General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Can we stop fat shaming politicians we don't like? [View all]Towlie
(5,346 posts)Athena wrote:
"It is also much more dangerous to have a fluctuating weight than to have a stable weight that is 'overweight' or 'obese'"
No. It appears that losing weight and keeping it off is the healthiest thing an overweight person can do, followed by "Weight cycling" or "yo-yo dieting", which may introduce some ill effects but is still better than not losing weight at all, followed by not losing weight and simply staying overweight, which is the worst choice.
The main lesson for me was that there's a difference between weight loss and weight watching.
Weight loss is a process that has a beginning and an end. You plan how you're going to achieve weight loss and you stick to your plan until you reach your proper weight. I found that it's better to not worry about the arithmetic of how many pounds you've lost, but to concentrate on higher mathematics - the derivative (rate of change with respect to time) of your weight loss and how long it'll take to reach your planned weight at the rate you're going. Don't settle for losing some impressive-sounding number of pounds if you still weigh more than you should. You're not done yet!
Weight watching, on the other hand, never ends. It requires a total revision of the way you live and it's something you must commit to for the rest of your life, else you'll wind up in the "yo-yo dieting" category, which is synonymous with failure. You need to keep track of your weight and establish total control over it, and be able to honestly boast that you weigh what you want to weigh. The worst thing I'd want to do is reinforce the myth that weight loss is never permanent, and I don't intend to do that.
That's the philosophy that has worked for me for the last five years, and I guess I should thank Athena for her arrogant challenges to me because they'll help reinforce my determination and resolve.