My sister was a fat child and struggled to lose weight, but once into early adulthood, she became and stayed slender (even returning to her optimal weight after giving birth). I am not minimizing the considerable difficulties for most people of losing weight and keeping it off, but only noting that having once been fat may not doom someone to inevetably regaining the weight.
Her childhood struggles with weight led her to study nutrition in college, and she at one time considered having a career in nutrition. I think it is possible she had a better grip than most people on the calorie counts in foods, and a constant awareness of it, so while she didnāt constantly ādietā, she limited her intake of very fattening foods and drinks, and when she had them, she immediately skipped meals or ate less of other things to compensate for the āsplurgeā.
I read the entire article and also watched an interview with a bariatrician on a local PBS show. She explained that for some people, the metabolic reset doesnāt happen, and they can maintain their weights without the caloric restriction that wouldnāt be needed for a person of the same weight who never had to diet significantly to get there. However, why these people are different from the majority is unknown at this point.
I started getting fat as a kid around the age of 8 and continued to be quite overweight until I was 22, despite trying a number of different diets in my teens and early 20s. I was able to lose some weight in my teens with a low-fat, Weight Watchers style approach, but I didnāt keep much of it off.
I was maybe 20-30 lbs below my all-time high weight when I started low carbing at age 22, and I managed to lose an additional 65 lbs or so, and have kept most of that off for the last 15+ years. It has required a permanent lifestyle change, and constant attention to my diet. Keeping it off certainly gets harder as I age, and cutting carbs to the bone (as one does with Atkins induction) no longer results in fast and easy weight loss. When I was in my 20s, I didnāt have to worry about calories/quantity at all - now I do. Still, I donāt have to worry too much about gaining weight unless I really overindulge in carbs.
However, these changes are manageable for me, in a way that an 800-calorie starvation diet plus 6+ hours of exercise never could be (for me or anyone else). The regimen these people subject themselves to is a huge shock to the system - it is completely unsurprising that the body revolts in this fashion. It seems crazy to me that these people are surprised that they canāt maintain this drastic loss with a ānormalā amount of exercise and calories - if you had to go to those lengths to lose it, why would you think maintaining it would be easier?
Or, the lesson is that this stigma around fat is a problem. Presuming fat provides visible evidence for glutton and sloth is misguided at best. Similarly, as many other studies address, fat isnāt even a clear visible indicator for health issues.
So yeah, the lesson isnāt donāt get fat but get off peopleās jocks.
I was very thin until I was about 30. Then I went to work at a place that had a canteen - its overall supervision was part of my facilities management responsibilities. Three course lunches were no way to stay thin. Since then, thirty five years have passed - and weight has more than doubled. Yes, Iām fat. Gluttony and sloth are definitely the causes.
I share this story with you. Thursday night, I stopped at the Chinese takeaway. While I was waiting for the food, the ownerās son - a lovely lad of about four or five - started chatting. In fact, he offered me some noodles from his bowl (declined - even I have standards). Then he came out from behind the service counter to take a photo of me with his mumās phone. When heād finished, he patted me on my stomach and announced āYouāre having a baby!ā.
You better name it Jr, thatās all Iām saying!
I couldnāt disagree with you more. Full disclosure I am fat, āobeseā my entire life and even after a recent 50Ā± weight loss Iām still technically obese. (Canāt get down to just overweight on the BMI chart)
Obesity is a problem it is not a natural part of our evolution and is causing an epidemic in diseases like diabetes (myself included). While I do believe itās a serious problem I also donāt blame Mc Donaldās or fast food etc. I blame my adult lifestyle of an over abundance of food and alcohol combined with an under abundance of activity.
While I do not believe in āfat-shamingā or fat-bashing people, I personally think this āacceptanceā of peopleās sizes is the WRONG message to send. Making larger ārounderā Barbie dolls etc is not the right direction or message to send. While we might not all be Barbie or Ken dolls, there is NOTHING wrong with trying to aspire to be. You should not just accept yourself and not strive to improve, physically, mentally or emotionally. Life is a journey and it should be one of constant evolution and the attempt at self improvement, NOT complacency.
Iāll be the first to admit that after 9 mos. now of diet and 5mos. of returning to the gym 3-5 days a week (Iām off there shortly) I will probably NEVER be not medically obese. Iām ok with that, I accept myself for who and what I am, but that doesnāt mean Iām just going to be complacent about it. Will I ever reach my goal? Maybe not, but every night I lay my head to sleep, I do so with the peace in knowing I did all I could that day to try and reach my goal. That is good enough for me, that is what we should teach our youth.
The only failure in life is the failure to try.
You disagree and think fat and fat people should continue to be stigmatised? You disagree that fat can readily be interpreted as visible evidence of a host of negatives (ill health, etc.)? And you think that your anecdotal experience should be read onto bodies around the world? Ok then. You keep doing you.
āWhile I do not believe in āfat-shamingā or fat-bashing people,ā
I guess you just skipped over that. No they should NOT be stigmatized, I think thatās pretty clear. I just donāt think our general direction of embracing ourselves regardless of our size should be embraced.
It seems to me that the current direction towards acceptance of our (speaking for Americans donāt know if you are or arenāt) ever growing size is the wrong attitude to have. No there shouldnāt be a stigma, but the fight for healthy weight, lifestyle, activity and overall health should not be abandoned in the name of āself acceptanceā.
Yes I do speak from experience, and yes these are my personal held views I share with my young adult children. Neither have any weight issues, however with me as their father they certainly have the genetics to become ālargerā. I caution them all the time of this, to be diligent, and not to make the same poor life choices I did that led me on the path I currently am.
NJ, I really agree with everything youāve written here. Except the Barbie doll thing. Hereās just one article about āher.ā
Iāve only half jokingly said to our daughters that if any of their children (boys and girls) get Barbie dolls weāre giving their college funds to others. Bad message to send.
Again, I praise all youāve written and done. Best, Cath
The lesson is to enjoy life!
The inspiration for the Barbie doll was the Lilli doll, which was supposed to be a golddigger.
Iām old enough to have had the first Barbie design, with that same Lilli face, which was rather sly and offputting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild_Lilli_doll
How cool to see that! Iām older than you but donāt remember that at all. Thanks for sharing.
Well she was a woman right? 
I confirmed that canteen doesnāt help. These days, my work place has a canteen, the lady always serves way too much even I kindly asked her not to. Sometimes, I eat everything even though I donāt even feel hungry (not too say food is bland without much salt but strangely, everything is sweetened.) I gained some weigh in just a few months. Since 2 weeks, I bring my own food, I see some myself trimming down a bit.
My partner used to work for Shell and would periodically visit offices across Europe. She always enjoyed eating in the canteen in the Paris office - it was the only one across the whole company where wine was permitted to be served.
In the canteen, thereās an elder employee of over 80 years old, he is the only one that has the right to drink small bottle of wine each day. I guess with that age, you always have the right to keep your old habits.
" from the NYT article: āUnfortunately, many contestants are unable to find or afford adequate ongoing support with exercise doctors, psychologists, sleep specialists, and trainers ā and thatās something we all need to work hard to change,ā he said in an email."
Oh for godās sake. Plenty of people canāt pay their basic medical bills, or more to the point their mortgage payments or their rent. And yet what āwe all need to work hard to changeā is providing employment to Weight Loss Industry professionals? Because if we have learned ONE thing from The Biggest Loser itās how āeffectiveā their techniques are in the long run.
While Iām not for ālife-threatening obesityā acceptance Iām certainly in favor of āzaftig/plumpā acceptance.
Canāt just ālikeā this. Some people have their priorities all messed up. Once no one is homeless or hungryā¦no, we still donāt need to do this. The list of needs is endless. IMneverHO of course.
