@Hakunatomato I think pps on here are being very unfair and acting morally superior, when it isnt that simple. 💐
I think every judgemental (just use willpower/just eat less) poster on here should read Ultra Processed People by Chris Van Tulleken. It is a fascinating and eye-opening read. In fact, I think everyone should read it, regardless.
The food we eat now is designed to bypass our inbuilt systems for regulating satiety, etc, so that we eat more and more, and these companies profits increase.
It is a deliberate tactic to addict us to certain foods, to keep us as returning customers, in a similar way to how someone may be addicted to drugs as these foods target the pleasure centres, etc, and these companies spend millions on research and advertising to make sure we stay addicted.
Our bodies were not designed to cope with these UPFs, and that means it isn't as easy as "just stop eating".
I used to be morbidly obese (48-50 BMI). I lost weight via WLS, which the NHS funded due to my significant comorbidities.
I had tried every diet under the sun, and in doing so I had destroyed my metabolism to such an extent that I still gained weight on 1200 cals a day.
Before I was accepted for the WLS, I had to see a dietician for 12 months, which I did. That involved recording everything I ate or drank, and following her suggestions, which I did to the letter.
My BM rate was calculated at around 2000cals a day to maintain weight (long time ago, so may be slightly out).
I was first put onto 1500/ day, which I followed religiously, but still gained, same at 1200.
I had to go under 1000 cals to lose anything and even at 800cals, weight loss was minimal and stalled quickly. At first she thought I was lying or not putting everything down, but I wasn't, which she came to realise.
She explained that she'd refer me for WLS, but that because I'd done so many fad and restrictive diets over the last 20yrs, I had ruined my metabolism, and now whenever I ate, my body stored it as fat in expectation of the next starvation phase, and that that would still be the case after the surgery.
She was hopeful, though, that I'd be so restricted in the first 2 yrs that I'd lose my XS weight then, and then I'd have to really watch my intake to prevent the weight returning.
Her exact words were that "I'd never be able to eat normally without gaining weight". By normal she meant a realistic intake that should've allowed me to maintain the weightloss.
She wasn't far wrong either. I was very ill for a long time after the surgery and altogether lost 124lbs+, within less than 2 years, which was pretty much 100% of my XS weight.
That was 15yrs ago, and I'm now a size 12, and weigh in at abt 68kgs atm, which is a current bmi of 27, so slightly over my goal. I've pretty much kept the weight off since the surgery although my weight has fluctuated with my health.
My lowest was 58kgs, but I looked gaunt. I was stable at 62kgs (bmi 24.7) for a long time, but have had health issues that has lead to some weight gain over the last 18 months (I did get up to 72kgs, but am going down again v.slowly as I recover).
Whilst I was so ill and barely ate, my tastes really changed and I no longer enjoyed food, especially things I'd been addicted to previously, like chocolate.
Luckily for me, that hasn't really changed, and I no longer crave food.
I have had periods over the years where I've eaten more chocolate or crisps, etc, and I notice that my cravings quickly return, and I eat without being aware of how much of these foods I consume.
Again, luckily for me, my stomach is pretty much non existent now, so whereas I may have been able to eat 5-6 bags of 25g crisps, before feeling bloated, now I'm bloated before I've eaten 2.
I manage to keep on top of these cravings by not keeping the items in the house as a standard thing, and by reminding myself of the consequences of gaining weight again, but it's not easy.
Sometimes, I'll have a bit of choc or some crisps, but luckily I've not eaten enough often enough to allow the cravings to take over again, and so I can keep it in check.
The dietician was right, though, although I eat a varied diet, all cooked from scratch, I still can't regularly eat normal amounts (1300+cals) without gaining, although that has increased as it used to be 1000, so maybe my body is repairing its systems in some way.
Even with the cost of the surgery, the NHS is quids in as I used to be on 25 pills a day to control all my issues, and I'm now only on 2.
Some conditions have completely disappeared, others have improved immensely. Some things are worse/same, but overall, my health and estimated lifespan have greatly improved, and I'm much less of a burden on the NHS than I was.
Edited for typos etc