I won't comment on Levi's original post: everyone else has sufficiently flamed. But I've really enjoyed people's points on why we (as a culture) are obese.

My perspective:

Look at all the things we do because we "have to:" pay the bills, drag ourselves out of bed early for work, change the kitty litter, brush our teeth... generally, we don't complain much about it (well, except for the kitty litter. ) We just DO it because we HAVE to. Sometimes we slack, but it doesn't pay off: paying your bills late results in paying extra in interest, showing up late for work will get you yelled at, not brushing your teeth feels crappy and leads to cavities and a diminished social life...

... so why is it so hard to make nutrition and fitness a priority? Because we can *get away with it*, sometimes for decades, with minimal consequences. Your boss doesn't really care if you gain weight, your dentist doesn't really care, your friends and family (hopefully!) don't care... if you're slowly gaining weight, there's little concequence in your day-to-day business.

The key to maintaining good health and fitness means making it a priority every day - like brushing your teeth and getting to work - because you feel you have no choice. And when you're new to it, it's a *huge* change that offers *no* immediate gratification. Working against your best efforts are the cacophony of junk food advertising and a sedentary lifestyle culture. It has to be the most difficult change one can voluntarily undergo.

...which is why so many of you inspire me.

Kristine, you've hit on a point that I'd like to elaborate on.

Levi's post was originally posted in the TDC. It offended them and many others, which doesn't surprise me one bit.

It hurts me to think that any member would be insensitive to another member, when we're all here just doing the very best we can. But this goes double for our friends in the TDC because I think of them as our true heroes and I am so very proud of each and every one of them...AND ALL OF US!!

This board is wonderful and we all know it. It amazes me every day. Please don't allow anyone to take away what we have all worked so hard to build, and we have every reason in the world to hold our heads very, very high.

Being asked in this forum why I am so obese does not really inflame me. It puzzles me a bit. You see, I think that some people who do not have a weight problem truly believe that the problem is all a matter of will power. That is so untrue. I quit smoking when others can't. It is not will power at all.

For me, I now believe, thanks to Atkins, that it is an addiction. And like an addiction (mine to carbs) I have to fight that demon every day of my life. But it is not the same for Levi, for example. If somone has no addition to carbs then to turn down that extra portion, or that baked potato does not compare to the challenge of doing so if you are addicted to carbs. Anymore than it is the same for me and the alcoholic to say no to that drink, or anymore than comparing me to a drug addict when enticed by a barbituate.


The "just-push-yourself-away-from-the-table" mentality works fine for someone with no addition to what they are pushing from. I have absolutely no problem when "pushing away" from drugs. I even was able to push away from cigarettes. But pushing away from carbs has been a 35 year struggle. This addiction is much greater than the cigs for me.

So why am I obsese and Levi is not, genetics with a predisposition to carb addition.

Of course, when one tried to solve this problem it certainly doesn't help that the world revolves around the low fat diets, which created such a dieting problem to begin with. Perhaps one day the food industry will open their jaundice eye and see that LC is a viable market.

• Why do some people do drugs? Don't they know it's bad for them?
• Why do some people drink too much? Don't they know they'll get a hang-over, or become an alcohlic?
• Why do some people continually get in abusive relationships? Don't they learn to stop doing this after the 1st, 2nd, 3rd divorce or breakup?
• Why do some people smoke? Now I KNOW they KNOW it's bad for them!
• Why do some people continually OVERSPEND and get into debt? Don't they know that they could get into a whole heap of trouble? Not to mention the headaches and woe!
• Why do some people LIE and CHEAT and STEAL over and over again? Don't they know they could go to jail, or how that hurts their relationships with others?
• Why don't students study when they know finals are coming? Don't they know that they could FAIL or do very poorly? Don't they know it could affect the rest of their lives?
• Why do people have numerous children when they can't support them? Don't they know better?

Okay, hopefully you get the point. We are here on this earth to learn! We all fail miserably at some point in this most important journey. But what is WONDERFUL about "mankind" is we try to get better! EVERYONE, yes EVERYONE, (even the lean mean fighting machines) have "weaknesses!" I believe God gave us weaknesses as a blessing!!! Yes, a blessing!!!

Everytime I've worked hard to overcome a weakness (may be my anger, or WEIGHT), I learn that God is there waiting to help me. And he does!!!! What an invaluable lesson to learn. That there is a real power out there we can use in our lives. To learn that there is a higher being WHO IS PERFECT and all knowing and he cares/loves poor pathetic WEAK --- and fat, ME! What a wonderful lesson he teaches me, in my weakness, to rely on him and myself and overcome!

Hey, if someone all powerful and loving like that cares for me, and a drug addict, a liar, cheater, overspender, theft, etc... we all must be pretty special despite our weaknesses. Wouldn't you say?

This forum is a prime example of how we learn to help each other too. Levi, you probably have a wealth of knowledge on the subject of muscle building. You could really help someone who wants to know how to get rid of body fat. I'm slowly beginning to have a lot of knowledge on LCing. There are others in the world who have a wealth of knowledge on various things. Those talents can be used with love, to help others! I think our weaknesses teach us to be more tolerant of each other and to have compassion too. ALL wonderful traits to obtain!

Didn't mean to get "religious" but you asked why. Hopefully I answered!

I think that no matter what the reasons are for being overweight or obese, the important thing is that everyone here is trying to do something about it and for many, this is the first time in their lives that they have found something that really works for them. I applaud everyone who has not given up, but instead searched until they found a solution and continue with this WOE despite the negative attitudes and opinions of others. True strength lies not in how much weight you can lift or how hard your body is or even in your body fat percentage; it lies in how well you perservere in the face of obstacles and to all those who have perservered, I say bravo and well done!

Levi,
First of all, if you have to preface a comment with "this posting is not intended to flame anyone" then it is probably a good idea to keep it to yourself. Secondly, American women and men are beautiful people - inside and out. I think it is completely shallow to judge a whole nation of people based on their weight. I have been to Germany, by the way, but I will not make any sweeping generalizations based on my experiences with a few less than desirable people.

I want to commend everyone with their amazing restraint and their insightful replies. Your responses show you not only possess outer beauty but inner beauty and strength as well. Sadly for Levi - beauty seems to only be skin deep.

There have been a lot of excellent and informative answers to Levi's post, so I will not try to recapitulate them nor will I go into a lengthy autobiography: My opinion is that FOR MYSELF asking myself Levi's question really helped: I had to learn WHY I was a compulsive overeater and why I became one rather late in life (comparatively speaking).

I think that becoming badly overweight is often a response: perhaps to medications, perhaps to disease, perhaps to metabolism, and in my own case, and I speak not for anyone else, a response to chronic depression and also a true desire to keep people away from me. I did not want anyone to try to admire me or to get too close to me.

As an obese woman, I have often been bemused by the things that people have said to me. They ASSUME that I must be "stupid".

Levi, I wrote a book and it was a pretty popular book. The publisher asked me for a photograph of myself to put on the dust jacket. How I hated that! I did not want that to happen at all, but I dutifully got a photograph taken and sent it to the publisher.

They DID NOT include the photograph on the book; they feared that it would harm sales (although the book had nothing to do with body, diet, or body image). Obesity remains a social stigma in the USA as well as in Germany. I think that it is not asking too much, however, for this forum to deal with each of us politely and respectfully and realize that we are all here because we want to feel and look better and also to be as healthy as we can be.

I am not happy about being obese and I am clearly doing something about it. I had to look not only at my diet, but at my psyche and my personal history to start to understand something about why I am obese.

But first I did have to ask myself the very same question that Levi asked: why did I get obese? What was the pay-off for me?

I cannot comment, not knowing, about the different reasons people get obese in different countries. But I do think that one key factor, which has already been mentioned, is that I truly believe that there is superior medical care in the European countries.

When I was in Paris on the Paris metro I would often feel sorry that I was the only fat person there and reflect on what negative feelings the people might be having about me.

I live in a city that has recently been declared the fifth fattest city in the USA.

In short, I agree that obesity is pandemic. I have read that there is growing overweight in countries such as Japan. I would imagine that might be attributed to a high-carb, Westernized diet and to the proliferation of American Fast Food all over the world.

Natalie

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

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I'm with you OneLowCarb..."There's a song in there somewhere"... "dodo dodo, dodo dodo" Welcome, you have just entered the twilight zone!

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"A new me is right around the corner."

Levi, I didn't start to try to lose weight until I could answer that very question for myself. I don't wish to go into everything here, but my weight issues revolved around self esteem issues. You could say they were pretty much one and the same. I can tell you I deliberately put a wall of fat between myself and the world around me. I can't explain why things changed for me, but I'm glad they did!
Low carbing isn't "just" for losing weight. It is a healthy eating lifestyle!
Your picture shows you have worked very hard on defining your body. Good for you! What you are wearing isn't any different from what we see at pools and on beaches every summer.
Take care, and welcome here.

I am not to concerned with levi's post. I believe alot has to do with the American Medical Associations (AMA) pyrimid however you spell of food for a healthy diet. We all know as LC's that this has to be updated. By the way I believe it has been proven that North Americans work more hours than most country's. We are the creators of many fast food franchise's We settle for fast and convient meals then came super size and North Americans beign thrifty figured out 20 cents more for large or extra large I don't believe income has anything to do with this. I believe it is lifestyle North Americans have to give up something. We will not give up work we cherish our time so if it is easier to stop by Mc D's or order a pizza we do I think we are of the mind set that we can always change and I also believe that obeseity really went rampant when North America realized how bad smoking was for you and many people quit. with that you gain lots and lots of weight. Wait until Germany cracks down on tobacco like North America did you will see weight gain then.

Hi, Levi. I'm not offended. I think a better, more positive and helpful question, though, would be why are Europeans generally more fit than North Americans? We have all heard about the French paradox, but what about Germany? Don't you drink a lot of beer? And your'e famous for your tortes! What's that about? Do tell, Levi.

Paulette

Levi and everyone else:
You might want to read the NY Times article, which has been posted in two topics in the Media forum for a long, but really intriguing, speculation (which I agree with) that really does address Levi's question.

Natalie

From my experience living in Europe, you have to do a lot of leg work, and the public transit systems there are much better than ours in North America, so they depend less on cars.

I lived for years without a car, just using bus, metro, train and walking. If I needed to hook up my phone, I had to go there personally, you can't do much through the phone compared to what you can do here.

In addition, there's a commitment to tradition in Europe. Yes, they have all the fast food chains, but many resist them. Not for health reasons, just for the sense of traditional food.

Many of the traditional foods are fattening, but they are real, and "less" processed than what we take as convenience foods.

The paradox may just be in eating real food, and being more active. North America is cursed by it's love of fake food, and striving for technological convenience, in food and daily life chores.

Wa'il

Interesting points being raised here.

It all boils down to …. LOL! here I go again … balance.

There is nothing wrong with abundance. Those without cars yearn and lonnnng for the day they will have their own car. If I appreciate that not having a car has its advantages (I am forced to exercise more and burn more calories in simply carrying out daily tasks – I don’t need to “work-out” and suffer the pains that follow; I don’t need to work so hard to be able to afford one) then my desire for owning one is reduced. If the benefits of owning a car is all I can think of then I will push myself to the limit to get that car. At the end of the day are the sacrifices I am making to own the car balancing the benefits of owning one?

The same goes for food – am I balancing what I NEED with what I want. Figuring out why I personally am not getting the balance right for me and working on that is the key.

What made me fat was not making the correct adjustment as technology progressed. Not getting the balance between exercise and rest (TV, especially with remote control / Computer as opposed to manual typewriter) correct.

Take care,