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Big Health Benefits To Small Weight Loss (nytimes.com)

schwit1 writes: Obese individuals who lose as little as 5 percent of their body weight can improve their metabolic function and reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, a new study has found. Many current treatment guidelines urge patients to lose between 5% and 10% of their body weight in order to experience health benefits, but the recommendations were based on earlier studies that didn't distinguish between participants who lost only 5 percent of their weight and those who lost more.

99 comments

  1. Of course by penguinoid · · Score: 1

    Anything is better than nothing. Or, in this case, a little too much is better than a lot too much.

    --
    Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
    1. Re:Of course by snowgirl · · Score: 4, Interesting

      As I noted on the FB page, Type 2 Diabetes tends to be caused by a feedback loop of insulin insensitivity increasing insulin secretion causing increased insensitivity.

      Just a little nudge out of that feedback loop can do incredible amounts of good. All you have to do is just break that cycle, and you can potentially walk away from having to constantly worry about your blood sugar. (But of course, much like weight loss, T2D requires a lifestyle change to keep away. It's not a 'take this pill, you're cured!' it's more of a 'pay more attention to your diet regardless, and eat better for the rest of your life.' ... which as the argument I've seen goes, it's a question of which is better or worse.

      This reminds me that a T1D can get a pancreas implant, and then no/reduced need of insulin for years... but then you have to take antirejection drugs and all the wonderful side effects of transplants... so which is worse, the cure or the chronic pedantic busy work being your own pancreas...

      --
      WARNING! This girl exceeds the MAXIMUM SAFE standards established by the FDA for BRATTINESS
    2. Re:Of course by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It's less clear cut than that.

      Most of the morbidity/mortality stats don't differentiate between morbidly obese and being overweight. Turns out carrying a few extra pounds doesn't substantially alter life expectancy.

      Same with exercise. Newer research suggests as little as 20 minutes of moderate exercise gets most of the same benefits as gym rats.

      Bottom line is the margins of what constitutes good health is fuzzier than expected.

    3. Re: Of course by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      It is interesting how it all plays out in a vicious cycle. There are so many moving parts, from the stomach biome being tuned to high carbs to the interplay of dopamine, insulin and other lesser known feedback loops.

      The good thing is, at least one of these can be significantly modified in only 2-3 days. That is, the biome. Eat zero carbs for 3 days and you select a whole new generation of biome. This is what probably contributes to diets like paleo and keto bring effective.

      Throw one system out of its cycle and the rest have a chance to follow.

      The mere act of an extreme shift may be enough to kick start genuine change.

    4. Re:Of course by Mashiki · · Score: 1

      This reminds me that a T1D can get a pancreas implant, and then no/reduced need of insulin for years... but then you have to take antirejection drugs and all the wonderful side effects of transplants... so which is worse, the cure or the chronic pedantic busy work being your own pancreas...

      Just a heads up, there a couple of new transplants out there that use different methods, and no longer implant them into the pancreas either. The upside with these transplants is they require no anti-rejection drugs, and after 5 years more around 60% of the transplanted tissue is still functioning properly. The real problem with islet transplants right now is that even with anti-rejection drugs, after about 10 years around 50% of people have to start to start taking insulin again. And it just goes downhill from there, and because you get it done once...it might not work a second time.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    5. Re:Of course by buck-yar · · Score: 2

      Why insulin resistance develops:

      http://faculty.bennington.edu/...

    6. Re: Of course by snowgirl · · Score: 1

      Well, really anything that breaks the cycle works great. But yeah, keto is a good choice because it specifically reduces carb intake, which leaves the liver as the only source of glucose in the body.

      This definitely can rest the insulin response and help reset it.

      --
      WARNING! This girl exceeds the MAXIMUM SAFE standards established by the FDA for BRATTINESS
    7. Re:Of course by snowgirl · · Score: 1

      Some of this article is outright wrong. Specifically, that Type 1 Diabetics over-produce glucagon. http://www.diabetesselfmanagem... Also, a common factor in T2D individuals is that their muscles are starting to store fat. Your link fails to account for any of that. Now, as for how it's wrong about T1D (I should know, I am one):

      Glucagon is prescribed as an emergency injection for hypoglycemia. If the body of a T1D would be consistently putting out glucagon, then glucagon would be worthless as an emergency injection of it.

      Now, that said, T1D react differently when insulin levels are low (which since they are not making any/enough of their own, means not injecting any/enough.) As a result of low insulin, the body stops being able to use the glucose that is available. The body cannot recognize a difference between too little insulin, and too little glucose. As a result, the body starts starving, even though the body is full of glucose. As a result the body starts responding as would any starving person: upregulation of glucagon to have the liver produce more glucose, to meet the body's needs.

      But remember, the body already has plenty of glucose, just no insulin to make use of it. So thus, the liver just keeps dumping more and more glucose into the system, which isn't being used, and it builds up. At the same time, it's making ketones for other fuel. As the glucose and ketone levels rise, it starts to make the body acidic, which is buffered by bicarb, until the bicarb stores are depleted, and then the body starts going in to acidosis.

      There are some T1D who regulate their glucose levels with a ketogenic diet. After the glycogen levels in the liver are depleted, it can't raise the BG in response to starvation, which leads to an easier to manage BG level. However, for these individuals, glucagon injections will not help them with a hypo. But since their body normally has largely switched over to ketone metabolism, they're unlikely to experience hypos anyways.

      --
      WARNING! This girl exceeds the MAXIMUM SAFE standards established by the FDA for BRATTINESS
  2. Fat people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My assessment:

    American males go off the cliff at around 40. They get wrapped in the middle-aged triad: Bald, obese, and glasses (you can at least use Rogaine/Propecia/hair dye and use contacts).

    Korean women. They look good until around 50 or so, then go right off the cliff. I'm not sure what to do about this.

    Russian women: A babushka woman at 30. Not sure what to do about this, either. They get that diabetic body frame that I don't think there's any fix for, either.

    1. Re:Fat people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh well. Better to just not bother with sex after 25 or so. That's what nature intended anyway.

    2. Re:Fat people by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      God makes us ugly after a point to save us from sex?

    3. Re:Fat people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To tell other potential mates we're yesterday's model and to give the younger generation a crack at reproduction.

    4. Re:Fat people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You become gay when you get fat, so you still have sex, just gay sex.... result is the same as no sex. :p

    5. Re:Fat people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's why we should kill young people. They're mostly shit anyway and the best way to deal with competition is to destroy it. Go ahead and behead a kid today, you won't regret it.

    6. Re:Fat people by PopeRatzo · · Score: 3, Funny

      God makes us ugly after a point to save us from sex?

      No, just sex with other people.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  3. Weight loss tips for the neckbeard slashdot crowd by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Lay off the Mt. Dew and Hot Pockets

    Rub a nut, burn 5 calories.

  4. Correlation versus causation again. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The participants lost 5% of their body weight but what type of weight that they lost was not specified. Right at the start I am dubious here..

    So you are telling me that if I lost 5% of my body weight from a gangrenous leg amputation, I am less likely to develop diabetes? See the problem?

    Capcha is "insular" is that some kind of joke?

    1. Re:Correlation versus causation again. by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 1

      >but what type of weight that they lost was not specified.

      It's a meta study. They don't know. This is bottom-of-the-barrel science.

      --
      I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
    2. Re:Correlation versus causation again. by nospam007 · · Score: 1

      "The participants lost 5% of their body weight but what type of weight that they lost was not specified."

      You're right, amputating a leg won't work.

    3. Re:Correlation versus causation again. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "The participants lost 5% of their body weight but what type of weight that they lost was not specified."

      You're right, amputating a leg won't work.

      No, no, no! I think he may be on to something. If he wants to quickly lose weight he should just amputate a body part. I would recommend he start with his head. After all, he doesn't seem to be making much use of it anyway.

    4. Re:Correlation versus causation again. by SNRatio · · Score: 1
      So you think amputations are a confounder in randomized controlled trials? Yes, the type of weight lost was specified:

      http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(16)30053-5

      5% weight loss resulted in a 2% ± 2% decrease in fat-free mass (FFM), an 8% ± 3% decrease in body fat mass, a 7% ± 12% decrease in intra-abdominal adipose tissue (IAAT) volume, and a 40% ± 21% decrease in intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) content (Table 1). 5% weight loss significantly decreased the plasma concentrations of some risk factors for cardiometabolic disease (glucose, insulin, triglyceride, alanine transaminase, and leptin) but did not affect others (free fatty acids, low- and high-density lipoprotein [LDL and HDL, respectively] cholesterol, and adiponectin) (Table 1). 5% weight loss decreased 24 hr ambulatory heart rate and 24 hr ambulatory systolic, but not diastolic, blood pressure (Table 1). The reductions in FFM, fat mass, IAAT volume, IHTG content, fasting plasma insulin, leptin, and triglyceride concentrations continued with progressive weight loss up to 16% of initial body weight in a predominantly linear fashion, whereas plasma free fatty acid and CRP concentrations decreased and plasma adiponectin concentration increased significantly only after 16% weight loss (Table 2).

    5. Re:Correlation versus causation again. by SNRatio · · Score: 1
      It wasn't a meta analysis, it was a randomized controlled trial:

      http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(16)30053-5/p

  5. My 600 lb Life by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    5 of every 100 is 30. Somehow, I don't think that's going to matter. Now to call Little Caesar's for a half-dozen bacon-wrapped, Chicago-style deep-dish pizza with double cheese and pepperoni and a litre of Diet Pepsi.

  6. mitigate the effects of gravity all life matters by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    lighten up.. take up less of everything... feel more... creation is so sleek.. cease fire stand down there's moms & babys in all of our towns... in the moms we trust!!

  7. The Western Lifestyle by jmd · · Score: 4, Interesting

    In 1999 I had a minor heart attack. Docs put me on cholesterol meds and beta blockers. This was the beginning of the end. Statins caused a lot of problems, cramps, constipation and likely memory loss to name a few. The beta blockers assured me I would stay in good shape through exercise because I could not get my heart rate up to aerobic levels. I worked in construction and this would cost me a couple of jobs over time as I could not do the work. I quit both statins and beta-blockers in 2008-9. But by this time I was up 30lbs and taking high blood pressure meds.

    Fast forward. I retired and moved to Thailand. At age 60 I lost the 30 lbs, stopped taking high blood pressure meds and now I'm pretty damn happy living a relatively stress free life and walk most everywhere I go. 5 miles or so a day. Fresh food. The chicken I'm are eating was killed yesterday not 2 weeks ago. The mango was picked yesterday, not 1 week ago.

    Best of all.... I have morning erections again.

    1. Re:The Western Lifestyle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Based on your anecdote it's hard to see how the main factor in your improved health wasn't the removal of the stressors in your life.

    2. Re:The Western Lifestyle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Statins are evil incarnate. If you're on statins, you need to change how you live so that you can get off them. Any prescription for statins should come with a quick blow to the head, to capture the attention, and a thundering voice reciting in biblical diction, like a message from God, "This is thy last admonition: mend thy ways."

      They're profitable, though, so they're being pushed on a wider and wider market. The world would be a better place if they were considered the devil's brand upon one's forehead. They will fuck your body up: it happened to both my parents.

    3. Re:The Western Lifestyle by Harold+Halloway · · Score: 1

      Best of all.... I have morning erections again.

      This being the Internet, we demand proof.

    4. Re:The Western Lifestyle by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You could have tried walking 5 miles a day in the West. Fresh food is available as well. Nobody is putting a gun to your head and making you eat that Big Mac. You can say no.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    5. Re:The Western Lifestyle by slashping · · Score: 1

      If your brain doesn't ask questions, you can't say no. Many of our actions, such as looking for something to eat, are initiated unconsciously. Higher cognitive justification is added after the fact, but then it's often already too late.

    6. Re:The Western Lifestyle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      I retired and moved to Thailand. [...] Best of all.... I have morning erections again.

      That might be related to living in Thailand, of course.

    7. Re:The Western Lifestyle by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      The point is that in some countries you don't have to go out of your way to get that exercise.

      As for chicken, it's probably more to do with the stuff they feed them and the antibiotics they use.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    8. Re:The Western Lifestyle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Interesting...you moved to Thailand...and now you have morning erections again.

      I turned off, wired or blocked all sources of microwaves and got the exact same results.

      So, therefore, you have less microwave radiation in Thailand.

      I could have saved you the trip.

    9. Re:The Western Lifestyle by jmd · · Score: 1

      Best trip I ever made. I do not miss the west one bit.

    10. Re:The Western Lifestyle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If your brain doesn't ask questions, you can't say no. Many of our actions, such as looking for something to eat, are initiated unconsciously. Higher cognitive justification is added after the fact, but then it's often already too late.

      Help!!!! I can't stop eating that Big Mac! I just can't stop! Won't somebody please have pity on me?

    11. Re:The Western Lifestyle by hey! · · Score: 2

      You can make the Big Mac the poster boy for bad food, but it's just a drop in an ocean of food that's bad -- at least bad to eat on a consistent basis.

      The choice isn't Big Mac or not Big Mac; it's whether you prepare your own food or eat convenience food. The one thing that most clearly correlates with the rise of obesity in the west is the drop in the time people spend preparing their own food. It's not just that you get control over what goes into your food, people tend to make different choices when they cook for themselves. Harry Balzer, a food industry marketing consultant, suggests eating whatever you want -- if you want to have apple pie, cookies and ice cream for dinner, go ahead. Just make them all yourself; it's a practical certainty that you won't eat that way very often.

      When people make the majority of their own food, they settle into a predictable pattern for most of their cooking: they buy good ingredients and prepare them simply. Even if you tried to eat that way out of restaurants, eventually you'd slip into bad eating patterns because there's nothing but mindfulness and willpower keeping you from doing that -- and those are in limited supply for all of us. Take french fries; there's nothing wrong with an occasional meal of fries, but limiting them to a reasonable fraction of your diet takes attention when they're on offer every day. But if you made your own french fries, that's a self limiting process. It's not even all that hard to do, but contemplating the modest effort involved makes you pause to think about whether you really want fries tonight. When the waiter asks "do you want fries with that?" you tend to say yes if you might want fries.

      I love going out to restaurants, even chain restaurants. I don't think we should villainize the Big Mac; there's nothing wrong with it, so long as it doesn't become your go-to food. But it's so easy for foods you shouldn't be living on to become your staple when you order them at the drive-through or buy them premade at the supermarket and throw it into the microwave.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    12. Re:The Western Lifestyle by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Many of our actions, such as looking for something to eat, are initiated unconsciously.

      The question is initiated unconsciously. But it doesn't make you zombie walk to that feral shit many Americans consider "food". If you're unable to say no to your unconscious then simply outsmart it. I now carry an apple everywhere I go. If I get massive cravings for food eat the apple. Done. 2-3 hours no more stupid cravings and I got away without consuming 1/3 of the daily recommended intake of sodium, saturated fat and sugar in one snack.

    13. Re:The Western Lifestyle by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      The point is that in some countries you don't have to go out of your way to get that exercise.

      Wow the excuses are out in force today. I can't walk because I'm in a country where I would need to go out of my way to do it? You have an incredibly weak will power.

    14. Re:The Western Lifestyle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Interesting...you moved to Thailand...and now you have morning erections again.

      I turned off, wired or blocked all sources of microwaves and got the exact same results.

      So, therefore, you have less microwave radiation in Thailand.

      I could have saved you the trip.

      Interesting! You wouldn't happen to be a former lawyer with a little brother who is a crooked lawyer named Jimmy McGill would you?

    15. Re:The Western Lifestyle by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      Wanting that Big Mac, being determined not to eat it, and being a couple blocks from a McDonald's is stressful. Wanting a Big Mac and never being close to a McDonald's is much less stressful. Right now, I've got enough stress in my life, so I'm better off not going near a Wendy's.

      Different people have different levels of temptation, availability of things they shouldn't do, ability to cope with stress, etc. What works for you may not work for another person, and pretending it will is a path to arrogant smugness.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    16. Re:The Western Lifestyle by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      Sometimes I've been in a position where walking around the neighborhood would be more of a risk than I want to take. Sometimes, in recent years, it would be seriously painful. Sometimes I'd likely pass out. If you're where you usually have to walk some in daily life, and it's usually possible, you're going to have a lot less difficulty getting that walking in.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  8. Run or cycle to work by MichaelSmith · · Score: 2

    Any type of exercise which adds to your list of things to do during the day will eventually get dropped as a low priority. By removing a drive or public transport from your routine you make room for something which can make you healthier.

    1. Re:Run or cycle to work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As someone who has been fired because my boss thought I smelled sweaty, I think this is very bad advice. Unfortunately, I didn't have a car, so I couldn't fix the problem, but if you have car, use it. Get your exercise after work.

    2. Re:Run or cycle to work by MichaelSmith · · Score: 1

      Take a shower from time to time.

    3. Re:Run or cycle to work by slashping · · Score: 1

      Doesn't do you any good if you get sweaty walking or biking to work, and your workplace doesn't have a shower.

    4. Re:Run or cycle to work by Rockoon · · Score: 1

      Hate to have to clue someone in on this on slashdot....

      Body sweat doesnt smell.

      Repeat that to yourself 3 times, because its a fact. If you smell when sweating its because you were already gross before you started sweating.

      The grandparent is right. Take a shower. When you are doing so thoroughly rinse the key areas with soap and water.. asshole, crotch, armpits, and tits. Remember also that soap isnt magic. The purpose of soap is to lower the surface tension of the water that you are rinsing yourself with. Washing isnt simply a matter of rubbing soap on and then rinsing it off.. the soap is a tool. The objective is to rinse yourself off with soapy (low surface tension) water, not to rinse soap off with water.

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    5. Re:Run or cycle to work by slashping · · Score: 1

      Hate to have to clue someone in on this on slashdot....

      I'm sure you loved every second of it.

      Repeat that to yourself 3 times, because its a fact.

      That's not how it works. Instead, why don't you provide some studies that show that show how many bacteria are actually removed by showering, and how long it takes before they are all back to the original levels ?

    6. Re:Run or cycle to work by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Assuming it has toilets, wipe your pits & bits with those moist wipes you use for changing babies, apply a generous spray of deodorant, and put on a different set of clothes.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    7. Re:Run or cycle to work by Rockoon · · Score: 0

      That's not how it works.

      Thats how remembering things works.

      Instead, why don't you provide some studies that show that show how many bacteria are actually removed by showering

      The amount of bacteria removed doesnt determine smell. You are now proving that you dont care about an evidence-based approach since you made sure to only look for "evidence" that cant refutee your bullshit premise.

      TAKE A FUCKING SHOWER INSTEAD OF LOOKING FOR REASONS NOT TO

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    8. Re:Run or cycle to work by slashping · · Score: 1

      That's what I do when I bike to work. Still doesn't get rid of everything, especially since I was prescribed beta blockers and started sweating a lot more (the beta blockers reduce blood flow to the skin, making it hard to lose heat)

    9. Re:Run or cycle to work by slashping · · Score: 1

      The amount of bacteria removed doesnt determine smell.

      If the sweat doesn't smell, and the bacteria don't create the smell, what does ?

      You are now proving that you dont care about an evidence-based approach

      I care a lot, but you have yet to provide any of said evidence.

      TAKE A FUCKING SHOWER INSTEAD OF LOOKING FOR REASONS NOT TO

      I do.

    10. Re:Run or cycle to work by SNRatio · · Score: 1

      I'd like to see the numbers run for commuting by bicycle with injury morbidity included.

    11. Re:Run or cycle to work by Paul+Jakma · · Score: 1

      Cycle more slowly. Bring wet wipes, and wipe yourself down in the toilet.

      --
      I use Friend/Foe + mod-point modifiers as a karma/reputation system.
    12. Re:Run or cycle to work by Rockoon · · Score: 0

      and the bacteria don't create the smell

      100% of the bacteria that is washed off doesnt produce body order. You are still focused on whats been washed off, right? It seemed real important to you, asking studies about the very topic of washed off bacteria.

      Is your rank smelly disgusting gross ignorant fuckass picking up what I am putting down? TAKE A FUCKING SHOWER.

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    13. Re:Run or cycle to work by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      Something to make me healthier, like unemployment? My workplace is much too far from my house to walk or bike.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  9. give until it stops hurting... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    that's the spirit...

  10. Re:mitigate the effects of gravity all life matter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    sorry, only black lives matter you racist

  11. And bulimics... by Chas · · Score: 2

    *PUKE*
    Okay! I'm down to 100 lbs!
    Need to lose 5%! I'll get healthier!
    *PUKE*
    Okay! I'm down to 95 lbs!
    Need to lose 5%! I'll get even healthier!
    *PUKE!*
    Hey! Is that my spleen?

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!
    1. Re:And bulimics... by freeze128 · · Score: 1

      "Oh God, is that your spleen?"
      *PUKE!*

    2. Re:And bulimics... by serbanp · · Score: 1

      it's an epidemics!

  12. accept body positivity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why is Slashdot running such a fat-shaming article? Being fat is not unhealthy despite what the current male dominated medical science field says.

    1. Re: accept body positivity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Haha epic trololol

  13. But... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But, but... muh healthy at every size! *triggered*

  14. definition of obesity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Does somebody know how is obesity defined? Optimal BMI is just median in country population and therefore is not usable.

  15. Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then? by almostadnsguy · · Score: 2

    You would think that insurance companies would be begging if not bribing people to loose weight. I have several friends who have tried to get insurance to help pay for their weight loss surgery to no avail. One is over 200# above his healthy BMI. The cost savings of that surgery should be obvious. Can anyone explain why they won't help out?

  16. Causality by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 1

    >Obese individuals who lose as little as 5 percent of their body weight can improve their metabolic function
    Obese individuals who improve their metabolic function lose as little as 5 percent of their body weight.

    There, fixed that for you, maybe.
    The world of nutrition research is full of the elementary school statistical error of assuming the arrow of causality to be one way when it's actually the other.

    --
    I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
    1. Re:Causality by Lorens · · Score: 1

      Came here to say this. I like the FMD diet, it's all about reestablishing correct metabolical function in order to lose weight. I can only like a "diet" that tells you to eat five times a day or more, and that to lose more weight, you need to increase portion size.

    2. Re:Causality by slashping · · Score: 1

      Seems that the FMD diet is more about cutting out tasty refined foods, and starting an exercise routine. They tell you that you can eat what you want, but by restricting the choice of foods, there's not much left that you'd actually want to eat in large quantities.

    3. Re:Causality by SNRatio · · Score: 1

      it's all about reestablishing correct metabolical function in order to lose weight.

      Chicken or the egg. The extra fat mass changes the levels of chemical messengers (adiposity signals) that help determine appetite and lots of aspects of metabolism. Losing that weight also changes those levels: they now mimic those in a starving person, so basal metabolism drops, so does sensitivity to satiety signals. In that sense, Reestablishing "correct" metabolical function might take a year or more of keeping the weight off - that's how much time it takes to recover normal (er, "thin person") operation of those messengers.

  17. Best way to do it -- no sugar, no grains! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So far so good for me -- fasting blood sugar in the normal range and weight is slowly but surely coming off. Sleep apnea might also be getting better. Read more at vinnietortorich.com.

  18. What if by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But what if I've already lost 5 to 10% of my body weight?

  19. US news again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Another news related only to the US citizens. Give me a break.

  20. Re:Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Possibly because surgery only helps short-term. To keep slim, you need lifestyle changes and with lifestyle changes surgery is usually not beneficial. The trouble is that people still want to breakfast with beer and chips, have a second breakfast of crisps, lunch with cake and coke, have chocolate cookies with coke in the afternoon, eat three plates at dinner, and stuff themselves with who knows what in the evening, all the while doing absolutely nothing to expend energy.
    You don't get 100 kg overweight if your lifestyle is healthy; just supporting all that body mass burns more than you'd consume.

  21. Re:Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not all forms of weight loss are equal. Bariatric surgery is really risky, and not nearly as effective as actually changing behavior.

  22. Zero carbs = magic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Seriously, a zero carb high protein diet, you find you skip meals because you're too full to eat and the weight just drops away.

    1. Re:Zero carbs = magic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That won't help me much (for example), because besides having metabolic syndrome I also have a hyperuricemia problem: too much protein and some fats will lead me to gout.

      So basically I can drink water. For the moment...

    2. Re:Zero carbs = magic by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 3, Interesting

      That won't help me much (for example), because besides having metabolic syndrome I also have a hyperuricemia problem: too much protein and some fats will lead me to gout.

      So basically I can drink water. For the moment...

      You might want to check with a Nephrologist. My GFR was down to 44 (not good) and seeing a kidney specialist and his dietitian put me on the right track. They are chemists, and they explain things from that point of view... it's really helpful. My GFR is now back in the safe zone but I'll be babying my kidneys from now on. I also have gout and take allopurinol and watch out for trigger foods, pork fat and something in Wyler's light drinks are two of mine. Too much protein is bad, and vegetable protein is better than animal as far as my kidneys are concerned. Beans with rice or lentils with barley give a complete protein and are much easier on the body, more on that here: http://www.wikihow.com/Combine-Food-to-Make-Complete-Protein. Good Luck.

      --
      You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
    3. Re:Zero carbs = magic by LunaticTippy · · Score: 1

      I started donating blood and haven't had a gout problem since. Even beans would give me a flare up before.

      --
      Man, you really need that seminar!
  23. Re:Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You can't change a nerd's behavior. I vote for barbaric surgery: remove their heads!

  24. It's not the reduction of body weight by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    but the reduction in fructose intake, which of course happens as a consequence of changing your diet to one with less fructose, and less sugars in general.

    1. Re:It's not the reduction of body weight by hey! · · Score: 1

      No, it's not fructose reduction, although that's a very good thing. I saw this effect myself, and I've never had a sweet tooth and never consumed much stuff with fructose in it. Even so, as soon as I'd lost a few percent of my body weight my A1C (a diabetes marker that integrates your blood glucose level over the past month or two) dropped to the normal range.

      Now I don't know whether it was the lost weight per se or something about the process of losing weight that did this. In my case I ended up losing 30% of my body weight in six months.

      If anyone's interested in how I did that, I simply did three things: (1) logged all the calories I ate (there are smartphone apps that make this easy) and (2) timed my meals so I limited the rate of calorie consumption to 25 calories/minute; (3) limited my calorie intake so I was in slight deficit most days. Actually (3) sounds hard, but actually it was the easiest part once I stopped wolfing down my food. I used to get stuffed before I was satisfied; now I'm satisfied before I'm stuffed, simple as that. I generally don't have to watch my daily calorie intake total because it tends to fall into the right range on its own.

      I'd say slow eating is the most important part. Once you start eating slower you just eat fewer calories before your full, and enjoy them more. I'll never eat on the run again; I'd rather fast. You also start to make different food choices when you go slower. A flour tortilla has almost 500 calories. A half dozen of them have the energy to keep an active adult man on his feet for a day. But for me it means 20 minutes of watching the clock; it's not that I'll never eat a flour tortilla again, but I pause these days before I select a calorie dense food.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  25. Because if you drop dead by waspleg · · Score: 1

    they don't owe anything - that's a different insurance...

  26. Re:Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Probably because they've "crunched the numbers" and come to the conclusion that although money will be saved (by them) over time if they pay for weight loss surgery, even more money will be saved (by them) if they don't pay for it because a lot of those people will die faster.

    It's not profitable for them to make more people healthier now, only to have those people live to old age and get senility, Alzheimer's, arthritis (knee replacements, you know), etc.

  27. Re:Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then by sumdumass · · Score: 1

    Wow. .. You sure are clueless about fat people. I'm 360# right now, my normal day starts at 1am, out the door with no breakfast by 2am. At work by 3am with either a cup of coffee or tea depending on where I feel like stopping. By 6am, I have a break and typically grab another coffee or two and muffin egg sandwich. I drink water after that coffee is gone and eat nothing else until rought 4 pm. Between 4pm and 6pm, I grab two unsweetened teas and a double quarter pounder from McDonald's on the way home depending on traffic. Every once in a while i grab a fish sandwich too.

    I do that 5 days a week and on weekends I usually skip breakfast and eat a largish salad for lunch. Dinner around 6pm and it is either another double quarter pounder or a couple slices of pizza. I rarely drink sweetened drinks. Gave up on alcohol outside special occasions and cakes or other similar foods come only the same.

    If you really think all fat people eat the way you mentioned, You are highly confused.

  28. Clue: Slashdot is a US site. by Ungrounded+Lightning · · Score: 1

    Another news related only to the US citizens. Give me a break.

    Get a clue.

    Slashdot is a US site, created by US nerds to talk about things of interest to them, and initially populated primarily by US nerds as well.

    If you come to the US, even electronically, you shouldn't be surprised to hear a lot of things interesting more to US people than to people from wherever you came from.

    Attendance is voluntary. If enough of the stories are also interesting to you, fine. But don't expect the rest of the population to stop talking about things interesting to THEM, just because YOU'RE now here.

    If you're bored, be an adult and skip the article, like the rest of us do for things that bore US.

    --
    Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
  29. Re:Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So get life insurance at the same company as your health insurance is what you're saying?

  30. Re:Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then by slashping · · Score: 1

    That sounds like an extremely unhealthy diet, with very little variation, and barely any vegetables.

  31. Re:Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then by sumdumass · · Score: 1

    Yes, it isn't to healthy. I do take multivitamins on top of it. I don't get a lot of exercise either but I'm not so out of shape that i get winded shop climbing 3 flights of stairs. I tried switching it around in the past but gained weight. I'm basically stuck in this rut until i find a different job that doesn't consume so much free time.

  32. Re:Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then by DogDude · · Score: 1

    Hang on... are you saying that you DON'T think that you eat like shit? Really?

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
  33. Re:Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My suggestion: put down the Big Mac. Stop taking the multivitamins; they are probably doing very little good to improve your health. Start eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. Start eating more whole grains. Start doing some regular exercise (e.g., ~2o minutes of exercise five days a week). If you do that, I think you will start to see some weight loss in a few weeks.

  34. Re:Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then by pnutjam · · Score: 2

    He eats like shit, but calorie count is not excessive.

  35. Re:Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then by Paul+Jakma · · Score: 1

    There was an excellent programme in the UK called "Secret eaters". They would have obese people - often a set from same household - who couldn't understand why they weren't losing weight, despite eating all healthy, compile a food diary. These food diaries would nearly always show the person was eating well, and should be losing weight.

    The good bit was they'd then put the person under surveillance, with cameras in the house and (unbeknownst to the people) detectives following them around. Then they would compile a list of what the people were _actually_ eating. Pretty much universally, the obese people in their programmes were self-delusional about their eating. E.g., they'd tell themselves "But I only eat a salad for lunch" while ignoring all the sugary and/or fatty snacks they were eating at their desk or on breaks before other, and/or ignoring various calorie-rich sauces or other sides they were having with the salad - that type of thing.

    So, I don't believe you.

    --
    I use Friend/Foe + mod-point modifiers as a karma/reputation system.
  36. Re:Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then by Paul+Jakma · · Score: 1

    Oh, and also, it sounds like you eat at McDonalds for breakfast and dinner. I wonder if even the salad is McDonalds? (McDonalds amazingly can make a salad be as calorific as a burger btw!). That doesn't sound good at all.

    --
    I use Friend/Foe + mod-point modifiers as a karma/reputation system.
  37. Re:Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then by Paul+Jakma · · Score: 1

    Multivitamins are pretty useless. You need a far more diverse range of proteins and other elements, than you can get from McMuffins, McBurgers, McSalads and pizza.

    --
    I use Friend/Foe + mod-point modifiers as a karma/reputation system.
  38. Re:Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow. .. You sure are clueless about fat people. I'm 360# right now, my normal day starts at 1am, out the door with no breakfast by 2am. At work by 3am with either a cup of coffee or tea depending on where I feel like stopping. By 6am, I have a break and typically grab another coffee or two and muffin egg sandwich. I drink water after that coffee is gone and eat nothing else until rought 4 pm. Between 4pm and 6pm, I grab two unsweetened teas and a double quarter pounder from McDonald's on the way home depending on traffic. Every once in a while i grab a fish sandwich too.

    I do that 5 days a week and on weekends I usually skip breakfast and eat a largish salad for lunch. Dinner around 6pm and it is either another double quarter pounder or a couple slices of pizza. I rarely drink sweetened drinks. Gave up on alcohol outside special occasions and cakes or other similar foods come only the same.

    If you really think all fat people eat the way you mentioned, You are highly confused.

    I saw you. I know what you're doing.
    When the kid behind the counter handed you the bag, you grabbed their wrist, pulled them over, and gobbled them down.
    There's like, I dunno, thousands of calories in just one kid.

  39. Re:Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then by sumdumass · · Score: 1

    I certainly do not care if you believe me or not. If you think the only way to become obese is by eating the way the GP suggested you are clueless. It is that simple. I know my diet is not healthy and i don't get enough exercise. I also know that you do not need to constantly stuff your face to be fat.

  40. Keeping It Real On Weight Loss! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Thanks for this read. It’s always enjoyable to read about real tips, facts and not see all these “magical diets, pills, so called shortcuts & Scams.

    To see people really make a change in their life in the positive direction warms our hearth and articles like these is a small step to fight the bullshit on the web. We’re all about positivity and keeping it real, and really. We all can make our goals happen, no matter if its weight loss, personal improvements or career goals.

    We’re all just human, how come some are successful and some or not? For sure it’s not luck. Lets put in the work!

    We’ve written an Article about keeping it real about weight loss on our blog. There is so much misleading information about the subject on the web it’s really unbelievable.
    We at MeaningOfAHobby.com wanna keep it real! Great Read & Keep It Up People!

  41. Not all weight is the same. by PJ6 · · Score: 1

    When I get out of shape and start exercising again, my weight balance shifts between fat and muscle first, by more than 5%, before I start to actually lose weight.

    Just like BMI, I think studies that focus on weight alone leave out too much information on what's happening internally.

    That is, I'd wager losing 5% of your weight from a week of stomach flu is not the same as 'earning' it.

  42. Re:Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then by Paul+Jakma · · Score: 1

    For some sustained period of your life, your calorifie intake exceeded your energy expenditure and you put on weight. You may have reduced your calorie intake since then and stabilised your weight gain, however you have not reduced your calorie intake and/or increased your energy expenditure sufficiently to /reduce/ your weight.

    At core, it is that simple.

    There are details that matter though. E.g., different foods are digested and metabolised in different ways, and can produce different hormonal and neurological responses. E.g., sugar is processed quickly, alters insulin levels quickly, and your brain tends to crave it - so it doesn't fill you up. Higher fibre, less processed, and lower glycaemic index foods tend to be better for weight control. They make you feel full for longer, take more energy to digest, and your body responds more slowly. E.g., fresh fruit is great in that respect. Indeed, even *fats* aren't a bad thing per se - probably better to get your energy from fats than sugary things. Particularly, unprocessed (esp, never significantly heated) plant fats and oils from nuts, legumes, avocados, etc., seem to be good for us.

    Also, not all exercise is equal either. You see people in gyms doing weights trying to lose weight - completely wrong. Sustained, aerobic exercise using the biggest muscles in your body: your legs and your stomach muscles (for breathing - not sit-ups). Doesn't have to be super-hard either, you actually burn more fat at *lower* intensity aerobic exercise. At higher intensities of aerobic exercise (i.e. the kind you can only sustain for ten or twenty minutes), your body uses sugars as they're easier to convert to energy. If you reduce the intensity a bit, down to a level you could sustain for an hour+, you should get to a zone where your body can meet the energy demands by burning fat stores - and your body usually will prefer to burn fat stores when it can (carbohydrate stores being more limited and precious).

    The biggest issue is finding time for exercise. I hate the gym myself. To get exercise, I need to build it into my life so it's simply unavoidable. For me, that means relying on a bicycle to get to/from work. Cycling has worked for others. E.g., see: https://theamazing39stonecycli... - he lost 170 kilogrammes (~376 lbs) in a couple of years, by cycling.

    If you review your life, make changes to how and what you eat, and exercise, it is possible to get to a healthy weight. Not easy, but you can make it happen.

    --
    I use Friend/Foe + mod-point modifiers as a karma/reputation system.