Obesity

[valkyrie]

Originally Posted by f8nacn

Are you truly a friend then????

Yes, I think so. A "friend" is someone who respects you and doesn't tell you what to do.

[BobbyTheDon]

A friend of mine is about 5'11 and was around 220 when I first knew him. Pretty overweight for him considering not alot of it was muscle. He always swore he would lose the weight. He slowly gained wait over the years up to 250 and swore again he would lose it. I saw him a few weeks ago and he is HUGE. I thought he would be atleast 300 lbs, but he says he is 270. I straight up told him he was a fatass. I don't care if its nice or not. I don't want my friends to be unhealthy and fat. Disgusting!

[f8nacn]

Originally Posted by valkyrie

Yes, I think so. A "friend" is someone who respects you and doesn't tell you what to do.

There is a difference in being respectful and authoritative and being disrespectful and authoritative...I don't friends who, as I mentioned earlier, will not tell me like it is, no matter how I may feel in the end if it is for my good...

[Dionysus]

Originally Posted by f8nacn

There is a difference in being respectful and authoritative and being disrespectful and authoritative...I don't friends who, as I mentioned earlier, will not tell me like it is, no matter how I may feel in the end if it is for my good...

I agree. What's the point of having friends if they don't change you for the better? Also, I don't trust people who always say positive things about me.

[f8nacn]

Originally Posted by Dionysus

Also, I don't trust people who always say positive things about me.

Exactly...everything can't always be positive...friends stick together through the good the bad the ugly...

[KSigkid]

I agree that there are times when you should tell a friend something; not necessarily tell them what to do, but perhaps advise them or give your opinion.

I don't think obesity is one of those times. If someone is constantly endangering their health by being exceedingly overweight, they may not even be listening to their doctors, let alone their friends.

[blueangel]

Originally Posted by KLPDaisy

Creating a new thread so as not to hijack the Raven Symone thread:

A friend of mine and I were having this discussion on Friday night. With restaurant portions getting bigger and bigger, obesity is a big problem in America and can lead to heart disease and death. If you have a friend that smokes, it is considered socially responsible and acceptable to tell that person to quit, yet if you have a friend who's obese (not overweight but obese), if you tell that person that (s)he needs to lose some weight for medical reasons, then you are being insulting and a bad friend. Do you think this will change? If you were obese, would you want your friends to tell you to do something about it? Discuss.

Do you honestly think an obese person doesn't know they're overweight? Of course they do! They don't need anyone telling them. Telling them "as a friend" is very hurtful. If it were easy to lose weight, they would do it. Nobody likes being overweight.

Same as smoking. Smokers know it's bad for them, and they know they should quit, but it's very, very difficult.

My friend Mary has tried numerous times to quit smoking. I hate what it's doing to her, but as a friend, I can only be there for support. It's her decision, and her body. I'm there for moral support when she asks for it.

[PhoenixAzul]

As someone who has gained and lost a significant amount of weight in the past few years (went from 215 to 160 now (well chuffed!))...hearing people around me say i'm fat was just plain hurtful. It didn't make me motivated, it made me upset and frustrated which was counterproductive to getting done what DEFINITELY needed to get done.

I needed a goal. saying "lose weight" is too broad, for me at least. I picked something that was relatively achievable...finishing a sprint distance triathlon. It was hard doing my first one, physically and mentally. But two great things happened that day. 1) Saw a lot of people of a lot of different ages, sizes and health levels having FUN doing the same thing 2) caught the tri bug. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to go FASTER. So I trained. And what do you know? Exercise= weight loss! The fact that I enjoyed the exercise made it a ton easier!

What I also learned during the loss was that my diet sort of changed itself. I didn't do any of those stupid fad diets or pills or any of that crap...I ate the food I did because it FILLED me. And guess what? Fast food and other junk didn't fill me up after a ride, but pasta and vegetables DID. I didn't train to eat, I ate to train. Upped the H20 intake as well, which, in and of itself, will not cause weight loss (contrary to popular belief), but it did help me hydrate and not feel as tired, which meant I could be out there training.

So what's the short of this? Find a goal, small one (notice I didn't go out and say, "I'm going to win Ironman Kona"). Set yourself up for success initially, and gradually set the goal higher.

5k walk for breast cancer. Sign up together. Wow, wasn't that fun? Why don't we try to do a 5k run next month? Want to run after work/on lunch together, I'd appreciate the company and pacing?

I think that a lot of people are intimidated to exercise by super fit people because they think they can never get to that level. I hate the term "working out", because it implies that it is work, and who likes going to work? Exercise in a positive environment (supportive, not one of those single's bars with treadmills) will make it enjoyable, and something you can look forward to doing, and therefore get easier. Realize that fitness does not happen overnight, it does not happen because of one choice, it does not happen alone. It's a process, somewhat painful, but ultimately worth it.

[PhoenixAzul]

Just an FYI...this is something I got off of a triathlete board I'm on:

10 Diet Myths That Won't Die


From downing your weight in water to loading up on grapefruit, there's a long list of tricks and tips that promise to help you drop those extra pounds. But how do you separate diet fact from fiction? Our experts take a look at the most pervasive diet myths and put them to rest -- once and for all.
# 1. Myth: Calories eaten after 8 pm turn to fat.
# Fact: This is an urban legend that is no more true than the notion that alligators are roaming the sewers of New York City, says Liz Neporent, trainer and author of The Fat-Free Truth. The fact of the matter is if you eat more calories than your body burns in a day, the excess calories will be stored as fat. Whether you consume them during Good Morning America or Letterman doesn't matter; there is no intrinsic connection between calories and the clock.


# 2. Myth: To jump start your diet, you should fast.
# Fact: Not so fast! Skipping meals for extended periods of time is actually the best way to sabotage a diet. Though fasting may temporarily help you lose weight, it's predominantly water weight, says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, of the Northwestern Memorial Wellness Institute. Fasting is not recommended because not eating for extended periods can cause fatigue and dizziness. Ultimately, fasting usually accomplishes two things, says Blatner. "It makes you hungry and leaves you feeling deprived." Once you become over-hungry, all common sense is lost, and you're bound to make high-calorie, high-fat choices in that state of mind. Furthermore, feeling deprived tends to lead to binging when you do eat again. So, in fact, the more you don't eat, the more likely you are to overeat in the end.


# 3. Myth: Low carb (high protein) diets are the most effective route to weight loss.
# Fact: Before you ban bread altogether, consider this: Although preliminary research suggests that obese people can lose more weight on a low-carb diet than on a conventional low-fat diet, the benefits appear to be small and may be short-lived, says Neporent. One yearlong study comparing low-carb dieters to low-fat dieters found that low-carbers began regaining the weight they lost after six months. By the end of the year, they were no better off than the low-fat group. What's more, the dropout rate among both groups was extremely high. It really is about the calories and striking a balance between what you consume and what you burn. To do that for the long haul, you have to choose a diet that is sustainable. And permanently cutting out entire food groups (especially ones that include tasty, crusty bread) doesn't qualify.


# 4. Myth: Eating white foods is bad for you.
# Fact: Don't judge a food by its color. Some of the best foods for you are actually white, says Cynthia Sass, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. The color of a food has nothing to do with its nutritional value and it's not always an indication of how processed the food is either, she says. Think bananas, pears, and garlic, all of which pack a nutritional punch and are also naturally white. Instead of focusing on the color of the food, you need to consider what else it delivers in deciding whether to eat it. Find out what nutrients and vitamins it has. And look at the list of ingredients to determine how highly processed it is. Even a processed food, such as cake mix, doesn't have to be a diet wrecker as long as you eat it in moderation.


# 5. Myth: Drinking lots of water will help you lose weight.
# Fact: If your daily drinking habits consist of sweetened teas, juice drinks and sodas, then replacing them with water can result in consuming fewer calories, which can lead to weight loss. But simply upping your water intake will not, unfortunately, help you shed pounds, says Sass. Though drinking water may make your belly temporarily feel fuller, you have to remember that hunger is not simply a function of your stomach -- your body is crying out for nutrients in food, so filling up on water won't satisfy you for long. Of course staying hydrated is important for maintaining your overall energy and body functioning, but contrary to popular belief, drinking it in excess won't boost your metabolism or flush away fat.




# 6. Myth: When you're on a diet, drinking juice is a no-no.
# Fact: Juice gets such a bad rap these days, but the truth is, juice isn't inherently bad for you, provided you're actually drinking juice -- not a juice drink. Juice drinks are loaded with added sugar and preservatives. So check the label to be sure you're only reaching for 100 percent juice. The caveat? Because juice is much more concentrated than fruit, you need much less of it. Limit yourself to 4-ounce servings of juice, Sass says. Of course, whenever possible, you should choose whole fruit over juice, because fruit contains fiber, which fills you up, and is left behind when you extract the juice.


# 7. Myth: All sugar is bad for you.
# Fact: When it comes to the sweet stuff, not all sugar is created equal. Food labels don't distinguish between added sugar and sugar that was naturally in the food to begin with, says Sass. For example, most dieters wouldn't consider eating canned fruit because of the grams of sugar listed on the label. However, if it's packaged in its own juice, then you're just eating the sugar that was already in the fruit. Lots of good-for-you foods naturally have sugar in them, such as low-fat milk, says Sass. Instead of looking at the grams of sugar on the nutrition label, read the ingredient list. Foods containing items like high fructose corn syrup should be kept to a minimum.


# 8. Myth: Exercising on an empty stomach burns more fat.
# Fact: If only it were that easy. The real deal? When you do aerobic exercise, your body is burning fat as well as carbohydrate stores from food you've recently eaten, says Sass. So if you skip your pre-workout meal or snack, you won't have carb stores to burn. But that doesn't mean you'll burn all fat (a physiologically impossibility). Instead, your body starts to burn its own muscle for fuel. And less muscle means lower metabolism -- not the goal of any dieter. Not to mention that exercising on empty means you'll probably be too tired to go all out, which translates into burning fewer calories during your workout than if you had properly fueled up beforehand. Ideally, you should have a meal three or four hours before a workout, or a snack one to two hours before exercising.


# 9. Myth: Drinking liquid meal replacements will help shrink your stomach.
# Fact: No way. Liquid diets are strictly for babies! Any shrinking that happens from a liquid diet is likely to be in your imagination -- not in your stomach, says Blatner. Why? "Your stomach is a muscular organ that will stretch temporarily when you eat, and then return back to its normal size." There is nothing you can do to shrink your stomach, she says. As you diet, over time you may get used to eating less, but that's not because your stomach has actually shrunk.


# 10. Myth: Eating grapefruit will help you burn fat.
# Fact: That eating grapefruits will help you lose weight is one of the most persistent among diet myths -- and just when you think it's gone, it resurfaces and becomes all the rage again every few years. "It's ridiculous," says Neporent. "There is no food that has intrinsic 'fat burning enzymes' that magically melt fat from your body. There was one study that demonstrated the effectiveness of this diet, notes Neporent. However, it was small, isolated, and there is some question as to whether the citrus industry sponsored the research. If you want to eat grapefruit as part of a well-rounded diet, go for it. They're rich in lycopene -- an antioxidant that protects against heart disease and breast cancer, says Keecha Harris, DrPH, RD, and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Incorporate it and other lycopene-rich foods such as tomatoes and watermelon into your diet each day, she says.



--Jennifer Fields

[PM_Mama00]

Originally Posted by f8nacn

Are you truly a friend then????

I chose my friends because of who they are. If I wanted to tell her what to do, then why would I choose her? I'll suggest things nicely, give her advice when needed, and help her with things, but when it comes to my best friends the only thing i feel the need to tell them about is their drunk driving.

[Rudey]

A few of these are pure bs and are not myths.

-Rudey

Originally Posted by PhoenixAzul

Just an FYI...this is something I got off of a triathlete board I'm on:

10 Diet Myths That Won't Die


From downing your weight in water to loading up on grapefruit, there's a long list of tricks and tips that promise to help you drop those extra pounds. But how do you separate diet fact from fiction? Our experts take a look at the most pervasive diet myths and put them to rest -- once and for all.
# 1. Myth: Calories eaten after 8 pm turn to fat.
# Fact: This is an urban legend that is no more true than the notion that alligators are roaming the sewers of New York City, says Liz Neporent, trainer and author of The Fat-Free Truth. The fact of the matter is if you eat more calories than your body burns in a day, the excess calories will be stored as fat. Whether you consume them during Good Morning America or Letterman doesn't matter; there is no intrinsic connection between calories and the clock.


# 2. Myth: To jump start your diet, you should fast.
# Fact: Not so fast! Skipping meals for extended periods of time is actually the best way to sabotage a diet. Though fasting may temporarily help you lose weight, it's predominantly water weight, says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, of the Northwestern Memorial Wellness Institute. Fasting is not recommended because not eating for extended periods can cause fatigue and dizziness. Ultimately, fasting usually accomplishes two things, says Blatner. "It makes you hungry and leaves you feeling deprived." Once you become over-hungry, all common sense is lost, and you're bound to make high-calorie, high-fat choices in that state of mind. Furthermore, feeling deprived tends to lead to binging when you do eat again. So, in fact, the more you don't eat, the more likely you are to overeat in the end.


# 3. Myth: Low carb (high protein) diets are the most effective route to weight loss.
# Fact: Before you ban bread altogether, consider this: Although preliminary research suggests that obese people can lose more weight on a low-carb diet than on a conventional low-fat diet, the benefits appear to be small and may be short-lived, says Neporent. One yearlong study comparing low-carb dieters to low-fat dieters found that low-carbers began regaining the weight they lost after six months. By the end of the year, they were no better off than the low-fat group. What's more, the dropout rate among both groups was extremely high. It really is about the calories and striking a balance between what you consume and what you burn. To do that for the long haul, you have to choose a diet that is sustainable. And permanently cutting out entire food groups (especially ones that include tasty, crusty bread) doesn't qualify.


# 4. Myth: Eating white foods is bad for you.
# Fact: Don't judge a food by its color. Some of the best foods for you are actually white, says Cynthia Sass, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. The color of a food has nothing to do with its nutritional value and it's not always an indication of how processed the food is either, she says. Think bananas, pears, and garlic, all of which pack a nutritional punch and are also naturally white. Instead of focusing on the color of the food, you need to consider what else it delivers in deciding whether to eat it. Find out what nutrients and vitamins it has. And look at the list of ingredients to determine how highly processed it is. Even a processed food, such as cake mix, doesn't have to be a diet wrecker as long as you eat it in moderation.


# 5. Myth: Drinking lots of water will help you lose weight.
# Fact: If your daily drinking habits consist of sweetened teas, juice drinks and sodas, then replacing them with water can result in consuming fewer calories, which can lead to weight loss. But simply upping your water intake will not, unfortunately, help you shed pounds, says Sass. Though drinking water may make your belly temporarily feel fuller, you have to remember that hunger is not simply a function of your stomach -- your body is crying out for nutrients in food, so filling up on water won't satisfy you for long. Of course staying hydrated is important for maintaining your overall energy and body functioning, but contrary to popular belief, drinking it in excess won't boost your metabolism or flush away fat.




# 6. Myth: When you're on a diet, drinking juice is a no-no.
# Fact: Juice gets such a bad rap these days, but the truth is, juice isn't inherently bad for you, provided you're actually drinking juice -- not a juice drink. Juice drinks are loaded with added sugar and preservatives. So check the label to be sure you're only reaching for 100 percent juice. The caveat? Because juice is much more concentrated than fruit, you need much less of it. Limit yourself to 4-ounce servings of juice, Sass says. Of course, whenever possible, you should choose whole fruit over juice, because fruit contains fiber, which fills you up, and is left behind when you extract the juice.


# 7. Myth: All sugar is bad for you.
# Fact: When it comes to the sweet stuff, not all sugar is created equal. Food labels don't distinguish between added sugar and sugar that was naturally in the food to begin with, says Sass. For example, most dieters wouldn't consider eating canned fruit because of the grams of sugar listed on the label. However, if it's packaged in its own juice, then you're just eating the sugar that was already in the fruit. Lots of good-for-you foods naturally have sugar in them, such as low-fat milk, says Sass. Instead of looking at the grams of sugar on the nutrition label, read the ingredient list. Foods containing items like high fructose corn syrup should be kept to a minimum.


# 8. Myth: Exercising on an empty stomach burns more fat.
# Fact: If only it were that easy. The real deal? When you do aerobic exercise, your body is burning fat as well as carbohydrate stores from food you've recently eaten, says Sass. So if you skip your pre-workout meal or snack, you won't have carb stores to burn. But that doesn't mean you'll burn all fat (a physiologically impossibility). Instead, your body starts to burn its own muscle for fuel. And less muscle means lower metabolism -- not the goal of any dieter. Not to mention that exercising on empty means you'll probably be too tired to go all out, which translates into burning fewer calories during your workout than if you had properly fueled up beforehand. Ideally, you should have a meal three or four hours before a workout, or a snack one to two hours before exercising.


# 9. Myth: Drinking liquid meal replacements will help shrink your stomach.
# Fact: No way. Liquid diets are strictly for babies! Any shrinking that happens from a liquid diet is likely to be in your imagination -- not in your stomach, says Blatner. Why? "Your stomach is a muscular organ that will stretch temporarily when you eat, and then return back to its normal size." There is nothing you can do to shrink your stomach, she says. As you diet, over time you may get used to eating less, but that's not because your stomach has actually shrunk.


# 10. Myth: Eating grapefruit will help you burn fat.
# Fact: That eating grapefruits will help you lose weight is one of the most persistent among diet myths -- and just when you think it's gone, it resurfaces and becomes all the rage again every few years. "It's ridiculous," says Neporent. "There is no food that has intrinsic 'fat burning enzymes' that magically melt fat from your body. There was one study that demonstrated the effectiveness of this diet, notes Neporent. However, it was small, isolated, and there is some question as to whether the citrus industry sponsored the research. If you want to eat grapefruit as part of a well-rounded diet, go for it. They're rich in lycopene -- an antioxidant that protects against heart disease and breast cancer, says Keecha Harris, DrPH, RD, and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Incorporate it and other lycopene-rich foods such as tomatoes and watermelon into your diet each day, she says.



--Jennifer Fields

[f8nacn]

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00

I chose my friends because of who they are. If I wanted to tell her what to do, then why would I choose her? I'll suggest things nicely, give her advice when needed, and help her with things, but when it comes to my best friends the only thing i feel the need to tell them about is their drunk driving.

That's my point exactly...you shouldn't choose a friend based on looks...that person could be the very person to stick to you when times are hard....and when you need someone to be there for you.


Telling someone WHAT TO DO is different than offering suggestions and input...

[Adelphean]

99.9% of overweight/obese people KNOW that they are overweight or obese.

If I had a friend walk up to me and say smoking is bad and you shouldn't do it, I'd say hmmmm... I must have missed the memo on that, but thanks for letting me know.

If I had a friend come up to me and say you're overweight and being overweight is bad for you, I'd say fuck you, and not be their friend anymore.

Larger people don't need to be told that they're fat. I think they get the message when that size 16 just doesn't fit anymore.

There a PLENTY of things that are bad for you including smoking and being overweight. But in the end.... if you're not the one who is the smoker or is overweight, it's not your problem and it's DEFINITELY none of your business.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Adelphean

99.9% of overweight/obese people KNOW that they are overweight or obese.

If I had a friend walk up to me and say smoking is bad and you shouldn't do it, I'd say hmmmm... I must have missed the memo on that, but thanks for letting me know.

If I had a friend come up to me and say you're overweight and being overweight is bad for you, I'd say fuck you, and not be their friend anymore.

Larger people don't need to be told that they're fat. I think they get the message when that size 16 just doesn't fit anymore.

There a PLENTY of things that are bad for you including smoking and being overweight. But in the end.... if you're not the one who is the smoker or is overweight, it's not your problem and it's DEFINITELY none of your business.

If you watch a friend's weight balloon within a short period of time, I'd be VERY concerned. That's often a sign something else is going on.

I don't see any reason why you can't sit down and say, Hey, I'm worried about you. That's honest and caring and not mean at all.

I had to do it for a friend of mine who, despite her diabetes, would either eat nothing, or lots of sugar, and would binge and purge. Not confronting was dangerous.

The same can be true of someone who gets drunk to the point of unconciousness regularly, or who smokes so much they sound 80 when they're 19... And, I think of someone who's overweight to the point of very very unhealthy.

If you're a friend, it should be your business. You're supposed to look out for each other...

[f8nacn]

Originally Posted by Adelphean

There a PLENTY of things that are bad for you including smoking and being overweight. But in the end.... if you're not the one who is the smoker or is overweight, it's not your problem and it's DEFINITELY none of your business.

So if it was a family member would you still say that it is their business and say that it isn't your problem?