"But I barely eat..." - Really?
I'm not trying to be facetious or rude, I'm really not, but there is something I always wonder about. I was never obese (just tipped the overweight scale) when I joined this site and I KNEW I ate badly. I mean, I realized I was overweight because I ate too many sweets and fast food.
I often hear obese co workers or other people say stuff like "I barely eat at all" or "I usually eat a healthy diet" and wonder how this can be true. They say they don't know why they don't lose weight? I always wonder about this but it would be rude to ask what they eat.
What do you think they mean by this? Do you think they are just fooling themselves, or is it actually possible? Is it possible they just don't know how much they are really eating? Admittedly I knew I was eating bad, but there were things I thought were "healthy" that I discovered actually weren't when I began my weight loss journey.
I figured calorie count is the best place to ask this, because many of us have been there (being overweight) and then discovered healthy eating. How was it for you? Did you know you were eating poorly or was it a surprise when you began to lose weight?
I watched the show Fat Chef on The Food Network the last couple weeks and all of these chefs are overweight because they eat minimal throughout the day, then go home and eat a cheeseburger, pizza and ice cream at 11pm at night. I think a lot of full time working people do that as well. They are so busy throughout the day that they go home and eat whatever they want instead of eating smaller, healthy meals throughout the day. Most overweight people rarely eat breakfast becasue that means they can eat more at night. Or, what I know a lot of people say, "If I eat in the morning I am actually get hungrier earlier so then I eat more". I don't understand that either, but that is a different topic! Also, people don't think a bite of muffin or small piece of cake at work counts towards your calorie limit, but it adds up if you are doing it all day!
Also, people don't understand portion control, as many others have said. I would say I always ate fairly healthy, but I didn't actually know what one serving size was. A serving of cereal is one cup, not the whole bowl! A serving of brown rice is 1/2 cup, not 3! Once I started measuring my food, I realized how much I was actually eating and realized that was why I am overweight!
I can honestly say that this was the case for me. I never drank anything other than water and my "breakfast" and "lunch" usually consisted of a granola bar and then I'd have a huge meal when I got home, and not normally a healthy one (like KFC, or Chinese food). When I added up all my calories for the day I was well under 1200, but because of the huge supper I would definetly not be hungry enough to eat anything more.
It's more an issue of not understanding that the "what" is just as (if not more) important than the "how much"... plus it's much healthier to eat a bunch of small meals throughout the day over eating just one big one... Even when it feels like way more food... I had a personal trainer for a bit awhile back to explained it by saying that if you don't eat all day your metabolism goes to sleep...and that one big meal isn't enough to wake it up, so everything just gets stored and nothing gets burned off.
Amen. To everyone's comments. I can gain weight super easily - 10 pounds in a month! - but I know exactly why it's happening. It takes a lot of overeating to become overweight, even though it seemingly "creeps up" on you. I can eat an entire pizza in a sitting and a whole box of cookies on top of that. Of course I gain weight. I just tell myself it's very temporary and I'll "eat better" tomorrow ...or whenever... and lose it then.
The binge -and- diet cycle plays a part here. Many overweight people do attempt to diet...1200 calories per day or other silly ploys like cabbage soups plans and whatnot...doesn't last because it's not sustainable...hungry and undernourished, we binge on junk foods and Bam! Weight is gained. Back to the ultra-restrictive diet plan we go. So we feel unfulfilled, and we can truthfully say, "I hardly eat anything!" and yet the undeniable proof that we actually do is right there in plain view.
Don't know if I should add that I'm not obese, just slightly overweight so I don't know if you could be obese and not eat a lot of food.
Uh...maybe we should all try to be a little more supportive of people who are really struggling with their weight? We've probably all made excuses as to our own weight gain along the lines of "but I don't eat that much" and "but I only have a few drinks a week!" so maybe a little compassion with others like ourselves goes a long way. Annoying as it may seem, most of these people (i.e. us) are caught in a very difficult cycle to break. Add in nothing but food commercials for an hour of TV and a few nights out and that could be any of us, me included.
I was in denial for a long time that what I was eating was equal to what I was burning, I've always struggled with it. Since joining this site I've made vast improvements in my diet but I count myself lucky that I finally found a tool that works for me. Now I work hard to be patient with people who are in denial or are seriously struggling with understanding their own journey. That's why I love this site!
I also cannot understand those who say they are "sooo full" or "stuffed" at 800, 1000 calories etc. I just don't get it...
To gain 14lb (1 stone) in a year sounds like a great deal right? Well maybe not...
14lb x 3500 calories = 49,000 calories.
49,000 calories over a year though is 49,000/365 =134.25
(So I over simplified it to make a point, sue me)
Yup, just 134.25 calories extra per day over your maintenance amount. Thats the bit of cake, the drink, the small handful of nuts...
What I am basically trying to point out is that for people who don't know nutrition, its extremely easy to pack on the pounds. If you're adding in calorie dense sauces, bread, cola, pasta, chocolate, fried foods.... its not hard to see why the world is getting fatter. People aren't educated on anything but the basics - we all know them right?
'OMG LIKE, UR STUPID, EAT APPLE, NOT CANDY!'
Really? As a kid for me I was always told to stop eating cake. I didn't even like cake! The bulk of my weight came from pasta, bread and fruit juice. Not cake, not candy.
Don't just assume people are smashing down plates piled high with crap every day, some eat reasonably, just too much.
i don't really think that people were implying that obese people were only feasting on piles upon piles of fast food and confectionaries just that they were either genuinely unaware that they were overconsuming or in denial.....i know many people in the latter catagory.....i also often hear the excuse the only reason i am obese is because i don't get enough exercise when in reality you must be consuming more than you burn consistently for significant maintained excess weight.
Original Post by liseey02:
I think it is perfectly possible to eat healthy and be overweight. You can eat healthy foods but eat too much of them and gain weight.
As for the comment "I hardly eat at all", again I think it is possible to be overweight and hardly eat at all. Maybe they don't eat much but when they do eat they are eating high caloric density foods (fast food or whatnot). Or maybe they eat little but drink sugar loaded soda all day. Or possibly, as you said, they don't have a baseline for what eating too much looks like.
I think both of these problems would be corrected by education. Unfortunately, we don't have any nutrition education in the schools... at least in the US but that's an entirely different topic.
I don't think lack of nutrition knowledge is the problem. There is SO MUCH information about proper eating that you would have to live in Amish country (i.e., no tv) to miss it. Knowing helps, but it doesn't automatically translate into doing. Everyone knows that smoking is bad for heath, but teenagers still take up the habit.
I do think, though, that lack of self-knowledge could be an cause of weight gain. Some folks snack all day --a cookie here, an extra spoonful or two of leftovers, etc. Those extras can add up to hundreds of calories a day, so even if you were to skip a meal, you could still gain. This is where it helps to keep a food journal for a while or at least take notice of how often you eat.
To the OP, I'm also glad you brought this up. It frustrates me to no end that people are either A) deluding themselves or B) making excuses. Either way, they're putting themselves into the "victim" category rather than taking control of the situation. I'll grant you there are some rare circumstances where there is actually a medical issue (e.g., thyroid problem, medication, etc.), but I still think that even those problems would result in hanging on to some weight but not result in obesity.
Original Post by bridgetannep:
I also cannot understand those who say they are "sooo full" or "stuffed" at 800, 1000 calories etc. I just don't get it...
Yes, yes, yes!! I am so glad to read this. (Disclaimer: These comments, obviously, do not apply to lose with EDs or those looking to gain). I just cannot bear when people post questions asking for advice on how to eat more because they just barely manage to stuff in 1000 calories. My first thought is this: If that's the case, how on earth did you manage to become overweight??
I think half are delusional, and half are just ill-informed.
Girl A at my work is not overweight, but doesn't understand why she has gained weight. She eats out for lunch everyday, subways, salads with dressing, massive fruit smoothies (I assume she thinks these are all 'healthy' choices')
Girl B at my work is significantly overweight and doesn't understand why she isn't losing weight. She has chips/noodles and cans of coke for lunch and criticises others when they exercise portion control/good choices.
Original Post by arlanet:
I'm not trying to be facetious or rude, I'm really not, but there is something I always wonder about. I was never obese (just tipped the overweight scale) when I joined this site and I KNEW I ate badly. I mean, I realized I was overweight because I ate too many sweets and fast food.
I often hear obese co workers or other people say stuff like "I barely eat at all" or "I usually eat a healthy diet" and wonder how this can be true. They say they don't know why they don't lose weight? I always wonder about this but it would be rude to ask what they eat.
What do you think they mean by this? Do you think they are just fooling themselves, or is it actually possible? Is it possible they just don't know how much they are really eating? Admittedly I knew I was eating bad, but there were things I thought were "healthy" that I discovered actually weren't when I began my weight loss journey.
I figured calorie count is the best place to ask this, because many of us have been there (being overweight) and then discovered healthy eating. How was it for you? Did you know you were eating poorly or was it a surprise when you began to lose weight?
I only needed to lose 20 pounds (And, I did..) but of course I bump into friends and other people struggling with their weight who say similar things.
My favorite "I don't lose weight because I'm in starvation mode." This gem came from a lady easily 60+ pounds overweight. I don't know how much she thought she was supposed to be eating, but I've seen her eat, and she's definitely not starving herself. Not unless you consider a big tuna sandwich (or two of them) loaded with mayo and a bag of chips most days for lunch to be a starvation diet. And that of course was just lunch..we're not counting other meals or the sugary juice and soda she chugged all day.
One of my aunts, who loves to cook and also has a thyroid problem (but is on meds and having that monitored) Complained that she did Curves for 3 months and didn't lose a pound.
"Well, what was your eating plan like?" "Plan? No..I was exercising, so I should have lost weight."
That might work for some people, but when I say she loves to cook, I mean..she's an absolute chef in the kitchen and makes large, lovely meals almost every day for her family. When she doesn't cook, they tend to have lots of pizza and pasta takeout, or eat in restaurants.
I don't think she's ever counted calories, but she told me that when she was young, she stayed thin by chewing gum.
I know they say it can sort of suppress your appetite as it fools your body into thinking it's digesting food, but it can't be that miraculous.
And when I lost my bit of weight, I got the "Oh, you're sooo lucky!" bit from friends who like to inhale loads of crappy food, then wail about their weight.
Lucky. Pfft!
I know underweight people who eat 3000+ calories a day with no exercise, and overweight people who do the same. People vary. Only the overweight get judged though, it seems.
I ate better than most of my friends when I was younger (all home cooked, no sweet stuff, little junk food) and was bigger than most of them. I guess I was just eating too much? But most other people's 19 year old metabolisms allowed them to eat more. Now I eat very very clean and quite minimal calories (should probably eat a bit more) and am a healthy size. I have two underweight sisters in law who couldn't even get up to a healthy size after pregnancy, that must suck too. One of them was bed bound for weeks after birth because she was so weak. She has a BMI of 16 and I witness her eat 3x cooked meals a day (cheesy starchy things, lots of butter and cream), plus large portions of cake and cheese every day, she doesn't exercise. I don't envy that. Some people don't have to watch what they eat like I do, but I have other things in my life I find easy that other people find hard, so.
Personally when I found calorie count I discovered I was eating 1000-1200/day, plus 1-2 hours of exercise a day and 4-8 hours a day at weekends, and I had been losing weight, but very slowly (50lb in 5 years). I really believe most people could have become seriously underweight very quickly doing what I did for 5 years, I count myself lucky really. It's really not quite as simple as people make out.
The majority of overweight (and certainly obese) people eat too much, I agree. But there are plenty of thin people who eat the same amount and don't gain. People vary.
I can say that I am one of those people. I would eat once (maybe twice) a day. I would have a plate full (not properly portioned) but I would load up on salad dressing and things like butter or sauce -- and don't get me started on the wine (I didn't drink every day but I would have at least 3 glasses 3-5 days of the week). I didn't feel like I was eating a lot and I rarely eat fast food and only ocassionally would I eat sweets (I am all about the fine dining -- rich creamy sauces, carmelized onions, garlic butter type of thing) so since most of meals were home cooked I didn't even think I was doing anything wrong. It wasn't until I started logging my meals (recipes) that I found out just how many calories were in my meals!!
I knew I was stuffed after eating but I figured it was because my stomache shrank from only eating once a day. I also knew I didn't get any execise and that is what I blamed my weight gain on -- lack of exercise. But, now that I KNOW better--I can honestly say it was BOTH.
I think that other posters were correct in saying that proper portion sizes were distorted. I thought, full plate meant proper portion and as long as you didn't get "seconds" you were probably okay. I can't speak for anyone else, but I truly didn't know. I do now and now I don't use butter. I haven't had alcohol in 40 days. I can't say I will never eat another sauce or gravy again ... but I also know that experiementing with making them lower calorie will be my new mission. I also am getting a better picture of what a proper portion is -- and yes a full plate is the key ... but it is how you fill that plate and with what that really matters. In my opinion, had I been asked ... I wouldn't have thought I was over eating. I never claimed to exercise ... but I never thought I was over eating! But, hey, that is just me.
So glad I know better now ... so I can do better!
It's so easy to delude yourself about how much you're eating. When I'm not counting what I put in my mouth, I feel like I'm not eating much at all, but if I were to count it up, it's definitely more than I should eat in a day. *nods* Not to mention the wine. It's so much my weakness.
However, I can understand that better than the crowd who claims they just can't eat over 1000 calories because they're stuffed on vegetables. I honestly don't get it. I see those posts on this community so often and it mystifies me. They honestly can't have a handful of nuts? Unless they have body image trouble and they have an ED, then they are on this site because they are overweight and want to lose some weight. They did not accumulate extra weight by not being able to eat at least 1200 calories. I have trouble eating as LITTLE as 1200 (and don't want to anyway). When in the past I've tried to eat at 1200, I always overshoot and do 1400-1500. So seriously, EAT A HANDFUL OF NUTS or a Tablespoon of peanut butter or a half an avocado or something. It's not hard. Sorry for the rant, but that is definitely one of my big pet peeves.
The more calorie dense the food, when it is small volume (like a piece of chocolate compared to same size of carrots), you will be hungry quicker than if you filled up your stomach on a large volume of salad that has significantly less calories. I think that a lot of people don't really get this, and they fear being hungry. I did my meal plan for today in advance and I will have 2 cups of mixed greens with lunch, which is a high volume.
Last year I did Eat to Live for a few months. It is a vegetarian diet based on whole foods, not boxed. I lost weight (20 lbs) and I did feel very full the first week or so on little calories because I was eating more in volume than before, which made me uncomfortable. It got easier to eat a higher volume of the whole foods, and I ended up feeling a lot better than before! I am more willing to eat large quantities of vegetables than to eat half a bar of chocolate and then have nothing else because I went over my calorie limit. I get more nutrients eating that way than to eat a hamburger and fries, and then have that be all I can eat calorie wise.
Definitely makes a difference in the food you eat to how much weight you gain or lose. It's cheaper for a lot of people to make the choice to eat processed foods and take out. And a lot of people probably don't know how to change their ways. In my family, they encourage you to eat anything but vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans! They do not own those things!
It's been really interesting to see what everyone thinks of this! Seems like there could be many variable of reasons for this, different to each person, but I think I understand it better overall after reading so many responses.
For myself, when I started trying to lose weight (before I discovered Calorie Count) I fell into the trap of thinking what I was eating was healthy when it really wasn't. Thanks goodness I found this place to sort me all out.
This is great.
It also reminds me of people who say "I exercise all the time" and then you see them at the gym on a bike going 40 rpm and burning 150 calories an hour.
haha No wonder they don't lose weight!
