[Iceman57]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

This really, really bothers me.

First let me say that I do 3 or 4 presentations per month to weight loss groups helping people lose weight. I tell people about my own experience of losing 168 pounds in a calendar year, getting down to my goal weight of 170 lbs (thus the jokes about being half the man I used to be). I am absolutely ecstatic when someone comes up to me and says that they are so happy that I motivated them to getting back in shape.

You people seem to think that slamming people that are overweight (i.e. the OP's "people have no self control") is going to get them to start exercising and eating right. For me, it made me feel worse about myself and I'd eat to make the depression go away. It was like someone who takes drugs to escape from their crappy lives.

I've been to Overeaters Anonymous and I should go back.... I'm still struggling with the self control. I rarely see "some people have no self control" stated about alcoholics or drug users, but the same physiological and psychological needs are similar. You seem to suggest that it's easy for a fat person to lose weight... they just need some self control. It's bigger than that. As a guy, I'm far better at helping people with the logistical needs than the emotional needs, but I work with people on both.

On Monday, I am doing a presentation for my home weight-loss chapter where I'm going to show everyone my planned exercise regiment for the winter (swimming MWF mornings, boot camps TTh mornings, cardio-kickboxing W afternoon, aqua-turbo Th evenings, cross-country skiing on Sun, etc) and asking them to join me. It's the working together and supporting each other that gets people motivated to be healthier... and once I got started and saw the results, the motivation just grew. Positive reinforcement works so much better than the ####ty treatment fat people get from those that are fit.

Right now I'm using my bottom basement stair to "step-up" on while holding onto two 20 pound weights. When i first started i could barely get through six minutes. Im proud to say that im now up to 35 minutes a day, five days a week and I've stopped eating pasta or bread and no longer eat later then 7:30pm. I've only lost about 12 pounds in just over three months but my wife and kids keep me motivated, its now a change in my life im going to continue forever.