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The Weight I Carry

theatlantic.com

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Re: The Weight I Carry

#81

Post by bonestamp2 »

misiti3780 wrote: post #59
guitarbill wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me, with keto, I have much less of a hunger feeling, making things more manageable (As I've said in another thread). Agree with the mental clarity also. How did you stick with it though? I can do the diet, but find it hard to do with social stuff. For me, doing keto was quite a lonely thing.

how long did it take you to go into ketosis - im on day 10 and still havnt not gone in (im not really overweight)

How are you testing... urine strips? For me, I can feel the difference in my brain when I change over. It's subtle, but I'd compare it to the change in feeling when you drink caffeine after not drinking it for too long.

Re: The Weight I Carry

#83

Post by Frondo »

guitarbill wrote: post #46
zachruss92 wrote: post #21

I feel for the author. I have also struggled with my weight my entire life. At my heaviest, I was 265lbs. I definitely struggled, and continue to struggle with body issues. I was definitely addicted to food and was an emotional eater. I literally had a term called "stress cheeseburgers" as when I was stressed that's what I'd do. I finally decided to make a significant change last year. It started with me doing meal p…

For me, with keto, I have much less of a hunger feeling, making things more manageable (As I've said in another thread). Agree with the mental clarity also. How did you stick with it though? I can do the diet, but find it hard to do with social stuff. For me, doing keto was quite a lonely thing.

I'll chime in and say, the social stuff has never been a problem when I've done keto. Out at bars, I'll have whiskey + diet cokes, gin + club sodas, basically anything that's a shot and a calorie-free mixer and you're good.

Eating out, most cuisines you can adapt. Nowhere serves a keto pizza, for example, but even stuff like Indian, there's a buffet where if you avoid the rice and legume-based stuff and stick to meats and veg, you're in good shape.

Eating at friends' places is the one tricky thing, but these days people are pretty cool with it if you decline food based on a dietary restriction.

Giving up snacks or junky foods like breakfast cereal is the hardest for me, but there's a great keto porridge recipe I like -- add a handful of berries and it's still 2-3 grams carbs but filling and good.

Longest I stuck with it so far was 6 months, for accelerated weight loss, and now I prefer a lower-carb diet but am no longer strict about keto stuff.

Best outcome was breaking my relationship to food -- like it rewired the part of my brain that was all "satiate your hunger with sugary junk" to where I can satisfy hunger cravings with a handful of nuts, or even a hot tea with cream. That seems to be permanent so far.

Re: The Weight I Carry

#84

Post by frogpelt »

rjkennedy98 wrote: post #37

"No matter where you stood, you were no more than 10 feet from fried chicken." I'm sorry but I just can't relate to this, which is probably why everyone in my family is thin. I can't even remember the last time I ate fried chicken. Maybe its a cultural thing (my parents were European), but there is no reason to bring fried chicken into your house. None. This is the kind of decisions that lead to being 460 pounds. Gro…

Are you from the South? The author was from Georgia. Believe me, we have plenty of fried chicken around here. It gives us a break from the barbecue.

Re: The Weight I Carry

#86

Post by SketchySeaBeast »

cflewis wrote: post #18
neaden wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I agree exercise isn't very effective to treat obesity, it is still healthy for you to exercise, even if it's not going to help you lose weight. There are a lot of people who are overweight who have healthier hearts and lungs then normal weight people due to exercise.

I can not give you more +1s. If your goal is to be healthy, and not necessarily be pretty, exercise is integral. You can be skinny and be unhealthy. You can be overweight and be heart-healthy, if you exercise. I am obese according to the BMI, but I run 3 times a week and my resting heart rate grazes into the "athlete" territory. My doctor is very happy. But I don't look it, that's for sure. I do not like running. I s…

While being obese and having a healthy heart is totally viable, it get's harder in the long run as age compounds with weight. Can you be healthier than the lazy? Oh yes, but the extra weight can catch up to you, regardless of lifestyle.

Re: The Weight I Carry

#87

Post by gamblor956 »

DanBC wrote: post #76
hombre_fatal wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I exercise, it puts me on a health-minded path every day that snowballs into other good decisions. It's like how they say making your bed in the morning helps put you on task the rest of the day. I find your line of thought unconvincing. The thing in common among everyone I know who is overweight is that they don't even work out at all. The amount of people I know who don't do anything is astonishing. The proble…

> The thing in common among everyone I know who is overweight is that they don't even work out at all Exercise does not help people lose weight, and it may make it harder for people to lose weight. Exercise is important, and we need to help more people exercise, but we should avoid suggesting that exercise helps weight loss. It does not.

That's extremely wrong and dangerous advice.

Exercise is absolutely essential for healthy weight loss unless your sole focus is on lost mass. Exercising while dieting (meaning restricting calories) minimizes the loss of muscle tissue when trying to lose >1 lb/week. If you're losing >2lb/week dieting without exercise, a sizable portion of the weight loss is actually muscle.

It is possible to take the exercise to an unhealthy extreme, such as on Biggest Loser, where they exercised to the point of causing muscle damage/rhabo, but that's the exceptional case, not the norm.

Exercise absolutely helps weight loss. 100%.

Re: The Weight I Carry

#88

Post by bproven »

It is a complete lifestyle change (nutrition and exercise)...plain and simple. Any other approach sets you up for failure (I need to lose x pounds for new years, I need to lose this for an event, etc).

It is also very much discipline (not motivation..) and hard work to get started and maintain for a while. Like pretty much anything. But after a few years of feeling great you will wonder why you ever lived your previous life.

At least in my experience :)

Re: The Weight I Carry

#89

Post by Frondo »

misiti3780 wrote: post #59
guitarbill wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me, with keto, I have much less of a hunger feeling, making things more manageable (As I've said in another thread). Agree with the mental clarity also. How did you stick with it though? I can do the diet, but find it hard to do with social stuff. For me, doing keto was quite a lonely thing.

how long did it take you to go into ketosis - im on day 10 and still havnt not gone in (im not really overweight)

How strict are you being with carbs?

Re: The Weight I Carry

#90

Post by metabagel »

johnkpaul wrote: post #2

I've been 400 pounds most of my life. I empathize with every single sentence in this article and cannot imagine making myself write something like this. The vulnerability is incredible. I'm really glad that exercise is being called out as useless to treat obesity more and more. I hope that trend continues and things like Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaigns never happen again. Carbohydrate addiction is no joke, ev…

Regular exercise can help with metabolism, appetite suppression, overall energy level, and overall feeling of well-being. Eating habits are more important, but exercise is generally beneficial.

I agree with you about carbohydrate addiction.

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