Regarding dieting

[Climbingthewalls12]

Just watching that Channel 4 program about people who used to be fat, then thin then fat again and its got me thinking.

AIBU tonot see how people can claiming dieting and exercise don't work and to say that of course they bloody do if you stick to it and do it properly. As someone who has previously lost a great deal of weight this way it really grates on me that people use it as an excuse.

I know there can be medical issues but the general reality is that people don't do it properly!

I didn't either puzzleduck

My Dad is 81 and none of his group of friends (aged about 70+) are fat.

Everyone who says 'dieting didn't work for me' I'm wondering how long you kept it going?

And did you also do exercise?

I remember slimming world. You could 'eat as much as you like' of red/green foods.... What kind of rubbish message is that...... Along with no exercise is necessary

I also don't believe the age thing

I lost 5 stone last year through low carbing/running. I'm 45

I have struggled with being overweight since teenage years and tried many diets none with any long lasting effects. The thing that helped me was finding a way to fit regular exercise into my life. My appetite changed too and I stopped craving chocolates and cakes and genuinely prefer to have a banana ( most of the time, anyway ). I also drink a lot less alcohol than I used to.
I still put on weight easily if I miss out exercise and my appetite does change back to old cravings, but now that I know this I can recognise when I need to rein myself in again. I have now maintained a healthy weight for almost eight years, something I never thought I would manage.
Sustained weight loss needs a lifelong lifestyle change, it is difficult to maintain at times but most of us can make that choice if we really really work at it.
I do realise there are some more complex situations where emotional or physical health makes this difficult or impossible, but a lot of overweight people do simply eat / drink unwisely, and don't exercise enough.

Minty - diets do work, but only if you stick to them forever and never go back to eating/exercising at levels that lead to you getting fat in the first place.

It is harder when you get older, but harder doesn't make it impossible, I know I have to put more effort into adding exercise in my lifestyle (because I'm not in a club dancing for 4 hours 2-3 nights a week now), and I'm having to eat less to maintain my figure.

I hope I dont get told off for this but I do think larger people think differently to thin people.
Ive never been overweight but I have periods when I gain weight and lose it.
Some of my friends are larger, I find them quite tiring they moan all the time about being overweight but always have an excuse when it comes to doing something about it. There idea of fun always involves food. If we go shopping they want to spend half the day eating I would rather skip lunch and shop.
I eat to live they live to eat.

How lovely your attitude to your tiring moany friends is, puzzleduck. Why on earth do you waste your time with their horrible fat selves?

Puzzleduck. Can you not see though that part of the problem is that people who are overweight often have such a bad relationship with food, not just overeating but the whole emotional eating, eating being part of routine side of things, which is where the problem comes from and why just dieting often doesn't work.

I think unless you have been overweight it can be hard to understand just how complex the issue can be

To be fair nearly every 'fun' thing we do revokes around food these days..... We can't sit in a cinema for 2 hours without eating. 'Snacks' are advertised commonly,but we don't need snacks really. Bowling alleys/skating/soft play etc, all have fast food for sale

It's hard to avoid food when out.... And it's always unhealthy food on offer

*revolves!!

It is tiring though, listening to people moan about something they alone have control over, but have no intention of doing anything about, to be fair.

Not necessarily weight-loss, but anything. A useless boyfriend, smoking, a job they hate, whatever.

Oh you are 22 - that explains rather a lot. Wait until you have grown up a bit, then revisit your perfect life. You might find it a touch less perfect and yourself a lot fatter

Chipping no need to be like that absolutely NO need to tell me to grow up! I have a family of my own and have lived alone for a great deal of time now and hold down a good adult job. Plus I now manage to look after myself. Don't see how it matters what age I am. Someone clearly has a chip on their shoulder!

My life is by no means perfect but its easy to see that there are plenty of older people who are fit and healthy, as with any age its all about commitment to achieving something.

Let me guess, are you one of those people for whom diets don't work I take it...

You seem to be very much over simplifying the issues with regards to weight loss and fitness

I don't see how much more complicated it need be. Emotional issues aside, we all comfort eat but it is possible to get that under control if you try hard enough, no one forces food into a person's mouth and laying aside the very small number who suffer genuine medical issues that effect your weight then it really is as simple as eating healthy and getting a decent level of exercies.

To the poster who asked further up. My biggest issue was portion size, I always went back for seconds for example, so the biggest life change I made was that I now eat far smaller portions and try to have foods that keep you fuller for longer. I also exercise far far more than I used to which was previosuly nil

And at the same time I think that people picking on a poster's age is such a low blow.

You can't just put the emotional issues aside that comment in itself really does show your lack of understanding

You're 22, you are in the prime of your life and your body is at its most efficient [ just my opinion, no scientific research there].

I was always slim, a 6/8 til 3 children [one a c section] then a 10 and a hysterectomy last year where I lost my ovaries.

I'm 45 and the weight has increased by a stone at least and not by over eating or lacking exercise.

Age [and subsequently hormones] is a factor regardless of what you think

Yes but age is a factor that we all suffer from. Plenty of people manage to age and maintain a healthy weight.

As for emotional issues, I have suffered terrible depression (was on meds for quite a long time) and this was retriggered after having DD and yes it did cause me to comfort eat, so I can appreciate how it can make it more difficult to stick to a healthy diet/lifestyle but at the end of the day it does not stop you from having control over what you eat etc. This was one of things I had to teach myself when I lost my weight as otherwise I would have been one of the people sitting there saying it was OK I was fat because I was depressed that was me for a fair amount of time

Sirzy is right, you can't just put emotional issues aside, they play a huge part in people's eating. If it was so straightforward as eat less, move more then there simply wouldn't be so many overweight people around . The other thing that plays a part is misinformation and confusion over what constitutes a 'healthy' diet, which many people get badly wrong and consequently struggle to maintain a healthy weight.

And, not to criticise the OP purely for her age, but that does make a difference, your metabolism at 22 is very different to how it is at 52, even without serial/chronic dieting over years, which destroys it even further.

It's snacking. I have never snacked in my life apart from odd bit of birthday cake somewhere etc. my dh never snacked, our children don't snack. Neither do either of our parents. None of us ranging from 2-72 years are or have ever been overweight

I'm amazed when I am with friends how often they constently feed their children and themselves. Outing to the park they give snacks in pram, snacks at park, snacks on way home. If I call into a coffee shop for a drink with someone they always have a drink and snack, regardless of if they are a meal only an hour ago

In supermarkets they sell isles and isles of crap. Whole ones of biscuits/ choc/ crisps/ fizzy etc. we don't even go down half of them

I would definitely agree that misinformation plays a very significant role in the obesity epidemic. Its a difficult chain to break, people are brought up eating one way and they almost always pass that on to their children and so on.

A great number of the ladies I lost weight with, my mum included, were easily into their late 40's and beyond and they managed it as well as I did so I'm sorry but I'm not buying that your age is a reasonable excuse. I can appreciate that it probably makes it easier for the weight to creep back on etc. but it is definitely not an impassible barrier.

I still snack, just changed what sits on my desk from mars bars to fruit obviously a total generalisation there Snacking was one of my big problems and I found it was best tackled by eating more filling meals etc.

Good for you Art

What really makes me about this thread is how horribly judgemental women can be about others' weight - the jist seems to be that if you are overweight you must be weak, or stupid, have no self control, that you are inferior to slim people. It really is vile and no wonder many people's self esteem gets so low they don't feel able/worth addressing excess weight.