i come from a very abusive background where my ex step father would make me eat more than i should, while at the same time he would call me fat and tell me i should eat less. i'm not trying to put out my life story but to say that there are reasons that people begin to get fat that most people wouldn't even consider as a possability. now onto actual facts... when you over eat, it stretches your stomach. it's true that it does go back to normal size if you don't over eat very often. but the more time you over eat the harder it is for your stomach to go back to normal. and with a larger stomach you have more space to fill before your "I'M FULL!" alarm goes off. in the modern age we have also lost the good ol' table maners of eating small bites. small bites (in an odd way) fill you up sooner, because your stomach starts digesting the food usually while your still eating which in turn tells your body when it has gained everything your body needed. big bites take longer for the stomach to digest so your body gets the alarm late when you've most likely already eaten too much.

it takes 5 hours of running on a tredmill to burn 1 pound of fat... now imagine that you weigh 300lbs... the time it would take for weight loss to show is a lot longer than on someone who weighs 160lbs.

now FAST FOOD!!!!

the average blue collar worker doesn't have time to eat very healthy. so many people grab fast food in the morning because they were so tired the night before that they over slept and didn't have time to get something healthy to eat. and most people who have worked a hard day want to eat something quick and get home to relax.

i personally rarely eat at a fast food place. i haven't eaten at Mc Donalds 6 years. i have eaten a fairly strict asian diet for 3 years... and i have even tried curves and personal trainers. and not in the past 6 years have i seen a noticeable amount of weight loss.

I have recently lost 15 pounds on the Alli diet. I've got just 10 more to go.

Don't give up, that's all I can say.

Before you do any type of diet or detox, love yourself first. Find everything wonderful, sexy, sweet and beautiful and roll with it.

i know im big,, but im strong as hell,, and solid, 295 is a good weight for me,, even the doctors agree cause i work out alot.

i kind of wonder if crime has something to do with the weight problems. I used to feel safe walking, hikeing, bikeing, swimming, camping and now I am almost afraid to walk much of a distance in a shopping mall alone. I have my Grand kids in a fenced back yard with a security system. I have had three bikes ripped off and my camper was vandelized. I think parents tell their kids to stay indoors because of the drive bys and the perverts that seem to be everywhere. When you are not safe to walk to your own complex laundry room how do you feel safe to garden in your yard alone. If you want to go out dancing or even travel on an airplane you stand in line to be checked by security. Seems like the criminals have us caged while they run and stay strong.

Sounds like it's time to relocate.
Either that or let the criminals dictate your livelyhood

Its all about self image and how you feel.

some people are completely happy an health and don't wish to change.

Then others have gone through so much crap that hey can't see from under the pile.

i think the best way to lose weight is to eat little and often, with the odd detox thrown in every once in a while to give things a kick start! and plenty of excercise - if going to the gym is hard (and it is for me cos i work and have a 2 year old) then its best to walk alot! i walk probably about 4 miles a day and i eat about 6 - 7 times a day. i used to weigh over 200lbs but now weigh about 125lbs...got about another 15lbs to lose and i'll be happy!

i wont look right under 260. and for the postion i play in football i am actually 15 lbs underweight. d tackles are supposed to be around 310 and up.

Wow, I didn't know that, Sarah. Congrats


...And good to see you.

who are you transientmind?? do you know me from somewhere? lol

Well, you DO bear a striking resemblance to a friend from the old country...

'Could be mistaken, it's early and I need to clean my glasses anyhow.

ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! know who ya are now!

(((Thump))) U ROCK!

livin in comas

unconsciously

we are machines of media

eat eat eat

way more than necessary

obesity in america: >> http://health.msn.com/reports/obesity/default.aspx <<

The degree to which a person is overweight is generally described using an indication of the amount of excess body fat present. There are several common ways to measure the amount of fat present in an individual's body.(See also body fat percentage):

Simple Weighing: The weight of the individual is measured and compared to an estimated ideal weight. This is the easiest and most common method, but by far the least accurate, as it only measures one quantity (weight) and often does not take into account many factors such as height, body type, and relative amount of muscle mass.
Body Mass Index (BMI): This is an adaptation of simple weighing which attempts to take into account the subject's general body size by dividing the weight by the height squared (the units for BMI are kg/m2, but are rarely referenced, and BMI numbers are typically written and used as unitless numbers). This provides a slightly more accurate representation than simply measuring raw weight, but still ignores many factors which can affect the results, and is generally not accurate for many individuals.
Skinfold Calipers or "pinch test": With this method, the skin at several specific points on the body is pinched and the thickness of the resulting fold is measured. This measures the thickness of the layers of fat located under the skin, from which a general measurement of total amount of fat in the body is calculated. This method can be reasonably accurate for many people, but it does assume particular patterns for fat distribution over the body which may not apply to all individuals, and does not account for fat deposits which may not be directly under the skin. Also, as the measurement and analysis generally involves a high degree of practice and interpretation, for an accurate result it must be performed by a professional and cannot generally be done by patients themselves.
Bioelectrical impedance analysis: This method involves passing a small electrical current through the body and measuring the body's resistance to the electrical flow. As fat and muscle conduct electricity differently, this method can provide a direct measurement of the percentage of body fat present as compared to muscle mass. In the past, this technique could only be performed reliably by trained professionals with specialized equipment, but it is now possible to buy "home kits" which allow individuals to do this themselves with a minimum of training. Despite the improved simplicity of this process over the years, however, there are a number of factors which can affect the results, including hydration and body temperature, so a fair amount of care must still be taken when applying this test to ensure that the results are in fact accurate and applicable.
Hydrostatic Weighing: Considered one of the more accurate methods of measuring body fat, this technique involves completely submerging the subject underwater and using special equipment to measure his or her weight while submerged. This weight is then compared with "dry weight" as recorded outside the water to determine overall body density. As fat is less dense than muscle, careful application of this technique can provide a reasonably close estimate of fat content in the body. This technique does, however, require expensive specialized equipment and trained professionals to administer it properly.
DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry): Originally developed to measure bone density, DEXA imaging has also come to be used as a precise way to determine body fat content by using the density of various body tissues to identify which portions of the body are fat. This test is generally considered to be very accurate, but requires a great deal of expensive medical equipment and trained professionals to perform.
Despite the inherent inaccuracies, the most common method for discussing this subject used by researchers and advisory institutions is body mass index (BMI) numbers. Definitions of what is considered to be overweight change from time to time and sometimes from country to country, but the current definition proposed by both the US National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization designates anyone with a BMI of 25 kg/m2 or more to be overweight.

BMI, however, does not account for differing amounts of muscle mass, genetic factors, or many other individual variations, and thus many individuals can have BMIs less than 25 and still be considered overweight, while others may have BMIs significantly higher without falling into this category[2]. Many of the more accurate methods mentioned above for determining body fat content can provide better indications of whether a particular individual is overweight or not.

If an individual is sufficiently overweight that excess body fat could present substantial health risks, he or she is considered to be obese. It is possible for someone to be overweight without being obese (according to the NIH and WHO, a BMI between 25 and 30 is considered to be "overweight" but not "obese"). Again, the designation of "obesity" is subject to a great deal of interpretation and many individual factors, so an individual with a BMI well below 30 may be considered to be obese depending on their particular condition, while in some cases a BMI above 30 may not actually indicate obesity (although likely still does indicate being overweight).

Blah, I like a little meat with my potato's...