Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

People with low BMI aren't more active, they are just less hungry, 'run hotter'

sciencedaily.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

251–260 of 350 posts

Re: People with low BMI aren't more active, they are just less hungry, 'run hotter'

#251

Post by frotak »

csours wrote: post #77

Hunger is mediated by a bunch of hormones and you can test for some of those, but there is no test for the feeling of hunger. As a comparison, it is famously very hard for doctors to understand pain; it is also difficult for patients to communicate about pain. The feeling of hunger is not comparable between people. Hunger is driven by multiple sensations (blood sugar, stomach stretch, hormone levels) and by cognitive…

> losing body fat means that you must continuously make choices that decrease your comfort in some way - eating fewer highly rewarding foods, maintaining a state of hunger, increasing activity level

It is interesting to see "increasing activity level" as being a decrease in comfort. But I suppose that's because "comfort" here isn't defined absolutely. I also am not sure that "comfort" is an attribute that should be optimized for in disregard for all others.

If this statement is read as "anything that does not have 100% positive feedback is undesirable" then I think it would be very challenging to make any improvements in a person's life.

But then I also don't think that "comfort" is necessarily an ideal target to optimize. I think a more holistic measure such as "satisfaction" is a more productive target. We can find "satisfaction" in things that are not 100% pleasant but which in turn result in greater happiness or feelings of contentment than doing only those things that have positive feedback.

This measure of "comfortable" also does not seem to account for the secondary effects of "comfortable" choices. E.g., if we eat only "highly rewarding foods" and become obese we see discomfort in other parts of life (loss of mobility, health issues, difficulty performing mundane physical tasks, etc)

Re: People with low BMI aren't more active, they are just less hungry, 'run hotter'

#252

Post by sovnade »

rpmisms wrote: post #65
marifjeren wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course it's no surprise that people who eat less weigh less. The surprise, I think, is that people who are underweight are relatively sedentary. Maybe this is not that much of a surprise either though? I wonder how much of this has to do with muscle. BMI infamously ignores muscle mass. An interesting followup would be whether people with low body fat % are sedentary. My guess is that they aren't. Side note: maybe…

I am mostly sedentary, and maintain body fat below 10%. It's mainly genetics, and probably 20% diet.

and on top of that, it looks like there's other factors of diet than just choosing what to eat - it sounds like some people are just less hungry for indefinite reasons. genetics, gut biome, etc all probably play a part.

Re: People with low BMI aren't more active, they are just less hungry, 'run hotter'

#254

Post by borroka »

convexfunction wrote: post #198
SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are trying to convince everyone that the fruit & veg & lean meats is every bit as enjoyable as a steak and piece of cheesecake. It may be for them, but as a rule I have my doubts.

There are some fruits and vegetables and lean meats (which absolutely includes "leaner cuts of steak with the fat trimmed off") that I quite sincerely like as much as junk food, if not more. Two pan-fried salmon fillets and a big bowl of brussels sprouts with butter beats the pants off even a pretty good burger-and-fries, the main downside being the prep (and, well, the cost for most people). A pound of fresh strawbe…

"the cost for most people". -- I disagree, it just takes some planning.

A Big Mac menu goes for 10+ dollars where I live.

Sirloin steak, which is reasonably lean (you can go leaner and cheaper with something like London Broil, every 3 weeks it is sold at 2.50 t0 3 dollars per pound), when on sale (this is the planning I was referring to) can be bought for 3-4 dollars per pound. One can buy 20 pounds for 60-80 dollars. A big bag of frozen vegetables, enough for 10 meals, it's sold at Costco for 10 dollars.

A whole day of abundant eating (2 pounds of steak and vegetables) can cost less than a Big Mac menu. You can throw in some potatoes and eggs and pay per day what you would pay at MacDonalds or equivalent per meal.

Re: People with low BMI aren't more active, they are just less hungry, 'run hotter'

#255

Post by mym1990 »

SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #193
butwhywhyoh wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You just restated what the OP said, but tried to paint it somehow in a more positive light. You yourself stated you are "eating fewer ... highly rewarding foods". So what exactly are you contradicting in their statement?

They are trying to convince everyone that the fruit & veg & lean meats is every bit as enjoyable as a steak and piece of cheesecake. It may be for them, but as a rule I have my doubts.

It depends, I have a really big sweet tooth, but it is a self-reinforcing craving. There are people that really do not enjoy sweet things, and a lot of that has to do with those people not consuming sweets as a part of a regular diet, so there is not the rise/crash cycle, which is ultimately what makes it hard to get away from sugars.

Re: People with low BMI aren't more active, they are just less hungry, 'run hotter'

#256

Post by Zircom »

giantg2 wrote: post #49
the_only_law wrote: post #35

Seems to line up with my experience, am always burning up (until I turn on the AC and freeze) Especially at night though I have to to jack the temperature down or I won't sleep. Also less hungry aligns pretty well. Unfortunately when I get hungry, it's normally "a little hungry) at akward spread out intervals. I probably feel most hungry after midnight but never eat then because well, I have to sleep soon. I've tried…

Alcohol and ice cream before bed will help you gain weight. Doesn't even have to be a lot - like one drink and 1/2-1 cup of ice cream.

Do you not consider an entire cup of ice cream a lot? I call it quits at one scoop personally.

Re: People with low BMI aren't more active, they are just less hungry, 'run hotter'

#257

Post by mym1990 »

butwhywhyoh wrote: post #163
convexfunction wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> losing body fat means that you must continuously make choices that decrease your comfort in some way - eating fewer highly rewarding foods, maintaining a state of hunger, increasing activity level Not necessarily! I've successfully lost a lot of body fat (~50 pounds over the last 18 months) by deliberately changing my diet to eat more foods (that I like) that are lower in energy density than what I was eating befor…

You just restated what the OP said, but tried to paint it somehow in a more positive light. You yourself stated you are "eating fewer ... highly rewarding foods". So what exactly are you contradicting in their statement?

I think you opportunistically left out the "stereotypically" in your quote. OP is not saying they are eating less rewarding foods for them but less foods that others might find rewarding.

Re: People with low BMI aren't more active, they are just less hungry, 'run hotter'

#258

Post by slothtrop »

CJefferson wrote: post #113

I think the hungry bit is often under-discussed. I lost 75kg over 3 years, then put exactly 75kg back on over the 4 years after that. While losing weight, and keeping it off (for about 6 months), I was hungry all the time, every day. I hoped that my body would eventually "get used" to the new standard, but in the end (not conciously), I gave up -- it was too mentally tiring to be hungry whenever I was awake. I'm sure…

It's possible you're conflating hunger/satiety with craving. If you couldn't eat another carrot, you're not hungry. Sugar (and anticipation of) gives you a dopamine boost, and we tend to crave when we have low circulating levels. Sugar consumption also increases levels of ghrelin (i.e. it makes you hungrier), and cravings.

Notwithstanding that there's more to a healthy diet than vegetables. According to research, high protein intake can improve satiety on a caloric deficit. Some level of fat intake goes a ways too; some vitamins are fat-soluble. Potato is the most satiating vegetable there is, gram per gram.

It's not well understood how nutrient deficiency influences hunger, but it's possible your diet didn't hit nutrient targets.

Re: People with low BMI aren't more active, they are just less hungry, 'run hotter'

#259

Post by aantix »

inglor_cz wrote: post #67

I know a girl who weighs about 100 lbs soaking wet. Very slim, elfish type. She also has very hot hands and she says that after eating a big meal, she feels super hot. I asked her if it was measurable and it actually was, she can go to almost 38 degrees Celsius while completely healthy.

I feel like I've seen a documentary about Kobayashi, the famous professional eater?

He was sweating after eating mounds of food.

And he had ripped abs.

Re: People with low BMI aren't more active, they are just less hungry, 'run hotter'

#260

Post by chaostheory »

SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #193
butwhywhyoh wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You just restated what the OP said, but tried to paint it somehow in a more positive light. You yourself stated you are "eating fewer ... highly rewarding foods". So what exactly are you contradicting in their statement?

They are trying to convince everyone that the fruit & veg & lean meats is every bit as enjoyable as a steak and piece of cheesecake. It may be for them, but as a rule I have my doubts.

Ingredients are important, but preparation and recipes also very important in creating an enjoyable meal.
Post reply on HN