TSR Weight Loss Society Part II

What is 'frozen yoghurt' ?

exactly what it sounds like - yoghurt, frozen! Its like a less naughty version of icecream

so do you buy it or just freeze yoghurt? surely it would go more like a lolly?

Works pretty well with fromage frais. Its not as soft/smooth as the frozen yoghurt you buy in tubs though.

I was not a member of this site till today, but thought I'd come on here to leave a message to the people who use this forum, and specifically this thread. I have personally experienced the impact that i can have on people.

This thread is destructive.

Many of you (I do not refer to every one of you, but a vast majority) who post on here should be ashamed of yourselves. The people who run this forum, and moderate threads such as this should be even more ashamed of themselves.

Let me tell you a story. My girlfriend used this site and specifically this thread for a long time, and it was without a doubt a major contributing factor to her developing Anorexia Nervosa. It is clear from an outside perspective and she even states herself that she is sure that this thread played a big part in the downward spiral. She has since stopped using this site. When I discovered she had used this forum and specifically this thread I decided to have a look at it, and what I found I was shocked and appalled at. This thread encourages people to eat ridiculously small amounts, exercise obsessively and feel like **** when they don't. You praise each other for eating horrifically small amounts, and console each other when you eat 'bad things' as though your relationship just broke up. I would bet my life savings that it is not just my girlfriend that this thread has played a destructive role upon, but many more impressionable young girls that use the site and thread.

Anorexia is a terribly devastating condition, not only to the sufferer, but to the friends and family of the sufferer. It has nearly broken our relationship up on numerous occasions, it has affected her work, her social life, it has affected her personality, it has physically affected her in many ways more than weight loss and it has affected me greatly through her also. When your life begins to revolve around food and your relationship with food it is a pathetic existance.

I urge you to think about your lives and what is important in them. Is it the end of the world if you ate a bag of maltesers at lunchtime? No its not. What would you rather have from your life; a happy fulfilling existance enriching other peoples lives? Or a miserable, pathetic and destructive existance that causes pain and hurt to not only yourself but also to those around you, being constantly sad because you ate something you shouldn't, or you went to the gym one less time than you should have, or that you can't eat that burger that you'd really like? Let me tell you, it is a slippery slope, and for some of you its not too late to clamber back up before you get too far down it.

I am a medical student at university, and I thought I would also say that from a medical standpoint dieting is not an effective way of losing weight. The best way to lose weight is to eat healthily and a normal amount with regular excercise. The recommended calorie intake for women is 2000 cals. the recommended fat intake for women is 65g per day and the recommended Carbohydrate intake is 300g /day. It is advised to not cut down more than 500 cals per day below this RDA and only in extreme circumstances... Obesity and morbid Obesity BMI>30kg/m sq. and BMI>40 kg/m sq respectively could be considered extreme circumstances... Trying to lose a few pounds for a night out is not. If you are failing to meet your fat and carbohydrate recommended daily intakes (which I imagine many of you are from reading through) then act now. Hopefully it is not already too late for you. Reccomended daily allowances were invented to be seen as a minimum target to prevent ill health.

When you cut down your food, fat or carbohydrate intake you are doing damage to your body. You are essentially doing the opposite of what you want to acheive, you are making it much harder for yourself to maintain weight loss. In these circumstances your metabolism will begin to fall. It takes a significant amount of time for metabolism rates to recover. When your metabolism has fallen, you will put weight on even when you eat less than you should. The only way to escape this pattern is to eat a healthy amount consistently until your metabolism recovers. This will mean gaining weight. It is the only way, there is no 'quick fix'.

Healthy weight loss is not acheived through restrictive dieting, but through a sensible well balanced eating plan with a healthy intake of all essential nutrients in addition to regular exercise. Please remember this.

Please be aware that threads like this fuels the perception that being thin and losing weight is the only way to be of value in society. I assure you these are not the way to be valued in society. In an already image saturated society with powerful aspirational norms created by the media, magazines, TV and famous people the addition of threads such as this further help to instill such unhealthy health beliefs and practices that lead to a dark place.

If just one person can be saved from the pain and hurt that anorexia causes from either changing what is allowed in the content of threads like this, or stopping them altogether it would be a positive outcome.

Fortunately my girlfriend is now in the process of recovery, but it is still tough and even after having recognised the need for recovery it continues to cause an immense amount of pain and hurt to all involved.

Anorexia is a psychological disease. You can still be anorexic without weighing 6 stone. I urge you to take a good look at your own eating and exercise habits, and to seek help if you find something worrying. This website http://www.b -eat.co.uk is a first step for those of you who consider yourselves to need help.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

This thread isn't nearly as bad as it used to be. This thread is moderated quite closely. I don't think this thread is destructive anymore. Where people are suggesting eating tiny amounts the usual response is to encourage that person to follow a healthy eating pattern. A lot of measures have been taken to prevent the thread been too destructive. There are posts from time to time which crop up - a few days ago someone posted with a BMI of 21 saying they were overweight, and i noticed a few people did turn round and say thats not overweight.

If you have concerns about any specific posts, report them, or post a thread in ask a moderator. It is unfortunate about what happened to your girlfriend, I've seen the effects of severe anorexia in practice. I'm glad shes now recovering.

Withe regards to actual calorie intake, and content of diet. i know I usual preach about healthy diets been based on (which is generally what dietitians suggest in practice):

CHO at each meal e.g. bread, noodles, pasta, potatoes, rice

Wholegrains where possible.

2 main meals a day - e.g. a lunch type meal such as a sandwich, and a dinner type meal of something cooked. On a plate these should be 20% protein e.g the meat/fish veggie alternative, 40% veg, 40% starchy food

3 portions of dairy foods e.g. milk, cheese, yoghurt

2-3 snacks, minimum throughout day.

At least 5 portions of fruit/veg per day.

to change types of fats e.g. butter to things like margarine, same calories different type of fat

2 portions of fish per week, 1 should be oily.
etc etc

The RDA overestimates by a lot in most people - its a value which meets the needs of the majority. Hence following a 1300 kcal diet in someone who is light in weight isn't as detrimental as what is seems. (this would be a 1800 kcal diet to full requirements) i would not suggest following a diet less than this without supervision however. I know that my full requirements are about 1700-2000kcal depending on how active I am. I know a lot of the people on here are sensible about their diets, and it is a minority who are more obsessive, and perhaps not doing this healthily. I know people who are also a little obsessed about the diet, but are doing it healthily. I personally am very obsessed with foods, but my intake is usually around 1800kcal per day. Even though obsession is one factor which may be involved in development of anorexia it isn't the sole cause.