Originally Posted by zirpkatze

I haven't read this entire thread so ignore me if this has been said before. I think airlines should charge per pound, not per seat, including a per pound charge for any and all cargo you bring. Someone bringing 100 pounds onto an airplane is charged more per gallon of fuel than someone who brings 300 pounds.

Originally Posted by Scythe

Install smaller doors on the planes, that'll fix it.

Originally Posted by Huckleberry

I can imagine it would be hard to lose weight of there were no grocery stores near me and (if I was an omni) I had to get most of my food from fast food restaurants: http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.co...aking-you-fat/

Originally Posted by Mufflon

Oh, the jealousy!



How big is the pool?

Originally Posted by LuckyDuck

I'm very lucky, there's one in my backyard!

Originally Posted by Abbey

Studies have shown that smokers have about a 5% rate of quitting for good. The rate tripled to 15% when study participants were offered money to quit.

Originally Posted by LuckyDuck

Unfortunately, so many of these studies are unreliable, due to the fact that they are often conducted by proponents of weight-loss gimmicks and fad diets and weight loss pills. They don't want us to believe it's something that can be done through sheer willpower. They want the consumer to feel helpless and overwhelmed, so that they'll shell out for anything to help them lose weight.



Then, when this expensive fad nonsense doesn't work, the person is left feeling even more helpless. Instead of saying, "Huh. Maybe that pill/diet/etc. was a load of ****," they think, "I really must be a lost case if not even [insert weight-loss gimmick here] didn't work for me!"



In many ways, the attitude towards weight loss is similar to the attitude towards diabetes. It's been proven, time and again, that diabetes is linked to lifestyle, and furthermore, that a simple change in diet and exercise can reliably eliminate Type II, and significantly improve Type I.



But nobody wants to believe it can be that easy, and simultaneously, that difficult. Nobody wants to give up the ice cream and the processed lunch-meat. Nobody wants to listen to that little voice inside that says, "I know I shouldn't be eating this..." because they don't want to give it up. And this defeatist attitude regarding weight loss is NOT helping. Obesity, heart disease, and diabetes are all on the rise. Moreover, they're all linked to one another. Add to this the fact that they're all reliably and credibly linked to lifestyle choices and you have a solution that is beautiful in its simplicity, but that nonetheless people don't want because it makes a bigger demand of them than popping a pill, or even taking a shot, wearing a pump, of undergoing surgery.



That, my dears, is sad.

Originally Posted by Mufflon

This stinks, doesn't it? I couldn't even swim for a while and even now I have to watch my movements and the way I push myself from the side of the pool. I don't go swimming very often though as the pool is a 20 km drive away.

Originally Posted by Mufflon

Word! I hate how some dieticians and/or physicians tell patients that they just have to cut back on this or that and everything will be fine and the patient thin and healthy and that there is really no "real cutting back" because all this low fat food tastes soooooo good. I say BS! Don't lie to your patients! Duh! The food does taste different and depending on how much weight loss is desired the patient will sooner or later have to eat smaller portions and will have to pick up an exercise regiment different from taking a 20 min walk a day. I would feel duped as well if someone would play that game with me.

Originally Posted by danakscully64

Originally Posted by Eleven

From the American Lung Association:



More than 45.7 million Americans have quit. Many of them tried several times before they were able to quit. They made it and quit for good.



http://www.lungusa.org/site/c.dvLUK9...ng_Smoking.htm

Originally Posted by LuckyDuck

Now, I can still swim and I can bike with a knee brace, even if I can no longer run without potentially re-injuring myself.

I wasn't trying to offend anyone. It's true, I do get a little frustrated, and for that I apologize.

And I also agree that doctors are pretty much never pleased, no matter how much you lose. They set short-term, attainable goals, but make it look like they're the final goal. That's a very unfair thing to do. It's like if I was a tutor for someone who didn't want to go to college, even though they needed to, and I made it look like all they had to do was finish a semester. Then, they finish the semester, and are looking for some approval and praise, and I tell them, "Good job! Now, go do it again."

They should be happy to attain their short-term goals, but they're unlikely to feel that way if they've been deceived into thinking, "Just lose this much weight, and they'll leave me alone!"

Originally Posted by Mufflon

I think more and more people believe it (look at the non-dieting movement), yet they're discouraged because as you said yourself: it's simple - but difficult.



Everyone who started an exercise regimen from scratch knows how difficult that can be. (I had a hard time starting exercising again after problems with my achilles tendon and still have to be careful so I can only imagine how hard it must be for someone who wasn't physically active for years and carries a lot of additional weight and might have pain in the knees and feet all the time because of it.)



It wasn't also that easy to change from omnivore to a plant based diet. Sure, it was simple (don't eat any animal products), but it wasn't easy and I still struggle.

Originally Posted by Mufflon

It is sad if people really give a damn for their health and rely 100% on modern medicin "to fix it". But it's also offensive for those who struggle and don't succeed. There seems to be also an all or nothing attitude and a lot of hypocrisy.



People want to be thin, not only less obese (understandably).



Medical professionals try to convince their patients since years that even a 10% weight loss is good - but when the patient manages to shed this amount of weight, a lot of pros are not satisfied with their patient's performance at all and want them to lose more (discouraging because the patient views his performance as not being good enough now and feels frustrated). A 300 lbs person losing 100 lbs will still have to face criticism despite the significant weight loss and lifestyle change.



IMO, that's very sad, too.

Originally Posted by LuckyDuck

But nobody wants to believe it can be that easy, and simultaneously, that difficult.

That, my dears, is sad.

Originally Posted by Mufflon

As for the evidence regarding weight loss: it's already evident that only a few people can maintain even a small weight loss.

Originally Posted by unovegan

it's work and people don't like to add on additional work in their lives. We're already feeling overwhelmed as it is. Sadly, at least in terms of exercise, it's a great stress reducer. I've found it hard for people who aren't used to exercising to start a regimen from scratch.

Originally Posted by unovegan

In the US, many people fall for the gimmicky weight loss plans expecting for short term hardship and then it's all easy from there. That's silly.

I've met many folk who'll diet short term and that's it.

If you want to be healthy and in good shape, you have to work for it.

Originally Posted by Mufflon

And that raises the question why so many people aren't able to stick with this approach forever. Might it be that the effort isn't worth the benefit in the eyes of a lot of people?

Originally Posted by animallover7249

Noone said it was easy to lose weight and keep it off. A lot of people give up, sadly. It is possible, though, which seems obvious.

If you're heavy because of diet and lack of exercise, and you change both of those things, and never go back to bad ways....yeah you'll lose weight and keep it off.

Originally Posted by Eleven

More than 45.7 million Americans have quit. Many of them tried several times before they were able to quit. They made it and quit for good.

Originally Posted by animallover7249

If you're heavy because of diet and lack of exercise, and you change both of those things, and never go back to bad ways....yeah you'll lose weight and keep it off.

Originally Posted by Mufflon


I think permanent weight loss falls into the category "simple, but not easy". Same with nicotine abstinence. Only a few who try succeed permanently.