My friend says the exact same thing-she's Italian American and won't give up her bread and pasta. Her doc wants to put her on statins.

I find it amazing that a two of my friends that I work with have told me that they are willing to do cardio, eat low calorie & low fat (while feeling hungry much of the day)---all for the purpose of losing weight.

These friends just told me that they cannot go without bread or pasta, so they couldn't do low carb!!!! How strange is that. They are willing to do all of the above, but something as simple as low carb is just too hard!!!

They of course are not willing to give low carb a try. I tried to explain that the effort effort made for the result is soooooo much greater for low carb than all the rest out there!!!!!

I just lost 7.2 lbs this week!!!!!!!!! I am three weeks into Low Carb.

Actually, Gary Taubes has a really compelling argument as to why some people get fat and some do not. He says (actually, he summarizes what the scientific literature suggests) that essentially people vary in terms of how much carbohydrate they can handle. For some people, even a small amount of carbs causes the release of insulin, which is the fat storage hormone. Once insulin is released the metabolic equilibrium shifts in the direction of fat storage rather than fat release for use by the muscles. When fat is stored and not released for use, the result is hunger and a desire to eat. A nasty vicious cycle. Most obese people may actually eat a lot because they're hungry a lot due to metabolic imbalances. These people, according to Taubes, are not lazy or gluttonous. It's not a character flaw. He says, also, that there are no satisfactory studies that can establish the safety of living on low or no carbs indefinitely, although this may be the only answer for people who are morbidly obese.

Some people just cannot handle carbohydrates, and even small amounts will make them fat. I am one of those people. Although I am not obese (but do come in at the very high end of "normal"), I can totally understand how obesity is possible because I know that once I start giving myself free rein on carbs (I've even been stupid enough to try being vegetarian), I can balloon pretty bad.

Wow, does that sound familiar! This same friend exercises 2 hours a day everyday. couldn't she find a better way to spend her time than on the treadmill or doing yoga? It so much easier to tweak the way that you eat thank spend hours exercising. And if you read Taubes' book, he doesn't make a strong case for exercise anyway.

This same friend took a nutrition course at a university and they brainwashed her with the low fat BS. Needless to say, we have to avoid the topics of eating and exercise.

BTW congrats on your awesome weightloss!

i think some just have a higher metabolism. I had a male friend in college that was stick thin but that man ate like a pig. he was always stuffing food in his face. His doctor told him he needed to gain weight so he was putting putter on hot dogs and chugging a galon of chocolate milk to try to gain weight. lol

I have a friend like that. She used to drink those weight gain shakes to try and gain, but it never worked.

I think maybe you can blame your genetics. My husband is like this too. Funny... he doesn't get sugar induced cravings either... no sweet tooth. Have you ever watched your bodies reaction to sugars and carbs? My blood sugar gets pretty high when I eat the wrong foods and then it goes very low... and when it's low, I think I'm hungry (I feel hungry) and I REALLY want carbs. I put weight on very easily too. It's a different physical make-up and the reactions within the body are different. I'm jealous... but not much I can do about it

M-E-T-A-B-O-L-I-S-M ......and genetics of course.

iI would have to say that matabolism can be changed, for example depending on the food you eat LC, sicknesses etc..

I did not have a weight problem for the first 26 years of my life, so obviously something changed my metabolism, genetics stay the same......

When I started gaining weight 5 years ago, I never really ate a large amount of food. Midmorning snack was three taco bell tacos, or some sort of Mcmuffin style sandwich . Most days lunch was a Whopper jr., small fries and a coke,and that was enough to fill me up. Of course, it was a Whopper jr., small fries and a coke. Not the best thing in the world. Then there were usually beers after work with the guys. None of that light beer crap for me, it was either Sam Adams, or Sierra Nevada pale ale.

Dinner was usually a home made, delicious meal, but it was usually something pretty carb heavy. Like Martha Stewart style mac and cheese, with sour creme on top. Gods, that was good. Not very good for me though. Great big steak with huge baked potato. Chicken Caesar salad, with giant croûtons and fresh bread to go along with it. Home made beef broccoli with fried and white rice. Lasagna and garlic bread, and lots of spaghetti with home made meat sauce.

It was all poisoning me! I miss it sometimes, but then I look at some of the pictures I have of me at my 31st birthday party, and then look at pictures of me at my 36th and all of a sudden I don't miss those foods very much. Once a month I will have a day when I can have a carb rich food so I still get to eat those things but I have to adjust my cooking style since I no longer make enough to freeze or have leftovers.

The major change in my lifestyle that happened right before the weight gain was tearing all the ligaments in my left ankle, and being unable to run 20 miles a week with out hurting it again. My eating habits never changed, but my exercise dropped down to nothing. I was still doing alot of physical work, which is why I think it was such a gradual thing at first.

Genetics stay the same over the years but your hormone levels do NOT. Hormones effect fat storage.

I agree with that Oh, by the way I did get Mononucleosis (very bad case) when the weight gain started, and when it started I mean 5 to 7 pounds gained each week for about four months !

I would really love to know what exactly changed in me just because I got mono?

One thing that gave me some insight into my own problem was when I took fenfluramine (the "bad" part of the infamous phen-fen combo). That was the only time in my life that I could eat normally and not want to overeat. It seemed like it flipped a switch in my brain. I lost 120 lbs on that stuff! It proved to me that there is something "broken" in me that could use some fixing.

Actually I just remembered another time that my appetite was completely changed...and that was when I was pregnant. I completely lost my "sweet tooth," and actually found sweet things revolting for about the first 16 weeks. I really, really wish that effect would have lasted.

There was a really good article in NY Magazine a few months back- I wish I still had it. Our bodies are smart- it's not that they slow down or speed up so much as they do what they can to maintain homeostasis. If you work out a bunch, you will replace many if not all of those calories eventually (unless you excessively work out and count each and every calorie). This is why Atkins works- you are able to replace your calories, but because of where they come from, your body itself feels that it can maintain homeostasis without holding on to every last calorie.
The article even mentioned low-carb as the *ONLY* way to solve most weight crises.

When I gained 5 lbs in a week this summer, the first thing they did was test me for mono. Epstein-barr can slow down your system and increase water retention- it will also make your body hold on to fat and body weight. I didn't have mono- with me a lot of the weight was really water weight (and it is still there, lovely hormones). So yes, mono can make you gain weight, and it can also make you more susceptible to water weight gain.