Slashdot Mirror
Fat Geeks Healthier Than You Thought
DoubleWhopper writes "Sound the trumpets! Being a fat geek may not increase your risk of death after all. According to this ABC News article, a re-examination of the available data suggests obesity is still a health risk, but the 'pleasantly plump' among us 'do not have the same health risks as obese individuals.' But, from the article: 'People shouldn't think that this study gives them a free trip to the pork rind buffet.' Believe what you want, but you'd better hope I don't get to the Twinkies aisle before you."
Actually, according to the article, slightly "overweight" people actually have a lower mortality rate (read as: they live longer) than people in the "ideal weight" category. This actually turns conventional thinking about health on it's head. Or rather it might make the "ideal weight" a little heavier than has been pushed.
I'll never make that mistake again, reading the experts' opinions. - Feynman
It doesn't really matter if you're skinny, plump, or fat until you actually reach the "obese" limit. But even if you aren't obese, that doesn't mean you're living healthy. Everyone remembers that kid who ate nothing but fries, ho-hos, and mountain dew but still weighed 140 pounds at 6' tall all through high school and college (perhaps some of you were that kid). The damage done to that body is way beyong someone who eats fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole foods but weighs in at 220 pounds and 6' tall. Just watch your diet and do some exercise during the week. If your metabolism is a little slow and you hold onto a little more weight, it's fine.
Overweight people may live longer
But experts pointed out that the study only looked at how long people lived and not at obesity-related diseases.
That is a serious condition called gynecomastia.
If you have it, get to a doctor ASAP! You likely have severe endocrine problems. Make sure they find and treat those problems (likely high estrogen and low testosterone) and not just say "you're fat".
Endocrine problems can lead to diabetes (itself an endocrine problem), depression (sometimes to the point of suicide or commitment to an insane asylum), forgetfulness (sometimes permanent), anxiety (to the point of phobias), loss of concentration (to the point you are ineffective at work), rage (to the point of danger), high blood pressure (to the point of severe headaches, and possible heart attack and stroke), and osteoporosis (to the point of fractures and stooped posture - yes, this can and does occur in men too). Hot flashes can also occur.
I forgot to mention - NO SEX DRIVE!
Keeping this anonymous because I suffered from endocrine problems (only minor boobs). Luckily my endo put me on some meds which control most of the endocrine problems. Still some boobs, but hopefully those'll go away.
Considering that the leading causes of death such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes still have such intimate relationships with weight, I would still rather be thin than chronically sick.
Study after study has been confirming the links these diseases have with being overweight. When you consider quality of life arguments against controlling weight (i.e. - denying yourself those delicious delicacies), also consider the huge benefits in reduced medical expenses and better overall well-being you will enjoy.
This is wrong. I have just finished a 9 month experiment on myself as a result of being informed by my doctor that I was clinically obese (back in July last year). My BMI had reached 30 and I was suffering from various digestion related problems.
I did a simple calorie controlled diet reducing my intake from approximately 3200 per day to under 1700 (for each 500 calories a day you cut you should lose 1lb a week) and as a result my weight dropped initially by up to 5lbs per week but eventually settled at 1-2lbs per week. My starting weight was 238lbs and my waist was 41" which made me look chunky for my 6'3" height. Anyway, I controlled my intake of calories and had a more balanced diet where I introduced more fruit and vegetables but I did not go to the gym once. The most I ever did was walk to work and back which was about half an hour each way. In 9 months I have lost 56lbs bringing my BMI down to 23.5 and have reduced my waist to 32". I feel great and have now returned to normal intake levels. I did this without increasing my exercise rate noticibly. The reason for this is that if you go to the gym and really work hard the best you are going to do is burn about 400 calories per hour. Cut out one bag of potato chips or chocolate bar and you have done yourself as much good. A bit of exercise will improve your overall fitness but it will not help you lose weight much at all.
Oh, and the best bit about this diet was that it wasn't a stupid fad diet like Atkins, it works well and I was still able to eat pizza, burgers, kebabs, curry and all that other great stuff and I still lost a load of weight. I didn't feel hungry all the time either because I knew the number of calories available to me each day and had food available that was filling and low in calories but would be finished off with a small piece of chocolate or some other treat. Losing weight is not about working yourself to death in a gym or cutting out all the food you love, it is about moderation and knowing what you are eating. Easiest diet I ever did.
"I have the attention span of a strobe lit goldfish, please get to the point quickly!"
I feel like a lazy bum sitting in front of a computer all day, and it actually motivates me go to the gym. I know several other geeks that feel the same way, two of them are professional bodybuilders.
:)
One thing sitting in front of the computer all day does is give you plenty of time to do research on the web on proper nutrition and workout techniques also. This means that if you do things properly, you can go to the gym less than most people, and get better results.
Nutrition is about 80% of it. If you want a nice quick recipe without doing much research, check out this. This will give you a good base to start from and modify to your particular situation. Yeah, it costs money for a downloadable PDF, but, if you're too lazy to do the research, it's worth it. I bought this awhile ago to see what it was about, and it's basically the same thing I came up with 4 years ago or so. I went from about 150 to 195 with 9% bodyfat using this over the first 2 years. To keep in proper Slashdot tradition of likening everything to computers, it's like hacking your body.
I think the hardest part is making it a routine thing. Force yourself to do it for 3 weeks, and it will become a habit. You'll feel lazy if you don't go. And the part about eating 6 smaller meals a day, it works wonders. You'll not only keep fat off, but if you found yourself tired in the afternoon, you won't be anymore.
If you really wanna do some research, there's a book called Supertraining by Mel Siff. I think it's out of print now, but last I checked Amazon still had some. It's expensive, but there's a wealth of information there. It gives you the basis behind everything, not canned workout schedules or nutrition, you'll have to come up with that yourself.
For those of you that run companies, or are in charge of offices, get some funds to have an office weight/workout room. Your employees will have more energy and be less likely to stare at the wall all afternoon. Plus, some will stay and work late after they have finished their workout if they workout after work hours. Company subsidized gym memberships are nice, but if the gym isn't around the corner or convenient to go to, people are less likely to go.
A word on supplements... ion-exchanged whey protein isolate is the best you will find. It absorbs the fastest, and less goes to waste. Isopure seems to be the only brand out there that is 100% isolate. Don't waste your money on cheap protein. Creatine also seems to work for some people, although some find that it irritates their stomach. As far as other supplements go, pretty much all of it is garbage. The only other supplement that worked was androstedione, and as of a couple of months ago, it's illegal. I took it for about 2 weeks, but it made me wanna rough people up, so I stopped. DPS is the cheapest place I've found for supplements. Buy yourself some Isopure and some Rage or Tri-o-plex bars for a snack. If you're trying to build muscle, you'll need extra protein so you're not wasting your time in the gym.
Make sure you stretch properly, or you'll injure yourself or cause scar tissue to form. I can't emphasize enough how important stretching is. Also, make sure you do exercises with proper form. I injured my neck because someone showed me how to do shoulder presses with dumbells incorrectly. Most personal trainers at gyms I've been to don't even have any sort of personal trainer certification. It is definitely worth your money to find one that actually has some sort of credentials, at least initially. You don't want to learn to do things incorrectly and hurt yourself like I did. If you injure discs in your neck or back, they will never heal completely, I'll probably need surgery someday.
Need Free Juniper/NetScreen Support? JuniperForum
after the film my friend and i discussed how it was that he could put on so much weight so fast and came to the conclusion it was not the high fat content of the food, but more likely the growth hormones in the meat and fat and the general overprocessing of the food in general.
Are you sure it's nothing to do with him eating 5000 calories a day?
Her take was that she could probably eat the same amount of pure fat by eating organicly reared, delicious smoked spec and fresh whipped cream and there is no way she'd put on that sort of weight.
What a load of shit. The body doesn't care where the food comes from, all it cares about is the calories. If you eat an excess of calories, your body stores it as fat, and it doesn't care whether it's processed, hormone-reared or fucking organic.