I believe Obesity has nothing to do with what food you eat.

It's not what food you eat that causes obesity. That has something to do with it but it's not that what really causes it is how fast your metabolism is and how much you exercise. If you don't exercise that much you're going to gain a lot of weight, and, if you eat too much you'll get it. It's not about the kinds of food you eat.

I eat junkfood, I eat portions of meals, and, I don't need to care about what I eat because I eat the right amount of food and I don't gain weight. This leads me to conclude that the act of gaining weight is caused by something else and by bodily problems.

I think it's becoming clearer and clearer to me that obesity isn't as simple as everyone thinks it is. It doesn't have to do with what you eat. It's more of a habitual thing.

I agree and disagree with you.

For some people it is metabolism. Some can eat whatever they want and not gain a pound.

I'm very skinny but I tend to eat a lot of fatty foods (not unhealthy fatty, things that natrually include fat.) I feel less healthy if I don't. I guess that's my German and Italian genes coming into play?

Other people are opposite of that... the "I'll look at it and gain weight" syndrome.

Metabolism comes into play. But it is not the only factor.

Plenty of people are "emotional eaters." Others are just laxy when it comes to their health. By now we have a lot of people who don't know any better because they were raised fat and unhealthy.

For these people what they eat--or, more specifically, how much--is certainly a factor.

Not so much what kind of food, but how much. The caloric intake should be tailored to them.

reply to post by asmeone2


Yeah, there are a lot of weird things people do with food. Why do people like food for how it tastes? I've eaten enough food to think they all taste the same, so, why do they really feel like they have to have food just because it tastes good. Isn't that a silly reason to have food if you're trying to lose weight?

reply to post by Frankidealist35


They call them "comfort foods" for a reason.

I recently heard about some very interesting research that suggests that the primary reason for obesity could be the bacteria in your gut. Apparently, the bacteria in your gut is passed on to you from your mother, in a sense it is genetic. Everyone's bacteria, or mix of it, is not the same. Research suggests that some individual's bacteria is more efficient at pulling calories from the food they eat than are others.

You see, much of the food we eat cannot be broken down into calories (energy) by our bodies. This is where the bacteria come into play. The bacteria breakdown certain foods so that our bodies can make use of them. Without the bacteria, these foods would pass through our systems without us receiving any benefits from them.

Since some bacteria are more efficient at pulling calories from food than others, some people receive more calories from equal portions of food than others do. One person may receive say, 100 calories from an apple, whereas another person may receive 85 calories. This is why some people appear to eat more than others and not gain weight. As a result of this new research it is believed that people who suffer from obesity may just have a mix of gut bacteria that is very efficient at pulling calories from the food that they eat. I believe that in the near future this new, gut bacteria science will revolutionize the way we look at dieting, exercise, and obesity.

www.washingtonpost.com...

[edit on 8-11-2008 by BluegrassRevolutionary]

I think the actual way people eat is another factor to add to the list.

I think there's something about the mentality towards 'fast food' that isn't just about how quickly it appears in your hands ready to eat. I think people no longer take any time regarding the actual act of eating. People are, for various reasons, often in too much of a hurry to eat now. Rather than cooking a meal and then stopping and taking time to eat, it's almost as if meal times get in the way of either work time or 'personal' time. In Britain, for example, office culture practically dictates you eat a quick sandwich at your desk.

I see people 'wolf down' food all the time. Whole meals can be gone in matter of a few minutes. A lot of the time people aren't actually eating, they're just swallowing! There's no real chewing going on; there's no real initiating the digestion process. People often don't feel full because their body hasn't had time to realise how 'full' it is and they've barely even tasted their meal because each mouthful was barely in their mouths. I think this creates a kind of 'taste arms race' where, because food isn't savoured as such, a lot of food these days has to have stronger, more powerful tastes to compensate for the actual time spent tasting it.

As people aren't feeling full, despite having eaten, they feel the need to eat more and more.

I genuinely believe that a lot of people with what appear to be metabolic problems could 'kick start' their digestion/metabolism by eating much slower, savouring and actually enjoying food more rather than just consuming.

It wasn't hard science, but there was an interesting series on British TV called ''The Diets That Time Forgot'' which showed the benefits of a 'chew chew' diet (and exercise relevant to that time frame) compared to restricted calorie or high protein diets.

[edit on 8-11-2008 by Merriman Weir]

Ok, how many obesity threads can we create in 6 months? That's the new game.

To the OP......What is metabolism and what controls it? What are the metabolic hormones and what controls them? What is effects to leptin, glucagon and insulin have on the metabolic system? Answer me that....

It's a little ignorant and egotistical to assume that people shouldn't get fat from eating junk food just because you do frequently.

So, if obesity isn't caused by poor dietary habits, what is the cause? Not sure? Go ahead and assume based on your own experiences. You'll learn that individual predispositions, such as increased metabolism, are the exception, not the rule.

-Dev

OP:

I disagree with you.

Junk food does a tremendous amount of damage when taken regularly. Just because it doesn't alter your weight now, doesn't meet it won't give you any number of heart diseases later on. Cholesterol must be metabolized by the liver, and over time it alters your liver enzyme levels. Prolong this and liver damage will be the next stage. I don't even want to get into the rest of the things it does to you. I'm sorry. Nobody should ever get the idea that they are healthy just because of their weight.

edit: .... or their metabolic rate.




[edit on 8-11-2008 by AnubisOfTheEastandWest]

Its clear you don't have even a basic understanding of how the weight gain mechanism works, as a matter of fact, anyone who still believes in the exercise/calorie deficit theory clearly doesn't. Now I'm not going to go into extreme detail here because its pointless, why?, we're on the internet.

Weight gain has everything to do with what you eat, but to be honest, when you realize the cause of it, you will also realize the other consequences of such eating habits, by that time you will realize weight gain is the least of everyone's worries. Diabetes, heart disease, come intertwined with obesity, the only problem is you usually can't see these ailments coming, hence obesity is the least of your worries as it can be seen and actually stopped, so much for "Being Skinny= Being Healthy".

Now I am not going to write you an essay about the intricate workings of the weight gain mechanism, there's simply no need, for the solution to obesity is simply to not eat carbohydrates in anyway shape or form. I am not trying to push a diet on anyone, but the cause of obesity or our eating habits/culture is simply a result of edible plant matter being introduced into our diet. Take a look at the debut of cancer, diabetes, heart disease into society, surprisingly enough they are coincident with the introduction/invention of processing plants into edible foodstuffs; white flour, sugar. While complex problems may warrant complex solutions, this is not necessarily the case with obesity. When carbohydrates are removed from your dogma influenced diet , obesity along with the other diseases of civilization will cease to exist.

reply to post by WiseIsAwoken


Uhhh, the reason why I don't think that it's not as simple as you gain weight from eating is because I eat a lot and I don't gain weight. I haven't gained weight in like weeks and I eat junk food like candy, and, I eat fast food. While it has to do with the way you eat, I don't think, that this is the sole cause of obesity.

I think it's genetic disposition because like your genetic inheritence determines whether you are naturally skinny, fat, or of medium weight. You can change that, but, if you're more prone to obesity, I think it would be because either someone in your family is obese, or, it's because of some kind of eating disorder you may have, but, not because of an eating habit.

In response to one of the above posters your metabolism basically from what I understand is what determines how quickly you digest food. I think it has to do with the amount of weight you gain or not from the food you eat. If you have a fast metabolism I would think that the food would stay in your stomach for less amount of time and you would gain less weight from eating food.

I weigh only like 142 pounds, and, I can eat a lot at times, like yesterday I ate 3 slices of pizza, and I had no significant weight gain. It's things like this when I eat a lot at once and I don't gain weight that leads me to believe it's not what you eat, but, something to do with your body. Maybe as another poster suggested it's bacteria in your digestion system or something along those lines.

I agree with genetic predisposition, sorry I didn't mention it in my last post. As a matter of fact I'm the same way. I can eat junk, even though I've stopped now due to complications with diabetes, and I mean literally eat as much crap as possible and not gain a pound of weight. The fact of the matter is though, even though some people are more susceptible to weight gain than others due to genetic predisposition, if carbohydrates were never part of our diet, obesity would be practically non-existent.

When carbohydrates are removed from your dogma influenced diet , obesity along with the other diseases of civilization will cease to exist.

Nicely put! Couldn't have said t better myself. And for those that think eating a low carb diet is dangerious, think again. There is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate and the daily requirement for carbs is 0.

-Dev

Originally posted by Frankidealist35
reply to post by WiseIsAwoken

 

In response to one of the above posters your metabolism basically from what I understand is what determines how quickly you digest food. I think it has to do with the amount of weight you gain or not from the food you eat. If you have a fast metabolism I would think that the food would stay in your stomach for less amount of time and you would gain less weight from eating food.

If you would answer the questions of my first post, it will make things much easier to understand. Food has a direct effect on metabolism. We're not just talking about genetics here.

I'm gunna guess that you're youg based on your posts. If I'm right, your body, more than likely, has not built up a resistance to insulin, YET! Once that resistance starts, it like a chain reaction and you'll gain weight quickly.

-Dev

reply to post by DevolutionEvolvd


I don't know what you mean. I only weigh 142 or so pounds. I once weighed 184 pounds and I lost all that weight so I'm exactly the opposite as what you're saying. I won't gain weight, I'll lose it.

I believe that weight gain is directly related to HOW MUCH you eat. All other factors play a part... but in the end... the more you eat, the more calories you take in. Pretty simple, huh?



[edit on 09/20/2008 by Amniodarone]

reply to post by Amniodarone


Not really. Like I said before I can eat a lot and I don't gain weight. So then what really causes weight gain?

ive known of a LOT of very very skinny people who eat whatever they want and dont gain weight.. while they are young... then when they get older they see the side effects of all of that unhealthy eating for years. they balloon to size huge!

dont think that just because you are skinny, you should eat unhealthy. your health will pay for it later.

reply to post by Frankidealist35


Gaining weight and the reasons behind it are very simple. You eat a certain amount of calories a day and you burn a certain amount of calories a day through activity.

If you eat more than you burn, you store the extra calories as fat. If you burn more than you eat, you burn the extra energy needed from previously stored calories (fat) and you lose weight.

In response to your argument that you can eat a lot and not see any effects, there are two things you should consider. First, no one, except by surgery, gains or loses much weight in a day so you may not see the effects because it takes time for them to become apparent. Second, more than likely you have a high metabolism, which can speed up and slow down at various points in life such as puberty or with medications that can alter the production of hormones that control metabolism.

Vick said it perfectly. If you eat more calories than you use... you will eventually gain weight. If the OP wants to gain weight... I suggest that you double the amount of calories that you currently eat. I defy you to show me that you can eat twice the calories you eat now for a month and not gain any weight. (No cheating by working out extra).


The gauntlet has been tossed down... do you accept the challenge?

Like I said before, anyone who states the calorie theory in regards to weight loss/gain is ill-informed about diet. Why?, the theory is easily dismantled because of many reasons, however, I'm only going to state two.

Number one, the human metabolism is not 100% efficient. Just because you eat 1000 calories doesn't mean your body actually ends up with 1000 calories. Just like anyone other device/entity that requires energy, you can't put in and get that right back out, that's simple thermodynamics.

Number two, while fat, protein, carbohydrates all contain calories, your body doesn't use them all for energy. For example, most people, as a matter of fact nearly all people are on a carbohydrate metabolism, meaning their body utilizes carbohydrates for energy nearly all the time, knowing this, it is only necessary to count calories for carbohydrates. Protein/fat are used for other things throughout the body(cell repair/hair growth/hormones) and rarely for anything else unless you are in ketosis(me) or gluconeogenesis(muscle burning). On the other hand, carbohydrates are mainly used for energy and not much else, hence only counting the carbohydrate calories.