Weight loss – 5.2kg in one week!

What I’m saying TSY is it is easy for people to generalise, but we are all different and lead different lives. Some mothers/fathers have more money/support/free time than others. My wife and I juggle child care and take turns going to the gym, I can’t go as many times as I like as I used to. I have always been into fitness and interested in nutrition, so it comes fairly easy to me, but I can easily see this isn’t the case for everyone.

Molly – IMO it’s psychological differences that make it easier or harder.

A better question then… what advice would you give to the average 30 something mother of 3 to help her stay/get slim?

Bagstard… agreed, good point. I’m not as much of a diet Nazi as people may think. The psychological support needed for individuals may be different, I wouldn’t particularly advocate exercise… less food has got to go in the mouth in the majority of cases though!

dont eat off your kids plates, eat less, move more. teach your kids how to cook using raw ingredients, train the kids to enjoy snacking on veg instead of choc and crisps so the ‘treats’ in the house that everyone can access are carrot sticks.

use the kids as resistance training

Molly – IMO it’s psychological differences that make it easier or harder.

Far less significant than the physiological ones, I think. We all know people who can and do eat like crap and are skinny. That proves that it’s physical, and it’s not at all rare.

Why do people keep saying how simple it is to stay slim?

errr, because it is!

OK, I’m a slightly hyperactive kinda person, and I don’t sit still for long! but I still cook all my food from scratch, (and make my gf her dinner for the week!!) BUT I don’t eat giant bags of crips, I don’t eat muffins, I don’t eat all the crap stuff that’s all over the supermarket!

people need to be honest with themselves about it really, it’s easy to take it loads of calories, and getting rid of them is pretty hard. (I read somewhere that 1 digestive is 20 mins of running!!)

Personally I ditched bread etc at the start of the year and generally live a loosely based primal/idiet life. It works well for me and I enjoy it, but your average person wont be able to get their head around it. Things have got to change, but with processed food being such big business I don’t have much hope. I’m no food Nazi either, but bread and pasta are a treat for me now, as opposed to staple foods.

Molgrips – I bet they don’t overeat though!! What they eat may not be that healthy but they don’t eat too much of it. Fat people eat too much… it is that simple. ‘Why they do’ is where I have sympathy and is the problem that needs addressing.

emsz, I have to ask you my usual diet related question, how old are you? I know you should never ask a lady, but the younger you are, the easier it is to stay slim. In theory many things are easy, but in practice this is often not the case. My dad is now 65 and weighs nine stone for his 5’6″ frame, he has never had much of an appetite or interest in food, we are all different.

emsz – I agree with you, but I happen to think you have the very same approach to diet that my Mrs does… it’s not that conventional IMO… but if you can do it… it’s a piece of piss to stay slim.

bagstad, I’m 21. I’m 160cm and I weigh 45kg.

I’m lucky I suppose,both my parents are naturally slim, but my auntie (mum sister) is about the same height as me, but about 100kg? (easily) and that’s food that does that!!

agree with Yeti here, why people eat what they do is important, but it IS food.

Edit: Yeti, she likes being hungry? I know I’ve got issues with food, and I know it’s not that rare, probably just as unhealthy as being overweight

21 em, no kids yet… 🙂

emsz – She’s got amazing self control and will power…

Yes but her life and body will change with age and child birth. I’m just saying it is easy to make judgement in your natural physical prime. People are having children later and later, some are pregnant again before their bodies have recovered from the first. Lack o sleep with young children, all these things have an impact and you and your body are nolonger the number one priority.

Agreed Bagstard… so how do we help them? What advice do we give them?

I’m pretty sure they don’t want to join me for a dip in a lake at half 6 in the morning but they might want to stop eating cake and saying things like ‘everything in moderation, I’m only having one piece’.

Molgrips – I bet they don’t overeat though!! What they eat may not be that healthy but they don’t eat too much of it

Not true. I’ve seen it first hand. My Dad was always extremely skinny despite eating tons and tons. Now, at 65, he’s skinny with a small paunch.

I have worked with very skinny people who’ve eaten loads every day. One of my colleagues is built like me, somewhat lighter but slightly taller, and when we were on the same project (for several years) he would bring a big packed lunch, eat it mid morning and then go to the canteen for a cooked meal as well. He played football twice or three times a week, whilst I was riding 10 hours+ a week.

I also know a bloke who is the same height as me (5’11) and weighs 9.5 stone. He spent years eating as much as he possibly could to try and gain weight, but couldn’t.

So you’re wrong.

What did they eat in the evenings Mol?

How the f am I supposed to know? Of the ones I ate with in the evenings, the same as usual.

You’re onto a loser if you try to argue that everyone who eats a lot is fat. It’s just not true. End of.

How do we help them?! The million dollar question, but my personal belief is the standard western diet of carbs does not really work, but with Kellogs and co at the helm I see no hope for change. All I can do is try my best to influence those close to me, it wont be me that takes my son for his first happy meal.

Our kid eats treats regularly (but not frequently). She used to be a bit of an animal with the treaty stuff, but now she’s indifferent mostly. Plan seems to be working 🙂

My 19 month old son stayed with my MIL the other week, when I collected him at 11am he had chocolate all round his mouth and was sucking a lollypop!!! Lord give me strength!

21 em, no kids yet. unlikely either unless there’s going to be a turkey baster and **** involved. 😆

Molly It IS true, look around you, loads of fat people who’ve got fat because they eat too much calorie heavy food, there’s always going to be the odd one or two that can eat whatever they want, but for most people that’s not the case.

Molly It IS true, look around you, loads of fat people who’ve got fat because they eat too much calorie heavy food,

That’s not what I am saying.

Fat people are often fat because they eat too much, but it is NOT true that all thin people are thin because they don’t eat a lot.

Yes, but the problem isn’t thin people eating a lot and staying thin is it?

The problem is thin people eating too much and getting fat.

em, you are still very young and that may well be the route you take!
If you do your life and staying slim will be more difficult, it’s perfectly normal.

I’m not saying that is the problem.

But Yeti was assuming that it’s easy to control what you eat and stay thin because he knows lots of thin people.

What I am saying is that people’s bodies respond to what they eat VERY differently. As demonstrated by the numerous thin people who eat loads.

The consequence of that is that it’s very much harder for some people to lose weight than others. And that means it is NOT FAIR to deride everyone who’s a 10kg overweight for being weak and feeble minded.

That is my point.

it is NOT FAIR to deride everyone who’s a 10kg overweight for being weak and feeble minded.

I’m usually weak and feeble minded most Winters, deride at your pleasure 🙂

It’s a lot harder now [at 53] than it ever was in my 20s to control my weight as I wanted but still possible – probably because I’m a stubborn, awkward sod

Well I’m 15Kg overweight and it’s because I’m weak and feeble-minded :p There are times I’m having some boring vegetable-based concoction and wonder to myself what’s the point, I’d rather die fat and happy than thin and miserable. But then I find if I’m actually training it’s much easier to convince myself it’s worth it. My basic problem is I just don’t really like the taste of most of the stuff that’s good for you, or can’t be arsed with cooking tasty healthy meals when the microwave’s just sitting there…

+1 molgrips!Some people really lucked out in the genetics game, life isn’t fair!

it is NOT FAIR to deride everyone who’s a 10kg overweight for being weak and feeble minded.

hmmm, they don’t have control over going into a supermarket, choosing and paying for donuts and moving their arm to their mouth and eating them?

It’s not the whole problem I know, but not eating shit is a big start!! I don’t buy cake, if I want cake, I have to make it, I know I’m going to have to get off my butt and go into the kitchen and stir up a whole bunch of ingredients I tend not to keep them either, so 9/10 it invloves a trip to the shops and then wait an hour or two for it to be ready….I don’t eat a lot of cake…y’know 🙄

I have noticed I eat more on days when I don’t exercise – a bit counter intuitive but ……..

hmmm, they don’t have control over going into a supermarket, choosing and paying for donuts and moving their arm to their mouth and eating them?

There are people who don’t eat tons of crap and are still 10kg or more overweight.

Maybe you don’t know any of them, but I do.

I think you are missing my point a little bit here.

hmmm, they don’t have control over going into a supermarket, choosing and paying for donuts and moving their arm to their mouth and eating them?

That Channel 4 program about Secret Eaters was quite interesting and an example of how people lie to themselves, without any evidence I’d be a bit skeptical about what peope say and what they do with regard to eating habits.

Ok I’m wrong. Everyone’s a fat slob with no will power, and needs to be laughed at.

Go ahead, enjoy yourselves on me and my wife.

Molly have you ever watched the crispy-creme stand at Tesco? or at mark down time when they sell the bakery stuff cheap? those really big cookies, 5 in a pack..I’ve seen them being sold for 15p…and the people that buy them…they waddle.

People generally eat too much, and even if it’s not sweet stuff, then go to Pubs and watch them drink pint after pint, or brewers fare on Sunday lunch and the all you can eat buffet…

People are fat Molly, and they’re fat cos they eat shit all day, and bitch and moan ‘cos they can’t have ‘snacks’

Edit: Who’s laughing at you here? you do loads of exersize and you understand about food, I’m talking about people who just don’t get it!!

don, I’ll bet you know someone who is skinny, yet eats a large amount?! Surely then the opposite is perfectly feasable?!

metabolism right:

fast metabolism = eat loads, hardly put on/near impossible to put on weight. eat less, lose weight, get unwell.

slow metabolism = easy to put on weight, eat less to lose weight, eat what ‘normal people’ eat to put on weight. you can control weight with a strict diet and will power/psychological support of some sorts.

medication that effects metabolism/weight gain = can still use diet to control weight.

molly, stop taking things personally! discussing the general public, not you! if yeti’s not allowed to use himself as an example then neither is anybody else surely?!

don, I’ll bet you know someone who is skinny, yet eats a large amount?! Surely then the opposite is perfectly feasable?!

I’m one of the lucky ones, I can eat a lot and my weight doesn’t fluctuate much and I could be considered skinny at 1,83 and 70kg and generally able to eat what I want in moderation. I’ve never been a big sugar eater and what I want is not the processed crap.
Of course the opposite is true, but I think the number is a lot less than we’re being told as people are not being honest with themselves about what they’re eating.

People are fat Molly, and they’re fat cos they eat shit all day, and bitch and moan ‘cos they can’t have ‘snacks’

Do I eat shit all day then?

Do I eat shit all day then?

Are you fat?

You’re onto a loser if you try to argue that everyone who eats a lot is fat.

Not what I’m trying to say at all. I eat a lot. I’m not fat. I burn a lot of calories.

What I am trying to say is that everyone who is fat has eaten too much, for them, at some point.

I’m not laughing at anyone BTW.