How do you lose weight?

Eh ... populations have been eating sugars (and refined sugars) for a long time. Eating fruit and sweets isn't a modern phenomenon.

The difference is, in the last few centuries, people in modern and wealthier societies have been a lot more sugar!

McLovin said:

Todler obesity: Parents who overeat and have poor diet overfeed their child the same food; child puts on weight. Toddlers will eat whatever you give them, they're human garbage disposal units.

I've seen overweight labradors as well. Should I conclude that the labrador is suffering from some exotic canine version of metabolic disease or that the owner overfeeds it.

It amazes me the lengths people will go to explain away their own overeating.

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When I was at school. I knew no diabetics and maybe only one or two overweight kids.

Today it seems that every second person I meet is a Type 2 Diabetic.
And it seems the majority are over weight to some extent.

So why has everybody lost will power if that is what has happened in your opinion.
what took it away ?

"It amazes me the lengths people will go to explain away their own overeating."

Do not find this at all. people think they are ok and not over eating. they have nothing to explain.. They all have bad genes and rely on multiple meds and follow the standard dietary advice.

"It amazes me the lengths people will go to explain away their own overeating.""
What does this mean in relation to people getting good information ?

There is a whole lot of science out there, Why ignore it ?
You want to blame people and then want them to be ignorant so they can not take positive steps. ?

On Sugar.. Sugar is one important part. But only one.
Sugar intake want up especially with the LOW fat message.

Sugar consumption only went up from late 1800's when modern refining made it a cheaper commodity.. There is plenty of graphs available displaying sugar intake over the last 100 years.

When FAT went out of processed foods. eg low fat foods. Sugars and carbs replaced them.

High Fructose Corn Syrup ( from 1970's ) made added sugars even a cheaper option and drove consumption.

I think many people are shocked when you point out how much sugar are in some products that at face value look healthy.

Why keep them ignorant and tell them they lack willpower ?

late 1800's in any case is only a very short time.
before then only the very rich had access to refined sugar.

My position is give people good information.
I agree that the diet industry is an industry but I am not talking about that.
People only need good information and encouragement.

I see people making assumptions and comments
without looking at the information.

making comments from preconceived ideas.

If those commenting have looked at the material linked in depth
apologies.

But to just keep saying it is will power
is in my opinion not going to help anyone.

Health is something that should not be a privilege.

If any are interested in other links
I can put up some more.



Motorway

motorway said:

So why has everybody lost will power if that is what has happened in your opinion.
what took it away ?

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I don't believe I've said it's will power or lack thereof. Food is cheaper and comes in bigger portion sizes, so people eat more. Why is it that a small fries at McDonalds today was the large size in the early 80's?

motorway said:

But to just keep saying it is will power
is in my opinion not going to help anyone.

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The average person is not particularly interested in how a calorie burns in a laboratory differently to how it burns in their body, they want to know what to do to lose weight. If they stick to a calorie controlled diet, that mixes proteins and carbs they will not feel hungry and they will lose weight. Too many of them crash diet or follow fads like Atkins. They want to easy answers; they want to be able to still maintain their current eating habits but lose weight.

Just cutting out soft drinks will in most cases cause people to lose a significant amount of weight. There are so many hidden calories in those things it's unbelievable. When I lived in America, I was staggered at the number of people who would plough through one or two 7Eleven Big Gulps a day at work. They're 1.2 litres each. Then they'd go eat "something healthy" for lunch and wonder why they couldn't lose weight.

Anyway, rant over.

Some observations...look at any old newsreel and be shocked how skinny everyone looks

Most people expended far more energy due to more active work largely.

They did not have ready access to highly processed food packed with calories.

Most vegetarians look like stick insects compared to their omnivrous companions.

As far as metabolism goes, sure there are differences genetically, individually and on various foods.

When young, I active and skinny, and could eat anything.
I had an illness and had to take medication that altered metabolism to gain substantial weight, was also less active, so hard to shift.

Changed my perspective a bit.

If you want success, then a careful plan with attention to all reasons for weight gain, including psychological reasons needs to be enacted.

A few easy tips: Reduce portion size, Make water your main drink, dont gorge on junk

When I was fit as a whippet, I was often asked in a somewhat querulous tone how I was able to stay so thin. Occassionaly I would reply that vigourous Intercourse consumes at least 1200 calories per hour

McLovin said:

Err...isn't being sedentry and overweight a risk factor to developing metabolic syndrome? I don't doubt there are those with genuine medical conditions, but for far too many it is nothing more than a low locus of control which makes it easier to blame something or someone other than themselves. I've got plenty of overweight friends, I'm probably a bit overweight myself at the moment, but they all know why they are overweight.

It's funny how people who stay active and eat reasonably well aren't the ones developing all these diseases and syndromes. You don't need to be a doctor to connect the dots.

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McLovin said:

Todler obesity: Parents who overeat and have poor diet overfeed their child the same food; child puts on weight. Toddlers will eat whatever you give them, they're human garbage disposal units.

I've seen overweight labradors as well. Should I conclude that the labrador is suffering from some exotic canine version of metabolic disease or that the owner overfeeds it.

It amazes me the lengths people will go to explain away their own overeating.

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+1 for both above posts. Especially the last sentence.
Imo it's partly to do with our growing culture of not taking personal responsibility.

motorway said:

And it seems the majority are over weight to some extent.

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True. And more and more are grossly obese.

My position is give people good information.

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There is plenty of good information available. To suggest people cannot access appropriate dietary advice is just not true.

But to just keep saying it is will power
is in my opinion not going to help anyone.

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But 'willpower' is what is needed, if you want to use that rather old fashioned term, as an alternative to vacuuming up everything that tastes nice.

Health is something that should not be a privilege.

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Of course not. But it's something not to be taken for granted and assumed to still be available if we make poor choices and decline to exercise.

I reckon there would be money in someone setting up an old style galley.

You would meet it in International waters, be changed to the oars and have a guy with a whip and drum bewhind you making you row.

It would take 20 days and you would be fed minimally.

At the end you could finish at a South Pacific island and continue there for a bit longer.
You would come back a new person, fit, strong and thin.

I reckon you'd get the mad fitness types too.

Clive Palmer should be building one of these rather than the Titanic.

Plus all the money saved on our health care system by transferring the smokers, diabetics (*lifestyle/type 2) and obese (*lifestyle obesity) to the galley!

*PC release attached

Knobby22 said:

I reckon there would be money in someone setting up an old style galley.

You would meet it in International waters, be changed to the oars and have a guy with a whip and drum bewhind you making you row.

It would take 20 days and you would be fed minimally.

At the end you could finish at a South Pacific island and continue there for a bit longer.
You would come back a new person, fit, strong and thin.

I reckon you'd get the mad fitness types too.

Clive Palmer should be building one of these rather than the Titanic.

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It's not rocket science to lose weight, it's all about calorie in vs calorie out.

congrats, its a great thread, with good discussion.....
my dear brother was a jockey until he stopped riding professionally at around age 30, but he worked with horses all his life, trained the racehorses etc....
he never changed his weight, after about age 15, when he started his career as a pro jockey
he basically ate a high protein diet....mainly steak with little or no fat, and vegies and salads, fish too....he rarely ate sweets or desserts..and not a lot of fruit
he did not eat the packaged food or snacks...
he was not a skinny little runt either.....he had muscles and abs....not that he was interested...he worked physically hard....it can be hard yakka with the horses...
his day job was a builder, carpenter....
he did not eat skimpy meals, and we celibrated his many wins, and ate out, with fine dining regularly..he drank alcohol, but did not over indulge...getting up to work at 4.00 am to work the horses everyday, puts a damper on late nights etc

I believe he had Hep c at a young age.....then suffered kidney problems that went undiagnosed at age 50...he died at age 62, after going into hospital, and they would not admit it, but he got a bug in there that ended his life.
so he lead a healthy life....but dangerous...he had a massive accident on the racetrack at age 17, and was not expected to live, but he did...
then he fell 5 metres off a balcony, the timber was rotten and gave way when he leaned on it....again they did not expect him to live...but he did....
he defied death 3 times....but they finally got him with the hospital bugs...with that one, he had no hope.
In my family, we are all slim, not fat,( EXCEPT ONE WHO OVER EATS, NO MEDICAL CONDITION TO BLAME) so I am inclined to believe your genes also have a bearing on your weight. Your parents food preferences, eating habits is also important, to how you approach your eating habits.
cheers

This fat business, is really a lifestyle roadblock, a trap.
What if you had the opportunity to change your life, move out from the comfort zone.
If you are near retirement age, or younger...you might consider say....buying a few acres just outside the city...then spend your time turning it into a natural paradise...
you know, grow native plants and trees, and encouraging native animals to share your paradise. You would spend all day doing manual labour , growing your own food, maybe rescuing native animals and caring for them....
(I dont propose you raise animals to kill and eat) you can do without meat, or reduce your meat intake to once a month...

This way you could eat a whole lot more food, if you want to.....and watch that fat fall off you, the whole time, while you are doing something that you enjoy.
I believe it is easier to make changes to your life, if you are taken away from your familiar, habit related surroundings. A bit like going on a holiday, but some people need longer to adjust to a new you.
Imagine the health benefits you would gain.
Do I have any takers.
PS I dont believe in those tv fat weight loss programs, where the participants have to work out in a gym, etc. or agonise over a long trek in the woods....the whole focus is on ME....in those situations....I think most people would be more successful if they were focused on anything except themselves.....

I may be wrong...but they got fat, because they were focused on themselves, the ME factor, eating due to stress, worry, depression etc, or simply bored with nothing to do,
or lack of motivation.

Or maybe you could look at the holidays in the NT, where you go live on a cattle station, learn to ride a horse, work on the station....for a holiday, a different experience, see how the other half live.

Watch the show on 7 mate at 8.30 Friday nights....Escape to the country....its a british show, where they all go searching for a couple of acres in the country...to live a different lifestyle....some stilll want to work in the city or town, but have a different balance to their lives, with more down to earth interests.
Is there anyone on this forum that has made a lifestyle change, and like to share it with us on this forum.
cheers

When I was at primary school (and it was a fairly large school with several classes for each grade) there was one, just one, kid who had asthma.

I remember very well the principal making sure that everyone understood that there was to be no messing about with this child's medication etc, and that this was to be taken far more seriously than any "normal" rules. We all understood, and nobody messed with it.

At the same school, you could have counted on your fingers the number of fat kids across all grades.

Now take a look at your local school today. Fat kids everywhere, and asthma is extremely common to the point of being almost "normal".

That's a stark change in a relatively short space of time. Whether it's what we're eating, how much, or the lack of exercise etc I really don't know. But it's a huge change that's for sure.

I believe that some North American natives used to call their 40+ 'big bellies'. Some is just chronological.

In this country, few of us have to walk 10km everyday, just to get water.

How to lose weight in contemporary Australia? Just a moment while I ring Warney.

On kincella's suggestions about keeping physically active, I have a friend who pays people to do all her housework, all the gardening and lawn mowing, window cleaning, everything, and then she pays to go to a gym to work out.

Something pretty illogical about this imo.

Just go on a cruise ship, watch people eat huge three course breakfasts, three course lunches, three course dinner. Then there is morning tea with biscuits, hamburgers or hot dogs. If you are still hungry there is afternoon tea. Then of course the evening snack at 10pm, just before bed.
People love eating, how do you lose weght? Cut down the eating, increase the walking.
It is just the same as how do you save money? Spend less than you earn.
Funny that most of the demographically skinny people are in the most financially well off suburbs.
Could that be due to people being more self disciplined, no that would be too obvious.

Do anything..................but eat.

MrBurns said:

Do anything..................but eat.

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Whatever you do, don't eat

hja said:

Whatever you do, don't eat

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Yes very powerful why doesnt the anti smoking lobby use it ?

MrBurns said:

Yes very powerful why doesnt the anti smoking lobby use it ?

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It's outdated, the new generation wouldn't know of him so they wouldn't relate to it, the new ads are a lot more gruesome, etc.

hja said:

It's outdated, the new generation wouldn't know of him so they wouldn't relate to it, the new ads are a lot more gruesome, etc.

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I think the new generation ad producers probably don't know him and their lack of talent prevents them from using this clip of a screen legend with a supremely powerful voice and presence.

MrBurns said:

I think the new generation ad producers probably don't know him and their lack of talent prevents them from using this clip of a screen legend with a supremely powerful voice and presence.

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I think the more modern campaigns have been more effective, or at least should be in theory, considering how graphic they are e.g. showing gangrenous limbs, tar in lungs, holes in throats, speech of victims through computerised voice boxes, ruined teeth, and so on. It conveys the consequences a lot better than someone young people have never heard of.