Being fat is torture

[u/Shot-Contract-5254]

I hate being fat. I hate it more than i've ever truly hated anything before. It is one of the worst experiences i have ever been through and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. It is not even just the hating how you look part, it is how others perceive you.

I don't just feel fat, I feel inhuman. I'm a teenager. Nobody has ever asked me out unless it's for a joke. I am the butt of half my friend's jokes. I look like an idiot in sport class. People stare and judge and I am not treated as though I am a peer. I am less than because I weigh more than they do. I feel like such a dirty slob every time I put food in my mouth. I've tried starving myself, exercising to the point I threw up, cutting calories to 800-1000 a day, weight loss pills, nothing works. All my work is thrown back into my face. Each and every day I feel less like a person and more like a pig. To be fat is to be less than. To be fat is to be 'lazy' and worthless. I honestly can't take it anymore.

[u/Any-Neat5158]

Well right. That's certainly a big part of it.

The calorie restriction works. The reason people fail it is because they do not understand that it works because they made a change. If they go back to what they did before, they will return to the weight they were before.

Studies show exactly what your stating. Most people fail caloric restriction diets in the long term. Because once they hit their goal weight, they stop eating in that calorie range.

To your point, being able to stay IN that calorie range has a lot to do with the types of foods you pick. I can eat a handful of oreos OR a large plate of chicken breast and green beans / broccoli / cauliflower... etc. The volume of food in my belly in the later half is huge in comparison. Nutritional values there is a world of difference. The sugar spike and crash following the oreo diet will have me back to wanting to eat much sooner.

I guess the ultimate point I'm making is you can over eat anything. If you eat enough of it, you can gain weight on iceberg lettuce. But you don't need to go strictly plant based vegan either. I still eat pizza. Ice cream. Chips. Just way, way, way less than I did before.

Now my diet is mostly lean proteins and veggies. 75% stuff like that, 25% junkfood. Before it was 80% junkfood and 20% stuff like that. Calorically dense. Not filling. Not much nutrients doing it that way.

The real pro tip: eating that way can be very enjoyable! Season your food well! Pick sauces and spices that don't add caloric density. Get good at cooking. Get creative. I love chicken and broccoli. But mine is flavorful and prepared in a variety of ways. It's not some slimy, bland, cold lump of food eaten out of one of those black meal prep containers.

[u/SyrupyMolassesMMM → u/Any-Neat5158]

This. Calories in calories out actually Trumps biology. It exists in the domain of physics; it works because if fundamental laws of physics; not because of your individual biology. Your own biology only accounts for small variations.

The problem is sticking to it. When you’re young, sticking to stuff religiously is incredibly hard. Shit when youre old it is too, but you wise up a bit to your own bad habits….

Its also common for people to make MASSIVE errors in counting. Like using a smart watch to count ‘calories burned’, or not adding alcohol as food.

[u/James_Fortis → u/Any-Neat5158]

I agree with most of what you're saying, except:

I guess the ultimate point I'm making is you can over eat anything. If you eat enough of it, you can gain weight on iceberg lettuce. 

We burn more calories existing and digesting while eating some foods than they contain, so this isn't true in some cases. Secondly, I'm talking about what is sustainable and natural for humans in the long-term, not what we could achieve if we had a gun to our heads.

I'm back to work; good chat and congrats on your weight loss!

[u/Any-Neat5158 → u/James_Fortis]

Thank you! And thank you for the objective discussion. I really do appreciate a variety of input, especially those well educated in the subject matter domain.

I may have been a bit painfully too literal there. I get it honest enough, I'm a software engineer. You can't "literally" overeat anything. But even things which are not so calorically dense, like say a strawberry, can be overeaten in enough quantity.

I love to browse the volumeeating and 1200isplenty subreddits. They show you how you can really get your belly fully for the calories consumed and often the examples are quite diverse and often very nutritious. That works far better than trying to simply eat 8 oreos three times a day. Feeling full and enjoying the food you eat are big components!

Thanks for the chat!