You're Not Losing Fat Because You're Eating Too Damn Much (2016) • Hacker News Board

Re: You're Not Losing Fat Because You're Eating Too Damn Much (2016)

#51

Post by 300bps » Sat, May 14, 2022, 8:48 PM UTC

briga wrote: post #24

BenjiWiebe wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't eat particularly healthy, and I don't exercise much, yet I'm perpetually borderline underweight. Why does the math not matter for me, while the next person watches every calorie, goes on long walks, and yet struggles to lose any weight?

Because you're not eating enough? You can eat only McDonalds and still lose weight if you're eating below your daily resting calories. Your body composition will probably change for the worse though. Likewise the person who struggles to lose weight with diet and exercise is very likely eating more than they think they're eating (or opting for healthy options that aren't actually healthy, like salad covered in 600 cal…

or opting for healthy options that aren't actually healthy, like salad covered in 600 calories of ranch dressing

I used to eat at a salad bar every day for years. I got to observe what all kinds of people put into a “salad”.

My salads: spinach, romaine, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, chick peas, mushrooms, balsamic vinegar (no oil).

Obese people’s salad: Four hard boiled eggs, ham, three leaves of lettuce, shredded cheese, a cup of ranch dressing.

Re: You're Not Losing Fat Because You're Eating Too Damn Much (2016)

#52

Post by sharken » Sat, May 14, 2022, 8:48 PM UTC

projectazorian wrote: post #30

Sparkle-san wrote: post #4

This seems like a good primer on how to look at food differently. The problem with diets is that people relapse due to the fact that dieting is done through force of will and willpower is limited. For long lasting change, you need to reshape your relationship with food and be content with what and how you eat. Understanding some of the things in this article can be a good place to start.

That’s why it’s important to make exercise a lifelong habit. Diet to lose the weight, exercise to keep it off. To some extent you always need to manage your caloric intake of course - but if you exercise regularly, the occasional indulgence isn’t a big deal.

An overlooked benefit of exercising, is that if you are eating unhealthy or eating too much, then you will instantly know it when exercising.

Running is quite good for this, it will tell you how things are going, far better than any scale.

Re: You're Not Losing Fat Because You're Eating Too Damn Much (2016)

#53

Post by throwawayacc2 » Sat, May 14, 2022, 8:48 PM UTC

BenjiWiebe wrote: post #6

elmerfud wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're not wrong because it's about calorie deficit of which exercise can help you achieve. Also since the way fat gets "burned" for weight loss is by exhaling carbon atoms, aerobic exercise can assist with this process. As always do not add more mass than you expel.

I don't eat particularly healthy, and I don't exercise much, yet I'm perpetually borderline underweight. Why does the math not matter for me, while the next person watches every calorie, goes on long walks, and yet struggles to lose any weight?

I don’t think you realise how calories can sip in unnoticed and calorie burning as well.

So, I’m fat. All my life I’ve been yoyo-ing in terms of weight. Sometimes methodically sometimes by the ear.

A few years back, I went from 130kg to 85kg methodically. Calorie counting, watching macros, targeted exercises, all the good stuff.

What I found out was, if I didn’t diet and just logged my calories, I was consuming 4000 sometimes even 5000 calories per day easily. And it didn’t feel like I was eating much.

Full English for breakfast, that’s about 1k right there. One or two lates, another 300-400 calories. Maybe pair that with a little pastry, another 300 on top of that. Lunch, burger and fries, big coke to drink, toss in another k. After work a couple of pins with the lads, another 300-400. Get back, have dinner, maybe snack something while falling asleep to Netflix, another 1k easy. Don’t get me started on getting pissed with 7-8 pints and then devouring 3 big macs like it’s nothing.

I also found out I’m burning far more calories then I was expecting for my sedentary lifestyle. Just the walk to work, climbing some stairs, moving around the office, going to lunch, doing some house chores put me in close to 1k burned. Without feeling like I was making any effort.

In my case, 4k input with 1k output still yields 3k which is 1k over what I should have.

It is very possible in your case your input is 3k, your output 1k so your staying exactly as you are.

Count your calories, wear a apple watch and you’ll find out precisely.

Re: You're Not Losing Fat Because You're Eating Too Damn Much (2016)

#54

Post by hn_throwaway_99 » Sat, May 14, 2022, 8:48 PM UTC

tayo42 wrote: post #15

Sparkle-san wrote: post #4

This seems like a good primer on how to look at food differently. The problem with diets is that people relapse due to the fact that dieting is done through force of will and willpower is limited. For long lasting change, you need to reshape your relationship with food and be content with what and how you eat. Understanding some of the things in this article can be a good place to start.

its exhausting to do that. Im switching my diet up a little to bit to reduce cholesterol and some liver enzyme thing lately and Im starting to get tired of thinking so much before every meal and shopping trip. wish it was easier to not fall in to unhealthy traps. so many labels, and so much meal planning.

I've hit this before as well, and have come to the conclusion that, at least for me, detailed meal planning is not sustainable in the long run.

This is one reason why I think that dieting advice that is simple and straightforward has the most success. Some examples:

1. Cut out all sugar-sweetened beverages. This is a pretty easy rule to follow, and even if you find yourself missing a soda or something, my recommendation is to buy something like unsweetened iced tea and then add a couple sugar cubes - you'll be likely to add much less sugar than if you buy sweetened tea.

2. Cut out any refined carbohydrates. This was certainly harder for me, but since the rule is so simple and easy to follow, whenever I got hungry for carbs I had to make due with fruits or vegetables, so I ended up eating a lot fewer calories in any case, got more of other nutrients, and eventually just got "bored" with trying to find a snack and stopped eating until my next mealtime.

Re: You're Not Losing Fat Because You're Eating Too Damn Much (2016)

#55

Post by bavell » Sat, May 14, 2022, 8:48 PM UTC

sharken wrote: post #31

lr4444lr wrote: post #8

Someone finally wrote this article. So refreshing. It's obvious when you live with a fat person why they have trouble losing weight, even when they're on a diet: they're usually not actually following it. Whether they don't understand portion sizes for calorie math, or look at calories at all, or eat things that they say "do not count", there is almost always a failure to understand what and how much they are eating.

It's more like they DO NOT want to believe how small portion sizes are required to consistently lose weight. Even if there was a device that could scan all food before eating it, they would still exempt some meals with the "do not count" argument. Rule of thumb, that if a meal is easy and fast to prepare, then it is probably not suited for a diet. To lose weight you have to do a lot more exercise than you think consi…

> To lose weight you have to do a lot more exercise than you think consistently. And you have to eat a lot less than you think.

Exercise doesn't help very much, it's really all about diet. Plus if you are exercising a lot, you'll feel hungier and it'll be harder mentally to not eat more to compensate.

Re: You're Not Losing Fat Because You're Eating Too Damn Much (2016)

#56

Post by scarface74 » Sat, May 14, 2022, 8:49 PM UTC

dvh wrote: post #17

elmerfud wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're not wrong because it's about calorie deficit of which exercise can help you achieve. Also since the way fat gets "burned" for weight loss is by exhaling carbon atoms, aerobic exercise can assist with this process. As always do not add more mass than you expel.

Yes but then you have to keep exercising for the rest of your life. When something happens (e.g. you are busy in job or you get injured) you no longer can exercise as much as you need so you start gaining weight. Fundamentally using exercise to lose weight is long-term unachievable because it is unpredictable. Losing weight via diet is much simpler you just eat less, there isn't anything that would objectively stop y…

I can’t agree with this enough. From 2000-2012, I was a part time fitness instructor and I did heavy cardio at least 10 hours a week without fail. I also trained for half marathons later on. I was easily burning 3000-5000 calories a week and I could eat anything and not gain weight.

As soon as I stopped, my weight ballooned. Even when I started eating less, I still can’t get my eating habits in sync with my reduced (3-5 hours a week) exercise schedule. I’ve been consistency about 15-20 pounds over my personal ideal weight.

Besides, my body can’t handle the type and frequency of exercise that it could in my mid 20s to mid 30s.

Re: You're Not Losing Fat Because You're Eating Too Damn Much (2016)

#57

Post by jrootabega » Sat, May 14, 2022, 8:49 PM UTC

jeffrallen wrote: post #42

tayo42 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

its exhausting to do that. Im switching my diet up a little to bit to reduce cholesterol and some liver enzyme thing lately and Im starting to get tired of thinking so much before every meal and shopping trip. wish it was easier to not fall in to unhealthy traps. so many labels, and so much meal planning.

If you have had the luxury to learn to cook with simple ingredients, you'd not need to read labels. Here's a shopping list for three meals, see if you can guess what they are? 1 kg apples, 1 kg other fruit in season, White unsweetened yogurt, Unsweetened granola, Garlic, 1 can diced tomato (no salt, no sweetener, just tomatoes), 1 onion, Olive oil, 150 gr dry pasta (bonus points for "integral pasta" -- don't know the…

Meal 1: 1/2 cup of pasta with vegetables, 8 oz. of white wine

Meal 2: Half of the white wine

Meal 3: Everything else, other half of the white wine

Re: You're Not Losing Fat Because You're Eating Too Damn Much (2016)

#58

Post by javert » Sat, May 14, 2022, 8:49 PM UTC

sharken wrote: post #31

lr4444lr wrote: post #8

Someone finally wrote this article. So refreshing. It's obvious when you live with a fat person why they have trouble losing weight, even when they're on a diet: they're usually not actually following it. Whether they don't understand portion sizes for calorie math, or look at calories at all, or eat things that they say "do not count", there is almost always a failure to understand what and how much they are eating.

It's more like they DO NOT want to believe how small portion sizes are required to consistently lose weight. Even if there was a device that could scan all food before eating it, they would still exempt some meals with the "do not count" argument. Rule of thumb, that if a meal is easy and fast to prepare, then it is probably not suited for a diet. To lose weight you have to do a lot more exercise than you think consi…

> To lose weight you have to do a lot more exercise than you think consistently. And you have to eat a lot less than you think.

I think this is a misleading cliche. I seem to have a lost a significant amount of weight just from eating less, without exercise. Which makes sense.

It's amazing how many miles you'd have to run to burn the calories you get from a Big Mac. Basically, our food is super dense in calories, and our bodies are extremely efficient machines (meaning, they don't burn as many calories as you'd think when exercising). So, it should be much easier to lose weight by eating less than by exercising more.

> Most people just don't have that kind of willpower.

Most people aren't motivated enough. But "willpower" is a misleading and thus destructive way to describe motivation.

You increase motivation by thinking about whether the positive thing you want is "worth" whatever you're doing to get it. In other words, staying focused on the value. You don't increase motivation by "exerting willpower." That whole concept for motivation is a recipe for failure.

Re: You're Not Losing Fat Because You're Eating Too Damn Much (2016)

#59

Post by meristem » Sat, May 14, 2022, 8:49 PM UTC

jeffrallen wrote: post #42

tayo42 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

its exhausting to do that. Im switching my diet up a little to bit to reduce cholesterol and some liver enzyme thing lately and Im starting to get tired of thinking so much before every meal and shopping trip. wish it was easier to not fall in to unhealthy traps. so many labels, and so much meal planning.

If you have had the luxury to learn to cook with simple ingredients, you'd not need to read labels. Here's a shopping list for three meals, see if you can guess what they are? 1 kg apples, 1 kg other fruit in season, White unsweetened yogurt, Unsweetened granola, Garlic, 1 can diced tomato (no salt, no sweetener, just tomatoes), 1 onion, Olive oil, 150 gr dry pasta (bonus points for "integral pasta" -- don't know the…

Integrale = whole-grain

Re: You're Not Losing Fat Because You're Eating Too Damn Much (2016)

#60

Post by retrac » Sat, May 14, 2022, 8:49 PM UTC

lr4444lr wrote: post #8

Someone finally wrote this article. So refreshing. It's obvious when you live with a fat person why they have trouble losing weight, even when they're on a diet: they're usually not actually following it. Whether they don't understand portion sizes for calorie math, or look at calories at all, or eat things that they say "do not count", there is almost always a failure to understand what and how much they are eating.

One of my roommates tried everything, including good hard exercise and all sorts of diets. Nothing seemed to be working. It was kind of perplexing me, actually.

Then we started working the same schedule, breakfast together. The whole thing unravelled with a casual comment he made. "Wow, you're really stingy with the sugar in your coffee."

Except I wasn't. I was actually indulging myself, like two tablespoons.

Show me how you make coffee? Ah. Yes. If you put 500 calories of sugar and cream into your coffee multiple times a day, you're not gonna lose weight.

He didn't believe me at first! I had to measure his quantities out and calculate it and show him. Liquids/powders in general seem to trip people up. We are bad at measuring them by sight. Soda, mayonnaise and dips. The oil in a nice salad dressing applied over-liberally can exceed the calories in the burger that goes with it.

Try measuring/weighing these sorts of foods and looking up their caloric content if you haven't before. You may be a shocked as my poor roommate was.