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Ask HN: What is the biggest untapped opportunity for startups?

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Re: Ask HN: What is the biggest untapped opportunity for startups?

#321

Post by metafunctor »

bambax wrote: post #271
aabajian wrote: post #151

The leading cause of death is cardiovascular disease. >90% of these cases can be attributed to an overweight population. It's not an easy problem to solve, but there has to be a way to fix it. Lots of calorie counting apps, activity trackers, motivational reminder apps, etc. Obesity is very complicated, but there are three basic facts: 1. Calories in, calories out is the golden rule. 2. The vast majority of calories…

> 2. The vast majority of calories come from carbohydrates. Yes. Sugar is the enemy. It's ironic that so many substances are regulated or flat-out prohibited and not sugar or sodas. HFCS should be outlawed, and sodas regulated like alcohol (no sales to minors, bulk sales limited, etc.) Also, the obsession with fats and the whole industry of low-fat food needs to be dealt with, as, obviously, when the proportion of fa…

Agreed; it seems that we are not, as a species, capable of withstanding the lure of sugary sweetness. The problem is compounded by our culture of instant gratification.

The theory that the problem is sugar – and not fat – does line up pretty well with available evidence.

Re: Ask HN: What is the biggest untapped opportunity for startups?

#323

Post by erpellan »

DiabloD3 wrote: post #187
aabajian wrote: post #151

The leading cause of death is cardiovascular disease. >90% of these cases can be attributed to an overweight population. It's not an easy problem to solve, but there has to be a way to fix it. Lots of calorie counting apps, activity trackers, motivational reminder apps, etc. Obesity is very complicated, but there are three basic facts: 1. Calories in, calories out is the golden rule. 2. The vast majority of calories…

Calories in, calories out is not the golden rule, and this has been scientifically proven false. Also, hilarious adventure I went on once: I ate 4000 calories of bacon a day and nothing else for a month... ended up cutting it off a little early because I was losing weight too quickly. Your second and third points however are scientifically supported, but do not confuse this with "obesity is complicated." It is not ho…

You might find this helpful: https://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/rubberbag.html

A human body is a mechanical system.

Fuel + air in --> Work done + waste out.

That's it. Any other argument is literally disputing the laws of thermodynamics.

Re: Ask HN: What is the biggest untapped opportunity for startups?

#324

Post by thecupisblue »

DanBC wrote: post #307
Sholmesy wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course it's more complicated than this, but in terms of a general rule calories in/out is pretty darn accurate. Saying it is 'dangerously wrong', is dangerously wrong.

It's true, but in an unhelpful way. We've been telling fat people to eat fewer calories for many years, and we're not seeing fewer fat people. It reduces a complex problem into a simplistic slogan that's then used by many people to hate and judge fat people. "You're fat, just eat less stupid fatty". It ignores gut microbiome. Here's a story about a bug that makes it harder to gain weight: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/he…

> we're not seeing fewer fat people

Yeah, because they mostly don't do it.

The things you're focusing on are _mostly_ micro and not macro, for 99.999% of obese individuals, CICO would help them lose weight. There are exceptions to every rule tho.

Re: Ask HN: What is the biggest untapped opportunity for startups?

#326

Post by icebraining »

infinite8s wrote: post #305
icebraining wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can't say I'm an expert, but I don't think hobbies or other such activities can replace eating too much and/or shitty food. I mean, the typical stereotypes show the opposite: playing console with friends, going out to the movies or to a party, even programming (solitary or "hackathons"), often involve the consumption of loads of sugary soda and other crap. BBQs and similar social meals are often the same. Hobbies inv…

The problem is tasty is a conditioning effect. The reason healthy food is not as tasty as junk food is that it has a lot less of the substances that used to be much rarer, like fats, salt, sugar. It makes sense that those are so tasty because they used to be rare. To be able to eat healthier requires weaning yourself off high salt/sugar foods to get reacclimitized to food that has those substances in proportions that…

While I don't disagree, at least around here (I live in a Western European country) the problem is deeper: there simply aren't healthier alternatives easily available at reasonable prices. For example, most nuts you find at groceries are loaded with salt. Finding unsalted versions requires a trip to a megastore or specialised shop.

Re: Ask HN: What is the biggest untapped opportunity for startups?

#327

Post by chillydawg »

DanBC wrote: post #307
Sholmesy wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course it's more complicated than this, but in terms of a general rule calories in/out is pretty darn accurate. Saying it is 'dangerously wrong', is dangerously wrong.

It's true, but in an unhelpful way. We've been telling fat people to eat fewer calories for many years, and we're not seeing fewer fat people. It reduces a complex problem into a simplistic slogan that's then used by many people to hate and judge fat people. "You're fat, just eat less stupid fatty". It ignores gut microbiome. Here's a story about a bug that makes it harder to gain weight: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/he…

Fact: fat people eat too much. Another fact: eating less when overweight can be very difficult.

Re: Ask HN: What is the biggest untapped opportunity for startups?

#328

Post by messel »

DiabloD3 wrote: post #187
aabajian wrote: post #151

The leading cause of death is cardiovascular disease. >90% of these cases can be attributed to an overweight population. It's not an easy problem to solve, but there has to be a way to fix it. Lots of calorie counting apps, activity trackers, motivational reminder apps, etc. Obesity is very complicated, but there are three basic facts: 1. Calories in, calories out is the golden rule. 2. The vast majority of calories…

Calories in, calories out is not the golden rule, and this has been scientifically proven false. Also, hilarious adventure I went on once: I ate 4000 calories of bacon a day and nothing else for a month... ended up cutting it off a little early because I was losing weight too quickly. Your second and third points however are scientifically supported, but do not confuse this with "obesity is complicated." It is not ho…

This is keeper, I'm at 350+ ideal weight around 230-240lbs (6'7") and looking for something to shake up my consumption that makes sense. I regularly exercise (20hrs/week low-medium impact) but eat fast foods

Re: Ask HN: What is the biggest untapped opportunity for startups?

#330

Post by bcoughlan »

erpellan wrote: post #323
DiabloD3 wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Calories in, calories out is not the golden rule, and this has been scientifically proven false. Also, hilarious adventure I went on once: I ate 4000 calories of bacon a day and nothing else for a month... ended up cutting it off a little early because I was losing weight too quickly. Your second and third points however are scientifically supported, but do not confuse this with "obesity is complicated." It is not ho…

You might find this helpful: https://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/rubberbag.html A human body is a mechanical system. Fuel + air in --> Work done + waste out. That's it. Any other argument is literally disputing the laws of thermodynamics.

It's not that it's wrong really. It's just that it's not particularly useful for weight loss.

If I eat mainly sugar and starches I can easily wolf down 4000 calories a day. If I eat a low carb diet it's a struggle to eat 2000 calories a day, the feeling of hunger isn't the growl in my stomach but a kind of mild headache, and after a couple of days my cravings for sugar subsides. The idea that some foods are more "satiating" than others is important, and involves many factors from calorie density to palatability.

Our bodies also regulate our desires for energy input and output. If I am depressed, exhausted or do not get enough sleep I will crave carbohydrates. If I eat certain foods I will feel lethargic and be more inclined to sink into the couch for the evening.

"Eat less, move more" to lose weight is true, but not useful. How you encourage people to do that that is the domain of biology and psychology, not physics.

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