Weight getting me down

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  • onlyroz
    onlyroz Posts: 17,661
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    I'm really not getting the problem with calorie counting. I get the point about being told that certain foods are "bad" - but I don't see the issue with giving yourself a daily calorie allowance (based on your weight, age, sex and activity level) and then deciding what to eat based on that allowance. So if you want a cream cake then no probs, go ahead and eat it without guilt - but note that if you have this as well as a big dinner based around red meat and chips then you should make sure you have a much lighter breakfast and lunch.
  • Anoneemoose
    Anoneemoose Posts: 2,258
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    edited 17 April 2017 at 8:38PM
    onlyroz wrote: »
    I'm really not getting the problem with calorie counting. I get the point about being told that certain foods are "bad" - but I don't see the issue with giving yourself a daily calorie allowance (based on your weight, age, sex and activity level) and then deciding what to eat based on that allowance. So if you want a cream cake then no probs, go ahead and eat it without guilt - but note that if you have this as well as a big dinner based around red meat and chips then you should make sure you have a much lighter breakfast and lunch.

    https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/draxe.com/6-reasons-calorie-counting-crazy/amp/

    http://primaltoad.com/calorie-counting/

    I appreciate these are not links to scientific studies, but they explain the point I am trying to make. Calorie counting is largely innacurate due to error margins allowed in food etc. Calorie counting encourages unneccesary focus on the numbers, which generally takes away the enjoyment in eating. The human body was designed to regulate itself, with all of its different systems, and regulating appetite and hunger and fullness signals is an example of that. As I have stated, interfering with our natural hunger and satiety cues is what has caused the problem with that.

    I also acknowledge that taking in less energy than you expend will essentially lead to weight loss, from a physics point of view. However, as I explained previously, that does not take into account all of our other biological processes. Why is it when you're told you can't have something, you want it more? You crave it? Because your brain believes it is restricted. Same when you have 'used' all your calories one day. Most people will end up preoccupied with the fact they can't eat any more, even if they are genuinely hungry. Your body naturally knows when it needs more and when it doesn't, and usually what of as well..hence my craving celery example. And my example of the fact some days I could eat like a horse, and others, more like a sparrow.
  • prosaver
    prosaver Posts: 7,026
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    well they say that dairy product have high calcium and this makes you not absorb the fat in dairy. goes out the other end,
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/humanbody/truthaboutfood/slim/calcium.shtml



    so the calories in diary must be wrong as it was only discovered lately.
    “Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
    ― George Bernard Shaw
  • Anoneemoose
    Anoneemoose Posts: 2,258
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    prosaver wrote: »
    well they say that dairy product have high calcium and this makes you not absorb the fat in dairy. goes out the other end,
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/humanbody/truthaboutfood/slim/calcium.shtml



    so the calories in diary must be wrong as it was only discovered lately.

    And there is always a margin of error allowed on foods. This may not be as significant with natural food, but certainly anything manufactured or processed (even minimally) in any way.

    Most people are aware now that fat isn't the baddie it was once thought to be either. But, probably most importantly, counting anything isn't conducive to peaceful eating.
  • theoretica
    theoretica Posts: 12,246
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    edited 17 April 2017 at 9:47PM
    I am convinced that BMI is used by many health professionals as a way of reducing the personal aspects of saying 'to my expert eye you look too fat'. Personally, I would trust the expert eye more than the numbers.

    One of the studies on BMI and health/lifespan which I found really interesting broke the statistics down by age. As I recall, the BMI with the statistically best outcome increases slightly with age. I can't find the article I am thinking of, but this one has similar results https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/44/5/1696/2594570/Sex-age-specific-association-of-body-mass-index
    But a banker, engaged at enormous expense,
    Had the whole of their cash in his care.
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  • Anoneemoose
    Anoneemoose Posts: 2,258
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    theoretica wrote: »
    I am convinced that BMI is used by many health professionals as a way of reducing the personal aspects of saying 'to my expert eye you look too fat'. Personally, I would trust the expert eye more than the numbers.

    One of the studies on BMI and health/lifespan which I found really interesting broke the statistics down by age. As I recall, the BMI with the statistically best outcome increases slightly with age. I can't find the article I fam thinking of, but this one has similar results https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/44/5/1696/2594570/Sex-age-specific-association-of-body-mass-index

    Yes, this is probably true.

    This bit is what I was referring to earlier:

    Being overweight or obese has been linked with diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers. However, the relationship between body mass index (BMI; weight in kilograms divided by square of height in metres; kg/m 2 ) and all-cause mortality remains controversial. 1–7 A recent systematic review 2 has indicated that being overweight may modestly decrease the risk of death, and that grade I obesity (BMI of 30–34.9) may not increase the risk of death.
  • arbrighton
    arbrighton Posts: 2,011
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    Not that anyone is hijacking OP's thread or anything....
  • Anoneemoose
    Anoneemoose Posts: 2,258
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    arbrighton wrote: »
    Not that anyone is hijacking OP's thread or anything....

    I think you'll find that OP has agreed with some of the points I (and probably others) have made.

    'Traditional' weight loss methods have obviously not had the desired effect for OP, so why not discuss relevant things?
  • System
    System Posts: 178,076
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    If it makes you feel any better OP i have 10st to lose so you're already halfway to being much slimmer than me :)

    I'm lucky (lucky isnt really the right word) that my mum and i are very similar. We've both been up and down with weight and understand each others struggles. When i find something that works i tell her and vice versa.

    For me the only diet thats worked is the 5:2 one, i tried slimming world and put on a stone in a month! I cannot eat that much food and not put on weight. I find fasting 2 days a work works well for me, i fast when i'm working and at mine and eat more balanced meals during the week at the bf's.

    I don;t exercise at all atm (bad yes) but as soon as i can i'm going to try and start doing zumba and swimming again. They are the only exercises i enjoy, so maybe if you tried out a few classes you may find something that you enjoy?
  • Helentiful
    Helentiful Posts: 12
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    You actually need to want to lose weight. There's no quick fix and perhaps there is some underlying problem. I personally think your first port of call is the doctor. They could refer you for counselling or they could refer you to a dietician. I really think you ought to talk to someone ... other than your parents because I sadly see them as one of your problems. I lost 4 stone a few years back and it only happened because I wanted it to and I was ready - I didn't join a club, I was just in that mindset, which is where you need to be. Good Luck. I'm on your side x
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