A lot of docs I know are prescribing GLP1s already for weight loss, off label. When they get RCT data, get coverage, you guys will be way ahead. Congrats, amazing concept.
Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching
41–50 of 318 posts
Re: Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching
#42[flagged]
Congrats on having a relatively easy time losing weight, but you're not the only person in the world, and not everyone's body works the same as yours. Your scolding of a clinically proven weight loss approach for not being what you did is solipsistic and ignorant. Your approach is, like the others, one among many that will work for some people.
You have a point but there is one common thing shared between every obese person. They eat too much, or the wrong things. That's a given and a simple fact that everyone knows but not everyone is willing to acknowledge.
Sure, there are medical conditions that sometimes play a role. But how often is that the case? I actually don't know. Maybe your company could help with that?
Good luck. There's obviously a market for your services.
Re: Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching
#43Earlier quoted context omitted.
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…
> basically the body fights hard against you as you try to lose weight by dieting. I used to weigh 310lbs, now I'm 215lbs. All I did was count calories to maintain a deficit and the results were essentially the same as predicted by the math. I was a bit hungry sometimes at first as I adjusted to it but that's really it. Prioritizing protein and fat over carbs helps with that. What ways does the body tend to fight aga…
Unfortunately there are people like me who don't only feel a bit hungry, when I eat at a deficit there are times where I get so hungry my thoughts are completely consumed by the hunger. The only way for me to successfully lose weight was to have days where I simply eat nothing at all.
Sounds counter-intuitive but after getting over the initial extreme hunger I found that the hunger sensations would diminish into a background noise, of sorts. That and the rules are easy to follow: eat nothing. When I'd eat at a deficit I'd frequently justify to myself that eating a little bit more than I was planning on doing was ok because it was only a little. And then I'd do that several times until I felt completely satiated, defeating the purpose.
Re: Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching
#44A lot of docs I know are prescribing GLP1s already for weight loss, off label. When they get RCT data, get coverage, you guys will be way ahead. Congrats, amazing concept.
I remember reading studies of 30-36 lbs in a year, IF they maintain diet and exercise. I see this adherence as your competitive advantage.
Re: Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching
#45Only available in Texas currently. When's the nationwide rollout? Any more precise than "soon"?
It's tough with the state-by-state regulation. CA & NY are in the coming month or two. Then the plan is the next 5-10 states by end of Q1 2022. We'll be sprinting to go fully nationwide by end of 2022.
Is this just because of the prescription drug element of your program? If there weren't any medications involved, would you need any state certifications?
Re: Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
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…
> basically the body fights hard against you as you try to lose weight by dieting. I used to weigh 310lbs, now I'm 215lbs. All I did was count calories to maintain a deficit and the results were essentially the same as predicted by the math. I was a bit hungry sometimes at first as I adjusted to it but that's really it. Prioritizing protein and fat over carbs helps with that. What ways does the body tend to fight aga…
I will use myself as an example: I have Hashimoto disease, and even treated my metabolism can get so slow that I need to eat so little that I start to have nutrient deficits, for example one of the past dieting attempts resulted in hair loss, brittle nails, cracking skin, because I needed so little calories that when I consumed exactly what I needed, I ended with a protein deficit.
Only solution I found that worked was go for pure weightlifting, literally train as if I was aiming to he an Olympic champion, and even then I still ended overweight (I am 1.75m tall, smallest weight I managed, that was then I was training heavily and had a diet that was almost 100% protein, was 98kg)
Re: Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching
#47[flagged]
Very well written and I find it hard to disagree.
Re: Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching
#48I tried Noom twice. I was the only man in the support group both times. It didn’t really speak to me or work for me. Definitely interested in this!
We've heard this a lot..
Re: Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching
#49A lot of docs I know are prescribing GLP1s already for weight loss, off label. When they get RCT data, get coverage, you guys will be way ahead. Congrats, amazing concept.
I remember reading studies of 30-36 lbs in a year, IF they maintain diet and exercise. I see this adherence as your competitive advantage.
15% average body weight loss was the breakthrough study: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183
Important to emphasize that diet & exercise are only two parts of broader metabolic health. Sleep also very important.
And something our program focuses a lot on is stress eating. Very prevalent and a big factor, but normally overlooked.
Re: Launch HN: Fella (YC W20) – Tackling men's obesity using medication and coaching
#50Interesting 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...
I tried fasting and a pure keto diet. While they do work, I felt miserable. This is not sustainable for people like me who has to lose more than 100 pounds. Now I started losing weight by just balancing macro-nutrients; more protein, more vegetables, less carbs as opposed to absolutes "no" and "only" except for no sugary drinks and beer and deserts except in social occasions. Also big emphasis on weight lifting as op…
Yep spot on about the sustainability. We hear this all the time from the Fellas.