The Student Room Group

Dieting

Why is losing weight given much more media coverage then gaining weight? Surely there are loads off people that find it impossible to gain weight, want to but don't know how.


It is unhealthy to be too skinny or too fat, there has to be a balance. I just think it is stupid that the media only focuses on one aspect of dieting (losing weight).

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
Gaining weight is easy - eat more food, losing weight is far more difficult.

Its also easier to gain weight than lose it due to our ancestory, back in the days of caves and what not we were used to fasting and then binging (going without food then catching it etc.) so our bodies developed a way to make us not lose much but gain it very easily..
Reply 2
imasillynarb
Gaining weight is easy - eat more food, losing weight is far more difficult.

Its also easier to gain weight than lose it due to our ancestory, back in the days of caves and what not we were used to fasting and then binging (going without food then catching it etc.) so our bodies developed a way to make us not lose much but gain it very easily..


I disagree. It depends on your matobolism. I have a really fast matobolism, meaning that I burn off whatever eat easily.

To gain even a pound, I have eat 4 meals a day, drink two protein shakes and work out. Its utter bull.

A person who is overweight is the reverse of someone like myself, they would have a slow matabolism, meaning that whatever they eat, they are less likely to burn off -hence the reason why they have to diet.
Reply 3
Whateva
Reply 4
Don't talk about the science behind a metabolism when you can't even spell the word.
oh noes i have a slow/fast metabolism

its worth remembering that any classification of your metabolism as undesirably fast or slow is describing it relative to your ability/desire to eat food

I doubt many people have accurately determined their bmr and found how it compares to the average person's bmr. What theyre saying is, for a "fast metabolism", their bmr exceeds the amount of calories that they like to eat in a day. That could be like 1500 cals or less, easily. A lot of people dont like to eat much

Someone who complains of a "slow metabolism" may possibly have a bmr of like 2500 cals, but is only satisfied with an intake of 3500.

Since most people never know how many calories theyre eating, people just say they have fast/slow metabolisms.

For example, I know that at a certain fairly "basal" level of activity, I will lose weight at about 2500 cals. However, if I was just eating for pleasure/satisfaction like most people do, id eat well over 4000 a day without thinking about it. It would be wrong to say that I have a slow metabolism, but if I wasnt aware of and (fairly) in control of my diet, I might diagnose such a state.
Reply 6
xyz2k6
I disagree. It depends on your matobolism. I have a really fast matobolism, meaning that I burn off whatever eat easily.

To gain even a pound, I have eat 4 meals a day, drink two protein shakes and work out. Its utter bull.

A person who is overweight is the reverse of someone like myself, they would have a slow matabolism, meaning that whatever they eat, they are less likely to burn off -hence the reason why they have to diet.

uh what?
imasillynarb
Gaining weight is easy


I eat loads n loads n loads of food but i cant put weight on. its annoying. i've always been underweight.
Reply 8
FireDeuce
Don't talk about the science behind a metabolism when you can't even spell the word.


Oh let's start flaming them because they made a typo...or may actually have difficulty spelling.

I agree with the thread starter - the faster your metabolism, the harder it is to gain weight. The slower it is, the harder it is to lose weight.

Easy enough to grasp. :smile:
Reply 9
FireDeuce
Don't talk about the science behind a metabolism when you can't even spell the word.


It's a typo error, so what?
Reply 10
Katia
Oh let's start flaming them because they made a typo...or may actually have difficulty spelling.

I agree with the thread starter - the faster your metabolism, the harder it is to gain weight. The slower it is, the harder it is to lose weight.

Easy enough to grasp. :smile:


My point exactly.
Reply 11
edmj000
I eat loads n loads n loads of food but i cant put weight on. its annoying. i've always been underweight.


Yeah, it's annoying.

I find it amazing, that no one has highlighted this issue in the media. When it comes to physical appearance, the emphasizes is put on losing weight. Which is rather annoying if your ectomorphic, as you just don't have access to the same resources as endomorphics i.e. articles that give advice on how to gain weight properly.
Reply 12
your argument was still crap. what imasillynarb said is true, its quite alot easier to gain weight than to lose it. mentally and physically.
Reply 13
edmj000
I eat loads n loads n loads of food but i cant put weight on. its annoying. i've always been underweight.


Same
Reply 14
bis432
your argument was still crap. what imasillynarb said is true, its quite alot easier to gain weight than to lose it. mentally and physically.


Then why do loads of people complain that they "eat loads loads loads" and still can't gain weight?

Refer to the "do you prefer fat or skinny guys thread" if you want to see countless other examples of guys complaining that they find it impossible to gain weight.
Reply 15
If you can't gain weight then you're not eating enough, its that easy, you're probably massively underestimating the amount of calories you eat a day. Do you finish every meal? Do you have 3 meals a day? Are those big meals or small meals?
Reply 16
because they arent doing it right. there are ways round it.

put it this way, would you rather have to force yourself to not eat things all day everyday when your body and hormones are just crying out for you to do so, or sit around eating anything and everything you want all day? which is physically and mentally harder out of the two?
Reply 17
Exactly, eating is amazing, probably one of the most fun things to do in the world, what is so difficult about just sitting down, and eating, what you want, when you want, and more?

When you're in a calorie deficit, things get a lot harder.
Reply 18
Putting on weight or losing weight are both easy if you are committed.
Reply 19
that is true. but how commited are you?