14 Habits That Make You Fat

I think weighing yourself makes you fat. Also, owning a scale.

I kinda like to think that way,too, Gail. I threw my scales out a few years ago.

I have issues with number 7 on that list. Yes, fat people are more likely to have fat friends, but that in no way proves a causal relationship. In my experience, black people are more likely to have black friends. Does that mean that being African American is "socially contagious"? No, it just means that people tend to hang out with people who are similar to them. Fat people hang out with other fat people because they know that's at least one relationship in which their size will not be harshly judged and criticized.

Gail,

These are based on correlative statistics. Owning a scale and weighing yourself regularly actually correlates to weighing less, not more.

Alana,

I think you're right. None of these are necessarily a causal relationship.

Alana, makes alot of sence. I've dealth with depression over the years and the friends I have made have been people who have gone through the mental health system. Not only is there a sympathetic connection, but also one based on comfort.

The small, permanent changes in your lifestyle are what keeps the weight off. This list has the top changes in my opinion.

#15 Reading too much neatorama.

I think scales are a good thing once you get over the initial shock of having an unexpected weight. If you weigh yourself daily you get a direct indicator of what is making you gain weight before you actually notice it. If you see your weight going up consistently over the course of a week, it's much easier to isolate what you're doing wrong than figuring it out a month later when you suddenly notice your clothes don't fit.

ive had this exact list bookmarked on my computer for years now.. haha funny.

haha, yes, very funny indeed.
especially if your like me and only do not do about 3 things in there and remains as skinny as a pick. : )

#16 Writing for Neatorama, sadly.

What a lot of prejudicial nonsense. This is just the old sins of gluttony (eating too much makes you fat) and sloth (inactivity makes you fat) in disguise. In other words, it's moralizing presented as science.

Come on, people, how about some real science for a change? I just finished reading Gary Taubes' book, and after an exhaustive (and exhausting) amount of actually reading the scientific literature, he concludes that modern diet advice is terribly unscientific.

For example, the best honest research has shown, again and again, that exercise ("burning calories") DOES NOT lead to weight loss. The body is not an automobile with a fixed energy budget. If you burn more energy, your body will demand that you eat more to compensate.

Also eating less DOES NOT lead to weight loss. Yes, starving yourself SEVERELY (a.k.a. "standard dieting") will initially cause loss, but your body will compensate by lowering your metabolism.

It just doesn't make evolutionary sense that changes in energy expenditure and energy intake will affect energy storage. The body adjusts.

What a lot of bullshit.

Alejo

I don't know about that - for me at least, exercise really is the only effective weight-loss method. In particular, frequent strength-training exercise. I'm not entirely sure why.

I would have to agree that mere "calorie counting" is a gross and misleading oversimplification though. Human metabolism seems to be a mind-blowingly complicated process.