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Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching

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Re: Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching

#61

Post by ensiferum »

Intermittent fasting offers a great alternative that is completely free! The problem Fe Business perspective is of course that there's nothing to sell. No pills no magic nutrition plan or foods or exercise regime. And best of all...no calorie counting!

If you're fasting and feel hungry while carrying body fat it means your metabolism is broken. Insulins levels are high and thus prevent the use of stored body fat for energy. It's possible to reverse this condition but it can take time up to 6 months approx.

I really recommend to watch a pod cast with Dr. Benjamin Bikman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfSJFPu50_A

It's incredible how fasting just works. I've lost 10kg of bf and 10cm from my waistline without counting a single calorie or feeling hungry at all over the course of 6 months. And I haven't lost strength either and my workouts are as intense as before. After i started fasting it took me a about 6 weeks to start seeing visible changes.

Re: Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching

#62

Post by cesher »

lharries wrote: post #60
cesher wrote: post #58

Where is Washington state in your rollout plan? 2021? 2022?

(Richie's co-founder here) We are aiming for Washington by the end of 2021. If you'd like me to let you know when we launch there feel free to fill in the "Am I Eligible" quiz and join the waitlist or send an email to luke@joinfella.com and I'll add you manually

Already filled it out, thank you!

Re: Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching

#63

Post by criticaltinker »

rich-cartwright wrote: post #21
criticaltinker wrote: post #15

Interesting offering, definitely an important market. > So we started researching effective, evidence-based treatments for obesity Fasting has a tremendous amount science supporting it [1], can you articulate why you're pursuing the prescribed semaglutide approach instead? [1] Fasting: Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Applications https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S155041311...

Spot on about fasting, and keto has solid evidence as well - https://www.virtahealth.com/ are a great company focused on this. The issue is we're starting to have a more nuanced understanding of the metabolic resistance people face when they undergo dietary changes - basically the body fights hard against you as you try to lose weight by dieting. So it's now industry-standard among obesity specialist doctors to see o…

Thanks for your response and taking the time to answer these questions.

> basically the body fights hard against you as you try to lose weight by dieting

Anecdotally I think many folks would agree. Any citations or references you could provide on this point would be greatly appreciated - I'm struggling to find any solid literature with the phrase "metabolic resistance" in the context of dietary changes.

> So it's now industry-standard among obesity specialist doctors to see obesity as a "metabolic disease" which, for the vast majority of people, needs a medical approach which doesn't rely on willpower.

I agree that the current standard of care is largely focused on prescription medication. Is there strong evidence supporting the claim that the majority of people need treatment that doesn't rely on willpower? I'm particularly interested in the well documented association between obesity and mental health [1], and I think Fella would be especially compelling if a holistic approach to treatment was offered.

[1] The High Prevalence of Poor Physical Health and Unhealthy Lifestyle Behaviours in Individuals with Severe Mental Illness https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David-Scott-76/publicat...

Re: Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching

#64

Post by deberon »

As somebody who has lost and gained weight a couple times, I can confidently say that losing weight on it’s own is hard. Really hard. I’ve had far more success deliberately changing my entire lifestyle and outlook on life. For me, it had to be a part of a wholistic health regimen. This included therapy, healthy eating, regular exercise, proper sleep, and a good balance of recreational activities (it’s important to have fun!). As somebody with chronic sleep problems, it’s been interesting seeing how unhealthiness in one aspect of life (sleep in my case) can affect other areas of my life (my weight). It’s hard to quantify this line of thinking, because in the end, all I did was eat less and exercise more to lose the weight. That advice isn’t terribly helpful. Then again, it’s very likely that “just be healthier” is just as unhelpful ;)

I will say, don’t be too hard on yourself. My stress eating would spiral (and still does!) when I get too hard on myself. Set small goals and objectives (no eating after dark, be mindful of what you put on your plate, no second helpings, etc) because completing these always feels good.

Re: Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching

#65

Post by dang »

robomartin wrote: post #20

[flagged]

Of course obesity is an emotional topic but attacking someone personally about it is way, way beyond the pale.

Breaking the HN guidelines will get you banned here, regardless of how right you are, or feel you are, about obesity and other topics. No more of this, please.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching

#66

Post by ryanSrich »

Do you help people account for family lifestyles and cooking for more than just themselves? I used to do 2-3 day fasts, but now that I’m married with kids I find it almost impossible to do so since I cook and prep all the meals.

I tried low carb and keto. It works fine for me, but selling my wife on a breakfast that consists of 6 eggs and a pound of bacon is a hard sell. So there’s always bread and pasta in the house, which makes it harder to resist.

Re: Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching

#67

Post by lharries »

ensiferum wrote: post #61

Intermittent fasting offers a great alternative that is completely free! The problem Fe Business perspective is of course that there's nothing to sell. No pills no magic nutrition plan or foods or exercise regime. And best of all...no calorie counting! If you're fasting and feel hungry while carrying body fat it means your metabolism is broken. Insulins levels are high and thus prevent the use of stored body fat for…

(Richie's co-founder here) Great to hear that intermittent fasting has been working well for you! There's also interesting research about the longevity benefits even if you're not looking for weight loss.

The best approach for getting to a healthier weight will vary by person. If you've put on a few pounds over the holidays but are otherwise fine then Fella is not for you. We're focusing on guys with a higher BMI (30+), they've tried everything including intermittent fasting, keto, Weight Watchers, etc. Normally they will have had short term results (even losing 60lbs+) but then put the weight back on. This is often the case for the guys that have been at a higher weight for a longer period of time as their metabolism is in a different place.

Re: Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching

#68

Post by ensiferum »

lharries wrote: post #67
ensiferum wrote: post #61

Intermittent fasting offers a great alternative that is completely free! The problem Fe Business perspective is of course that there's nothing to sell. No pills no magic nutrition plan or foods or exercise regime. And best of all...no calorie counting! If you're fasting and feel hungry while carrying body fat it means your metabolism is broken. Insulins levels are high and thus prevent the use of stored body fat for…

(Richie's co-founder here) Great to hear that intermittent fasting has been working well for you! There's also interesting research about the longevity benefits even if you're not looking for weight loss. The best approach for getting to a healthier weight will vary by person. If you've put on a few pounds over the holidays but are otherwise fine then Fella is not for you. We're focusing on guys with a higher BMI (30…

I sincerely hope regardless of methods you're able to help people and of course manage a to build a successful business well. Best of luck.

Re: Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching

#70

Post by lharries »

ensiferum wrote: post #68
lharries wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(Richie's co-founder here) Great to hear that intermittent fasting has been working well for you! There's also interesting research about the longevity benefits even if you're not looking for weight loss. The best approach for getting to a healthier weight will vary by person. If you've put on a few pounds over the holidays but are otherwise fine then Fella is not for you. We're focusing on guys with a higher BMI (30…

I sincerely hope regardless of methods you're able to help people and of course manage a to build a successful business well. Best of luck.

Thank you! You too
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