The cost of being overweight

Slab

Slab

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Have obese people been getting a free dinner?

Interesting piece here on the overweight problem

Headline statement is:
Sugar and carbohydrates are the real culprits in the 'obesity' epidemic - and the public has been falsely told that couch potato lifestyles are to blame, a new report has claimed.

Writing in the British Journal Of Sports Medicine, they said poor diet now generates more disease than physical inactivity, alcohol and smoking combined

The second part is really an eyeopener (if true) and while many overweight people will also fall into 'smokers' and 'drinkers' categories, have we previously had a false impression of the impact and the medical & care costs attributed to the latter two groups (while not underestimating the negative social impact they still have) and should fat folk (inc me) come in for similar levels of scorn to that levied at smokers & drinkers

Because I'm currently dieting (only 9 days in but with no real exercise) I'm ready to believe the key to weight loss is 'what goes in has far more of an impact than what you do once its there'

Thoughts?
 
Slab said:
Because I'm currently dieting (only 9 days in but with no real exercise) I'm ready to believe the key to weight loss is 'what goes in has far more of an impact than what you do once its there'

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I've gone from 15st 10lbs to 13st without going near a gym. I work in an office, my lifestyle is almost completely sedentary. Exercise is for making you fit, not for making you thin.
 
^^^^^^^^

As a balance to that I've gone from 16st to under 13 and a half, mainly with exercise and very small dietary changes (no sugar in coffee for example). However, I do agree that the main emphasis of weight loss should be in the kitchen, not in the gym. But exercise can definitely help too.
 
I think it would be a reasonable assumption to make that with a sedentary lifestyle:-

  • If you are over weight and eat healthy then exercise will help you lose fat.
  • If you are over weight and eat poorly, then a change in diet will help you lose fat.
  • If you are over weight and eat healthy your weight will stay the same.
  • If you are over weight and eat unhealthy then you'll get fatter.

Obviously no matter who you are and whatever weight you are, then exercise of any kind will help with fat loss or fat management.
 
Keep up the effort Slab. You'll be amazed how quickly things will keep improving for you. Just be aware that your loss might plateau soon due to the first phase of weight loss largely being due to water retention. It can be demoralising when you start seeing the loss reduce when you're still trying just as hard. You just have to work through that phase and it'll pay off.

I agree that diet is an alarming health issue and there's only one definite method towards achieving a healthy body, it's a balanced diet with regular exercise.

The problem with modern life is that we have unbalanced our diet against our physical activity. I've said elsewhere how I believe that sugar is generally the cause of too many health problems and we need to drastically reduce sugar intake in our diets. Now I don't believe sugar is the root of all evil - we need some sugar - but the problem is that sugar is almost impossible to avoid in food and drink. It's especially bad in convenience foods. Try buying any type of pre-prepared food from a supermarket without sugar in, you'll be amazed how difficult it is.

What's more worrying - try buying "healthy" branded food without sugar in. Those people buying smoothies instead of soft drinks? There's more sugar in those smoothies than a can of coke. It's scandalous the way food is marketed to people like that. And no, the benefits of mashed up fruit doesn't counteract the amount of sugar in them.
 
Slab
congratulations on your diet regime, you've already done the hardest week. After a week your taste will already be changing and making healthier food choices will become a matter of habit.

The Couch Potato lifestyle involves far more than just being sedentary. How often do we eat junk while watching TV just out of sheer boredom? It's easy to have a chocolate bar and a bag of crisps or similar every evening while watching the telly. That alone would add 400kCals/day, 2,800Kcals a week or over a full days recommended calorie intake for a sedentary male. That equates to the caries in 3 stones of fat in a year.

Contrast the above with someone who takes just 3x30 mins exercise sessions a week and who foregoes those snacks on the 3 days . They will burn round about 1,600 Kcals during exercise so their intake of junk over the other 4 days is accounted for. They will have no weight increase during the year and if they cut out the junk altogether they will lose 1 stone 10lbs during the year.

The scenarios above both depend upon the subjects food intake being calorie neutral in all other respects but they do illustrate how easily small changes can have very large effects over the course of a year.

I have a very sweet tooth and I'm a greedy bugger but when I'm training hard I naturally choose foods with higher protein/lower sugar content. My body craves proteins and bulky foods e.g large helpings of vegetables so my body composition improves. I struggle when I work lots of hours and don't allocate time to exercise. My eating becomes sloppy and so do I!

If exercise isn't your thing that's fine Slab, lots of people lose weight by diet alone, it is the most important aspect of weight control. If, however, you're victim of boredom eating, then just try a 20 min walk when you're bored or you find yourself raiding the biscuit tin even though you're not at all hungry.

Best of luck with it Slab, it does become easier once it becomes a habit.
 
Khamelion said:
I think it would be a reasonable assumption to make that with a sedentary lifestyle:-

  • If you are over weight and eat healthy then exercise will help you lose fat.
  • If you are over weight and eat poorly, then a change in diet will help you lose fat.
  • If you are over weight and eat healthy your weight will stay the same.
  • If you are over weight and eat unhealthy then you'll get fatter.

Obviously no matter who you are and whatever weight you are, then exercise of any kind will help with fat loss or fat management.
Click to expand...

Surely it depends a lot on the volume you eat.

Problem with exercise to lose weight is it takes a lot of work to lose a little weight and it makes you hungary so you tend to eat after. In saying this I accept that exercise is very good for your health.
 
Slab said:
Because I'm currently dieting (only 9 days in but with no real exercise) I'm ready to believe the key to weight loss is 'what goes in has far more of an impact than what you do once its there'

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I'm firmly in the corner for changing eating habits to loose weight. If you naturally burn 1800 calories on average day then dropping to a healthy nutritionally balanced diet of around 1200 calories will make you loose weight. Improving your diet is far better than struts going to the gym.

Going down own the gym route is fine, but to burn a significant amount of calories you need to do a lot of work. 1hr on an elliptical trainer at a low intensity burns around 500 calories. So someone who is overweight and out of shape is going to struggle to shift any weight until they have improved their fitness to a better level, so they can work hard enough.

having said that obviously the 2 combined together is the best idea. Loose weight, get fitter and look better.
 
MadAdey said:
I'm firmly in the corner for changing eating habits to loose weight. If you naturally burn 1800 calories on average day then dropping to a healthy nutritionally balanced diet of around 1200 calories will make you loose weight. Improving your diet is far better than struts going to the gym.

Going down own the gym route is fine, but to burn a significant amount of calories you need to do a lot of work. 1hr on an elliptical trainer at a low intensity burns around 500 calories. So someone who is overweight and out of shape is going to struggle to shift any weight until they have improved their fitness to a better level, so they can work hard enough.

having said that obviously the 2 combined together is the best idea. Loose weight, get fitter and look better.
Click to expand...

I have no idea what one of these is! :)

Anyway, agree to the eat less and when you do eat make it something that isn't going to take a fortnight on a rowing machine to get rid off, doesn't seem a whole lot of fun so far though but still 30 days to go....
 
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