BEWARE!!!

I just have a hard time accepting that I can't eat like other people.  Everything must be fair in my world. truth is.. other ppl who are skinny eat very unhealthy choices but most of them still have some left on their plate when they stand up... i can eat like them too and probably maintain just fine.. i just choose to finish my whole plate and theirs too.  It's not fair to others for me to complain about it not being fair that they can eat those things when I am stuffing my face with those things when they push away after having consumed enough.  I just lie to myself and say that life is not fair and everyone eats like i want to eat. :)

1. To start off it is said alot.."Under 1200 calories you go into starvation mode and don't lose weight" It is not completely true. I don't care to what level you go to to reduce calories...any given body will try to fight the state of getting less food and rebel by hanging onto water or otherwise holding up the process of burning fat. No one body will react exactly the same way as another - this is proven. 2. Anorexia....starving...not eating. Guess what they're skinny TOO skinny...how did they get that way...I agree - at first, your body will fight to hang onto its energy stores, but at a point, it ca no longer do so. 3.  Biggest Loser TV show. They're starving....they don't let you think that but its true. They're eating an X amount of calories probably 1200 or more...but working out anywhere from 4-5 hours a day burning EVERY stinkin calorie they put into their mouth plus more! Which comes out to a negative amount of calories that you ate that day! Not even zero a NEGATIVE. Starving? which also becomes a loss?Again, I agree. NOT the way most working stiffs will ever lose one red pound.  Give me a break"  4-6 hours daily Marine workout and like you say, 1200-1500 calories. R-i-i-i-ght. 4. Gastric Bypass surgery. Yes I have my opinion on this too. Ok guess what its like starving. Only an X amount of calories that is below 1200...losing tremendous amounts of weight! yup, ANY WAY that a person can severely or even moderately restrict calories will lead to what your body deems starvation. Your body will fight back. 5. With everything being said and done....how many people actually gain it back or some back maybe not all but some? I know many people that have had WLS to just gain it back. Or people from the TV show they gain some back as well. So what is this purpose? Does it really ever end?  I have finally accepted that obesity is a chronic condition for me...and for most of you. The critical error, no matter what the cause, whether genetic, behavior, emotional, blah blah blah was to ever get fat in the first place. By getting fat, then obese, you have taught your body to become a fat-storing machine. I further believe that there are not many people who ever overcome this. Statistics prove it:  75% of WLS re-gain. 90-95% with out WLS will re-gain.  I used to let this depress me - why try with those stats...but then I think of the real indicator:  while we are losing, we are focused and dedicated.  It is the SECOND that we take our eyes off the prize of being a better weight that re-gain happens. We CAN do that. It is our very own health condition - no different than diabetes or heart problems...folks with those afflictions HAVE TO pay attention.  So do we.  or else.... I'll say it for the upteenth time:  ALL ways of losing weight require a reduction in calories. Don't call it a diet, call it a diet, whatever...unless you find a way that works for you to cut calories every day or burn more than you take in, then find a way that YOU will live with to manage the re-gain isses, you will be one of the sad stats.

I take the view that to lose input must not exceed output (exercise- intended or incidental).

To maintain- input must equal output.

So if I want to eat lots... I have to exercise lots.

Losing the weight was hard, keeping it off is harder still.

I TOTALLY agree with your observation that It just never ends no matter if you lose all your weight or not.  The reason it will never end for me is that I now understand the input/output key when previoiusly I just didn't get it.

Em

 

First off you do not have to "starve" in order to lose weight.  You can eat a nutritional diet and lose weight.  You get adequate portions to give you the proper nutrition to maintain your health but still drop some pounds.  Now your mouth my not be happy with what it is eating and you probably are not eating as much as you are used to so therefore you feel you are "starving.". I have lost 17 pounds since the 6th of September and I have not starved a day.  I am eating less, yes.  I am full.  I have actually been pretty happy with my food choices.  I am exercising but not excessively.  You can't call it a D-I-E-T.  You have to make some changes that become a lifestyle.  Lifestyle is for the long haul, not just until you reach a goal.   I agree with the person that said it's a matter of input and output (exercise)equalling to maintain the weight.  In  order to lose weight a person has to eat less calories than what their body needs to maintain its current weight.  You can lose weight without exercise but the body is less likely to fight less about turning loose of a few pounds if exercise is involved.  Exercise boosts the metablolism and metabolism is what burns calories. My recommendation to you is not to "diet" but to make permanent lifestyle changes in your eating habits. When you do this you will experience weightloss and be able to keep it off.  Develop healthy habits.

Holy moly...you sure did get a chitload of posts eh?  Well since you did, I'll just add something that a few folks touched upon.  NO, its NOT fair, this stupid fat fight that we have to do! YES, it sucks royal.  And NO, you may NEVER be able to eat "normally" like your girlfriends do.  I know this may sound like a downer, but once we get our head around the fat facts, we CAN move on and do what we need to to lose AND maintain!  WLS or not, people still have the head hunger to deal with, that I believe is the biggest struggle.  I know its prob. hard to be around your friends, they are drinking and or eating, and you can't....But ya know what? neither can a diabetic, or a food addict....We just have to eat in a more controlled way because of our disease...Hang in there girl, I really DO feel for ya!

All and all I know I will never beable to eat like the people around me. But I wanted to hear everyones thoughts.