly! How absolutely revolting and disgusting. And even if they are famous, they are not health professionals and do not know what they are talking about. They also just want your money (wonder how much they charge for a consultation alone?)

If people want to get into a strict gym/exercise routine and they have had a health check, I say go for it and be sensible. But I think if you eat everything (and I mean everything) in moderation & start off exercising say with yoga/pilates - something not so harsh - life will get better. I have ALWAYS said IGNORE YOUR WEIGHT AND CONCENTRATE ON YOUR MUSCLES AND STRENGTH INSTEAD. If you get your muscles used to exercise, such as doing weights or pilates (something you enjoy for example), you will find the weight will come off. Maybe you won't be a size 10 or 12, but you will tone up and will look better.

And let's face it, we all pig out at night when we are stressed/tired, whatever (or pig out during the day!). Don't beat yourself up too much (I still do though). Just try to do a little more exercise the next day, ie: climb the stairs at work, or park further away and walk, walk at lunchtime instead of sitting down, etc. I used to park further away from work (even in bad weather), and walk and I did tone up my legs a lot and lost some weight.

But one health professional said it's not always about losing weight, it is keeping it off. We can't all maintain diets/eating plans (whatever term you want to use) forever, and as you get older you do slow down. I think just being sensible is a start - eat your favourite meal/snack maybe only once a week for instance.

Another trick I have tried is eating ONLY when I am hungry. I found I was eating more at certain times just because I was supposed to have a meal. This is hard to do though when you only have lunch at a certain time. I only use smaller plates now, and I try to listen to when I am REALLY full and satisfied, I also wait about 20-30 minutes to see if I am still hungry; if I am, I eat something else. I still have my biscuits with my tea, but try to substitute this every occasionally with fruit, or a low dessert rice snack.

I get fed up with eating and deciding what to cook though. I am older now and getting to the point where I can't be bothered with it all. But the sensible eating means I don't have diabetes, high cholesterol, etc but I am classed as obese. And I have got lazy and don't exercise enough (no excuses offered), so I don't blame anyone else. I think once you stop blaming other people/events in your life for your being obese, you can start to do something positive about it.

Also finding an exercise you like is a great thing, or getting a piece of equipment you can use at home (but they reckon most people don't use equipment at home).

Depression re weight I think is underestimated. More counselling services need to be offered, and keeping your appearance up is important, and occasionally pampering yourself is important too.

I get very depressed about my weight, and am giving up studying and working now, cos I just sit on the computer all day. I have got lazy and hateful about a lot of things, simply because I don't like myself anymore. It is affecting my enjoyment of everything - I can't even sleep properly cos I'm snoring and rolling over means my fat gets in the way, and having lots of trouble getting to sleep. I sweat a lot now (never did before; had medical studies done nothing showed up), and am fussy about my hygiene. I feel heavier when running round at work. No, I don't enjoy being fat at all, I wonder how people live with it for years and years. And I can't really accept it for myself - maybe other people can make peace with it, but I will be doing something about it, but in a sensible manner.

Enough ranting! Hope some of these tips help a bit. Do not despair; food and family is good and filled with love, but society doesn't seem to value these things anymore. And if you are thin and not eating or eating too much, we all have a 'problem'. Maybe we're all not meant to be thin. Who knows? Main thing is you have to be happy for YOU ALONE, not anyone else.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Though it's hard to confront this distortion, particularly for the thin, there are health benefits to being overweight..........

Very compelling linnks. (Post shorted in quote).

I do think that fit people whom are overweight probably are better off than thin couch potatoes.

I guess if you're going to have heart problems, kidney problems, and open heart surgeries then it's o.k. to be fat.

However, what is more compelling is the evidence out there that these kinds of conditions can be prevented. It's nothing to be proud of that you stand a good chance when you have your CABG and have your heart fail.

[talaxandra]

I guess if you're going to have heart problems, kidney problems, and open heart surgeries then it's o.k. to be fat.

However, what is more compelling is the evidence out there that these kinds of conditions can be prevented.

Absolutely - be eating well and getting regular exercise, regardless of BMI. But not by losing weight if you're fat. And as long as the emphasis is on size rather than health, fat people will focus on behaviours aimed at weight loss rather than long term health outcomes - from relatively healthy but unsuccessful (from a weight loss perspective) programs through severe calorie reduction, bariatric surgery and drugs, in pursuit of a goal that will leave them less well off in health and financial terms.