I got fat because I ate too much. That means I ate more than I burned off. Overweight was the result.

But I often hear of overweight/obese people who supposedly didn't get that way from overeating. Hard for me to believe. What percent of the overweight population falls into that category?

I have a little hypothesis that if anyone loses weight from the gastro-instestinal surgery, then they were only fat in the first place because they ate too much. If all the surgery does is reduce the amount they can eat, then they didn't "need" the surgery at all. They only had to eat less.

What do you think?

Well, if you look at those who suffer from insulin resistance, you will also find that they deal with weight problems. I am sure that if you tested yourself for insulinemia or insulin resistance that you will fall under that category. Age and sex also plays a tremendous role in weight gain. Ask any perimenopausal woman.
So what is overeatingg, exactly? Is it an overeating of calories versus expenditure of those calories or is it the way our bodies respond to the job that we give it to do?

Most people who have the surgery have have already made attempts at "eating less", in the first place. People who qualify for this type of surgery do not just put on weight and then ask their doctors for the surgery. Why does the body fight these attempts? In my opinionation, it is the inability to turn off the cravings for food that causes overeating and obesity. These cravings are seated on insulin jumping up and doown uncontrollably and unmercilessly. Once a person can get rid of the insulin swings, control becomes easier. If the insulin swings are not addressed then we get into a bunch of problems.

I believe my weight problem came from a combination of genetics and emotion-driven overeating. OTOH, I watched my father balloon up on far less than most people eat until the point of needing the surgery. I don't know what kind of success he may have had on it, though, because he died from the surgery.

My whole family follows a pattern of being extremely thin until about age 20-25, then we "bloom" so to speak. I'd say about 80% of my closest relatives fall into this category. Heredity? Environment? Tough to say.

Based on my history, and my family history, I'd say there's a lot more to overweight than overeating.

Hi,
If things were that cut and dried...it'd be simple..problem solved...there'd be no overweight people...

And I guess if you starve yourself as if you had gastro-bypass surgery you'd lose weight but that's not realistic....

There are plenty of people here who eat mucho calories and lose weight...in my case; I eat more calories than I did before and I'm losing weight...and it's effortless; as opposed to my carb loaded WOL which was torture..

bob

I don't know what the percentage of people would be. However, I know that for me, I was hyperthyroid for untold number of years. I could lose weight almost by just thinking about it. Heck, I would walk 3 miles in the evening and then come home and have a huge serving of strawberry shortcake - and still lose weight! I just thought all these people who had a problem losing weight were weak-minding and had no willpower.

Then I got very ill and was diagnosed with hyperthyroid. My thyroid was "nuked" and after about 3 months I became hypothyroid. Suddenly, I was barely eating but gaining weight at a phenomenal rate. I gained more than 10 pounds in one month alone. Even after I was placed on hormone replacement therapy, I still found that I gained weight far more quickly than I ever had. My endocrinologist finally sat me down and had a discussion with after I had gained 30 pounds. I had to learn that I was now a person with a "normal" thyroid and I had to begin to learn to eat right. I could no longer just eat what I wanted and still lose weight. It was a major shift for me.

There are people (women, it seems to me more specifically) who have undiagnosed thyroid problems later in life. They suddenly begin to gain weight, even though their input of food is not that much more than it had been before. Sometimes these women experience other symptoms that allow for testing and diagnosis. Most times not. But, this is a situation where weight gain is a medical condition - hypothyroid causes your metabolism to slow down - and not one of simply overeating. So yes, hard as it might be for you to realize, weight gain (even dramatic gain) can be accomplished without overeating.

Yep all sorts of medical problems, including just a metabolism killed by constant dieting, can cause weight gain on relatively little food.

In my case, however, I definitely ate too much.

That's what I was thinking. But I also thought that instead of the surgery, the person could volunteer to be locked in a room for a few weeks/months and doctors would limit the amount of food. The result, I think, would be the same as if they had the surgery.

Would they then continue to eat less? No. They'd still have the cravings and would put the weight back on. But maybe with counseling and an Atkins diet, the cravings would diminish and the weight would stay off?

But was eating less still the solution?

If not, then how does someone with a thyroid condition lose weight?

If such a person was training for a marathon, would they still put weight on?

That's what I think it is.

At the same time, however, you've got to eat enough nutrition to be healthy. This thread is really asking if there are people who eat just enough nutrition to be healthy, and nothing extra, and then still get fat.

My story is probably somewhat unusual. I have never eaten any fast food, I've never eaten chips, cookies, cakes, other junk food, I have subsisted on low-cal, low-fat for over 10 years and did nothing but GAIN weight. I watch heavier people eat unbelievable quantities of fried foods, fast food, junk food and I understand why they are heavy, I never understood why I was heavy when I didn't eat those things.............

When I was younger & thinner, I exercised every single day, when I gained I wasn't exercising at all or very little. I've been tested for thyroid, all were normal. No one in my family has a weight problem, I am the ONLY one, so it isn't genetic.

I'm now doing Atkins, and losing VERY slowly, but I am also exercising every day of the week, and this habit I intend on being a permanent one...............

I've been starving myself for years, and it obviously doesn't work. Even with Atkins, I find myself counting calories, and by keeping calories lower, I wasn't losing and stalled easily. It's hard to get to the mindset that I have to eat a LOT of healthy food to lose weight, it's amazing I don't have an eating disorder, I can see easily how I could be so obsessed with food, but I'm trying to do it the healthy way..............

I never yo-yo dieted, so I can't blame that either..........

LL

The locked in a room idea has been done in clinical studies of metabolism. Not really practical as far as everyday application, though.

Most who decide on the surgery, that I am aware of, have HAD counselling beforehand and have already FAILED to stay on ANY eating plan, including Atkins. For most who seek out the surgery, it's the last resort AFTER trying everything else.

The sugery makes it impossible for a person to eat as much as they used to. So... it's really just that. Many people have a very difficult time following through with their choice to eat less (or eat healthier). I don't believe it's a will power issue either. It's not normal to starve yourself.
One of the greatest benifits of LC is that is gets us off the insulin/hunger rollercoaster.
Just for fun, I'm going to oversimplify choices people can make...
Carbs ---> high insulin --->storage of carbs(as fat or glycogen)---> hunger
or
Fat/Protein ---> less insulin ---> energy instead of storage

It's hard to not eat when your always hungry.

Changing the subject... Have you ever seen the 'life extension' people that eat very low calorie because it has the potential to increase life span. I saw an interview with one guy who for years (and the rest of his life apparently) ate 1500 cals. per day. He was thin... but not muscular or toned. This might be related to a 'set point' issue. Our bodies seek to maintain homeostasis. (A certain % of body fat)

Thinking about such thin people makes me hungry! Hard to believe only 1500 calories would actually make them healthier.

I love to eat. I love so many foods. This dieting stuff is very difficult. But I'm making progress, and I'm not starving myself. And I feel in control that I'm not going to revert back to the old ways once the weight is gone. The old days are gone, and I'm not a kid anymore, and if I eat like I am a kid, then I'll just be a fatter old man.

Jeff, find something else to love, and your love of food won't be so strong...........food is apparently taking the place of something else.

I recommend Dr. PHils' Weight Loss Solution, it has a lot of great info in there, but I don't agree with his low-cal, low-fat mentality, the rest is awesome.

LL

I was fat, and didn't eat too much. In fact, I usually ate less than my friends/coworkers yet I continued to pile on weight.

This was a combination of two things... I was making awful food choices (high carb, not from fruits or veggies) and I wasn't exercising.

After my initial success losing at LC, I started exercising again, and I've never felt better.

--nw