*!$%&£! oppressive diet culture

[ajva]

Im very confussed about something, I dont eat alot, or on a regular basis, but when I do eat I get all the essitials...well atleast try to, I dont eat chips, or big out on bon bons or anything, But I just cant lose weight if anything ive packed it on more then lost it, I dont know If its all the caffine I drink thru out the day, ive heard thats a bad thing, or if im just naturally fat, how can my eating help me lose weight, and is the caffine im drinking a bigger issure then the food im eating?
-Dallas

An average comment from caloriecounter.co.uk, also the site of gems like this one:

I hate myself so much. I weigh 140 Lbs. and I am 5'5" I just started not Eating anything, because nothing else works. I have tryed everything and nothing will work, so this is my only option. I don't even care if I die, I would rather be dead than continue life fat. Seriouslly, I hate myself so much. I don't think about anything except for how fat I am. I can't take it anymore. Please help me.

and this:

Recent studies show that fasting can be really good for you in moderation and it doesn't neccasseraly mean no food at all, it can mean just liquids so that you can have soups and things. Fasting should not be 10 days at a time if your nat experienced. Try 1-2 days a week for a while. If you fast not only does it give your organs a little break it also flushes your body out of all toxins and impurities as well as burning off excess fat.

TIPS FOR FASTING-
1) Drink plenty of water do prevent dehydration.
2) boil veg and drink the broth so that you still get essential vitamins.
3) take calcium supplements.
4) meditate and keep your self busy.
5) dont eat loads after ending a fast, slowly re-introduce fruit and fibre first and then the rest a few days later

I HATE THIS FUCKING INJUSTICE!!!!!!!!! IT'S A FUCKING SCANDAL TO BRING UP LITTLE GIRLS TO BELIEVE THAT IF THEY EAT A CERTAIN AMOUNT, AND EXERCISE A CERTAIN AMOUNT, THEN THEY WILL ACHIEVE THE IDEAL WEIGHT AND IF THEY DO NOT IT IS BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT TRYING HARD ENOUGH!!!!! IT'S A FUCKING LIE!!!! I WOULD NEVER LOOK SLIM UNLESS I WERE DYING!!! AND IT'S SO ALL-PREVALENT AND ACCEPTED AND INSIDIOUS THAT EVERYBODY BELIEVES IT, EVEN A LITTLE BIT!!! SO LET'S GO OVER THAT AGAIN, AND ASK YOURSELVES THIS TIME HOW MUCH YOU AGREE WITH WHAT I SAID "I WOULD NEVER LOOK SLIM UNLESS I WERE DYING". NO - YOU DON'T FUCKING BELIEVE IT, DO YOU - A PART OF YOU THINKS THAT IF I DIETED AND EXERCISED ENOUGH I WOULD BECAUSE ISN'T THAT THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD? BUT NO IT FUCKING ISN'T BECAUSE THAT'S NOT THE WAY THE HUMAN BODY OR THE NORMAL DISTRIBUTION WORK!!!! SO IF EVEN YOU LIBERALS THINK LIKE THIS, AND IF EVEN DOCTORS THINK LIKE THIS THEN WHAT FUCKING HOPE IS THERE THAT WE WILL EVER BE FREE? AAAAAAARGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!! IT MAKES ME SO FUCKING ANGRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comments

a rough explanation...

[ajva.livejournal.com]

In the long term, dieting doesn't work. Simple thermodynamics alone cannot account for the processes at work here. If dieting worked long-term, obesity would be rare!

But dieting has a success rate of between 2-5% i.e. many studies have shown that, of individuals who have slimmed down to their target weight, 95-98% of them will have regained some weight 3 years later, and one third of them will have regained more.

Part of the problem is that restricting your diet doesn't just burn fat. It also consumes lean tissue. When you regain wait, it is more fat than lean tissue. Lean muscle burns more calories than adipose tissue. Think about it in percentage terms.

Suppose you are 120 lbs, made up of 30% fat and 70% lean tissue. Dieting, without exercise, you will lose both types of tissue. Fasting, most of the weight loss will be lean tissue (54%) and the rest fat tissue (46%). The percentages change as you increse the calorie intake. So at a diet of 1,000 per day you will be losing roughly a third lean tissue and two thirds fat (assuming no increase in exercise levels). Now suppose you lose 20 lbs. You have lost 6.6 lb of lean muscle and 13.4 lb of fat.

Your basal metabolic rate has decreased because you are lighter (and have less muscle) and because your body is producing a backlash starvation response to protect against losing its energy stores. So when you eat 2,000 calories a day you start gaining weight again but a higher percentage of it is fat. This is reasonable. The body believes itself to be in a semi-famine situation and is using tricks to try to make sure you don't starve. You do not regain as much as 6.6lb of muscle when you regain the 20lb you lost as you are not exercising differently(and even if you were it probably wouldn't be enough; building muscle is hard graft). Thus when you are 120lb again you have a higher body fat percentage than you did in the first place. Thus you burn fewer calories for the same (or greater) physical effort (because muscle burns more calories than fat). Thus you put on a wee bit more weight than you started with.

So then you think it's your fault, you go on your next diet, and it starts all over again.

My figures are roughly accurate but not entirely I don't think, but I can probably find some research papers on it if you'd like to pin this down.

Re: a rough explanation...

[ajva.livejournal.com]

Simple thermodynamics alone cannot account for the processes at work here

I should have said - the simple principles of thermodynamics alone *as you are applying them*

Re: a rough explanation...

[ergotia.livejournal.com]

You are not going to convince Paul though, because he is going by physical principles and research, unlike us silly girlies.

Re: a rough explanation...

[ergotia.livejournal.com]

And I could have referred to the same research. What makes you think that by referring to years of eperience I did not mean the experiences I have referred to in this thread already, coupled with reading all the relevant research?

Oh, and would you like a Latin translation of anything I have said, to lend it more apparent rigour?