Willpower is important, but the endorphins released from a good workout help stimulate the same pleasure centers in the brain that are stroked by all that junk food and can help someone kick the habit.
yes, I've been a personal trainer and nutritionist for nearly a decade now and I've heard all the lies and excuses a person can make. I've also been responsible for far to many success stories to over look personal accountability. ^^ I do agree with you on this one though !
Don't get me wrong I definitely agree that a lot of it is lack of will power but the chemical part of it shouldn't be ignored because that's huge.
Only you are making comparisons between the will power of thin vs obese people, I certainly haven't in any of my comments?? You also assume that everyone has "cravings", and I don't believe that to be true at all. I think that people are more disciplined in certain aspects of their lives than in other aspects. I believe that some people ignore the reality of what they're putting into their bodies. I know that most Americans don't get nearly enough exercise. All those factors are inter-related and have the biggest impact on obesity, IMO.
Yes you do because you're fat too. And swirl's point relates to the unwillingness of Americans to take greater responsibility for their dietary habits.
No argument there. We definitely don't move enough in this country and drive everywhere, this coming from a runner. I think myself I could do better a lot of the time. I am thin and I don't have an obsession for exercise. I do like the way it makes me look and feel. I like to eat but I do deny myself of some things. To assume it's easy for some because on the outside they look one way or another is really a false assumption. Hereditary dictates certain things but some things are in our power. We just have to have the will to make them happen.
You have to put less in your stomach, my friend. Less,less , less. Portion, portion, portion. If it weren't for wine on a weekend, I'd eat less than a 6 year old girl - just gotta up the activity. I eat maybe a bowl of cereal in the morning and a Lean Cuisine at lunch then 2 glasses of wine after work. That's it. I know full well I should subsitute the 2 glasses of wine for a fast walk around the park and a salad plus some glasses of water instead of the black coffee I drink throughout the day.
Do you know how many have have it up to here with your brand of ignorance?? Take away the ignorance from your posts and you'd be neutered my friend. Believe me, it's plainly obvious kid. But, back on track...I realize that it's tempting when you want to "win" an argument, but don't put words in my mouth like, "you make it seem". You can only read the words, there's no other suggestion. I say what I mean and don't attempt, like you, to imply anything through "double talk". As usual everything that follows is a monster of your creation. I don't advocate eating salads. I eat 5000 calories a day, and I often tell people that they don't eat enough food. Weight control isn't about starving, it's about portion control and eating the right foods. Heck, I eat chocolate, real organic chocolate, 70% cocoa, everyday, because of the anti-oxidants. So, don't assume that you know what I think about nutrition. Again, you are plainly wrong, you can avoid the substances that're killing you. It's ALWAYS your choice what you put in your body. That's a profoundly dumb thing to even say, wow! If you want to blame socialization on your weight issues and suggest that you don't have the discipline to overcome something that's killing you, except with the help of an intervention, more power to you. Personally, I've always had more control over my life, and I grew up in the Southern U.S. eating pork, fried foods, sweet tea, salt, butter, sugar. In fact, all these things have existed as a way of life in this country. I decided to change my eating habits and I did, through discipline, just like anything else I wanted in life. For me, it was no big deal. But, even if it takes some adjustment, is your life not worth it? Please...
Thank you. It's an American pastime, pass the buck, it's not me. If you can't take responsibility for something that you KNOW is killing you, then what does that say for you...?
I think the big thing we're forgetting here (or at least not mentioning enough) is the psychological side. There is a lot more to problems like obesity (but not only obesity) than just "feeding the habit" and it takes more than just managing portions or walking more to fix that. I totally agree that eating a balanced diet and exercising is the only way to losing weight for anyone, but especially people who are considered obese, but if you don't deal with the psychological side of things, nothing will change. My point being, it's not all about will power, sure people facing any kind of lifestyle change make excuses not to, but they make excuses because it's hard to change and it hurts to change (no matter what the problem/addiction might be). Obesity is a symptom of a bigger problem. And as for the gradual addiction, a lot of parents are to blame for that...I worked in a fast food restraunt for nearly 3yrs and couldn't believe the families that would come in night after night (and sometimes for lunch as well), feeding their small children high fat, high salt foods, followed by high fat, high sugar desserts. Holy hell. If the parents are feeding it to the kids like it's normal, no wonder kids grow up with this particular addiction. It's crazy. There are people (with kids) who LIVE on fast food. My mum would have starved my sister and me to death before she fed us crap like that. :smt102 We got it as a special treat once, every few weeks, if we were lucky.
I agree - if you really want to change your eating habits - fast food is really expensive, actually... you can eat the foods you really want to eat if you shop carefully (if you are employed or on food stamps). I agree with what you say about the chocolate - you can eat great quality chocolate in limited quantities if you shop properly and control yourself. I have actually found it healthier and cheaper to shop in grocery stores for foods that I truly like and keep them in my fridge than to cater to my cravings and go to the nearest fast food store. It's better for my health and my wallet in the long run.
At what point did I ever I say it was impossible? My main and only point is acting like this is just simple will power is plain wrong. Its the way its been treated for decades and hasn't changed a thing. To dismiss the fact that most Americans are people who have been fed crack their whole lives and are expected to just go cold turkey is ridiculous but we'll just chalk this up to another Andrae rant. I guess reasonable debates are no longer possible anymore.:smt102
It's only possible to have a "reasonable" debate if you are "listening" Once again, point to specifically where I said anything about impossibility?? As far as you comments about the same treatment for decades, people haven't been obese at the current levels forever, only over the last 10 years has it become an epidemic. Diabetes is now a regular childhood disease, and not a rarity. I blame a lot of things for the obesity crisis. I blame the fact that the government doesn't take a more active role in ensuring that food sold to the public is more natural, for the sake of preserving them. There's no reason to add sugar to ketchup or the amounts of salt. There's no reason for use of sugar and salt in frozen vegetables. Why should a loaf of bread last for two weeks? On and on. Why don't fast food outlets offer more healthy foods, not just healthy choices. However, unless and until those times come, there's is only one person to blame for what I put in my body, and that's me. But look, even your language suggests a lack of responsibility, "who've been fed", rather than who've chosen to eat. Though, I guess you'll consider that more pontificating, rather than observing facts.
Both of my sisters and my mother are big women. My older sister, who is biologically a half sister, is very obese, though she's a vegetarian who practices martial arts. She's been heavy since her late teens when she had two kids 13 months apart. My little sister isn't enormous, but she's probably a US size 14-16...and a very curvy girl. She's also a vegetarian. Me, I have always eaten like crap, and eaten whatever the hell I wanted. Even when I was totally bedbound for months after a surgery, my weight stayed pretty reasonable - I think I went up to a size 8 for a couple months. Some of the meds I'm on now have a tendency to make weight easier to gain, plus I'm assuming some metabolic slowdown, but I'm still small regardless of what I eat or how much I exercise. Both of my overweight sisters are also considerably healthier than I am by almost any measure you choose.
You said this below in that other thread. If you truly were eating everything you wanted to you have just had the chocolate cake and the protein and veggies. Instead you said if I eat the cake and veggies as well as the protein and I don't work it off then... You have a built in willpower. It regulates you whether you know it or not. It is basically calories in vs calories out for your frame size. You and your sister wouldn't need the same number obviously.
