Should fat people take responsibility for their weight?

[minestrone]

Annoyingly, before I started doing exercise and being healthy, I was putting on something like 1 pound a month (based on knowing what I weighed 2 years previously) despite eating loads of junk, drinking, and barely leaving the house.

Now I have lost a stone and a bit and eat probably half the calories I did before, and exercise most days, I find that reverting to my old lifestyle for a week can put on 5lb! How is that possible - I thought the "body going into starvation mode" theory was bunk!

For every gram of carbohydrate your body is storing it also has to carry 3 grams of water. So if you have had a carb light diet then tuck into 16 inch pizza you can easily put on half a stone for a couple of days.

It is also the reason people think the atkins diet is so great, they don't eat carbs for a week then look at the scales and think they have lost half a stone.

I lost over a stone in 6 days doing the MdS but about half of that was water loss as I had lost all my body carbs. When I seen my body in the mirror when I got back to the hotel it was a real WTF! moment.

[d000hg]

For every gram of carbohydrate your body is storing it also has to carry 3 grams of water. So if you have had a carb light diet then tuck into 16 inch pizza you can easily put on half a stone for a couple of days.

So you're saying that's a more transient kind of weight gain - when I was always eating badly I permanently had that 1/2 stone because my diet was crap, but consistent?

[b0redom]

If you can run 5km in 23 minutes I salute you. That's professional running and then some. Curious what age are you?

It really isn't. Not even close. I can do that at the end of a sprint triathlon, and I'm not even in the top 10% of the (amateur) field.

BMI is a rubbish indicator of fitness. I did an Ironman in July, and my BMI still had me as overweight. What about rugby players they are usually classed as obese to morbidly obese on a BMI scale. It's a ridiculously crude measure, and doing something like visceral fat/bone makeup/muscle mass would be too complicated and expensive to measure and tax appropriately.

[minestrone]

So you're saying that's a more transient kind of weight gain - when I was always eating badly I permanently had that 1/2 stone because my diet was crap, but consistent?

Yes, I think if people want to lose weight they should measure body fat. Although I know someone who has those scales at home and he swears he if he drinks a can of irn-bru it changes the numbers.

[minestrone]

People doing my local park run are 16 minutes for 5k.

I'm a plodder now.

[scooterscot]

People doing my local park run are 16 minutes for 5k.

I'm a plodder now.

If I could run at 18.75 kmph I'd probably give up cycling. I really don't think people in your local park are running at 12mph.

[scooterscot]

It really isn't. Not even close. I can do that at the end of a sprint triathlon, and I'm not even in the top 10% of the (amateur) field.

Not me, don't use bmi myself but at 13 stone and almost 6 foot, I'm no slouch. But to run faster would mean giving up into less strength to reduce my weight further. Don't want to be a weedy wiry sort.

[minestrone]

This is last week, someone hit 17:15

latest results | Pollok parkrun

[scooterscot]

This is last week, someone hit 17:15

latest results | Pollok parkrun

Seriously impressive. Think my best 5km was 26/7 minutes!!

I need to get back to the gym... been a month.

[d000hg]

Yes, I think if people want to lose weight they should measure body fat. Although I know someone who has those scales at home and he swears he if he drinks a can of irn-bru it changes the numbers.

Yeah my scales measure that (although I have no idea how accurately). Since I've not only built up my legs doing cycling but am now starting to introduce some strength/weights, my weight will be distorted however I think relatively little compared to the blubber I wish to lose.

Cheers.