Jacob Riis Beach hosts the day of body positivity and fun, in the city at the heart of the fat acceptance movement
Fat Beach Day events are springing up across the US in an effort to fight back against fat-phobia, reclaim safe spaces for the community and honor plus-size culture. Today, one of these celebrations is being held to coincide with Pride month at Jacob Riis Beach in New York, a location deeply ensconced in the city’s activism space.
Nope. I count every calorie. I’m shooting for 2300 but struggle to hit that. I usually end up at 2600 or more. I cook 80% of my own food. I bake my own bread. I make my own snacks. I know exactly why I’m fat. I can’t stop being hungry. I feel full around 800-900 calories, no matter what I’m eating. (pizza is an exception, because I feel full around 1200 calories, so I avoid it.)
Imagine walking, chest deep, against a slow moving river, every second of the day. You can push against it and it works, but it’s hard. One slip up and you’re floating backwards. You know how to make progress, but it’s takes a shit load of effort and one mistake and you just. Fucking. Can’t. Today.
Add that into everything else wrong with my life. I only have energy for so many things. I have to triage. Kids, wife, bills, personal happiness, other responsibilities. Can’t do them all.
Trust me, I hate myself with every bite, but it’s the only way to shut up that hungry voice.
You could try eating more fiber (beans, fruit, etc) it’ll help naturally increase GLP-1 (same as ozempic) but without the cost and side-effects. You also most likely have a Leptin issue (fiber helps with this as well). I urge you to both look at Leptin and GLP-1 with relation to fiber and or therapies that will help you resolve your hunger issue. There’s adequate scientific literature to support eating more fiber helping these two, but you might need pharmacological therapy if changing your diet would be too disruptive. Lastly, you’re doing great and individuals who are overweight but exercise will live longer than skinny people who don’t. Hope that helps.
Thanks.
I do eat fruit. Freaking love it. At least 1 apple a day, they are my fav, and often more. I try to eat veggies as much as possible and skip meat when possible. Fiber hasn’t been a huge focus for me, but it’s worth a shot. I’ve got a refried beans recipe I freaking love. I wish my kids liked it. My veggie chili is also great, but, you know, kids.
Your situation is valid, but you’ve missed about a half dozen important components.
First. You need to eat slower, 900 calories to feel full is more of a time thing than a volume thing.
Second. You need to be eating more protein and fiber. Which also help with fullness.
Third. You need to give your body time to reduce the size of what it thinks it needs. Your stomach actually gets used to a certain quantity of food, and it needs to re-adjust to a lower amount.
Fourth. Hunger sucks. Drinking water helps. Especially before a meal it will help you with the first point here too.
Fifth. Hunger is a mental thing, you can overcome it with practice, you’re not actually malnourished. As a child I used to participate in these 30 hour famine fundraisers where you didn’t eat anything between dinner on Thursday and lunch on Saturday, only clear fluids were allowed. You can just practice ignoring hunger and get better at it.
Stop. Eating. Carbs.
I lost 60 lbs when I finally managed to convince myself that carbs don’t give a satiety response.
Yeah, there’s a hard-wired positive feel-good response from eating until you’re full. Unfortunately, when food is plentiful, that means you’re going to be overeating all the time. Conversely, if you’re eating at a deficit, that means you’re not going to have that feeling of fullness any more, you’re going to feel like you’ve still got room. You’re not truly hungry, but you’re not full either. There’s a difference between being actually hungry and just not being full, and a lot of people lose that distinction.