Fat people: Is it just society or is it something else

[Kaijo]

Genetics isn't the only factor; laziness and lifestyle certainly do play a factor. It's just important to take all factors into consideration. The person who says "it's not my fault" is just as dumb as the one who says "it's all your fault." The truth is generally more complex, and thus snap judgments and simple explanations just don't work.

[ChainLegacy]

Genetics is/are a factor in that different ethnic groups have adapted to eating different foods. For example the Inuits have had an extremely hard time keeping healthy with the American diet because their ancestors adapted to a diet of fish and blubber. Likewise, East Asians tend to be the best at metabolizing 'bad' carbohydrates without putting on weight because of how long such things have been in their diet. So take a look at your ethnic background and that might give you some clues as to how you should eat to remain healthy.

[Lio]

Originally Posted by qwertyuiopz

oh how i love my high metabolism

5'6 at 130

Oh I know, and we have the same build! I'm guessing you're also athletic?

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by ChainLegacy

Genetics is/are a factor in that different ethnic groups have adapted to eating different foods. For example the Inuits have had an extremely hard time keeping healthy with the American diet because their ancestors adapted to a diet of fish and blubber. Likewise, East Asians tend to be the best at metabolizing 'bad' carbohydrates without putting on weight because of how long such things have been in their diet. So take a look at your ethnic background and that might give you some clues as to how you should eat to remain healthy.

Of course, temper that against what food/crop was available to your ethnic background. A lot of euro-culture, for instance, sucks in the green vegetable department.

American Southern cooking may be yumyum tasty - but without adjustments it kills whites and blacks in the South quite quickly.

[john_kun]

But I'm fat and lazy. What can I do to change it?

[Bassoonicmayhem]

Originally Posted by john_kun

But I'm fat and lazy. What can I do to change it?

Wii Fit...?

[Reckoner]

All I have to say is that the biggest key to keeping your weight down in exercise. If you are not exercising enough, then you are harming yourself and have no right to blame genes. Most times it is just your habits that are to blame.

[Anh_Minh]

I'm genetically predisposed to not exercising much.

(I've found that "not stuffing my face" and "not snacking" is enough to keep my weight down, but I think it varies from individual from individual)

[qwertyuiopz]

Originally Posted by Lio

Oh I know, and we have the same build! I'm guessing you're also athletic?

no
i do exercises but my body physique is slim
sometimes i wonder since i see huge muscle tanks at the same weight

[john_kun]

Originally Posted by Bassoonicmayhem

Wii Fit...?

To lazy to go to video game store
so what do I do now?

[Bassoonicmayhem]

Originally Posted by john_kun

To lazy to go to video game store
so what do I do now?

Okay, I know! Every time you type, use your entire finger; up and down! By exercising your fingers you are somehow exercising your body and thus making your body all good an' healthy an' stuff.

Or you could always order online.

[Narona]

Originally Posted by FragrantFlora

I think being fat can be caused by genetics

I am not sure about that.

Just saying, but when I watched documentaries about people freed from the concentration camps during the WWII, there was no fat people, scrawny would actually be a better word, no actually, they were even worse than just scawny. For a simple reason, they were not given any food or so little... and as if it was not enough, some of them had to "work" (including carrying corpses) before being killed. It sounds creepy, I know

So, maybe a person can get fat "faster" than others, but staying fat even without eating? I have some difficulties to believe it.

[MeoTwister5]

Well you can look fat (or in this case bloated/edematous) and still be malnourished. Bear in mind that you only look fat but have nearly no actual fat cells left.

Kwashiorkor.

[War_Lord]

As hard as it is for me to believe, I'm actually overweight. My BMI is 29 when it should be 26. I'm no heavy eater and I exercise regularly, but if I eat more than I should, I'll easily be in the obese range. My mom is obese, but she's at least taking some steps to manage her health, though she can do much more. I don't have anything against obese people myself, but I'll probably sigh if I have to sit next to one on the bus.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by War_Lord

As hard as it is for me to believe, I'm actually overweight. My BMI is 29 when it should be 26. I'm no heavy eater and I exercise regularly, but if I eat more than I should, I'll easily be in the obese range. My mom is obese, but she's at least taking some steps to manage her health, though she can do much more. I don't have anything against obese people myself, but I'll probably sigh if I have to sit next to one on the bus.

If you DO exercise regularly (e.g. weightlift) and have more muscle mass than usual... then your BMI may be just fine. Don't let doctors be lazy - the BMI is a statistical trend for large populations and doesn't take into account people who are more active than average.

You may not even be "eating more than you should" but you might want to look at WHAT you're eating. Strive for lower carb diet. If you want to knock off "crap" weight - keep it to around 150g a day.
Just keep tabs on your carb intake and watch out for 'hidden' carbs. Some carbs are better than others (e.g. beans/oatmeal/barley way better than cola/candy) because they're complex and take longer to break down (i.e. low glycemic).

[ChainLegacy]

Also, one's body fat percentage is a far better indicator of obesity than BMI.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by ChainLegacy

Also, one's body fat percentage is a far better indicator of obesity than BMI.

They're selling weight scales now that use electrical resistance to guesstimate body fat when you stand on the scale. Not as accurate as a "dip in the water" test but helpful.

I'd really like to see fellow fans looking and being healthy, it makes for better cosplay. I'd like to return to the days when a visit to the mall didn't require eye bleach and zeppelin avoidance skills -- that wasn't that long ago.

I fear universal healthcare (of which I'm an advocate) if this matter isn't addressed with a strong preventative strategy.

[cheyannew]

Originally Posted by Vexx

If you DO exercise regularly (e.g. weightlift) and have more muscle mass than usual... then your BMI may be just fine. Don't let doctors be lazy - the BMI is a statistical trend for large populations and doesn't take into account people who are more active than average.

You may not even be "eating more than you should" but you might want to look at WHAT you're eating. Strive for lower carb diet. If you want to knock off "crap" weight - keep it to around 150g a day.
Just keep tabs on your carb intake and watch out for 'hidden' carbs. Some carbs are better than others (e.g. beans/oatmeal/barley way better than cola/candy) because they're complex and take longer to break down (i.e. low glycemic).

Oh good gods, I cannot point to this enough....
When I had a job, I was regularly lifting 60 lb servers and had a LOT of muscles. Moving desks, etc was a regular thing for me.
I weighed more then than I ever had before barring pregnancy and for a while it freaked me out until a friend of mine (who did physique competitions and has a Phd in holistic health) explained the whole muscles weigh more etc. According to BMI (height/weight calculation) then, I was obese which was very WTF-ish since I hadn't changed my pants size or anything (and actually had more room in some spots).

I ended up ignoring my BMI. If I feel good, don't get winded on a 2mile trek, my clothes're fitting well (roomy) and my weight stays reasonable, I'm not going to panic. I've lost 10 lbs since the beginning of the year, so that's awesome in my book. But I'm not obsessing over the numbers, either. That's a quick trip to panicland

[Nightbat®]

People can be overweight, or people can be aware of themselves being overweight
and lately most of those seems to have a medical condition:

Which usualy come down to:
"I'm allergic to exercise"
"No really I'm overweight because of vitamin-defficiency, I can only get Vitamin Quadruple Y-umlaut from chips, icecream and McDonalds"
"It's genetic, my parents, grantparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and siblings just don't have it"
"I'm Diabetic,... Blood sugar level? What's that?"

[Mystique]

Originally Posted by Nightbat®

People can be overweight, or people can be aware of themselves being overweight
and lately most of those seems to have a medical condition:

Which usualy come down to:
"I'm allergic to exercise"
"No really I'm overweight because of vitamin-defficiency, I can only get Vitamin Quadruple Y-umlaut from chips, icecream and McDonalds"
"It's genetic, my parents, grantparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and siblings just don't have it"
"I'm Diabetic,... Blood sugar level? What's that?"

Sarcastic, but he has a point.
(And sadly, those examples are probably well used excuses around where he lives...)

Spoiler for the fat excuse:

Rank Excuse Votes

1 I'll start my diet tomorrow [ 14 ]
2 I'm too busy to exercise [ 7 ]
3 I have slow metabolism [ 6 ]
4 I have Bad Genes [ 6 ]
5 I have no will power [ 4 ]
6 I love to eat [ 3 ]
7 I eat when I'm stressed [ 3 ]
8 Everyone in my family is fat [ 3 ]
9 I never eat and I'm still fat [ 2 ]

10 My Mom taught me bad eating habits [ 2 ]
11 I'm big boned [ 2 ]
12 I love food [ 2 ]
13 I have a slow thyroid [ 2 ]
14 It's too close to Christmas to diet. I'll start Jan 1 [ 1 ]
15 I can't stand the taste of healthy food [ 1 ]
16 Diets don't work for me [ 1 ]
17 I need the fat in case I get sick and lose weight [ 1 ]
18 Im' fat because of my medication [ 1 ]
19 It's all muscle [ 1 ]
20 The gym is too far [ 1 ]

PS: Bassoonicmayhem and John_kun may wanna hang out on your profile walls rather than semi spamming in here..?