Ask Dr Nerenberg | Health and Fitness

Anorexia, Bulimia, Starvation,Fast weight loss, Magic pills…Are these realistic goals?

I know this board is about weight loss and Ive been on it long enough to know, myself included, that those needing to lose weight want to do it fast and as easily as possible. But after a life (42 yrs old) of being overweight, I had to learn what was the obvious…proper nutrition and exercise is the answer. Ive just noticed that there are so many young people on this board that are looking into how to become anorexic or bulimic in order to lose weight. Are we, as a society, really this uneducated? I mean, if we are willing to suffer by starvation in order to lose, wouldnt it make more sense to just change the way we eat?
I come to this board to try and help others, as I was once 240 lbs and a size 24 (5″1). But why are people ignoring the good advice some try to give and only looking on how to get an eating disorder??

You’ve hit on a lot of it. I’ve been in this section for a long time and over the last few years I’ve noticed a dramatic increase in the number of very young people on here looking for just what you mentioned. Fast weight loss. And, it seems they may be willing to do anything to achieve it. Yes, they are very undereducated and some of the questions they post they should already know about, or ask their parents about, not put them out here for the world to see. I don’t even answer some because I know the advice I’d give won’t be followed because it requires a lifestyle change they are not willing to do or wait on. I’ve been in the medical field for a long time as well so I know what happens to our bodies at the cellular level. Not just for medications but for the food we eat. I can write diet plans to gain or loose but I’m not there to check on them so I often wonder what’s the point. I’ve been a natural competitive body builder for six years and I know that’s all about diet. When I mention my 15 lbs weight loss in nine weeks without really trying they are amazed I could do that. Another statement I make they don’t like to hear is that, with any weight and or exercise program, 70% of how they will look after a given amount of time will be the result of their diet, not what they do in the gym. During the time I lost that weight I also drank over 500 lbs of water yet didn’t gain an oz from it. That should send a signal….my body needs it and is using it, not storing it. Of course both are needed but diet is by far the biggest event in that equation. One of the main things they don’t realize is just how amazing the body is. When they suddenly want to starve themselves thinking they will loose lots of weight (they will lose a little) the body will go into a defensive mode and try to save them from their own destructive behavior by storing most of what they do eat as fat just to keep their dumb asses alive. Yes, that is very frustrating. It’s frustrating to read about and frustrating to try to correct that thought process. You and I know it takes dedication and commitment and that requires a lifestyle change and some time to work. They don’t want to take that time nor are they mature enough to adhere to that strong commitment. A sentence on my profile says do it for life. That’s what’s needed. I’ve never had a weight issue, but I can gain or loose 20 lbs in a month and a half at will just by altering what I eat. I’m currently at 5’9″ at 175 lbs (overweight according to any BMI) at 7% body fat. I don’t go by the charts because everyone’s different and they are, for the most part, generalized as a base to work from. I can train some to build mass or loose fat, but it’s not going to happen in a week. That’s the main problem here. “I want it and I want it now.
Can you see my frustration showing?

What Not To Eat After a Workout

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