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

281–290 of 350 posts

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

#281

Post by convexfunction »

wutbrodo wrote: post #237
SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree that a salmon filet is tasty. I don't often eat a pound of strawberries though. Both of those are too expensive to eat regularly, and like you said a salmon filet is a lot of effort compared to a burger. > I'll have the cheesecake if I really feel like it. That tells me the writing on the wall, and let me be clear about this, the writing is what needs to be written and what people need to read - you're making…

> you're making the decision to NOT have cheesecake when you only kind of feel like it. Chiming in as someone whom the GP comment resonates with: the point here is that you literally come to enjoy it less. The natural amount that you would eat isn't constrained entirely by health choices. I find finishing a single slice of cheesecake to be overwhelming: a second one would be actively unpleasant. If you were following…

For whatever it's worth, I don't feel like I actually had to adapt my tastes at all in order to eat healthier. The main hurdle was figuring out how to prep in a way that's easy enough that I'll actually bother.

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

#282

Post by convexfunction »

tharkun__ wrote: post #238
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.

They do it that way. It does not have to be. You just gotta eat different highly rewarding foods. E.g. do eat that steak. But without a BBQ sauce you bought. Just salt and pepper is great actually. But a butter and cream garlic sauce (no sugar) is also awesome. Maybe some blue cheese on top instead? Skip the potato. Just that steak with some nice caramelized onions or veggies you like as a side. But that's not even n…

I'd actually advocate for potatoes as a "weight loss food". They're quite low in caloric density relative to most other "carbs" since they have so much water; there's even a meme "potato diet" (just eat potatoes and almost nothing else for a few weeks or months, basically) with lots of glowing anecdotal success stories.

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

#283

Post by matthewdgreen »

scarmig wrote: post #275
matthewdgreen wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This entire "you just need to eat better" discussion seems to fall apart badly in the face of medicines like GLP-1 agonists (e.g., Ozempic/Wegovy.) It's like arguing that pneumonia can be cured through "healthy living" even after you've established the mechanism and effectiveness of penicillin.

It fits into a mode of thought where fat people are fat because of character flaws, and thin people are thin because of superior moral character. Thus, it justifies the better treatment of thin people over fat people. I've even heard the "thinness is a sign of godliness" folks get really angry at the suggestion of using GLP-1 agonists, because it's "lazy" and "cheating."

Having seen friends and relatives succumb to cardiovascular disease, it's really heartbreaking. I've watched people starve themselves on brown rice and broccoli for years (with only modest results, followed by total failure) because diet-only interventions are completely unrealistic and don't work long term.

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

#284

Post by majkinetor »

gspencley wrote: post #267
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…

This is a common pattern and one of the reasons that crash diets don't work in the long run. I've struggled with the same issue as you and started really digging into the science of food and nutrition because I've had enough of yo-yo'ing. Fat storage is regulated by various hormones. The most significant are insulin, cortisol, testosterone, estrogen and hormone-sensitive lipase. Hunger is caused by the release of the…

Exactly this. I confirm everything from both my own research and observation on my own body. With that method I kept notmal weight without hunger for a decade while I was previosly overweight entire life.

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

#285

Post by scarmig »

Terretta wrote: post #134
diob wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was a post last week where this was debunked. That said, I do hit for the cardio benefits of improving myself instead of thinking it's a weight loss miracle. Almost always I've found the key to weight loss is eat less, nothing to do with working out (so long as you do actually work out a bit).

The research I've seen "debunking" this have failed to start with people capable of HIIT, failed to prove they are going anaerobic, or failed to strictly follow the "Tabata interval" regime that was originally proven to work. https://www.elevaterope.com/tabata-intervals/ When I originally came across Tabata in mid 2000s, nobody said it worked for BMI adjustment. The research was around whether you had to exercise for…

The vast majority of so-called "HIIT" style training classes and protocols fall far short of Tabata intervals. That doesn't undermine Tabata, but you also can't no-true-Scotsman all the protocols that claim to be HIIT and don't offer the same results.

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

#286

Post by bluecalm »

ajuc wrote: post #121
chrisseaton wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I've known very active cyclists that couldn't lose weight despite riding hundred mile rides weekly. Isn’t this against the laws of physics? If you’re burning a ton of energy and not eating excessively, where are their bodies getting mass from to maintain weight?

100 miles weekly isn't THAT much in terms of kcal. 10 miles is about 600 kcal. 100 miles is 6000 kcal, let's say 7000 to round that to 1000 kcal a day. Eating 1000 kcal more a day is pretty easy to do without noticing. Especially when you eat a lot on the day that you biked (cause "you earned it"). For example 2 liter bottle of coke is 800 kcal and 1 protein bar is about 250 kcal and you're already over the budget (a…

I agree with your point. In fact I think it's even stronger as I don't think 10 miles on a bike is anywhere close to 600kcal unless we are talking very serious hills on a MTB. 10 miles on a flattish road is usually half an hour of moderate effort.

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

#287

Post by nradov »

matthewdgreen wrote: post #265
nradov wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Similar to substance abuse problems, people with overeating issues often have to "hit rock bottom" in order to gain sufficient motivation and discipline to sustain a permanent behavior change. This often takes the form of a serious medical crisis, or losing a valued personal relationship.

Alternatively you could go on an FDA-approved medication like Wegovy that completely changes your appetite. That would at least tell if you if this is a physical issue or an emotional one.

Medication can be a good option for some patients. SGLT2 inhibitors have also been shown to work pretty well. But all medicines have risks and side effects so they should be used only if behavior modification has consistently failed. And someone who relies on medicine to lose weight will likely have to stay on as least a low dose permanently for maintenance.

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

#288

Post by nradov »

matthewdgreen wrote: post #283
scarmig wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It fits into a mode of thought where fat people are fat because of character flaws, and thin people are thin because of superior moral character. Thus, it justifies the better treatment of thin people over fat people. I've even heard the "thinness is a sign of godliness" folks get really angry at the suggestion of using GLP-1 agonists, because it's "lazy" and "cheating."

Having seen friends and relatives succumb to cardiovascular disease, it's really heartbreaking. I've watched people starve themselves on brown rice and broccoli for years (with only modest results, followed by total failure) because diet-only interventions are completely unrealistic and don't work long term.

Those friends and relatives weren't really starving themselves brown rice and broccoli. They were eating a bunch of other stuff when you weren't looking.

We have existence proofs that diet-only interventions work for some people. I literally know people who have lost large amounts of weight and kept it off for years that way. Medications have risks and side effects, so should only be prescribed if behavior modification has failed.

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

#289

Post by FollowingTheDao »

pc86 wrote: post #81
FollowingTheDao wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gaining muscle mass will often lead to a quick onset of obesity once you stop lifting.

Nonsense. What I mean is, the fact that you have muscle mass and stop lifting is not what's going to lead to "a quick onset of obesity." What leads to weight gain is still eating like you're lifting when you're not. If you adjust your caloric intake to account for your new level of caloric expenditure, you will not gain weight, although you will likely see unfavorable body composition changes.

> What leads to weight gain is still eating like you're lifting when you're not.

Yeah, that's what I meant. So it is not nonsense.

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

#290

Post by criddell »

nradov wrote: post #234
criddell wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

BMI is pretty good for populations. If you are standing in front of your doctor and he or she is telling you that you are obese because of your BMI score and not actually measuring you (like with calipers), I’d probably look for a new doctor.

Calipers are not the proper medical standard of care for measuring body composition. They don't produce accurate, repeatable results. The current best practice for most patients is a DXA scan.

How many physicians can do a DXA scan in their office? Calipers give you ballpark numbers and often that's good enough for a physician. It's certainly better than BMI.
Post reply on HN