You can force yourself to be unhealthy... Just because you take vitamins doesn't mean you're healthy. you have some pretty screwed up veiws about that. You need to talk to a nutritionist and get some help planning a good diet.

It sounds like your body is reacting in an unhealthy manner.

PEOPLE. I am not starving myself. I'm not FORCING myself to do this. This is just what I'm used to. And if it's so unhealthy, how the hell and I so healthy right now? I take multivitamins every morning with breakfast, so I'm not malnourished. And I don't excercise THAT much. I do excercise, but not so much that I need 300 million calories to burn. And I'm not anywhere near skinny, either, so don't even TRY to tell me I'm starving. And somehow it's really easy to build muscle mass now.. don't ask me how, I'm just telling you what's going down with me. Before, when I used to eat every time I got a craving, I could NEVER get anywhere NEAR lifting a 45-pound saddle, no matter how much I lifted weights. Now it's relatively easy.

Aguagon, yeah, I know that. And I'm used to eating at 9 every morning and 7 every night, so THAT'S WHEN MY APPETITE KICKS IN! No problems here.

Ask my doctor if you want. I'm perfectly healthy.

You shouldn't have to starve yourself to lose weight. There are a ton of substitues out there that taste just as good, but are twice as healthy. Instead of 2% milk, try skim milk or soy. Instead of chips, try rice cakes or granola bars. Instead of ice cream, try frozen yogurt. Always have fruit and veggies around the house. If you have to have grains, make sure they're whole wheat. Maybe even get your family in on the diet with you. Find friends to go jogging with. There are so many solutions, if people would only take the time and energy to try them. I've gotten into weight lifting and jogging, which are two really great forms of exercise. Instead of driving around town, I ride my bike. Pedometers are great to keep track of how much you walk if jogging is a little too much for you. Set a goal to walk 10,000 steps a day and keep track every week.
And I don't judge people that are obese. My best friend is over weight. But she wants to get into shape and start eating better, so I invite her to go jogging and swimming with me and try to get her into some of the healthier food I eat.
And I agree, it would be really embarrassing to have to be in gym and struggle with it. But everyone has a different physical level and they shouldn't be made fun of for it.
I lift weights with my boyfriend. He benches 180 pounds and I'm next to him looking pretty pathetic trying to get 60. Do people laugh at me? Sure. I look pretty stupid and it's embarrassing. But I still keep lifting and I'm getting better. The only way anyone can get better is if they just get out there and do it.
I'm not saying it's okay to make fun of people who are over weight, it's not. Embarrassing them into losing weight isn't the right way to go. But I won't feel sorry for them if they don't do anything to try and change that.

You need to eat more often than when your stomach growls.

And if you take in too few calories, your body can go into "starvation" mode which isn't good.

quote:

Originally posted by RebelCowgurl91:
I know they say teens should have at least 2000 calories a day, but I barely take in 500.

Eating 500 calories a day is not healthy either. If you're taking in less than 1500, it is extremely difficult to be getting the proper nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. At 500, I suspect it's impossible. And if you exercise a lot, you need even more.

quote:

Appetite means nothing.

Interesting point to bring up. As you kind of imply, your real appetite and your "conditioned" appetite are indeed two entirely seperate things. If you have a snack every day at 2:30, you condition yourself to be hungry at 2:30. Even if you eat an extremely big 1:30 lunch one day, you're still probably going to be hungry at 2:30. That's why it's important to pay attention to your real appetite and not your "conditioned appetite", especially when you're trying to lose weight.

True, some people have really slow metabolisms, and I'm one of them. But you can still manage your weight. You do not NEED to eat all day. I know they say teens should have at least 2000 calories a day, but I barely take in 500. I just don't eat that much. I eat breakfast around 9 and nothing but the occasional few sunflower seeds until dinner around 7. I only eat when I need to, which is rarely, because my stomache empties real slow. Do this: Only eat when you're hungry. It's awesome. Just resist your appetite, because my appetite used to kick in, like, every 5 seconds. Appetite means nothing. Eat when your stomache growls. It's not an eating disorder, it's a way of life: treat food like a necessity, not a luxury or a pastime.

As a skinny and athletic person, I feel that obese people should be sympathized with. People often become obese out of depression. As others have said, everyone has a different metabolism. Obese and overweight people ought to encouraged to excersice. But think about how embarrassing it is for the obese to participate in gym class when they can't even complete a lap. I'd be embarrassed for sure.

Sorry for the double post, but I meant to comment on this:

quote:

Originally posted by Horselover14:
And I think that schools need to become more involved in the fight against America's growing obesity epidemic...no more candy and coke machines in the halls and better food in the cafeteria. You'll have kids moan and whine but it'd be worth it in the long run.

I disagree with the removal of unhealthy foods from public schools. In elementary school, yes, I think we're better off not providing the options of candy, chips and coke, because kids that young are neither mature nor informed enough to make healthy choices. By middle school, however, almost all kids have received at least basic health information and are at an age where they can begin to exercise some personal responsibility. Sheltering kids from the world of fatty, sugary foods only works for so long; as soon as these kids leave their school, they'll be bombarded by ads and opportunities to drink Pepsi and eat Snickers. Part of making healthy choices is literally making healthy choices, and that's a skill we need to be teaching children at a fairly young age.

As for the part about "better food in the cafeteria", which I take to mean schools offering a wider variety of higher quality healthy alternatives, I'm behind you 100%. When given a choice between a gray slab of mystery meat and expired milk or a candy bar and a Coke, a very health conscious person might actually choose the latter.

First of all, everyone has a different metabolism. While people with true disorders do make up a very small percentage of our population, different people handle food different ways. My Father, for instance, could probably eat just as much as or more than an obese person and add very little weight to his 6'2", 160-pound frame. Conversely, some people with "heftier genes" and slower metabolisms might need to eat under 1600 calories a day and excercise frequently just to maintain a normal weight. These differences are even more visible in teenagers: many have the traditional "teenage metabolsim" that burns huge numbers of calories with minimal excercise, while some just don't.

Having said that, obesity is generally an inexcusable health problem. The amount of caution people need to exercise to stay out of the obese zone may vary considerably from person to person, but unless you have a true disorder, you can reasonably expect to stay out of it. It goes deeper than physical appearance, too: obesity opens the door to countless other health problems that cost the U.S. roughly $120 billion annually in medical fees and lost productivity. Many health specialists predict that due to rising obesity rates (45% of Americans were classified as overweight or obese in 1980 while 65% are today), our generation may be the first to have a lower life expectancy than its predecessor.

So basically, I'm with Sunny on this one: obese people deserve our sympathy and respect as long as they're trying to slim down. I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt and assume they are.

Please don't blast me for this. Believe me, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to get out of the weight class you're in.

But it's not okay for people to be made fun of because they are overweight.

And it's not like wieght loss is a fast process. They might be working on it for all you know.

Hey, I'm with Sunny on this.

I used to be classified as obese, and am still overweight, but I'm 75 lbs lighter thanks to me getting up, moving around, and stoping eating.

And anyone who isn't trying to get back to a normal weight IS lazy. Yes some people have disorders, but those are a VERY small percentage of our population. For the most part, if you're fat, it's YOUR fault. Fix it.

You're hopeless. You don't know whether or not people are trying to lose weight. You judge them without actually knowing even though you say you would feel sympathy for them if they tried.

I'm sorry...I read that over and it really does sound horrible. I appologize. I wasn't trying to insult anyone. I was angry when I wrote it at this certain person...
And I used to be over weight. The thing is...it bugs me when people expect me to feel sorry for them when they don't put forth the effort to get into shape and eat right. If you're over weight and you're working hard to lose it, I fully support you. I think it's awesome you're getting out there and setting goals and working hard to achieve them. And if people make fun of you for it, that's wrong. But if you're not...well, I'm sorry, but my sympathy is limited.

I agree, we should totally like make this new society, where all the two ton tillies are like the untouchables and the anorexics are like the queens!!! and then, the normal people.... oh wait.... is anyone normal? Oh no! Guess what, your idea of this society doesn't work. Try again.

You're a jerk, and probably an idiot as well. I weigh slightly under 200 pounds, yet I've been dieting (no, not the yo-yo kind) since November and exercising since the beginning of the year. The total loss right now? Nine pounds. And yes, it's damn uncomfortable to have to go to school like I do. I have a bit of a gut, but the worst part is the female-like features that come along with being an overweight male. Yes, (and I know someone is laughing so just shut up) I have a bigger chest and rump. I could lose more off of my thighs, but my family has gentically large quadriceps anyway, so only so much can be done in that sector. Men's Health has been the main source of my fitness routines, and it is helping, but not as much as I had hoped. I'm even doing the little quirks my mom's magazines suggest to heighten metabolism, including eating a quarter teaspopon of honey with each meal and doing bursts of aerobic-type exercise 10 minutes 3 times a day.So until you try being 30 pounds overweight "sunny", shut your trap.

I sit in front of the computer all day, eat Double QPC's from McDonald's, and exercise only when I'm at Sears and see a treadmill that works. Yet, I weigh 145 (roughly) at 5'11". I don't quite know why. It will catch up to me when I get older, I know. And I don't exactly feel "healthy" all the time. I should be overweight. I should be one of those fools on "The Biggest Loser". But I'm not. It's all metabolism. Lucky for me, my family on my dad's side tends to be skinny. But I still should exercise and play some sports.

Typing is a sport, right?

~Big 300~

Wow, you're rude. Every one's metabolism is different. Just because your works quickly is no reason for you to judge others. Not all overweight people are lazy. I eat healthy foods (food from Trader Joes, a health store), I've played basketball, I'm quite active, I don't snack infront of the TV, yet I'm by no means skinny. I'm 20-25 pounds over weight but I don't really think it's because my habits.

Just because you were lucky enough to have a good metabolism does not make it okay for you to assume everyone else's body acts like yours does.

And whether it's someone's fault or not, it is never okay for them to be made fun of. You should feel compassion and have a will to make it stop if you see someone picked on.

I agree that obesity should not be tolerated, but we can't totally give obese kids the cold shoulder because it's shown that many turn to food in place of friends and as a source of comfort. We should support these people in good activities. And I think that schools need to become more involved in the fight against America's growing obesity epidemic...no more candy and coke machines in the halls and better food in the cafeteria. You'll have kids moan and whine but it'd be worth it in the long run.

Most kids sort of "let" themselves into it. But we can't be evil to them neither. Just try to help. And not becuase of image, just because it's bad for your health.