Very simple

Very simple to understand, calories in verses calories out. Burn what you eat. So simple so why does everyone struggle?

Putting it into practice.

Because food is yummy. =)

(That was my problem, at least!)

Well, there's more to it than calories-in vs calories-out.  How big a calorie deficit is safe?  How many calories are needed to get proper nutrition?  How should exercise be figured in?  What can you do if you hit a plateau? 

And that's not even getting into the other issues, like panic over water-weight spikes, or surviving unplanned restaurant dinners, or strategies for passing by the donuts and candy bowls and vending machines at work.  Or what are good macronutrient ratios, or how much fiber a person needs.

I figure there's about half a million posts in this forum for a reason.

It is that simple....except NA's have no frikken idea what a portion is and they tend to get their nutrition while driving in their car LOL. Countries that don't have a weight problem, which there are many, don't have a clue about nutrition either. Good thing all diets work or we'd be in big trouble. j/k

Original Post by stephanieatkins:

Very simple to understand, calories in verses calories out. Burn what you eat. So simple so why does everyone struggle?

because they choose to struggle.  they choose old habits over change, comfort over discomfort, and safety over risk.

Sometimes there are other issues as well. For some people it seems it really is more complicated. Maybe they have other health issues or maybe their bodies are just extremely resistant to weight change. Every person is unique and different and some things don't work for everyone like they should. I think it is unfair to say that everyone who struggles with their weight CHOOSES to do so.

behaviour is always choice.

So nothing other than behavior affects weight loss, pgeorgian?

i didn't say that.  lots of things affect weight loss.  but you can either see it as choice or you can be powerless.  which would you prefer?

Why is it all or nothing? Why can't some things be under my control and some simply not? I am not speaking from experience first of all. Thankfully I have never had any weight problems other than vanity weight however, I have known people who suffered with thyroid problems and they could eat the best diet with all the appropriate levels of nutrients and the right caloric intake for them and not drop a pound. For some, it is simply more complicated than the simple calories in vs. calories out approach most of us are blessed to be able to follow. On a side note, the percentage of people who have a legitimate health concern that inhibits their ability to lose weight is, if I had to guess, very very small compared to that of the people who do simple choose to not do what needs to be done. I just would hate for someone who really struggles with weight loss, despite trying very hard, to read a comment like yours and feel as though you are saying they are simply too lazy, or don't care enough, or even worse, are choosing to be unhealthy.

Also, there are so many aspects to why someone becomes overweight in the first place (unhealthy relationships with food, emotional problems, misinformation, etc.) that need to be addressed before some people can even have the willpower and/or knowledge needed to make healthy decisions.

I don't say these things to give people excuses though. Trust me, I get as annoyed as the next person when someone wants to take absolutely NO responsibility for their health. But even more than annoyance, I pity them because surely they would be more happy if they would take responsibility and correct their bad decisions.

kristiel, it doesn't matter.  in weight loss, as in anything, you have to separate the factors that are in your control from the ones that are out of your control.  then you choose what to do about the things that are in your control. 

option 1: surrender to the things you can't control, and do nothing.

option 2: focus on the things you can control, and do something.

simple.  not always easy, but always simple.

I agree with all of that except for the "it doesn't matter" part. For some people, they could take care of all that is within their control and STILL not achieve their weight loss goals. I'm not saying they wouldn't be better off because they would have a healthier food intake and a more active lifestyle but they quite possibly could still be overweight. Obesity for some, is a complicated issue, and its been said that for every complicated question, there is a easy and WRONG solution. Health and/or wellness is a multi-faceted issue and will sometimes require a multi-faceted solution.

I can only state my opinion and you can only state yours. This is what the forums are for anyway, right? Discussion? Well, I've enjoyed ours. I've really quite recently decided that I want to participate in  health education once I finish college and this website has spurred this interest so I love hearing everyone's ideas.

we were never talking about achieving goals. 

but you're going with "powerless."  okay.  that's a valid choice.

Where are you getting that I am choosing "powerless" from might I ask?

i'm not suggesting that you're choosing it for yourself (maybe you are, maybe you aren't.  i don't know).  but you definitely seem to be offering it up as an option for others (which, of course, it is.  just not a very good one).

I am not powerless. I choose to stick to my calorie target.  I choose to feed my body healthy food that it is happy with.  I choose to excercise every day.  I choose to take the stairs.  I choose to park farther away.  I choose to walk to the supermarket.

Those are all things I can control.

I cannot choose how much fat my body will burn off.  I cannot choose how fast my body will lose it or whether it will at all.  I do the best I can, and I am healthier for it.  I can control the calories in end of the equation, but I can only control the calories out end to a point.  Every ounce I lose is a battle, and I claim victory over every battle I win.

Weight loss is not a simple process.  Our bodies are not simple linear equations; they're complex algorithms with multiple variables, many of which we don't even know exist.  We do the best we can with what we know.  We learn a little bit more about our bodies every day.  With luck, we figure out another variable.

right, dolphin.  the simple part is choosing to do something different.

the burn meter (and every other tool that pretends to tell us how many calories we burn) drives me insane.  i think it supports the confusion.  a computer program cannot account for the complexities of individual human bodies.  but you know what?  results can. 

if it's not working, do something different.  that part is simple.

I agree with pgeorgian in a way - if we want to be in control of our weight, we have to accept (diagnosed medical issues withstanding) that it IS in our power to do something about it, and no one else can do it for us. Its easy to feel powerless about your weight, esp if you have a lot to lose, work had, lose 8 lbs, and still have 50 to go (me!). Then the goal seems impossible to reach sometimes.

However - its also hard for other reasons. I'm only 5' tall, can't exercise much (need knee surgery) and have an office job. To lose 1lb per week I need to eat 1300 cals or less. This is difficult to stick to :-/  even though it is just a question of cals in versus out. Its hard to stay motivated for the time it takes to lose the weight (I'm looking at over a year) and what you lose each week can be demotivating in itself. Its also hard to teach youself to eat the right things if you never have (or in my case the right size portions), to learn how much impact tiny things have (a little milk in tea a few times a day, the odd sweet, a little more rice than you thought you had, can all add up to 100s more calories than you think).

Original Post by stephanieatkins:

Very simple to understand, calories in verses calories out. Burn what you eat. So simple so why does everyone struggle?

 I don't know.  It works for me.

backinthenines-it works for me too but I think people should be more considerate of the people whom it might not work as well for. Or for the people who it is much harder for, for other reasons. 

holsfisher-I'm 5'2" so I know it isn't fun being short. When I say that someone has issues with weight loss I'm referring to someone way further down the spectrum of knee problems, office job, and low caloric needs. I mean the people who have actual health issues with losing weight. This not only includes physical issues but emotional and mental issues as well. Congratulations on your weight loss so far and good luck with the rest of your journey!

dolphin-I agree with you. There are things within someone's control and things that are not within their control and sometimes, despite doing everything right that they can, a person still cannot achieve the weight loss that they need to be in the healthy range.

pgeorgian-I am NOT offering it up as an excuse to those to which it does not apply. There are people who have thyroid issues (I know because one of them is my aunt). She can do everything that she is supposed to be when it comes down to it, she is going to stay slightly overweight because her body (which she cannot control) simply resists any weight loss. I do not agree with people shirking any blame or any responsibility for their own well-being however, I don't think it is right (or fair) to make a blanket statement that says "all fat people are choosing to be fat". In my head, it just isn't like that. But like I said before, we have a difference of opinion that's all. But don't mistake what I'm saying as "powerless".