An Open Apology to All of My Weight Loss Clients (Huffpost)

[Anivair]

Just saw this article on the Huffington Post.  Really excellently said stuff.  Also well worth thinking about.  it's stuff like this that makes me appreciate the rebellion:  because this is not par for the course around here. 

 

The Article.  

[Burizado]

"Just eat food. Eat real food, be active, and live your life. Forget all the diet and weight loss nonsense. It's really just that. Nonsense."

 

The second to last line is what I really liked.  I think it really is that simple.

[FalseAesop]

Good find. The guilt the author must feel is palpable.

[Anivair]

"Just eat food. Eat real food, be active, and live your life. Forget all the diet and weight loss nonsense. It's really just that. Nonsense."

 

The second to last line is what I really liked.  I think it really is that simple.

 

It IS that easy ... the trick is figuring out what "real" means.  It's actively hard. But any definition of the word is a start. 

[Anivair]

Good find. The guilt the author must feel is palpable.

 

truth.  You can palp it. 

[Waldo]

Sounds like the author knows how to make fat people less fat but does not know how to make the lean leaner; instead of acknowleding this failure she rants about society and the fitness industrial complex, and the motivations for wanting to get leaner.

1200 cal, 1500 cal if a lot of cardio is done, is a basic prescription for women to become unfat and it works. If you want to get lean you need to strength train (for real), you need to learn to adjust calorie deficits, you need to have a moderate to high protein intake, and you need to learn to utilize diet breaks and refeeds strategically to control the bodies' hormonal response to the deficit; lest you tank someone's metabolism and leave them depressed, stressed, losing muscle instead of fat, and ravenously hungry (and likely to binge).

[DirtyLittleSecrets]

Sounds like the author knows how to make fat people less fat but does not know how to make the lean leaner; instead of acknowleding this failure she rants about society and the fitness industrial complex, and the motivations for wanting to get leaner.

She was part of the diet industry, not the fitness. The types of places she worked actually want women to be miserable and fail or feel like they're dependent on the company to maintain their bodies. The rant was more about the systemic problem of women thinking they need to lose weight to become some ideal that's often unattainable or unrealistic. It's well known that much of the diets available are promoting weight loss and not healthy body weights. These women do not want to put on muscle mass or look leaner, they want to be thinner.

Our culture is permeated with a notion that tone healthy you either have to be skinny or "strong". "Strong" in the sense that visible abs, minimal body fat and sweating instead of starving, replacing anorexia with orthorexia. We have a culture that shuns and discriminates against people who are overweight, that doesn't consider that you can be larger and still perfectly healthy. Fitness should not be an ideal, rather it should be viewed as an attractive option or hobby. Healthiness is the primary concern. Are people getting adequate real foods, are they exercising 45 minutes a day, are they getting enough sleep and building healthy relationships. Those are factors of health, everything else is just icing.

Places like those weight loss clinics thrive on people being unhealthy and maintaining that status quo. It's an industry that lives on the poor self-esteem and social dysfunction. It's not like she wasn't doing her job properly, she was doing it exactly how she was trained. To be a cog in a broken system.

[Waldo]

She was part of the diet industry, not the fitness. The types of places she worked actually want women to be miserable and fail or feel like they're dependent on the company to maintain their bodies. The rant was more about the systemic problem of women thinking they need to lose weight to become some ideal that's often unattainable or unrealistic. It's well known that much of the diets available are promoting weight loss and not healthy body weights. These women do not want to put on muscle mass or look leaner, they want to be thinner.

Our culture is permeated with a notion that tone healthy you either have to be skinny or "strong". "Strong" in the sense that visible abs, minimal body fat and sweating instead of starving, replacing anorexia with orthorexia. We have a culture that shuns and discriminates against people who are overweight, that doesn't consider that you can be larger and still perfectly healthy. Fitness should not be an ideal, rather it should be viewed as an attractive option or hobby. Healthiness is the primary concern. Are people getting adequate real foods, are they exercising 45 minutes a day, are they getting enough sleep and building healthy relationships. Those are factors of health, everything else is just icing.

Places like those weight loss clinics thrive on people being unhealthy and maintaining that status quo. It's an industry that lives on the poor self-esteem and social dysfunction. It's not like she wasn't doing her job properly, she was doing it exactly how she was trained. To be a cog in a broken system.

The fat acceptance movement has pushed one very wrong idea and unfortunately it is the one that seems to have stuck the most. Becoming some ideal is NOT unattanable or unrealistic. Sorry, that is flat out untrue. Just like you are not a special snowflake, neither are those that have attained a fairly ideal physique; you can't change your bone lengths and muscle insertion points/lengths, just about everything else can be. Sure there are individual differences, but barring some sort of disability (or old age, waaaay over the hill) everybody can look like the people in a Beachbody video. That is reasonably attainable by all. But it is not the result of a some diet scheme or some quick 12 week program, that sort of body is the bodyproduct of years of a fitness lifestyle and properly fueling it.

If you think Orthorexia is needed for minimal body fat and visible abs, you are very much mistaken. Orthorexia (clean eating/paleos/etc...) will be a hinderance more than a help. Flexible dieters blow away the clean eaters when it comes to success rate at attaining and maintaing low body fat. Clean eaters in general have to fit their diet into the flexible dieters rules in order to attain low body fat.

 

Very few people that are overweight are healthy.  The masses like to point to a few examples and say "see", but in reality those few aren't even close to representative of the rest.  Being skiny doesn't make you healthy either though, and in some cases it is actually worse (here's looking at you thinspo/pro-ana ladies), but those examples aren't representative of rest either.

 

Consistent effort leaves traces.  If you strength train and do reasonably intense cardio regularly within a few years it is obvious that you strength train and do reasonbly intense cardio regularly.  How long it takes to get to that obvious point depends on your diet.  Strength training and doing reasonably intense cardio regularly is not some crazy scheme, it is recommended by virtually every medical source and the government as one of the primary keys to a healthy lifestyle, for men and women of all ages.  Very, very, very few people strength train and do reasonably intense cardio regularly for a long time and don't look like they do.  Everyone that clings to these few is simply lying to themselves and others about their effort and/or lack therof.

[cline]

The fat acceptance movement has pushed one very wrong idea and unfortunately it is the one that seems to have stuck the most. Becoming some ideal is NOT unattanable or unrealistic. Sorry, that is flat out untrue. Just like you are not a special snowflake, neither are those that have attained a fairly ideal physique; you can't change your bone lengths and muscle insertion points/lengths, just about everything else can be. Sure there are individual differences, but barring some sort of disability (or old age, waaaay over the hill) everybody can look like the people in a Beachbody video. That is reasonably attainable by all. But it is not the result of a some diet scheme or some quick 12 week program, that sort of body is the bodyproduct of years of a fitness lifestyle and properly fueling it.

If you think Orthorexia is needed for minimal body fat and visible abs, you are very much mistaken. Orthorexia (clean eating/paleos/etc...) will be a hinderance more than a help. Flexible dieters blow away the clean eaters when it comes to success rate at attaining and maintaing low body fat. Clean eaters in general have to fit their diet into the flexible dieters rules in order to attain low body fat.

 

Very few people that are overweight are healthy.  The masses like to point to a few examples and say "see", but in reality those few aren't even close to representative of the rest.  Being skiny doesn't make you healthy either though, and in some cases it is actually worse (here's looking at you thinspo/pro-ana ladies), but those examples aren't representative of rest either.

 

Consistent effort leaves traces.  If you strength train and do reasonably intense cardio regularly within a few years it is obvious that you strength train and do reasonbly intense cardio regularly.  How long it takes to get to that obvious point depends on your diet.  Strength training and doing reasonably intense cardio regularly is not some crazy scheme, it is recommended by virtually every medical source and the government as one of the primary keys to a healthy lifestyle, for men and women of all ages.  Very, very, very few people strength train and do reasonably intense cardio regularly for a long time and don't look like they do.  Everyone that clings to these few is simply lying to themselves and others about their effort and/or lack therof.

 

I'm just going to leave this entire post quoted b/c it is that good. 

 

I wish the opening bits could be posted in several places across the forum.  This is that good.

 

With the exception of height - if you really want to change how your body looks, you can.  I know people who got into body building "late" in life and damn....

 

Waldo's comment:  "Becoming some ideal is NOT unattanable or unrealistic. Sorry, that is flat out untrue. Just like you are not a special snowflake, neither are those that have attained a fairly ideal physique" is so spot on for both reasons - I've done some amazing body changes with little effort/longevity compared to serious body builders.  I can tell for certain body building exercises are making a big difference in my physique (and I'm old) AND diet makes a huge difference.  It's about commitment.  I also fully agree...we are not special snowflakes. We are not "big boned", destined to fat, etc.  We make choices and with the exception of serious health issues, we can change our bodies.  How much is up to us. 

[DirtyLittleSecrets]

I say unattainable or unrealistic in reference as a comparison to photographs in magazines or images on the Internet. I'm talking about the gross amount of photoshop that is used on these photographs and it's completely true that most people cannot look like these people because *these people do not exist*.

I'm not saying that orthorexia is needed for visible muscles but it's rather becoming a new extreme that much like anorexia will be commended because it mimics eating habits we believe are healthy.

I know many people that are considered overweight that are healthy. Thy have enough energy to go about their daily lives and do extra curriculars, they eat healthy nutritious foods, and have low blood pressure and cholesterol. They meet every requirement for healthy living but are still subjected to the scrutiny of the public because of their weight. Just like I know many people that are naturally very slender and are subjected to rude comments about their eating habits and how they must be sick to be that way. I'm not saying they are the rule to their body types, but rather not such the exceptions we believe.

People can be healthy in all different body shapes. They can live active, healthy lifestyles and still not look like images the media has portrayed. They may not be fit, but fitness is a choice and up to each individual to pursue.

The fat acceptance movement does one thing I find important. It pushes the ideal of loving yourself no matter what your physical appearance. Many of the positive body image blogs I follow emphasize the point that if you're fuel in your body correctly, you're getting some physical activity and you have good family and friends surrounding you then screw the naysayers. I want people choosing to live an active lifestyle because they want to become stronger and more capable, not because they've been socially shamed into looking a certain way.

Socially we shame people for being fat. We belittle them and make them uncomfortable in gyms, at grocery stores, and in hospitals. I've heard so many people at my school make comments about how an obese person should really start dieting because they're sick of looking at them. I've heard girls in the locker room make snide comments about how they are so happy that isn't they don't look like that person. My friend Hannah didn't get adequate treatment for her thyroid condition because her doctor just saw an obese patient and instead of doing the proper medical testing for the condition (that actually happens to run in her family) he would just prescribe losing some weight.

None of that creates a welcoming environment. I want people to be confident and love their bodies and make healthier choices because of that love.

I don't have a problem with fitness, I have a problem with some aspects of the fitness industry. I have a problem with the commercialization of body issues and the resulting discrimination that comes from that. It stops us from asking big questions, so instead of "What is in this food I eat that causes people to become this way?" they think "What's the fastest way to get thinner?".

[Raikas]

Everyone that clings to these few is simply lying to themselves and others about their effort and/or lack therof.

 

 

 It's about commitment.  I also fully agree...we are not special snowflakes. We are not "big boned", destined to fat, etc.  We make choices and with the exception of serious health issues, we can change our bodies.  How much is up to us. 

 

 

What gets me on these things is the value judgements that are put on people because of this - because I tend to agree that a lot of the FA/HAES stuff is too far in the opposite direction, but it probably wouldn't have gone there is there wasn't anything to react to, you know?

 

I do see people who choose to be lazy - guys who give up a sport for watching TV and gain a gut, or people who retire and replace their active work time with sitting around doing crossword puzzles - but are they the majority of the people who aren't where they want to be?

 

Because I also see just as many people who are unfit primarily because they're just really constricted when it comes to time (people who spend 2+ hours a day commuting, sedentary jobs, and family demands).  So while that's still distinct from the claim that fitness/weight loss in unattainable in the sense of being physically impossible, I do see a fair number of people whose lifestyles genuinely do make it harder than it is for people with different commitments (and sure, it's a choice to work a sedentary job, to live in the suburbs, to have loads of kids or to drive around elderly relatives but it's still more complicated* than move vs. not move).

 

*And by complicated, I mean from a schedule-balancing perspective, not a conceptual one.  Obviously "move your body" is a simple idea, but it's a lot simpler for someone like me (virtually no commute, a flexible job and a group of family and friends who enjoy a lot of outdoors/sporting-type activities) than it is for those 3/hours in the car 8/hours at a desk folks.

[Waldo]

 

*And by complicated, I mean from a schedule-balancing perspective, not a conceptual one.  Obviously "move your body" is a simple idea, but it's a lot simpler for someone like me (virtually no commute, a flexible job and a group of family and friends who enjoy a lot of outdoors/sporting-type activities) than it is for those 3/hours in the car 8/hours at a desk folks.

'Eh, its not as hard as you make it sound. It all depends on what your priorities are.

I work a sedentary desk job, spend >1 hr commuting every day, do the cooking for the family, have a toddler, and have plenty of time.

[I-Jo]

 

 

Because I also see just as many people who are unfit primarily because they're just really constricted when it comes to time (people who spend 2+ hours a day commuting, sedentary jobs, and family demands).  So while that's still distinct from the claim that fitness/weight loss in unattainable in the sense of being physically impossible, I do see a fair number of people whose lifestyles genuinely do make it harder than it is for people with different commitments (and sure, it's a choice to work a sedentary job, to live in the suburbs, to have loads of kids or to drive around elderly relatives but it's still more complicated* than move vs. not move).

 

 

absolute rubbish.

 

If it's important- you will make time for it.  It does NOT take hours of fitness to get a decent body and to NOT be fat.  Being NOT fat doesn't take anything but watching what you eat.  

 

Having an amazing rock hard body like - what beachbody peoples look like?  that takes some work and time and dedication- not incredible hard- but it does take some time.

 

But lets not confuse two things.  Being in amazing shape /=/ NOT being fat. 

 

I work 3 jobs- I work 7 days a week- I never sleep in and I often am gone from my home from 0700- to 2300 at night. I work a desk job- I am dancer- who trains seriously- I work at my gym- and I dance at a restaurant (Moroccan you pervs). I work hard for what I have... but I could maintain a my "not fat" stage by simple watching what I ate.  Hell I have been working out my whole life. I started tinkering with my diet a year ago and made some fun changes and really gotten serious about it- but the working out hasnt' changed much.  Lost a bunch of weight purely from diet alone.

 

Seriously- being to busy is simple an excuse. You HAVE to eat.  You just need to be aware of it- and even "moving" ... everyone has 15-30 minutes 3 days a week. 

[cline]

yeah, I'm going to weigh in again here too.

 

I have a sedentary job that requires I be here before 8a.  I have family commitments, a full social life, volunteer obligations, etc etc.  I make choices and prioritize. 

 

I also made a choice to drastically change how I eat.  BUT I do not spend hours and hours in the kitchen.

 

As humans, we are exceptionally good at making excuses we think are legit but really, are excuses.  How many times I've heard "I don't have the money to eat Paleo" - well, so?  Go eat well at the supermarket.  It's not either or.  Or "I don't have time for exercise".  Lunch break?  am?  Evening?  In lieu of TV?  seriously?  3x a week someone can't find 1 hour of legit free time?  The reality is we say, instead, "gosh I'm tired, gosh I had a long day, and you know what sounds good?  Sitting watching TV and eating ice cream" bc yeah, truth is that does sound good sometimes.  But the reality is, it's still a choice.  And sometimes, a damned good choice.  But still a choice.

 

Truth be told, we are all busy, we all have jobs/school/obligations/family, we all try to be conscious of our $$$$.  We still make choices.  I have few to none outdoorsy, active friends (which is why I'm here).  My family is a family of sit and relax and while you are at it, stuff your face a little more. 

 

I made a choice. 

 

And, please, let's be honest.... oodles of people with kids eat well and are fit, oodles do not and are not.  Same is true for commuters, desk sitters, shift workers, and so on.  My spousal unit was much thinner when he had a super long planes, trains, automobile kind of commute b/c he never ate anything.  Sitting on his ass watching football from Saturday lunch through Monday evening eating crap made him put on weight.  He never eats anything but lunch and a rare snack while sitting at his desk all day. 

[Raikas]

 

'Eh, its not as hard as you make it sound. It all depends on what your priorities are.

 

 

 

absolute rubbish.

 

If it's important- you will make time for it.  It does NOT take hours of fitness to get a decent body and to NOT be fat.  Being NOT fat doesn't take anything but watching what you eat.  

 

Eh, my point is not that it's difficult for people who make it a priority, my point is that people should be able to have other priorities and not be shamed for that.  If they want to spend their free time knitting, or volunteering in some sedentary way, those are still activities with value - I think you could argue that they might even have more value if they're contributing something to the community.

 

 

 

Seriously- being to busy is simple an excuse. You HAVE to eat.  You just need to be aware of it- and even "moving" ... everyone has 15-30 minutes 3 days a week.

 

C'mon now - I'm not talking about people who don't have time for that!  No wonder you're snarking that I'm talking "rubbish".   The "beachbody" look was specifically mentioned here - not some general "not fat" state.

 

I don't know anyone who doesn't get at least that much exercise (frankly, almost everyone I know gets more than that just by walking their dog or taking their kids to the park, or walking to the subway or train station).  I'm talking about people who aren't going to get to the next level without shifting their priorities in ways that are perhaps not in line with their own values.

 

If you're looking at an obese and lazy person, then yeah - but talking about someone who's pressured to be a little less chubby when they're not totally inactive and just want to do other things - those two groups are not identical.

 

To be clear:  I am not saying busy people can't find time to exercise.  I'm saying a lot of people who are reasonably healthy but don't have that infomerical body are made to feel like they're inferior for not putting in that work - and that focus on choice is just as insulting as some Fat Acceptance person acting like there's no choice at all. 

 

ETA:

 

 

 

 

Truth be told, we are all busy, we all have jobs/school/obligations/family, we all try to be conscious of our $$$$.  We still make choices.  I have few to none outdoorsy, active friends (which is why I'm here).  My family is a family of sit and relax and while you are at it, stuff your face a little more. 

 

 

I think it's only in extremes where the choices are as simple as exercise vs. "stuff your face" - that's all I'm saying. 

 

 

 

 

And, please, let's be honest.... oodles of people with kids eat well and are fit, oodles do not and are not.  Same is true for commuters, desk sitters, shift workers, and so on. 

 

I didn't say that there weren't.  What I'm saying is that I think we need to be careful to not act as though the choice to exercise X amount or to eat Y amount isn't held up as being one of the most important choices a person can make.  Because there's a lot more to life than that.

[I-Jo]

Eh, my point is not that it's difficult for people who make it a priority, my point is that people should be able to have other priorities and not be shamed for that.  If they want to spend their free time knitting, or volunteering in some sedentary way, those are still activities with value - I think you could argue that they might even have more value if they're contributing something to the community.

 

it's not easier for me to do it- it's BECAUSE i make it a priority- it's still hard to do.

 

That's the point.  It's not easy- because it's a priority- that's the thing about priorities- we make it important so we do it- that doesn't mean it's easy.

 

And that's great fine and well and all to make something else a priority- I made my BF the priority yesterday- not the gym- which iswhat i do EVERY wednesday.... and I still look fit and healthy- sure I freely admit- there are people who do not want to be FIT.  They simple want to be "NOT FAT" and tha'ts okay.

But there is no excuse for being fat.  None.  none at all.  again- big difference between being "not fat" and super in shape. we make it seem like it's ONLY black and white- but it's not... that being said- I don't think a single doctor will tell you being completely sedendary and thin- or not fat is healthy- being active in- even in moderation- you know walking a few times a week- is great for you.  no one is going to tell you being completely sedentary and still not fat is a good thing.

 

Being active IS good.

Being NOT fat is good.

 

Being in shape is good.

 

You can be one of those things- or all of those thins and it's it's good.

 

Being none of those things?  Is bad.

[Raikas]

But there is no excuse for being fat.  None.  none at all.  again- big difference between being "not fat" and super in shape. we make it seem like it's ONLY black and white- but it's not... that being said- I don't think a single doctor will tell you being completely sedendary and thin- or not fat is healthy- being active in- even in moderation- you know walking a few times a week- is great for you.  no one is going to tell you being completely sedentary and still not fat is a good thing.

 

 

Again: I'm not talking about people who are fat and/or totally sedentary.  I'm talking about people who simply don't have the "beachbody" body and feel fat, but probably aren't.  Those people do go to weight loss clinics (and the author talks about people like that in the linked article).

 

ETA: 

As an aside, I don't see why it's so objectionable to acknowledge that it's easier for some people than others just in the sense of hobbies/interests/natural abilities.  That's not in any way saying it's impossible for others, just that it's more of a challenge.

 

For example:  I used to go on portage trips with a couple of friends - one of them turned out to have really hideous allergies to certain bug bites, so it's harder for her to go hiking or get on the water during the spring.  That doesn't mean she can't do other things, but it does mean she can't do the same outdoorsy stuff.  That's a fact.  I fail to see what's wrong with having that be a part of the conversation.

[cline]

Again: I'm not talking about people who are fat and/or totally sedentary.  I'm talking about people who simply don't have the "beachbody" body and feel fat, but probably aren't.  Those people do go to weight loss clinics (and the author talks about people like that in the linked article).

 

Clearly we are all missing something.  We do believe anyone can have a beach body.  It merely depends on how hard a person wants to work for it.  I know someone that decided to be a body builder in his 40's.  That took some serious work and he did it and did well.  But he made it a priority. 

 

I had morbidly (really) overweight friends who decided to lose weight b/c they decided it was more important to see their kids grow up and to play with their kids than to keep eating a box of pasta every night (really, that was the problem and they were sedentary).  They signed up with Jenny Craig and got a meal plan and joined a gym and looked amazing - like regular old healthy people.  They've since put half the weight back on b/c they "don't have time".  They did - same kids, same house, same jobs.  Different priorities. 

 

Feeling unsatisfied with your body is a different discussion from "will never have" beach bodies.  Could have - yes.  Will feel satisfied?  Different question.

[Raikas]

Feeling unsatisfied with your body is a different discussion from "will never have" beach bodies.  Could have - yes.  Will feel satisfied?  Different question.

 

I think they're tied together though - because I see plenty of people who are happy in their lives and yet talk about weight loss seemingly just because it's assumed that you're supposed to.

 

And again, I'm not talking about fat people, or lazy people.  I'm talking people who have acceptable bodies, just not infomercial material.  That they could if they made it a major priority isn't a problem, the problem that I see is that they think it's something they should strive for even if it doesn't interest them.

 

If you don't love it, and your lifestyle is already reasonable, I don't see what's wrong with rejecting the idea of that infomerical body with "that's too much work" - because maybe it is.  Not in the sense of it being impossible, but just in the sense that it doesn't bring them joy and doesn't give much of a better life.  Because while people should take care of themselves, only part of that is physical, y'know?  Being aware of that isn't rubbish, and it isn't lying to themselves - if anything, it's about knowing themselves and not wasting energy or stress on something that's social pressure rather than a genuine personal goal.

[DirtyLittleSecrets]

If you don't love it, and your lifestyle is already reasonable, I don't see what's wrong with rejecting the idea of that infomerical body with "that's too much work" - because maybe it is.  Not in the sense of it being impossible, but just in the sense that it doesn't bring them joy and doesn't give much of a better life.  Because while people should take care of themselves, only part of that is physical, y'know?  Being aware of that isn't rubbish, and it isn't lying to themselves - if anything, it's about knowing themselves and not wasting energy or stress on something that's social pressure rather than a genuine personal goal.

<This! The thing I actually meant and didn't quite convey.

[katscratch]

oh man!  SO MUCH GOOD DISCUSSION in this thread!!  ha, every single thing i started to say in my still-imaginary post y'all said!

 

So all i have left is 

 

DAMN WALDO!!!!  SEXY BEAST MUCH?  i mean, i knew you were a badass and have always been nearly as impressed by your avatars as your wisdom, but wowza.  <3

 

 

 

GREAT topic, anivair!

[wideeyed]

Sounds like the author knows how to make fat people less fat but does not know how to make the lean leaner; instead of acknowleding this failure she rants about society and the fitness industrial complex, and the motivations for wanting to get leaner.1200 cal, 1500 cal if a lot of cardio is done, is a basic prescription for women to become unfat and it works. If you want to get lean you need to strength train (for real), you need to learn to adjust calorie deficits, you need to have a moderate to high protein intake, and you need to learn to utilize diet breaks and refeeds strategically to control the bodies' hormonal response to the deficit; lest you tank someone's metabolism and leave them depressed, stressed, losing muscle instead of fat, and ravenously hungry (and likely to binge).

So the huff post picked this blog up from a member of Eating The Food, which is a Facebook group started by the blogger from gokaleo.com, and since I've been following the group and the thread for a little bit, I just want to clarify a couple of things:

The message over there is to eat and to exercise. The eating is nonrestrictive, and the intention is to help people who have been damaged by years of fad dieting and dieting that restricts calories too much (thereby making a transition to true maintenance extremely difficult and generally leading to weight gain). The exercise piece involves resistance work. 1200 calories a day once you adapt tp ANY particular style of eating AND regular exercise becomes torturous. For those of us who have been playing the yoyo game for most of our lives, we can't rely on our bodies to even tell us when we are hungry or when we are full because we have fucked up the messaging system so badly.

Waldo, the message they send is TEED at a modest deficit, which puts most women who ARE working out 5 times a week between 1800 and 2200 to LOSE. I believe we have had a similar conversation. The other message over there is self-acceptance, because there is often an initial gain when people stop restrictive dieting, and they tend to freak. So what they are trying to tell people is pretty much what I hear all the time over here: eat good food, eat enough of it, and move things. The difference is that their audience is one of people who have emotional issues with food that get in the way. The audience is also coming to the place from a dieting perspective, and not a fitness perspective, and I know that until I came over here, I had never heard the term refeed in my life

I am morbidly obese. Aside from the fibro and migraines, everything else is peachy. I don't expect a beach body out of this (can't afford the surgery for excess skin removal, for one thing). I just want to be able to keep up with my kids and hurt less. The majority of women who walk through the doors of a weight loss clinic that promises miraculous results if only you do exactly what they say and eat exactly what they tell you are like me. We do well until we can't any more.

I am babbling at this point. I just wanted to say that the message isn't "Stay fat." It is, rather, what we tend to discuss over here, which is find a sustainable plan and stick to it.

And thank you, OP, because I was headed for the binge zone and this snapped me out.

[notanartmajor]

As an aside, can we please stop saying "real food" as though people are commonly eating styrofoam fruit or something and calling it real. If you get nutrition (even just calories) and it's not poisonous, it's food.

[eseng666]

I just hope that the ones who will take this article are the appropriate audience. Everything should be taken with common sense. People who are lazys should not use this as an excuse.

[UltanBoyd]

As an aside, can we please stop saying "real food" as though people are commonly eating styrofoam fruit or something and calling it real. If you get nutrition (even just calories) and it's not poisonous, it's food.

That's the point though.

Anything is poisonous in large enough quantity and those shiney foil wrappers have proven to be poisonous on a number of occasions.