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Ask HN: Any weird tips for weight loss?

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Re: Ask HN: Any weird tips for weight loss?

#541

I've been exploring "weird" approaches to health improvement (including weight loss) for years. In response to your post: it's not necessarily the case that more oxygen will lead to positive outcomes. Respiratory illnesses like asthma and sleep apnea can be caused by overbreathing/hyperventilation. The lungs need to maintain a certain level of CO2 in order for oxygen to be properly absorbed into the blood, and where…

Any suggestion on how to obtain cilantro that’s trustworthy to be low in metals like lead? I’ve read recently a few blips about finding lead in herbs and greens.

(OT wouldn’t it be nice if this were easier? Just this morning I’m realizing some foods I’ve been eating are a little higher in iron than I’d like.)

Re: Ask HN: Any weird tips for weight loss?

#542
Eat fewer calories. Exercise has been shown to be not the main factor in weight loss. But do exercise as well as it will give positive reinforcement, especially mentally.

There are probably so many more parameters, both important on an individual level and commonly, that we do not know about yet.

Re: Ask HN: Any weird tips for weight loss?

#545
I lost about 150lbs since my heaviest weight, which was about half. The pandemic has caused enough stress and lack of activity that I put a between 40 and 50 of that back on before I got control of it again and started working back toward a more ideal weight, and I'm currently about 20 away still. I say this for credibility of what I'm about to tell you, so that you'll understand this isn't coming from someone who had to lose 10 or 15lbs and did it by cutting out soda or something.

We want a trick because losing weight is hard. Our bodies fight us because they are stupid, and our society fights us because it encourages hedonism. But short of a few dangerous and largely illegal medications, there isn't any trick, you just have to embrace the suck.

You're right that most of the weight you lose leaves your body in the form of CO2, but the best way to exhale more CO2 is through aerobic exercise. I was at my lowest weight when I was running regularly, then I developed a knee issue that forced me to stop. Of course, if you don't control your caloric intake it's likely you'll just eat enough to replenish whatever you burned anyway. Our bodies are really stingy about calories and our brains are really good at rationalizing reasons to eat more when we're running a deficit.

Don't get me wrong, I would love if you could find some hack like you propose that would make this easier, but a decade of riding this rollercoaster leads me to believe you won't.

If you want to get serious about losing weight (and I'm not saying you have to!): start by calculating the sedentary BMR for your ideal weight, then institute a strict daily calorie restriction[0] regime where you never go above that number. Even if you do no exercise and sleep a lot you'll still eventually get there, but exercise will help in a few ways. For one, you might find a form of exercise that's actually fun and you'll want to improve at it, which will further motivate you to follow the calorie restriction, in general you'll have less time to sit staring at a screen getting bored and feeling the munchies, and obviously you'll burn extra calories.

[0] Seriously it doesn't even matter that much what you eat as long as you can hit the target number. A nutritionist did an experiment where he ate nothing but convenience store junk food and all his health metrics improved including losing (IIRC) 30lbs. That said, certain foods will make it much easier to avoid overeating than others. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out which ones.

Re: Ask HN: Any weird tips for weight loss?

#546
> I am making the assumption that the lungs can handle being 100% saturated.

I would do some reading about that before trying it.

The "weird tip" I have is this: Do many different diets, sequentially.

Most of us who have been significantly overweight and spent time dieting will have noticed that in the first weeks or months of a new diet (keto, low calorie, paleo, vegetarian, unprocessed-food-only, or whatever), it works well, it's easy or not-too-hard to stick with, you feel great, and the numbers go generally down.

Eventually, the numbers aren't going down noticeably, you no longer notice feeling great compared to last week or last month, and even though you're eating exactly the same thing as you were a month ago, now it's unappetizing and always leaves you wanting more. You're not looking forward to the next meal, and the cravings are enormous.

Congratulations! If you have iron will, you can just stay in this mode, live an ascetic life, and your weight troubles are over.

Many of us do not have iron will, it turns out.

Portions we have to measure start increasing a bit. We convince ourselves that we'll have a few more calories right now but a few less tomorrow. If we miss some calories due to circumstance on day N, we feel entitled to "reward" ourselves with at least most of those calories on day N+1, when the surplus will certainly be stored.

But, didn't we start out by saying we know how to lose weight for a few weeks or months? That happens when starting a new diet, right? Sure, eventually the downward trend flattens, we get less strict or stop constant reminders not to snack and to carefully measure each portion of everything, and maybe even go "off" the diet for a while. For a lot of people, this is when all the lost weight plus a few units comes back.

What if we found a way to keep our diet interesting without increasing caloric intake, without eating a lot of diet-specific hacks ("I'll just replace all the sugar with xylitol!") and without spending more and more time researching and preparing slightly different recipes? What if we could do this without portions slowly sliding up, and without massive cravings?

So, that's the idea: Try (e.g.) low carb. Dive in, read all the popsci that cherrypicks studies, etc. Watch the scale numbers decrease. At the first hint of boredom ("I only have broccoli, eggs, and steak in my fridge. Ugh!"), figure out another diet to do! Dive into Weight Watchers! Read supportive articles about how WW is all you need, and load up your fridge with WW meals. After a few months, when you are tired of the thought of eating yet another one of those WW meals (but before you've started adding 5 points every other day), figure out another diet to do!

Will this work long-term? I don't know yet, and even if I lose 100 kg on this diet, it'll still be a single data point, so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Re: Ask HN: Any weird tips for weight loss?

#547

Lift weights two or three times per week, and walk just barely enough to avoid being completely sedentary. Nothing crazy, I'm talking about using the weight machines at a gym, and walking just ~8k steps per day with a pedometer watch to gamify it. I'm a naturally obese person, and I've read a thousand of these threads over the years. Nearly every comment is either: * Telling you to "hack your body", with keto or what…

Exercise is great, but I found it was not enough. I looked for low-hanging fruit in my diet (example: soft drinks) and cut those (lost 10 pounds just losing the lunchtime soft drinks).

Even with the exercise (have "closed all three rings" since COVID) I hit a wall below which I am not losing weight. From experience though I know I need to cut the portion size of my meals.

Years ago when I was preparing to undergo surgery, I would look at the meal I was about to eat and lay out what I thought was a "reasonable" portion. I would eat that and no more. Habitually, I would have gone for "seconds" in the past, but with surgery looming I restrained myself.

I was surprised to find that I was not hungry even though I ate perhaps 2/3? my usual food intake. Tough though to pass on seconds when the meal is a tasty one.

In the end lost another 20+ pounds and was at my lowest weight since I had been recording it.

I'm afraid I celebrated the success of the surgery though by returning to my eating habits and returned to my previous weight.

Re: Ask HN: Any weird tips for weight loss?

#548

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who lost 20kg in 5 months by eating less, I don't appreciate being called full of shit. First, too much water can cause hyponatremia. Drinking 2 to 3 litters of water / day is fine, but reach 5L and it's getting dangerous. And one of the main advantages of drinking water is it keeps your stomach full, meaning you don't feel hunger, and thus eat less. Second, what's the purpose of your 3rd point if not to r…

> but reach 5L and it's getting dangerous Maybe if you drink it all at once. 5L/day is perfectly fine for everyone in the world. If you’re drinking more than 2L/hour, that’s a problem. So space it out and drink a liter an hour or two and you’ll be fine. In the US, that’s two gallons and is a ton of water. It’s pretty common to see friends carrying a gallon jug around to make sure they drink their gallon a day.

I imagine it'd be really difficult to reach dangerous levels if you're drinking to satisfy your thirst. The only way I can see someone drinking more than 2L/hour is if they're forcing themselves to do so.

Re: Ask HN: Any weird tips for weight loss?

#549

Lift weights two or three times per week, and walk just barely enough to avoid being completely sedentary. Nothing crazy, I'm talking about using the weight machines at a gym, and walking just ~8k steps per day with a pedometer watch to gamify it. I'm a naturally obese person, and I've read a thousand of these threads over the years. Nearly every comment is either: * Telling you to "hack your body", with keto or what…

I also prefer 2-3 lifts per week for health, but it amplifies my already prodigious appetite to rediculous levels. I can and have eaten 6000kcal in a sitting. I usually end up gaining fat when I start lifting and haven't ever managed a cut. I always lose weight by not lifting and restricting calories. Right now the intermittent fasting is working well for me. I'm curious how that will work when I start lifting again.

Re: Ask HN: Any weird tips for weight loss?

#550
InCalories Weight management and fitness is not a difficult problem, but that doesn't mean it's easy. When we think of people who are fit, the stereotypical person we picture isn't usually a math genius. If it were HARD to figure these things out, we wouldn't have that stereotype.

IMHO, the order of effectiveness is: Sleep > Hydration > Diet > Workouts > ... many other things ... > Oxygen Tank

1. Spend an hour or two today learning about how to calculate macros and figure out your TDEE (google it.) 2. Spend an hour or two each week learning how to cook something new. 3. And spend a couple hours each week being active (just walking is enough to start.)

None of this is "exciting" or an "adventure" but it works. The "hard part" is mental. It's about continuing when it's no longer fun or interesting any more. Or making it fun by doing things you love. Look at surfers for example.

One way people get through that step is external motivation. Asking HN is a great first step. Join a team. Hire a coach. Sign up for a competition. Others will welcome you because many of them have been where you are now.

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