How to lose weight - it's simple

Anoneemoose wrote: »

But WHY do they do all of this? Because it is completely unnatural and going AGAINST their bodies. You are obviously one of a very tiny minority.

And again, it is NOT a failure to keep up the willpower, it their bodies fighting against what they are putting it through.

Willpower means sweet Fanny Adams when your body is telling you its starving.

Your body is unlikely to be starving, and far more likely to be going through withdrawal symptoms from the sugar it's hooked on. Same with something like caffeine. The body goes through terrible withdrawal symptoms if it is deprived of its however many a day cups that have been inflicted on it. Headaches, sweats, a feeling like having the flu. Even the shakes. Sugar in its refined form is incredibly addictive.

Anoneemoose wrote: »

Have you heard of the Minnesota Starvation Experiment? 1500 calories for example was classed as semi starvation. I have previously calculated my BMR as approx 1650 kcals. This would mean I would need to consume 1150 kcals daily in order to lose 1lb a week. Starvation.

You are supposed to go 25% below TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) not BMR. Never go below BMR or it will not be nice!

I prefer to eat more so I exercise more to compensate.

The easiest way to lose weight is to eat less carbs i.e. to eat less bread or pasta.

Most people will find that cutting bread and pasta cuts their weight.

FBaby wrote: »

You don't seem to understand what starvation mean and hang on to the believe that feeling 'hungry' is your body telling you it need more food. Most 'hunger' is mental, it's your brain tricking you to believe that it needs more food. If you put on weight, it means your body is storing fat. If it is storing, it is because it does not need it.

I get the feeling that having tried so hard for so long and failed to keep the weight down, you've given up and dealing with it by convincing yourself that there is nothing you can do and therefore shifting the onus of control. You are right that with that mind frame, you are unlikely to ever lose weight successfully and I think it is exactly the reason why there is an obese pandemic.

If you get to the point when you keep telling yourself 'it's not my fault and there is nothing I can do about it, I'm different to all those slim people' then it is not going to happen. I do believe that you have to be in the right mental frame to tackle any battle, if you're not, you are just wasting your time as you will only focus on what you can't do rather than what you can.

Semi starvation was classed as 1560 kcals in the Minnesota experiment, which I mentioned because of the effect it had mentally on people who were picked specifically because of their general good mental and physical health. My recommended calorie intake based on TDEE (not BMR as I put above - got them mixed up) would have been 1150 per day for the 500 deficit I would need to lose 1lb per week. Or going by Fireblade's calculation, less than 1170. As I said, starvation. I have previously survived on 1000kcals a day for months, during one of my many attempts to lose weight. My body never got used to being on that amount of kcals..I was constantly fatigued, my hair fell out, I felt nauseous and had headaches. I persevered for so long because I thought it was the best and healthiest thing for me to do.

I am not saying "it's not my fault", I know I am the only person who feeds me. However, I am blaming the advice and information we have been given for so long. I mean, think of the 'low fat' rubbish that was spouted for so long.

I kind of agree with your reasons for their being an obesity pandemic, but I don't think it's because people haven't got willpower or because we think it's 'not our fault'. It's because the methods we have been using for so long have not produced permanent results and maybe that's why we're at a loss as to what to do, bearing in mind everything we have tried previously has not given us the desired result. As I say, restriction in any form breeds bingeing behaviours, in the majority. I am glad the small few on here have found a way to do it, but as I keep saying, you are the minority.

dktreesa..I know people don't need to give up food completely to lose weight - you missed my point. It would be easier if we could without any issues. The fact that people need to have food while trying to lose weight can cause the problems in the first place..the thoughts about the 'right' foods, good and bad, healthy and unhealthy, how many calories do I need..etc etc. This in itself makes people miserable and obsessed.

I have also said before, I am not trying to not take responsibilty for myself. I think if you knew me and knew just how much time and effort I had put into weight loss efforts over the years, you would know this. As I said, I don't profess to know what the answer is, but I do believe that the so called solutions to the obesity 'crisis' have in fact been the cause of it.

Going forward, my approach will be 'health at every size', taking the focus off my weight. I have health issues, both mental (OCD) and physical (PCOS - which was there prior to weight gain and ME and Fibromyalgia which seemed to exacerbate weight gain), so I will do the best I can. I try and eat a good range of whole foods, while at the same time noticing my hunger and fullness signals. I don't eat until I am stuffed, or feeling ill like I used to (even on 'healthy' foods). I am getting to a point where I am listening to my body and responding accordingly. And for me, that's enough for now.

My recommended calorie intake based on TDEE (not BMR as I put above - got them mixed up) would have been 1150 per day for the 500 deficit I would need to lose 1lb per week

If this was to go by (and frankly unless you are totally inactive, I would doubt its validity anyway), my advice would be to aim at 1lb every two weeks rather than one. What matters is not the focus on losing the weight, even if that's the reward, but adapting one's eating habits which should mean that at some stage, some weight is loss, even if it takes 3 years or more.

As I say, restriction in any form breeds bingeing behaviours, in the majority.

As above, to lose weight, or even to stop putting it on, some restrictions will have to apply, there is no other way about it, however, there is extreme restrictions and restrictions that are just about readjusting habits.

I think most people fail to keep the weight off because it is harder to adhere to smaller restrictions, but doing so forever, than more drastic restrictions but with an end in mind. The feel good feeling that comes with losing weight is also much more of an incentive to stick to these restrictions than just staying the same weight is.

I am getting to a point where I am listening to my body and responding accordingly. And for me, that's enough for now.

If this means not putting more weight on, then that's good. If it means losing weight, even very slowly, then that is definitely the right method for you.