to wonder about obesity

[crashingwaves]

Please, please, PLEASE don't think that this is a fat-bashing thread, I hate it when people do that and I'd never ever do it myself.

The thing is, I love food, I do like nice food and I do overeat on occasions. My BMI is 'overweight' - I could do with shifting a stone - I'm most definitely not a size 8 smuggie person.

What I'm wondering about isn't even people a fair bit bigger than me. But really, really large people (I'm thinking around the 20 stone + region) Isn't it quite, well, difficult in a way to maintain and gain weight at that size, as you really would have to be eating an awful lot (unless a medical reason, I realise things like PCOS can contribute.)

I suppose I was wondering as my friend has a friend who is only 21 and weighs 18 and a half stone - to be honest I think she is in denial a little bit as she says things like "Oh I know I don't look this big" when to be honest she does - I understand that - but given that at that size it is fairly easy to make small changes and still lose weight, I guess I just wonder why people don't. That did sound quite bitchy and judgemental and I'm honestly trying hard to avoid that.

I can totally see how people get big, I've "been there" myself but I guess what I mean was when the scales hit 13 stone I thought "f*ck!" and went on a diet - surely if the scales hit 20 stone you would ...?

I probably deserve a flaming - can I just say mega apologies if I DO offend you as I honestly don't want to do that!

its ok, i knew

I was watching Supersize vs Superskinny a week or so ago and it got me thinking about the truly morbidly obese. They featured a woman in the USA who was absolutely massive, I can't remember her weight but it was something like 40 stone or so.

She was so incapacitated by her size she rarely left the house and needed lots of help with bathing, dressing etc.

I found myself wondering how she stayed so overweight - if she was so housebound then who was buying her food? Who was enabling her to eat such vast amounts and stay so large?

I don't deny that years of chronic overeating and yo-yo dieting must bugger up how your body physiologically deals with calories, but essentially one's metabolism remains fairly static so she must have been consuming vast amounts to remain at 40 stone or so. Whoever was feeding her was essentially complicit in her physical deterioration and probable premature death

I went up to a size 14 once (I'm 5 foot 4) and it had nothing to do with food. I was in my early twenties and drinking most nights to keep up with then DF and his friends. Nasty cheap cider which was all I could afford.

I didn't need to buy any maternity clothes when I had DD eleven years ago bar one dress because I wanted something as you do with the first. With DS seven years later there was no need at all.

When breastfeeding my son I developed the charming habit of keeping a kitten on my bedside table to scarf down in bed (oh dear) because he was so bloody voracious and demanding but I went from a 14 in pregnancy back to my usual size despite this. and surprising kept DH too

The women who seem to be granted natural high-metabolism status always seem to be the tall and long-boned types but sometime short-arses can burn off energy just as well.

Sorry giddy, I didn't mean to sound critical but if I'm honest yes, it does surprise me that people aren't aware of calories and of sensible choices, I don't mean in the sense of knowing exactly what is in everything but not having sugar in tea, asking for skim milk in lattes, not having a flapjack, are all good examples really of small ways that changes can be made :)

Can I just ask...and I'm genuinely genuinely just asking a simple question...no digs whatsoever

How do people manage to gain so much weight during pregnancy? I mean so often I hear of people saying they've gained 3/4/5+ stone?

Is it something to do with a medical issue or do some people just 'give up' and eat whatever they fancy because in their minds they're going to 'get fat' anyway?

I'm a fattie, but I genuinely don't over-eat. My idea of a gorgeous lunch is a lovely Greek salad. I have health issues that make me exhausted though, and behave like a slug, so I get no exercise. That is the root of me being overweight, I think.

Eat DUST, that should do it.

Worraliberty I think a lot of people do give up but I also know loads of people seem to massively retain water, I peed like I'd never peed before after having DS lol.

I weighed 8 stone 11 before I got pregnant and after giving birth and after all the peeing I still weighed nearly 11 stone but then I gained 2 and a half stone AFTER DS was OUT!

you would be amazed at how seriously messed up some peoples idea of a good diet is.

there was a thread recently where a woman was moaning that she was on a diet and yet for breakfast eats a bowl of special k and toast, but was fatter than her mediteranean sil who ate loads of protein.

she just couldn't get her head around it.

lots of people really are totally deluded when it comes to healthy eating.

Hmc and mamazon, I have not taken up your name calling at all, and for the record I am 41.

I couldn't give a flying fuck what weight you are, but I would say one thing.

If you feel the need to call someone a cunt cos they pointed out to you that you are over weight, even though you said you were yourself, then perhaps you need to look to yourself.

There is no point in being annoyed at me. It is quite bizarre.

ok then

mamaz0n If it wasn't for the age difference I'd think we were twins seperated at birth when I read your posts!

I cook fresh and healthy food as you do and have a normal size husband (medium in menswear), son (large in menswear but is over 6' tall) and daughter (size 10) and yet I am much larger than I should be.

I am aware that I must overeat, I am not a stupid woman and don't think I have gained this weight from nowhere, but I do find it insulting when people suggest I must regularly eat 6 doughnuts at a time or snack constantly on McDonalds, etc. There are also definitely variations between people, I have been on holiday several times with a size 10 friend where we have eaten the same and done the same things yet her weight had remained stable over the week where I have gained a few pounds.

Is that it Crashing? I just thought that the water retention would somehow disappear after the birth.

God only knows were I thought it went?

Oh FFS.

A kitkat to be eaten at night on my bedside table, not a kitten.

DH is very understanding about the nutritional requirements of lactating women but he isn't that tolerant.

worrability- I gained over 50lbs with each of my pregnancies.

My appetite just grew and grew and grew...DP gained about 10 or 15 lbs because of the portions I was serving. It was almost primal, I couldn't stop it.

Lost all the weight within a year, with no dieting, though. Odd.

I did wonder about the kitten, but didnt like to ask

ninx i did wonder

Lol ninx, I wondered if it was some sort of bizarre word for ... Actually I don't know!!

Oh right thanks winny I just wasn't sure how it happens so much.

My friend gained almost 7st during her pregnancy (and a bit after) and that was more than my entire bodyweight at the time. I do know she ate mammoth amounts and I do mean truly, absolute huge meals. She sadly hasn't lost any of it and her DD is 20yrs this August.

One of the main reasons I know I gained weight was when I got married. I was cooking much richer food, and eating bigger portion sizes too. My husband is 6ft, and has a very physically demanding job, so he can get away with eating steak n kidney pie with butter loaded mash... I cant!

We also went out after work every night and would have a few drinks.... and probably get takeaway 2 or 3 nights a week.

My job involved sitting in the car, or sitting in an office, so never much chance of burning off what was going in.

I am totally determined to rectifiy this and get rid of the excess weight.

mamazOn... you really are a glamour puss... perhaps change your name to 'GlamozOn'.

FabbyChic... You say some extremely odd things. You couldn't wipe your bum at size 16? Did you forget to remove your head from it?

Lmao I thought the 'kitten' post was some sort of nickname for a baby that breast feeds all through the night or something?

Ninx I read your earlier post and thought "I really hope that's a typo and she's not that desperate for a nighttime snack!"