fatness

Here's all you need to know: Unhappy dieters told CNN Radio that after listening to McGraw they believed they could lose weight by taking the pills alone. A fool and his money are soon parted...except if they can file a lawsuit shortly thereafter.

"The suit alleges that the plan is useless. It called for dieters to take 22 herbal supplements and vitamin pills a day and cost about $120 a month. The plan also advised dieters to adopt a low-calorie diet and to exercise. " Geez, all they had to do is the last sentence and would have been ok, whata crook. Or maybe I should say crock, people are so stupid.

I've been away from swimming and exercise for quite a while. It started with an ankle injury, but then turned into lazy. Yes, I'll admit it, I've been lazy about working out and not watching what I ate. So, guess what? I'm FAT! And yes, it is entirely my own fault. Having said that, going back to the pool and the gym and having the thin people give me "that look" at my fat thighs and my big belly makes the trip a lot more difficult. I'm punishing myself enough, snide comments and looks of contempt are overkill. I logged back on to this board tonight because I needed a little encouragement to push through it. When I was in my 20's I was a size 4, and self-righteous about it!. Fat people, in my opinion, were lazy and contemptable. If they would just exercise and eat right, they wouldn't be so disgusting. Now,I'm in a size 12 and getting the payback I deserve. If you have never been overweight, and I never was until my 40's, you really don't know what it is like on the other side.

Bags, it seems as easy as that, but believe me, for some people, it is not that simple. Especially women in their 40's and 50's. The body plays some pretty mean tricks on us at this age, and it gets harder and harder to maintain and not gain, much less lose. The weight does NOT just fall off. Losing weigh IS mostly diet. Exercise is an added benefit that helps, but if the diet is not under control with reasonable portion sizes, and healthy foods, it is very difficult to lose.

Originally posted by dorothyrde Bags, it seems as easy as that, but believe me, for some people, it is not that simple. I think it really is as simple as that. The only possible way to lose weight is for your body to "burn" more calories than you consume. If not than we've discovered a perpetual motion machine!! The thing that is difficult is determining how many calories your body is actually burning and to eat less than that amount.

Yes, and for many people, finding that right amount is very difficult. I think a lot of people who have posted on this thread are people who really have not had a real weight problem. Yes, maybe they gained weight over the years, but they have been blessed with fairly good metabolisms, and when they cut back some, they lose. I am married to a person like that. Eats whatever he wants, and does not gain. He eats much more than I, eats far worse foods than I, and is much less active than I. If I ate like him, and did not work out, I would easily be over 200 pounds. It is hard for a person that is like that, to understand a person who is like me. It has been a constant battle since I was 12. I am winning that battle currently, but it is with constant diligence. Now I am off to eat my low-fat healthy meal, and go swim my 90 minute Masters practice, just so I don't GAIN.

Originally posted by dorothyrde but they have been blessed with fairly good metabolisms ...or, alternatively, they have been blessed with self control on the chip aisle.

See, that is what I am talking about. People assume someone who is heavier, must be eating a lot of crap. People would look at my thin husband, and me, and assume that he ate healthy, and exercised, and I did not. Well, it was completely the opposite. And I know many people who are like this. It does take self control, and diligence, but it is a lot harder for some people than others. PS. I cannot stand chips! :)

I know this is going to sound flippant, but the only way to reliably lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume. Most people don't really understand the nutritional contents of what they eat. My best advice is to get a calorie counting program of some sort (calorieking.com is a great site) and track what you eat obsessively. If you pick a daily calorie intake level 500 calories per day below what you burn daily, you will lose a pound or two every week. No guesswork there. It is just a fact. For me it worked to calculate my BMR (you can find calculators online) at a "sedentary" rate and then add a couple of hundred calories to that. That became my daily intake ceiling. Then i swam 6 days a week. The weight fell off. Once you reach your desired weight you can gradually add calories. The nice thing about this approach is that it takes the uncertainty out of the process. Hit your targets and keep swimming and it's a done deal.

The latest national guidelines confirm that an hour of daily exercise is necessary for weight loss. The argument that swimming won't help you lose weight doesn't hold water--the problem is that many people do not swim long enough or hard enough. I don't believe swimming at a recovery pace for 30 minutes will accomplish much.