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Obesity: Drink till you drop

economist.com

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Re: Obesity: Drink till you drop

#11

Post by sliverstorm »

jacquesm wrote: post #6
Maciek416 wrote: post #3

I'd like to know how much obesity is caused by a structural "finish everything on your plate" problem. By this I mean the tendency of certain folks to finish everything that is served, no matter what their hunger level is. Also, I've heard it said that people who eat from smaller plates will consume fewer calories over time. In the study, the group given water also had their food portions slashed by a substantial amo…

Plenty of it, but that's also because typically people will prepare (or expect to be prepared for them in restaurants) unbelievable amounts of food. I weigh about 70 Kg and a half portion in any US restaurant is more than enough for me. I always feel bad about sending food back to the kitchen but I'd feel even worse for overeating.

I find this is somewhat dependent on the restaurant I'm at. I'm a stable 60-65Kg, but I hungrily consume almost anything in front of me, except at the most excessive of restaurants.

Re: Obesity: Drink till you drop

#12

Post by carbocation »

rmanocha wrote: post #8

Not sure about the "science" behind this, but this technique has definitely worked for me. I've been drinking ~3 litres of water daily for the last year - and along with other changes in my lifestyle, have lost ~65lbs in that time. If for no other reason, drinking that water reduces my urges for fizzy drinks - which helps a lot. Additionally, as others have said - reducing the amount you eat, in whatever way that wor…

The "science" behind this is a randomized, controlled trial. Why the scare quotes?

Re: Obesity: Drink till you drop

#13

Post by wwortiz »

jacquesm wrote: post #10
Estragon wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For this reason, I generally share a meal when I'm eating out.

That would be 'not done' in plenty of places. I've asked for half portions for the full price instead, they just laugh at me.

That seems kind of weird, most places will bring out an extra plate for you to share/split with someone as soon as you ask.

I can however see them laugh at the half portions at full price (just take the leftovers if you feel bad for wasting food, maybe you could even give it to a bum if you can't bring the food home).

Re: Obesity: Drink till you drop

#14

Post by kd0amg »

jacquesm wrote: post #6
Maciek416 wrote: post #3

I'd like to know how much obesity is caused by a structural "finish everything on your plate" problem. By this I mean the tendency of certain folks to finish everything that is served, no matter what their hunger level is. Also, I've heard it said that people who eat from smaller plates will consume fewer calories over time. In the study, the group given water also had their food portions slashed by a substantial amo…

Plenty of it, but that's also because typically people will prepare (or expect to be prepared for them in restaurants) unbelievable amounts of food. I weigh about 70 Kg and a half portion in any US restaurant is more than enough for me. I always feel bad about sending food back to the kitchen but I'd feel even worse for overeating.

In American restaurants, it's pretty typical for patrons to get their leftovers wrapped up to go (though this is less common at fancier restaurants).

Re: Obesity: Drink till you drop

#15

Post by jacquesm »

sliverstorm wrote: post #11
jacquesm wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Plenty of it, but that's also because typically people will prepare (or expect to be prepared for them in restaurants) unbelievable amounts of food. I weigh about 70 Kg and a half portion in any US restaurant is more than enough for me. I always feel bad about sending food back to the kitchen but I'd feel even worse for overeating.

I find this is somewhat dependent on the restaurant I'm at. I'm a stable 60-65Kg, but I hungrily consume almost anything in front of me, except at the most excessive of restaurants.

High metabolism?

Re: Obesity: Drink till you drop

#16

Post by jacquesm »

wwortiz wrote: post #13
jacquesm wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That would be 'not done' in plenty of places. I've asked for half portions for the full price instead, they just laugh at me.

That seems kind of weird, most places will bring out an extra plate for you to share/split with someone as soon as you ask. I can however see them laugh at the half portions at full price (just take the leftovers if you feel bad for wasting food, maybe you could even give it to a bum if you can't bring the food home).

It's a cultural thing. As a European in North America you find lots of those things where the 'right' thing to do is less than obvious, and restaurant etiquette is one of those.

Americans visiting Europe would find themselves in a similar situation if they asked for a doggie bag. Most places wouldn't even be prepared to handle such a request.

But then again, the portions are so much smaller that a request of that nature is unlikely.

Re: Obesity: Drink till you drop

#17

Post by klenwell »

neilk wrote: post #7
Goosey wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Getting over the cultural teaching that I must eat everything that is served in that sitting was the KEY to my weight loss, personally. I had no real dietary changes. I found that if I just ate slower and stopped when I felt satisfied most meals were nearly twice the size they needed to be. Another upside of this is it is cost effective to grab lunch and have the left overs for dinner (or the reverse)

Agreed. I now try to stop eating the instant I feel the slightest desire to stop. It seems to me that I've been programmed to ignore this impulse. This is especially true of America where portion sizes are gigantic and people consider themselves primarily bargain-hunters rather than experience-seekers. It is amazing to me how much Americans will complain if a restaurant offers portion sizes just a little bit smaller…

"people consider themselves primarily bargain-hunters rather than experience-seekers"

I suspect changing this attitude, more even than the promotion of local/organic/sustainable food production, could be the biggest social benefit of the foodie movement.

Re: Obesity: Drink till you drop

#18

Post by sliverstorm »

jacquesm wrote: post #15
sliverstorm wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find this is somewhat dependent on the restaurant I'm at. I'm a stable 60-65Kg, but I hungrily consume almost anything in front of me, except at the most excessive of restaurants.

High metabolism?

Or something like that

Re: Obesity: Drink till you drop

#19

Post by tommizzle »

While I completely agree with the gist of the article, Dr Davys counter-argument is terrible:

"It is possible that the water displaced sugary drinks in the hydrated group, but this does not explain the weight loss because the calories associated with any fizzy drinks consumed by the other group had to fall within the daily limits."

There is such a thing as good calories and bad calories - obviously getting your calories from healthy fats such as olive oil and avacados is going to be a lot more beneficial to your weight in the long run than getting your calories from sugary fizzy drinks such as coca-cola.

Still, nice article.

Re: Obesity: Drink till you drop

#20

Post by shrikant »

Me and the significant other have known this for quite a while. Frankly, I'm REALLY surprised that this wasn't an established scientific result.

The way it works IMHO is not too obscure - water fills you up and gives you the impression of being 'full' earlier, so you tend to reduce your regular food intake. Feeling 'fuller' equates to being satiated for a lot of people (including me), so the tendency to chow out at random times during the day is highly reduced/eliminated.

I used to be 90+ kg in the middle of 2009. Once I decided to drink copious amounts of water during the day, by Jan 2010 I had come to about 60ish kg and lost 4 inches around the waist. My other breakfast/lunch/dinner eating habits remained the same, and the water meant I cut down on snacking between meals.

Seriously, isn't there any research showing water fills you up?

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