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A Life Apart: The Toll of Obesity

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Re: A Life Apart: The Toll of Obesity

#21

Post by Thriptic »

yasth wrote: post #20
Thriptic wrote: post #11

Personally, I feel like the media frequently tries to over complicate the issue of obesity and make excuses for people who can't lose weight. The individual depicted here clearly has underlying psychological and substance abuse problems, but in no way is he reflective of the general population of obese individuals. Baring psychological issues, it's really not hard at all to pick a diet and adhere to it. It literally…

You will gain it all back in 5 years with 80% probability. (and likely worse odds because of the size of the weight loss and the fact you are male) http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/82/1/222S.long It isn't that hard to lose weight. It is very hard to keep it off.

It's just as easy to keep the weight off as to lose the weight. It's literally the same methodology. I've kept my weight at a healthy level for over 4 years.

Re: A Life Apart: The Toll of Obesity

#22

Post by maxerickson »

riffraff wrote: post #17
maxerickson wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you mean by understated? Whenever I see stuff about it, it's called an epidemic or a public health crisis. And it is often accompanied by statistics.

I mean that very little is done to actually face the problem. I probably should have said "underestimated", please forgive a foreign speaker :)

I don't think that fits either, at least not in the US. It's true that there are not tight regulations about what foods people can buy, but there are extensive programs working to inform people, and to improve their choices and the like. There is even some evidence that suggests it might be working:

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/07/news/la-heb-obesity-...

("Might be" because of In a news conference that was the centerpiece of a second annual "Weight of the Nation" conference in Washington, D.C., Finkelstein said it was unclear whether the galloping rate of growth has slowed because of public policy initiatives aimed at preventing child obesity, greater societal awareness of obesity's risks, or because Americans have hit the maximum level of fatness a population can sustain., that last bit would not be a success...)

Re: A Life Apart: The Toll of Obesity

#23

Post by jimmaswell »

Thriptic wrote: post #19
mdemare wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And because it worked for you, it'll work for everybody...

Yup, that's kind of how metabolism works. If you run a caloric deficit, you will lose weight...

I counted calories for over a month with some intense exercise and nothing happened. Maybe because I had an extra burger one of those days and that ruined the whole thing, or I was absorbing calories through photosynthesis.

If it takes even more than what I tried then I hardly believe it's even worth it. I'd rather live happily for one less year than never get to eat fulfillingly and live on a bootcamp exercise regimen.

Re: A Life Apart: The Toll of Obesity

#24

Post by [deleted] »

Thriptic wrote: post #21
yasth wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You will gain it all back in 5 years with 80% probability. (and likely worse odds because of the size of the weight loss and the fact you are male) http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/82/1/222S.long It isn't that hard to lose weight. It is very hard to keep it off.

It's just as easy to keep the weight off as to lose the weight. It's literally the same methodology. I've kept my weight at a healthy level for over 4 years.

[deleted]

Re: A Life Apart: The Toll of Obesity

#25

Post by theandrewbailey »

riffraff wrote: post #6

obesity, even if not at this levels, is an understated problem, and seems to me the US is one of the worst hit. If you can, I'd recommend watching "Fed Up" [0], a documentary which tries to show that the problem is a bit more complex than just people being lazy ("light" food being effectively worse, complete lack of food education, lobbying at it's worse etc). As many documentaries, it has a rather clear agenda, but…

I was at a family funeral earlier this week. I was disgusted by the fact that aside from my mom and a cousin, every one is fat.

I seem to be losing weight myself (I'm about 220 lbs.) very slowly, since my pants are starting to be loose. A few people around me have noticed that I have lost weight, at least around the middle.

Re: A Life Apart: The Toll of Obesity

#26

Post by 67726e »

mdemare wrote: post #16
Thriptic wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So how did you get to be 300lb in the first place? I never paid attention to what I ate, I ate until I was stuffed, I drank way too much beer, and I never exercised. Basically I was lazy and didn't give a shit. This was the normal lifestyle of most people I knew who were 16-22. The ramifications of being fat were not enough to overcome the perceptions of the difficulty of dieting and exercise I gleaned from most pe…

And because it worked for you, it'll work for everybody...

Really, it is that easy. Similar to Thriptic, 6'3" male, probably about 250 at my worst. Solution? Hit the gym at least 3 times a week, stop eating like a glutton. Dropped to about 205. Moved in with my girlfriend who had shitty eating habits and encouraged me to not go to the gym, and lo and behold I put much of that weight back on. Broke up, started eating less, working out more. Suddenly I'm getting closer and closer to my target weight. It's not witchcraft, it's not even a feat of perseverance, it's just doing what your body is designed for.

Around the time I started my first bout exercising and eating normally, I worked with basically an entire office of developers who were fitness nuts. Guys who can run a 10K faster than I could dream at my height, and lift nearly 2 of me. Their secret? Watch what you eat, log it if you have to (you'll be surprised that you really don't know what in the hell you're consuming), and get some exercise. Surprisingly sitting in an office chair for 8 or more hours and living the startup life isn't all that great for your well being... Anecdotally, my latest job affords me great flexibility meaning I can get out and kayak every damn day when it suits me. It's great exercise to fight the current for hours at a time, I enjoy it immensely, and guess what? I don't have to hit the gym as often, maybe throw in some running/other strength exercise to "even things out".

Re: A Life Apart: The Toll of Obesity

#27

Post by mercer »

Thriptic wrote: post #19
mdemare wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And because it worked for you, it'll work for everybody...

Yup, that's kind of how metabolism works. If you run a caloric deficit, you will lose weight...

It might be how metabolism works, but clearly it's not how human psychology works.

In the same way that some people drink massive amounts of alcohol in college and turn into alcoholics ruining their lives and liver, and others just 'phase' into a more healthy lifestyle, clearly some people find it harder to do what you did than you.

One conclusion is that they just don't try hard enough, and they're not as 'good' as those who do. They willingly choose to live a lesser life. Because they're lazy or whatever.

The other, more complicated (and I'd argue less arrogant and more empathic) conclusion is that the psychology of addiction is different for different people, and approaches that work for one person don't work for others. And rather than saying 'it's really that simple', we should research the problem and devise solutions that take into account the simple fact that some people apparently drink until their liver gives up and all that's good in their life is eventually gone, or that some people apparently eat and grow fat and hate themselves and live 'lesser' lives instead of getting in shape.

Having spent a lot of time with 'highly successful and driven' people, and having spent a lot of time with fuck-ups who suffered from a variety of addictions, I've come to the conclusion that being that hard to define 'good' has little to do with it. Instead, it seems that the difference is mostly upbringing and environment (where this environment was usually not a choice, but rather a circumstance).

I've been lucky to be surrounded by both happy, successful people and major 'fuck-ups', and as a result my life currently occupies a mostly happy space. But I have no illusions that this is primarily the result of my personal choices and willpower, as willpower itself is a result of upbringing and environment.

Sure, my will and choices matter. I don't want to remove personal agency entirely. But even if my current (happy) state of being is 50% a result of factors outside of myself, it's enough to realize that I'm fucking lucky, and those who fare worse than me need support and researched solutions rather than 'it worked for me, so it should work for you'.

Re: A Life Apart: The Toll of Obesity

#28

Post by proveanegative »

Thriptic wrote: post #19
mdemare wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And because it worked for you, it'll work for everybody...

Yup, that's kind of how metabolism works. If you run a caloric deficit, you will lose weight...

I think your comment is symptomatic of the general disregard for genetics and its impact on the individual life that we have today.

Obesity appears to be highly heritable. For this reason a careful balance must be struck between encouraging people to control their weight and not blaming them for have been dealt worse cards than their naturally slim neighbors (until we have a cure).

Re: A Life Apart: The Toll of Obesity

#29

Post by pantalaimon »

Thriptic wrote: post #15
mattmanser wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So how did you get to be 300lb in the first place? Obviously it's not that simple is it. You had to dedicate a long and sustained effort to lose weight you didn't want! If it were simple it wouldn't have taken 50% extra body mass for you to act and learn how to lose weight. I really do congratulate you, but let's not pretend this is an easy problem, or it simply wouldn't exist!

> So how did you get to be 300lb in the first place? I never paid attention to what I ate, I ate until I was stuffed, I drank way too much beer, and I never exercised. Basically I was lazy and didn't give a shit. This was the normal lifestyle of most people I knew who were 16-22. The ramifications of being fat were not enough to overcome the perceptions of the difficulty of dieting and exercise I gleaned from most pe…

> I never paid attention to what I ate

'Normal' (non-overweight) people usually don't have to pay attention to what they eat either, still they don't gain weight.

Re: A Life Apart: The Toll of Obesity

#30

Post by mercer »

67726e wrote: post #26
mdemare wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And because it worked for you, it'll work for everybody...

Really, it is that easy. Similar to Thriptic, 6'3" male, probably about 250 at my worst. Solution? Hit the gym at least 3 times a week, stop eating like a glutton. Dropped to about 205. Moved in with my girlfriend who had shitty eating habits and encouraged me to not go to the gym, and lo and behold I put much of that weight back on. Broke up, started eating less, working out more. Suddenly I'm getting closer and clo…

> Really, it is that easy.

[...]

> Broke up, started eating less, working out more.

> Around the time I started my first bout exercising and eating normally, I worked with basically an entire office of developers who were fitness nuts. Guys who can run a 10K faster than I could dream at my height, and lift nearly 2 of me.

So you broke up with a (in this context) toxic girlfriend, and found yourself surrounded by fitness nuts.

I truly applaud the fact that you used your situation to get in shape, but at the same time it's important to realize that you used your situation. I know many people who are not working with fitness nuts, or who for various reasons are still in relationships with 'toxic' partners. And that is all the difference.

I don't mean to start an argument, by the way. I just want to point out that this is a thorny problem. I often feel that the best way to help people in unhealthy environments is to remove them from that environment. But I've also experienced that this is hella difficult, because as social creates many of us are terrified of losing our SO, family, or familiar environment. And that is sometimes the primary impediment to a better, healthier, and happier life.

It's like watching City of God or The Wire and hearing that the average age of death is in the twenties. I found myself almost screaming at the characters on screen to just fucking move and find a better place. And yet, as shown in The Wire, even the characters that had a chance to move to a better place eventually came back, because this 'other' place was just too weird and lonely and unfamiliar.

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