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After ‘The Biggest Loser,’ Their Bodies Fought to Regain Weight

nytimes.com

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Re: After ‘The Biggest Loser,’ Their Bodies Fought to Regain Weight

#321

Post by npsimons »

Jweb_Guru wrote: post #314
npsimons wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> How much can basal human metabolism really vary anyways? The range is within 200-300 kCal for people of the same height and mass: http://examine.com/faq/does-metabolism-vary-between-two-peop... Also, you are correct to ask how data was collected: people routinely fudge reports of intake and activity, to the point that self-reported data is considered completely unreliable.

You might try reading the linked study, which answers the question of how RMR data were collected (hint: it's accurate). Actually, this entire site would benefit from actually reading the paper.

You mean the broken link to the study? I'll posit you didn't even click through the link I provided. Pot, meet kettle.

Just judging from the article (which leaves a lot to be desired), though, it sounds like a small sample size, with no control group, and hasn't been reproduced.

Edit: I'm not saying it's impossible; it's a known issue: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/69/6/1117.full

There are reasons that most doctors recommend lifestyle changes, slower maintainable weight loss (eg 1lb a week) and resistance training to combat muscle wasting. The Biggest Loser is already picking outliers, then putting them through programs that are definitely not sustainable long term. It's very possible that all this study shows is that losing weight TBL style is very bad for you, not that everyone gains the weight back. I still haven't after nine years.

Re: After ‘The Biggest Loser,’ Their Bodies Fought to Regain Weight

#322

Post by MustardTiger »

hourislate wrote: post #246
MustardTiger wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gary Taubes is a fraud. He deliberately misrepresents research the scientists he quotes out of context in his books have come out repeatedly saying this. Everything Taubes says is nonsense, and he is doing this deliberately to sell books on the back of a fad diet craze. There are no magic satiety fats. Fat is not higher satiety than carbs. Protein is.

Nonsense. No one has come out and said anything of the such. Try reading his book before you comment.

I have read his books, plural. And yes, they have: https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/gary-taubes-and-the-cau...

Re: After ‘The Biggest Loser,’ Their Bodies Fought to Regain Weight

#323

Post by MustardTiger »

dclowd9901 wrote: post #264
MustardTiger wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are either a very small person, or you are not accurately counting your calories. The reason some people can subsist on less than the recommended caloric intake is that the recommendation is an average. If you are below average in size and/or activity level, then you need a below average amount of calories.

5'11" and 185. It's possible I'm miscounting calories (given how much of a crapshoot the task is), but not by so much that it would matter greatly.

Yes, it is very possible that it would matter greatly. People routinely count their calories at 1/3 of what they are really consuming. Get a scale, weigh your food. It is the only way to get useful accuracy.

Re: After ‘The Biggest Loser,’ Their Bodies Fought to Regain Weight

#324

Post by crikli »

massysett wrote: post #318
ck2 wrote: post #260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you did it right - pound per week - it's a lifestyle change you'll be able to maintain just shave 400-500 calories per day and sure enough, each week on average you'll lose a pound hmm spaghetti squash, I'll have to try that

The whole point of the article is that this isn't true. The article says the body resets its metabolism so that it survives on less food, making weight loss more difficult.

The body resets its metabolism to survive on less food IFF you're burning enormous amounts of kcals daily while on an extremely restricted diet, as these subjects were.

"His routine went like this: Wake up at 5 a.m. and run on a treadmill for 45 minutes. Have breakfast — typically one egg and two egg whites, half a grapefruit and a piece of sprouted grain toast. Run on the treadmill for another 45 minutes. Rest for 40 minutes; bike ride nine miles to a gym. Work out for two and a half hours. Shower, ride home, eat lunch — typically a grilled skinless chicken breast, a cup of broccoli and 10 spears of asparagus. Rest for an hour. Drive to the gym for another round of exercise."

This is crazy. Huge caloric burn, but no calories to coming in, so your body burns fat and muscle, but there's still a deficit, so the metabolic rate starts lowering.

I really hate TBL for so a many reasons. As this research is showing, it's a total sham that hurts the participants for life. And for the millions of people watching, it creates completely unrealistic expectations, eg "Kenny lost 180 pounds, I can't lose 50 in the same amount of time."

Re: After ‘The Biggest Loser,’ Their Bodies Fought to Regain Weight

#325

Post by chris_wot »

nommm-nommm wrote: post #272
chris_wot wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't find the source now, but years ago in an agricultural class in high school I was told that studies had been done on weight recovery in cattle who had been through drought conditions and who were either malnuritied or had lost significant weight. I believe the results were that the cattle recovered and increased their weight after this occurred. Wish I could find that study! But it would be an interesting hypo…

>if someone reduced their calorific content too quickly then the body will attempt to compensate when normal eating resumes Ever fast? I find fasting extremely effective at reducing my post fast appetite dramatically. In fact, fasting occasionally the only thing that keeps me from gaining more weight, it "resets" my appetite.

Interesting - I've heard this also. I wonder if there is something that would only help someone in a normal weight range, and exercises?

It sounds like gradual improvements are the only way to handle weight loss. So it takes time and effort...

Re: After ‘The Biggest Loser,’ Their Bodies Fought to Regain Weight

#326

Post by taurath »

alva wrote: post #139
xlm1717 wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Buying a blood glucose meter is not an expensive investment (provided you don't really need it, ie. don't have diabetes) and it will pay dividends in terms of health. With a meter and about 200 strips and lancets, you can determine a big list of foods that raise your blood glucose and foods that don't. I've been customizing my meals based on what my glucose meter tells me raises my blood glucose the least and I am lo…

This is the first time I have heard glucose meters being used specifically for weight loss, very interesting. If this is a safe and effective way to encourage weight loss, this could be a huge business opportunity.

Its the golden goose for wearables - the problem is there's no technology to continuously and reliably measure blood sugar without taking samples of blood (pricking).

If everyone had an apple watch, fitbit, etc that told you your blood sugar levels, with an immediate effect you could usher in a hugely effective treatment and prevention of diabetes and obesity. Assuming you can get people to wear it and you don't have to prick their fingers.

Re: After ‘The Biggest Loser,’ Their Bodies Fought to Regain Weight

#327

Post by npsimons »

I think the biggest thing we should take away from this study is that losing weight "The Biggest Loser" style is bad for your long term health, not that everyone who loses weight will gain it all back or that weight loss is impossible. In other words, don't follow a "Biggest Loser" style program to lose weight.

Re: After ‘The Biggest Loser,’ Their Bodies Fought to Regain Weight

#328

Post by foota »

burkaman wrote: post #206
AnthonyMouse wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I stopped listening to medical practitioners and starting experimenting with the foods I ate, using pairs testing with a glucose monitor. I sometimes wonder if the state of medical ethics is killing us. We've made it so expensive to do a medical study that nobody is going to do it unless the end result is something they can sell, so the only "solutions" we get are drugs because there is no money to be made in presc…

Aren't there tons of studies on whether some particular food is good for the heart, good for the brain, etc.? It's not that nobody does them, it's just really hard to get a conclusive result that applies to everyone. There are lots of foods that are both good and bad for you, depending on the study. I think the problem might be more that there aren't very many universal results, and the fish and vegetables diet that…

I went to an interesting talk the other week about the potential for personalized medicine to and how what seemed like just throwing data at medical issues can eliminate this problem.

ie, you gather medical data from thousands of people and find someone similar on a micro level to the current patient and see what has helped them.

Re: After ‘The Biggest Loser,’ Their Bodies Fought to Regain Weight

#329

Post by arkades »

AnthonyMouse wrote: post #173
atria wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

^ This times 1000000. There is so much chicanery and malfeasance in the nutrition and fitness industry. I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes a few years ago. I went to dietitian who prescribed a diet with 60% carbs (I believe its roughly the same as the ADA dietary guidelines). The standard treatment is medication, followed by more medication, then insulin shots. Frustrated, I read everything I could get my hands on, and…

> I stopped listening to medical practitioners and starting experimenting with the foods I ate, using pairs testing with a glucose monitor. I sometimes wonder if the state of medical ethics is killing us. We've made it so expensive to do a medical study that nobody is going to do it unless the end result is something they can sell, so the only "solutions" we get are drugs because there is no money to be made in presc…

The limiting factor on medical research isn't ethics: it's samples large and diverse enough to have a meaningful ability to distinguish between null and alternative hypotheses.

We produce shit studies with small sample sizes and dodgy methodologies all the time. They just don't add to the pool of human knowledge.

Re: After ‘The Biggest Loser,’ Their Bodies Fought to Regain Weight

#330

Post by ghshephard »

jdmichal wrote: post #210
ghshephard wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For another perspective on this, see: http://anthonycolpo.com/stephan-guyenet-debunks-gary-taubes/

The link you provided is a no-value-added wrapper to the actual article: http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2011/08/carbohydrate-h...

Anthony Colpo has a lot of articles beyond just that one.
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