Does anyone else get this?! "Why are you watching your carbs? Fad diets don't work. Just eat less and exercise more!" And you know, it ALWAYS comes from people who you know have never dieted a day in their lives.

News flash, people! If you can honestly lose weight at a decent rate just eating less and exercising more, you don't have a weight problem!!! I have had a weight problem all my life, and if I keep to 1500 calories per day and exercise DAILY incorporating cardio and strength, I can MAINTAIN my weight as long as I don't cheat. To lose weight?! Not a chance.

I'm sick to death of people who are maybe 5 to 10lbs overweight, they're getting a little tight into their jeans, and they say "oh any time I want to lose weight I just cut out Coke for a few weeks! Try it!"

Which brings me to my next point... Just cuz I'm fat, why does it have to mean I eat a lot of junk?! I NEVER have Coke or sweets, I don't eat chips or snack food. I get fat off of FOOD period. So how much of it do I have to cut out and how many times do I have to run around the block to lose a pound a month?!

Phew... I love low carb. I love that I can actually realize that 1 to 2 pounds per week that you kinda have to be losing to keep motivated. I don't even know if I could have STARTED my healthy eating plan if it was going to be YEARS before I could wear a bikini, not months...

Rant over.

Evidentally, they think being fat makes people dumb, too. Gosh, never woulda THOUGHT of that without their help!

I would like to respond with... Why don't you think more and talk less?

Hahahaha! Talk less and think more...

Love it!!! That's cute!!!

Jenn, I know exactly what you mean. Have the same thing - everyone assumes that just because you're heavy you eat all kinds of junk. At one of the basketball tournaments when I pulled out my broccoli and celery out of my purse for snacks, another (thin) mom said 'wow - all this good (junk) food they're selling and your're eating that?' I said to her 'Look at me, and I never eat junk like that. Can you imagine how big I would be if I did eat it?' She didn't know what to say!

It's one of those things that is simultaneously technically correct and emphatically stupid. If it were that cut and dried, nobody would be fat. If we were simple machines where X in = Y out, there really would not be an obesity problem.

A thin person who gives you this advice is like a virgin advising you on sex.

The thing is, I DID eat too much, and I ate too much junk and not enough healthy food. And I didn't exercise much. This kind of rebuke from people without a weight problem is even harder to take when you can't fall back on the fact that you do eat well and still can't lose weight. I knew that if only I could just eat less, I'd lose weight. I just could not muster the willpower to eat less for any length of time.

That's where low-carbing was a miracle for me. It really did decrease the hunger and cravings. I finally knew what it was like to not be hungry all the time. It's much easier to eat less when you aren't hungry all the time, constantly. For those that don't struggle against the physiology of the carb intake/blood sugar/insulin/hunger cycle that obviously was way out of whack with me, it does look that easy. They honestly don't see why people get fat.

What I don't get is why people assume that if something doesn't affect them, it can't affect anyone else. They thing just because they don't have food issues/depression/addictions/whatever, that it must not exist for anyone.

Val

Exactly, and a lot of people talk about curbing food addiction like quitting smoking, or stopping drinking... Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but praise for people who stop smoking/drinking and admire them. My dad was a HUGE smoker, and he stopped, thank heaven.

But let's be honest... You can live just fine without having another cigarette or drink, and VERY FEW if ANY ex-smokers or ex-alcoholics could have "just a little" of their addiction. Alcoholics cannot have one drink EVER (at least has been my understanding) and ex-smokers are quite often very cautious of where they end up because even second hand smoke can trigger a craving...

Well, you cannot live without food! So while a lot of people want to compare food addiction to "well I quit smoking/drinking so it isn't THAT hard..." it really isn't the same. I don't know about you guys, but if there was a way I could live and thrive without eating, I'd find it infinitely easier than severely restricting portions, or drastically changing the foods I eat. Especially in our fast food society. Heck, even the food you buy to cook pretty often is junk.

Jenn123, I have had that happen often. I have been a slow loser due to medical problems (thiroid and diabetes) so people will say things like see low carb doesn't work. You have been doing this for 2 years and have only lost 30 pounds. I have to remind them and myself that I am on this for health reasons. My blood work is much better than when I started. Lots of other problems cleared up that I didn't realize were food related.
I can stick with this for the rest of my life, which is good because that is what I'm going to do. At least I'm down 30 pounds, not up! If I lose another 30 in the year great! I not, I'm still better off. This usually gets people to back off!

Congrats to you, Judy!

Sure, eat less exercise more works. However, some diets are easier for people to stick to than others so it is a matter of finding what works for you. We all have different issues with foods and different things we are going to have to try to do to overcome those issues.

^ exactly. any diet will work. the key is consistency. I have learned that. And now I am 150 pounds lighter.

find what works...be it low-carb, excercise etc. and just as importantly a diet that you can stick with. If the diet is too hard, or can't imagine being on it for long-term then it is not for you! whether that is low-carb or not.

I totally agree with this .!

I used to be one of those ignorant people. It's what the governments want us to believe. Your weight is only dependant upon how many calories you eat and how much you exercise, so if you are heavy, it's because you ate too much and didn't exercise. Unfortunately, a lot of medical professionals also believe that.

Insulin resistance and slowing metabolism don't get publicized, so most people are ignorant of the problems they can cause.

I spent many years gaining weight while eating low fat and exercising a lot. It wasn't until my doctor suggested that I try Atkins, that I became educated about nutrition and started eating really healthy.

People don't understand we aren't choosing to be fat. They assume we eat like them, only more. They don't realize how complex it is. For example even IF we are over eating, they don't understand it is because we might feel hungrier or less satisfied with the food we eat in some way or other. The "fat fool" stereotype doesn't help things either.