Obesity: Fat Cells Only Change In Volume, Not Number, And It's Determined In Teens

If this thread is of interest to you, you really need to read Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food: An Eaters Manifesto".

We really don't need more science to correct this problem. We need to get a grip on our food consumption. The giant corporate food conglomerates do not have our best interest at heart.

Check it out, it's money well spent.

www.michaelpollan.com/indefense.php

My many fat cells must be very volumenous, because I am a fat fellow. Close to 400 pounds. I have dieted and lost weight, but I always gain back the pounds lost and more. Diets don't work.

hetrevillion wrote:

My many fat cells must be very volumenous, because I am a fat fellow. Close to 400 pounds. I have dieted and lost weight, but I always gain back the pounds lost and more. Diets don't work.

Bull if you dont eat to much you will lose weight and keep it off

Does a fat person feel more pain? A 400 lb. person has alot more volume over a 150lb. person. Wouldn't the 400 lb. person have ALOT more nerves because of their size thus feel more pain? More pain means its alot harder for them to lose weight. It would hurt more. Just thinking.

Approximately 25 years ago my doctor presented me with two diets to follow as I needed to lose 40 pounds that I had gained due to my restricted activities caused by my cracked vertebrae & crushed disks.

After I had crossed off the foods I will not eat I was left with lettuce, onions, and radishes or basically a no food, zero calorie menu. By the end of one month I was feeling pretty punk so one day a week I would take a break and eat one meal of definitely bad food. Kielbasa with green beans in cheese & macaroni. After three months of this diet combined with 3 hours daily of vigorous walking I had lost 15 pounds but I could no longer face a meal of lettuce again. In fact I can no longer eat lettuce as it gives me the scours. Once I was off the heart diet I quickly regained everything & quickly shot up to 250.

I have since discovered that if I keep my food intake to below 1,000 calories a day I can lose up to 2 pounds a month but I do not have the will power to keep that up. I was able to drop from 250 to 220 in 2 years and have been bouncing from 220 to 230 & back again for the last 2 years because I have a tendancy to get hungry when my fat cells shrink too much.

Determined in teens my butt. Ever seen how many fat kids are at the public pool in the summer? It's disgusting. And it's a parent problem.

It has been know for a long time that fat cell quanity is established during the teen years. This story is about a new way of measuring the known information. Not much help to those of us that need to lose weight.

From the article:

"Body weight is the result of genes, metabolism, behavior, environment, culture and socioeconomic status."

I agree with this, but maybe it is too simplistic for broad application since the combination of these factors can vary enormously from individual to individual.

In our family, we have to restrict calories and exercise religiously or we put on weight. Much of this is related to our metabolic rate.

We have a malamute. She just turned nine and our vet has congratulated us for keeping her at a healthy weight. Interestingly, I recently found out that this breed needs much less calories for their size than other breeds due to their having originated in an environment where calories can be in short supply at times.

Since we have some Irish ancestors on both sides of the family, I can only surmise that they were the survivors of the potato famine - the ones who already had enough of a spud butt to live on. We store fat in an efficient manner while needing less to eat.

At least it makes me a cheap date - hee hee.