Obesity and Ozempic and more (4 Viewers)

[AAABatteries]

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

Recommend watching this.

It is 3.5 hours. Can you give a short synopsis? Im curious as to its content. TY

Haven’t watched it but I’ve read and watched a lot of Lustig over the years - I imagine the synopsis is, sugar is the devil.

Sugar is not the devil.

Refined sugar is corporate america, which at times can be the devil.

Natural sugar, like fruit, is amazing. Ive got bro-science friends who claim you can eat as much fruit as you want. Theory being the fiber in the fruit combats eating too much of the fruit, and other food, to be overly harmful.

Yeah, I'm mainly talking about refined sugar, added sugar, etc. But eating fruits that are high in sugar content can also release a dopamine hit which is problematic for some people. Will somebody get fat eating just fruit, almost assuredly not but our lizard brains will seek out other dopamine avenues. That's why the argument about CICO is kind of pointless.

Thank you for the response.

I keep getting triggered though when folks say CICO is pointless. CICO is the only point. All folks have to worry about is calories and stop debating with extremes.

I say it's pointless because the issue with CICO is it’s really hard to estimate “calories in” and “calories out.”

Unbelievably hard and a large portion of people will give up trying.

I'm not saying CICO isn't scientifically "accurate" I'm saying it's such a small part of the complexity of the issue that it's not worth arguing over.

What is hard about measuring calories in?

What is hard about measuring calories out?

Dont forget the goal isnt about being perfect, it is about being close enough. Is my sammich 425 calories or 560 calories? Pick the middle. Once you do this will all of your foods you will be close enough.

Calories out? Again .. measure HR over time. Only count your exercise time. Dont try to figure out how many calories you are burning. Simply measure your initial baseline time/avg-HR to perform some exercise. The continue to measure that same exercise over the same time and see your HR change.

As mentioned earlier, perfection here is the enemy of great.

If CICO is "all that matters" for weight loss as you've been advocating, then you need to make sure and get it right.

If I'm off by 100 calories a day to the bad then at the end of the year I could expect to gain around 10 pounds. If I'm off 200 calories, then I could gain 20 pounds.

And I totally agree on the perfection things as I've repeated it a few times.

CICO is all that matters. Sure, if your daily calculations are off by 200 calories you are doing it wrong. I have never seen that when doing back-of-the-napkin calculations for home made foods. Being off by 200 calories for a single meal is pretty bad. Being off 200 in a single direction is also bad. Im sure it happens, I just havnt seen it.

You really think people are within 200 calories often for their daily CICO? I’d venture a guess that 90+% of the people on the planet couldn’t come within 200 calories of their BMR. That plus the guesswork most do for their intake makes me highly skeptical that people can accurately use CICO without training.

 

[Terminalxylem]

Changing habits is hard, it is actual work. However I firmly believe that the first investment anyone should make is the one in themselves. For example, why worry about your retirement if your health while you are retired will be abysmal?

I’ve often wondered about this, especially for people who make a decent wage, yet still work like dogs to earn an extra buck. Why literally kill yourself while young and able-bodied, for dreams of a lavish retirement?

In addition to making health your number one priority, I highly recommend working part-time, if finances allow.

MFP has a weakness that there is self reporting, but no back end to monitor if your inputs are off. Some pay apps like macro factor try to help with this. Restaurant meals for one can be just a moving target on those, and you damn near need a scale to get anywhere.

MyFitnessPal is definitely not fool proof. Having a dietician in person plan every meal would be best but too expensive.

But I've found the verified entries for calories to be good. Fortunately, the internet makes it super easy to check.

I also think it doesn't have to perfect. Just the act of tracking things was an eye opener for me. Mostly with snacking.

Lemme add one thing from my experience

To track calories, daily is important. To track your actual consumption, I think weekly is best way to measure (as GregR explains). Meaning, add up all the daily's and plan for a weekly.

My experience is based on the concept of "cheat days". When I was training for my Ironman (HEY EVERYBODY LOOK AT ME!!!) I gave myself a cheat day. What I found over time is I could consume 2 days of calories on my cheat day. Basically, all the deficit I created was lost as I "caught up" on Sunday, my rest day. For me, I am an eater which means I must be vigilant throughout the week. Otherwise its very easy for me to overdue it. My biggest risk is Ice Cream. What I try to do is if I had ice cream the night before, try to skip, or go light, on breakfast the next day. Eat less as the calories are there, I just need to convert them. To sum up, look at your calories over a week as they can sneak up on you (as GregR continues to point out also) and blow up your plan.

While I'm not a fan of all the animal protein added to many of them, or processed, food science inventions in general, low calorie ice creams are quite tasty. I really want to try Arctic Zero, which oddly enough, is made from fava beans.

 

[Terminalxylem]

I am not exceptional. I am the opposite, I am less than ordinary.

Not strictly true IMHO -- you've done and continue to do something rare. The eventual "solution to obesity" in American society will not be "Everyone doing what JAA does". It will be "Everyone NOT doing what JAA does, but something else entirely (that probably prevents obesity from jump)."

I will respectfully disagree.

I didn't invent it, but if everyone prioritized being healthy #1 in their life ... over everything but work and relationships, obesity will be solved in America.

Health #1, way ahead of work imo.

I'm not saying quit your job to train for an ironman, but the choices you make regarding work:life balance should always be framed in the context of health, both present and future. And you should be thinking about health while working, through your day-to-day approach to the job (don't sit at a desk too long, take the stairs, short walks during down time, don't eat office junk food, etc.) and managing stress + work demands while off the clock.

I'd even place health a little above relationships. Ultimately health = time, and unless you're Tom Brady, none of us are in jeopardy of losing our families from working out too much. OTOH, many people's quality and quantity of life, including time with family and friends, is cut short by compromising healthy habits.

 

[Terminalxylem]

I really, really, really feel like a healthy person --even one who self-analyzes and is aware that they work hard at remaining healthy -- generally (not always) has little to offer to obese people on how to get to a healthy weight and stay there from within the confines of their own social/mental/physical limitations.

This is a problem for those who need to counsel others regarding weight loss/exercise. Just as skinny people shouldn't write off fat people as lazy, obese people shouldn't dismiss the amount of work/difficulty involved with achieving a healthy weight (for nearly everyone).

Related topic: I have a hard time respecting obese physicians; I see them as hypocritical, unwilling to practice what they preach (or should be preaching). But I suspect a subset of patients responds to them better, feeling they can relate to their struggles. Perhaps not surprisingly, the last two directors of our bariatric program have been overweight/obese.

 

[Terminalxylem]

I don't want to put words in your mouth, but Im getting the feeling that you look at me (my internet words that is) and have placed me in the villian bucket. The villain who simplifies something others cant do.

I don't think you're presenting as a villain at all (though the use of the term "bro-science" kind of places you in a box, if I'm being honest). I do think you are simplifying the challenges for OTHER PEOPLE. I really, really, really feel like a healthy person --even one who self-analyzes and is aware that they work hard at remaining healthy -- generally (not always) has little to offer to obese people on how to get to a healthy weight and stay there from within the confines of their own social/mental/physical limitations.

Getting back (way back) to this thread's erstwhile topic: That's why modern weight-loss medications should be regarded as virtually unmitigated good things for the body public. Those medications make more realistic the achievement of healthy weight for many more people than without. It that hard work and constant self-denial that wide-angle "people" can't sustain -- and weight-loss medications help specifically with that obstacle.

When I say "bro science" what Im saying is "this is complete conjecture and I am acknowledging it is not backed by science"

When I use that term I'm referring to pop-science, which may or may not be validated, disseminated by individuals whose knowledge base is largely limited to YouTube and nutrition/work out blogs/podcasts. These self-taught health nuts/work-out warriors may reject mainstream nutrition and exercise science, in favor of quasi-scientific "expert" opinion. Often, their beliefs include an undercurrent of conspiracy/Big Corporation X is behind all our problems.

 

[belljr]

CICO is garbage I ate 1300 calories yesterday, and gained a pound......

 

[notoriousbill]

Since you don't seem convinced by me, I grabbed the first link from a Google search. It's an opinion piece from a doctor in Australia. It sums up the "research" I've done over the years pretty well.

I know for a fact it's not difficult for me to estimate calories. Which was the question. So you're correct, I'm not going to be convinced of something I know for certain not to be true.

As I said, one can argue whether the calories are exact. I'm sure they're not. But I think they're close enough for an estimation.

And for sure, this is just me. I fully understand others think it's pointless or don't agree.

That's fine though. Plenty of folks disagree on the forum. That makes a forum interesting and I think we both understand the other.

I'm more interested in this question: For those who think tracking CICO is pointless or wrong or not worth doing, what specific program would you suggest people follow for losing weight if they're overweight and then maintaining the weight once they get to where they want.

Say a 50 year old male that is mostly sedentary but able to exercise and is overweight by 30 pounds and wants to lose it, what specifically do you tell them? Or what more information do you need and then what specifically do you tell them?

All I know is from the past 3 years of tracking CICO in my own personal space. It worked for me regardless of how much variance there is. I was over 300 lbs. I am at 175 lbs and maintaining using CICO and will not abandon it as it has worked "for me". Like I have shared in other posts, I started out only doing CICO, lost enough weight to begin incorporating some exercise (walking) then lost more weight to incorporate more exercise (running, elliptical, etc).

I was overweight most of my adult life. I tried most of the fad diets and CICO worked best "for me".

 

[JAA]

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

Recommend watching this.

It is 3.5 hours. Can you give a short synopsis? Im curious as to its content. TY

Haven’t watched it but I’ve read and watched a lot of Lustig over the years - I imagine the synopsis is, sugar is the devil.

Sugar is not the devil.

Refined sugar is corporate america, which at times can be the devil.

Natural sugar, like fruit, is amazing. Ive got bro-science friends who claim you can eat as much fruit as you want. Theory being the fiber in the fruit combats eating too much of the fruit, and other food, to be overly harmful.

Yeah, I'm mainly talking about refined sugar, added sugar, etc. But eating fruits that are high in sugar content can also release a dopamine hit which is problematic for some people. Will somebody get fat eating just fruit, almost assuredly not but our lizard brains will seek out other dopamine avenues. That's why the argument about CICO is kind of pointless.

Thank you for the response.

I keep getting triggered though when folks say CICO is pointless. CICO is the only point. All folks have to worry about is calories and stop debating with extremes.

I say it's pointless because the issue with CICO is it’s really hard to estimate “calories in” and “calories out.”

Unbelievably hard and a large portion of people will give up trying.

I'm not saying CICO isn't scientifically "accurate" I'm saying it's such a small part of the complexity of the issue that it's not worth arguing over.

What is hard about measuring calories in?

What is hard about measuring calories out?

Dont forget the goal isnt about being perfect, it is about being close enough. Is my sammich 425 calories or 560 calories? Pick the middle. Once you do this will all of your foods you will be close enough.

Calories out? Again .. measure HR over time. Only count your exercise time. Dont try to figure out how many calories you are burning. Simply measure your initial baseline time/avg-HR to perform some exercise. The continue to measure that same exercise over the same time and see your HR change.

As mentioned earlier, perfection here is the enemy of great.

If CICO is "all that matters" for weight loss as you've been advocating, then you need to make sure and get it right.

If I'm off by 100 calories a day to the bad then at the end of the year I could expect to gain around 10 pounds. If I'm off 200 calories, then I could gain 20 pounds.

And I totally agree on the perfection things as I've repeated it a few times.

CICO is all that matters. Sure, if your daily calculations are off by 200 calories you are doing it wrong. I have never seen that when doing back-of-the-napkin calculations for home made foods. Being off by 200 calories for a single meal is pretty bad. Being off 200 in a single direction is also bad. Im sure it happens, I just havnt seen it.

You really think people are within 200 calories often for their daily CICO? I’d venture a guess that 90+% of the people on the planet couldn’t come within 200 calories of their BMR. That plus the guesswork most do for their intake makes me highly skeptical that people can accurately use CICO without training.

In a vacuum, with zero experience, if someone was asked to map out the calories for a single home made meal and be within 200 calories... sure. They would probably get it wrong.

My experience, as well as hearing from others, is that if you simply just start counting calories, overtime you will get a feel for things. And no, you do not need to be perfect. You need to be consistent in your counting of calories.

The goal here is not to count calories correctly. The goal here is to get healthy. Below is what I would recommend as step 1 for everyone of every fitness level (the below is cumulative, ie keep doing each item when you go to the next):

1. Month 1: Document every food/drink, quantity, and calorie you put into your body
2. Month 1.5: Document any exercise you are doing, even if its 1 minute of time. As long as its focused, dedicated, and purposeful.
3. Month 2: Come to an agreement with yourself on any goal to increase your amount/intensity of exercise.
4. Month 3: Reevaluate if your Month 2 goal was reasonable. If so, create a new one. If not, figure out what a better one would be
5. Month 4: Reevaluate if your exercise goal(s) are reasonable and adjust as needed. Also evaluate if you are satisfied with your eating habits and adjust to your liking.

So that's 4 months of time. No where in there does it matter how correct/in-correct your calorie measurements are. This approach is all about baselining. When you baseline, the value of the beginning numbers don't matter, just that they are now reference. Why baselining? We baseline because we are all different. Since we are all different, weight, BMI, duration, intensity, specific HR, etc, etc, etc do not matter. What matters is that Month 1 is your floor. Every decision you make from day 0 is about moving in a positive direction. Plan, evaluate, and measure. DO NOT MEASURE YOUR WEIGHT! Instead, measure your happiness. Is this activity making you happy? Are you sleeping better? Listen to your body. What do your energy levels feel like? Most important is your happiness. If you aren't happy with your actions, that needs to be evaluated. I would wager with that simple 4 month plan, anyone who commits to it, will feel better at month 4. And yes, if you cannot commit to documenting calories, planning out your exercise, trying exercise, and holding yourself accountable, then my advice to you is to see a psychologist because your issues are much deeper than calories. That doesn't make you broken, it just means you have a different starting point than calories. That place is way above my pay grade.

 

[JAA]

CICO is garbage I ate 1300 calories yesterday, and gained a pound......

Unless you are exercising and dropping water weight, my experience is weight loss lags like 2 weeks behind. Also, it is my opinion that your body is smarter than you and will try to offset caloric loss over a 2 day period through painfully explaining to you to eat more.

 

[3C's]

Curious, would you be for or against allowing health insurance companies to charge those with a lower BMI less (so by extension charging those with a higher BMI more)?

Same idea with charging smokers more than non smokers.

Not BMI, it's a flawed metric.

For the average person (not competitive athletes), why is BMI a flawed metric, at least as a quick diagnostic? Serious question, not taking a position.

These are competitive athletes that I'll use as an example.

5'9" 136lbs (weigh in weight). In the normal range

https://dmxg5wxfqgb4u.cloudfront.net/styles/athlete_bio_full_body/s3/2024-02/TURCIOS_RICKY_L_02-24.png

5'11" 185lbs (weigh in weight). Used to fight at 205, likely walks around well over 190. Overweight according to BMI.

https://dmxg5wxfqgb4u.cloudfront.net/styles/athlete_bio_full_body/s3/2022-07/c94750b2-8c3a-4dd7-840c-7bfa0293c244%252FCANNONIER_JARED_L_07-02.png

There are plenty of "average" guys who are not competitive athletes who have considerable muscle mass and BMI does not take that into account.

But you’re admittedly using competitive athletes as examples. Is it a flawed metric for you?

Yes, as it is for a huge number of people. Don't want to make this an "I lift bro" thing but I used to lift hard and I got "big". And there's plenty of people just like me at gyms all over the country. See the link I posted above. From that: "And a third of those who were identified as overweight by their BMI had normal amounts of body fat."

ETA: I'm definitely in need of losing more weight. I hit 60 and cut loose for a while. Getting back but without losing some muscle I'll never be in the "normal" range using BMI as the metric.

This is me. While I didn’t get big, I’m muscular. 5’11 185# 33” waist 26.5 bmi. Overweight. I’m going to see if I can drop 8-10#s. If only for my knees.

One reason people don’t like bmi is that they don’t like what it says about them. I know that’s true for me.

Confession time. I posted in one of the other threads that I got one of these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0020MMCDE and while it certainly could be off a bit my body fat % is higher than I expected. Still got some work to do. Did just get back from my physical and the doc and NP were pleased with where I'm at so there's that.

 

[SWC]

its just math yesterday i walked about 4 miles in the morning in about 70 minutes burning 697 calories had a 10 calorie bottle of get going juice in the am and a salad for lunch call it 350 calories walked another 3 and a half miles in 60 minutes at night in 90 degree heat for 659 calories and ate two burgers for dinner ended up in pretty negative calorie hole burning more than i consumed i have been doing that since my back surgery about four weeks ago and im down about 15 pounds it is just math take that to the bank brochachos

 

[Doug B]

I'd even place health a little above relationships. Ultimately health = time, and unless you're Tom Brady, none of us are in jeopardy of losing our families from working out too much.

Ask your wife if she knows any women who ever felt resentful that their husbands have started going to the gym and attempting to get fit. "Who are you trying to impress? Why aren't you home with me?" You may not run in the circles of people who would think that way, but it's out there. Sometimes, your family (and overall life situation) doesn't and won't support you in getting into shape.

And, sure, if both people involved are young singles, few to no strings ... yeah, walk away and find someone more aligned with your life goals. But when two people have been couch potatoes together for 20+ years, have kids, lots of family ties in common ... and then one wants to get fitter while the other one doesn't? It's another layer of complication. Few people would summarily walk away from their wife & kids in that situation -- the fitness stuff just takes a perpetual back seat.

 

[JAA]

Ask your wife if she knows any women who ever felt resentful that their husbands have started going to the gym and attempting to get fit. "Who are you trying to impress? Why aren't you home with me?" You may not run in the circles of people who would think that way, but it's out there. Sometimes, your family (and overall life situation) doesn't and won't support you in getting into shape.

This would be the same for any change, not just getting healthy. This is indicative of an unhealthy relationship, prolly one bordering on codependency.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Tangent. Thought this was pretty good.

My 7 Healthiest Habits as a Wellness Writer​

Wellness doesn't have to be so intense. Here's what I stick to.​

My 7 Healthiest Habits as a Wellness Writer

Wellness doesn't have to be so intense. Here's what I stick to.

www.insidehook.com

 

[Terminalxylem]

Curious, would you be for or against allowing health insurance companies to charge those with a lower BMI less (so by extension charging those with a higher BMI more)?

Same idea with charging smokers more than non smokers.

Not BMI, it's a flawed metric.

For the average person (not competitive athletes), why is BMI a flawed metric, at least as a quick diagnostic? Serious question, not taking a position.

These are competitive athletes that I'll use as an example.

5'9" 136lbs (weigh in weight). In the normal range

https://dmxg5wxfqgb4u.cloudfront.net/styles/athlete_bio_full_body/s3/2024-02/TURCIOS_RICKY_L_02-24.png

5'11" 185lbs (weigh in weight). Used to fight at 205, likely walks around well over 190. Overweight according to BMI.

https://dmxg5wxfqgb4u.cloudfront.net/styles/athlete_bio_full_body/s3/2022-07/c94750b2-8c3a-4dd7-840c-7bfa0293c244%252FCANNONIER_JARED_L_07-02.png

There are plenty of "average" guys who are not competitive athletes who have considerable muscle mass and BMI does not take that into account.

But you’re admittedly using competitive athletes as examples. Is it a flawed metric for you?

Yes, as it is for a huge number of people. Don't want to make this an "I lift bro" thing but I used to lift hard and I got "big". And there's plenty of people just like me at gyms all over the country. See the link I posted above. From that: "And a third of those who were identified as overweight by their BMI had normal amounts of body fat."

ETA: I'm definitely in need of losing more weight. I hit 60 and cut loose for a while. Getting back but without losing some muscle I'll never be in the "normal" range using BMI as the metric.

This is me. While I didn’t get big, I’m muscular. 5’11 185# 33” waist 26.5 bmi. Overweight. I’m going to see if I can drop 8-10#s. If only for my knees.

One reason people don’t like bmi is that they don’t like what it says about them. I know that’s true for me.

Confession time. I posted in one of the other threads that I got one of these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0020MMCDE and while it certainly could be off a bit my body fat % is higher than I expected. Still got some work to do. Did just get back from my physical and the doc and NP were pleased with where I'm at so there's that.

I'm not trying to pick on you, but it strikes me as odd in the same post you'd be surprised by too much fat, while your healthcare providers are pleased. I'm assuming they also recognize you have excess body fat, but just didn't mention it?

I say this because I think doctors often let people off the hook, due to time constraints, or not wanting to be the bad guy/sound like a broken record, by avoiding talking about weight loss. Patients, in turn, might interpret their silence as implied approval.

I also think healthcare providers "pick their battles", and choose not bringing up some issues with patients they believe are unreceptive to their advice. Whether it's weight loss, or curtailing any unhealthy behavior, I believe your healthcare provider should be having these tough conversations, repeatedly.

 

[Terminalxylem]

I'd even place health a little above relationships. Ultimately health = time, and unless you're Tom Brady, none of us are in jeopardy of losing our families from working out too much.

Ask your wife if she knows any women who ever felt resentful that their husbands have started going to the gym and attempting to get fit. "Who are you trying to impress? Why aren't you home with me?" You may not run in the circles of people who would think that way, but it's out there. Sometimes, your family (and overall life situation) doesn't and won't support you in getting into shape.

And, sure, if both people involved are young singles, few to no strings ... yeah, walk away and find someone more aligned with your life goals. But when two people have been couch potatoes together for 20+ years, have kids, lots of family ties in common ... and then one wants to get fitter while the other one doesn't? It's another layer of complication. Few people would summarily walk away from their wife & kids in that situation -- the fitness stuff just takes a perpetual back seat.

Yeah, I don't know anyone like that, and they'd likely not make it past the first date, but I'm sure they exist. With any behavioral change, a good support network is key.

On the flip side, I think there are plenty of wives who "nag" unhealthy husbands to change bad habits. I often tease my wife for acting as food police when she vetoes my (not terribly unhealthy) choices at the grocery store/Costco. I've even accused her of being orthorexic - a proposed eating disorder where one is too preoccupied with eating healthy food. In turn, she blames me for almost killing her with gratuitous exercise.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Tangent. Thought this was pretty good.

My 7 Healthiest Habits as a Wellness Writer​

Wellness doesn't have to be so intense. Here's what I stick to.​

My 7 Healthiest Habits as a Wellness Writer

Wellness doesn't have to be so intense. Here's what I stick to.

www.insidehook.com

Nice read. The liking what you’re doing is a huge factor. I love my gym. It’s so freaking extra it cracks me up. As I walked in today 2 Ferraris and a McLaren were waiting for parking spots. The people watching is off the charts and everything in the place is absolutely top of the line.

And on the food side, one has to break free of the processed crap. Which is hard to do because it’s created to be addictive. I love what I eat and don’t crave “bad” food hardly at all. Sometimes I crave sweets. And I definitely enjoy an adult beverage or two as well. Or almonds as the writer put it

 

[Terminalxylem]

Tangent. Thought this was pretty good.

My 7 Healthiest Habits as a Wellness Writer​

Wellness doesn't have to be so intense. Here's what I stick to.​

My 7 Healthiest Habits as a Wellness Writer

Wellness doesn't have to be so intense. Here's what I stick to.

www.insidehook.com

Good article.

I especially like the parts about not tracking everything. We've become too accustomed to quantifying stuff, and electronics facilitate it. In contrast to some of the advice in this thread, I don't count calories, and only weigh myself in the context of flying, if I check a bag. I don't stress over how much I sleep either.

Until I got an iWatch, I didn't watch my heart rate, steps or minutes of exercise. Admittedly, I kinda like doing so now, though I don't think it's mandatory.

Finding healthy stuff you like to eat, and activities you enjoy, really streamlines the process.

 

[Joe Bryant]

On the article I linked to about relaxing a bit - I do think there's a lot of truth in the enjoyment part.

Big picture - why are you trying to be more healthy? For many, it's probably to enjoy life more. And maybe longer.

But if you're stressed to the max on trying to be healthy, that's defeating the purpose.

I think the relax a bit angle is under rated.

 

[3C's]

Curious, would you be for or against allowing health insurance companies to charge those with a lower BMI less (so by extension charging those with a higher BMI more)?

Same idea with charging smokers more than non smokers.

Not BMI, it's a flawed metric.

For the average person (not competitive athletes), why is BMI a flawed metric, at least as a quick diagnostic? Serious question, not taking a position.

These are competitive athletes that I'll use as an example.

5'9" 136lbs (weigh in weight). In the normal range

https://dmxg5wxfqgb4u.cloudfront.net/styles/athlete_bio_full_body/s3/2024-02/TURCIOS_RICKY_L_02-24.png

5'11" 185lbs (weigh in weight). Used to fight at 205, likely walks around well over 190. Overweight according to BMI.

https://dmxg5wxfqgb4u.cloudfront.net/styles/athlete_bio_full_body/s3/2022-07/c94750b2-8c3a-4dd7-840c-7bfa0293c244%252FCANNONIER_JARED_L_07-02.png

There are plenty of "average" guys who are not competitive athletes who have considerable muscle mass and BMI does not take that into account.

But you’re admittedly using competitive athletes as examples. Is it a flawed metric for you?

Yes, as it is for a huge number of people. Don't want to make this an "I lift bro" thing but I used to lift hard and I got "big". And there's plenty of people just like me at gyms all over the country. See the link I posted above. From that: "And a third of those who were identified as overweight by their BMI had normal amounts of body fat."

ETA: I'm definitely in need of losing more weight. I hit 60 and cut loose for a while. Getting back but without losing some muscle I'll never be in the "normal" range using BMI as the metric.

This is me. While I didn’t get big, I’m muscular. 5’11 185# 33” waist 26.5 bmi. Overweight. I’m going to see if I can drop 8-10#s. If only for my knees.

One reason people don’t like bmi is that they don’t like what it says about them. I know that’s true for me.

Confession time. I posted in one of the other threads that I got one of these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0020MMCDE and while it certainly could be off a bit my body fat % is higher than I expected. Still got some work to do. Did just get back from my physical and the doc and NP were pleased with where I'm at so there's that.

I'm not trying to pick on you, but it strikes me as odd in the same post you'd be surprised by too much fat, while your healthcare providers are pleased. I'm assuming they also recognize you have excess body fat, but just didn't mention it?

I say this because I think doctors often let people off the hook, due to time constraints, or not wanting to be the bad guy/sound like a broken record, by avoiding talking about weight loss. Patients, in turn, might interpret their silence as implied approval.

I also think healthcare providers "pick their battles", and choose not bringing up some issues with patients they believe are unreceptive to their advice. Whether it's weight loss, or curtailing any unhealthy behavior, I believe your healthcare provider should be having these tough conversations, repeatedly.

My cholesterol is great, BP is great, O2 great, etc (possibly low iron though). Bigger fish to fry in that I went for xrays and my hip is about checked out and several discs along my spine are shot (L2-3, L5-S1, C5-6, C6-7). And when I say my BF is higher than expected I'm not saying I'm fat or the number is crazy but it's more than I expected. And I'll fix that, which she knows.

 

[Terminalxylem]

On the article I linked to about relaxing a bit - I do think there's a lot of truth in the enjoyment part.

Big picture - why are you trying to be more healthy? For many, it's probably to enjoy life more. And maybe longer.

But if you're stressed to the max on trying to be healthy, that's defeating the purpose.

I think the relax a bit angle is under rated.

That’s funny, because I think relaxation is highly overrated.

 

[Rustoleum]

My old eyes keep misreading this as Obesity and Olympics and then I start thinking how awesome some of those events could be.

I should lose at least 40 pounds, and since my A1C has crept above the line of demarcation and I just started metformin, I’m making a more serious effort to reduce carbs and eat somewhat better. And after months of dealing with a ganglion cyst that was making it impossible to walk/hike for any length of time, I’m back in business for my primary means of exercise so hopefully I can improve my situation.

Unless team USA needs me for the Fat Olympics….

 

[AAABatteries]

On the article I linked to about relaxing a bit - I do think there's a lot of truth in the enjoyment part.

Big picture - why are you trying to be more healthy? For many, it's probably to enjoy life more. And maybe longer.

But if you're stressed to the max on trying to be healthy, that's defeating the purpose.

I think the relax a bit angle is under rated.

Kind of the opposite of this is stress and stress is the silent killer for a reason. It's honestly the one thing in my life that I don't feel I have the right tools to combat.

 

[AAABatteries]

My old eyes keep misreading this as Obesity and Olympics and then I start thinking how awesome some of those events could be.

I should lose at least 40 pounds, and since my A1C has crept above the line of demarcation and I just started metformin, I’m making a more serious effort to reduce carbs and eat somewhat better. And after months of dealing with a ganglion cyst that was making it impossible to walk/hike for any length of time, I’m back in business for my primary means of exercise so hopefully I can improve my situation.

Unless team USA needs me for the Fat Olympics….

I posted a Men's Health article about what a fit man can do. A good schtick thread would be A Fit Fat Man Can.....

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Curious, would you be for or against allowing health insurance companies to charge those with a lower BMI less (so by extension charging those with a higher BMI more)?

Same idea with charging smokers more than non smokers.

Not BMI, it's a flawed metric.

For the average person (not competitive athletes), why is BMI a flawed metric, at least as a quick diagnostic? Serious question, not taking a position.

These are competitive athletes that I'll use as an example.

5'9" 136lbs (weigh in weight). In the normal range

https://dmxg5wxfqgb4u.cloudfront.net/styles/athlete_bio_full_body/s3/2024-02/TURCIOS_RICKY_L_02-24.png

5'11" 185lbs (weigh in weight). Used to fight at 205, likely walks around well over 190. Overweight according to BMI.

https://dmxg5wxfqgb4u.cloudfront.net/styles/athlete_bio_full_body/s3/2022-07/c94750b2-8c3a-4dd7-840c-7bfa0293c244%252FCANNONIER_JARED_L_07-02.png

There are plenty of "average" guys who are not competitive athletes who have considerable muscle mass and BMI does not take that into account.

But you’re admittedly using competitive athletes as examples. Is it a flawed metric for you?

Yes, as it is for a huge number of people. Don't want to make this an "I lift bro" thing but I used to lift hard and I got "big". And there's plenty of people just like me at gyms all over the country. See the link I posted above. From that: "And a third of those who were identified as overweight by their BMI had normal amounts of body fat."

ETA: I'm definitely in need of losing more weight. I hit 60 and cut loose for a while. Getting back but without losing some muscle I'll never be in the "normal" range using BMI as the metric.

This is me. While I didn’t get big, I’m muscular. 5’11 185# 33” waist 26.5 bmi. Overweight. I’m going to see if I can drop 8-10#s. If only for my knees.

One reason people don’t like bmi is that they don’t like what it says about them. I know that’s true for me.

Confession time. I posted in one of the other threads that I got one of these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0020MMCDE and while it certainly could be off a bit my body fat % is higher than I expected. Still got some work to do. Did just get back from my physical and the doc and NP were pleased with where I'm at so there's that.

I'm not trying to pick on you, but it strikes me as odd in the same post you'd be surprised by too much fat, while your healthcare providers are pleased. I'm assuming they also recognize you have excess body fat, but just didn't mention it?

I say this because I think doctors often let people off the hook, due to time constraints, or not wanting to be the bad guy/sound like a broken record, by avoiding talking about weight loss. Patients, in turn, might interpret their silence as implied approval.

I also think healthcare providers "pick their battles", and choose not bringing up some issues with patients they believe are unreceptive to their advice. Whether it's weight loss, or curtailing any unhealthy behavior, I believe your healthcare provider should be having these tough conversations, repeatedly.

My cholesterol is great, BP is great, O2 great, etc (possibly low iron though). Bigger fish to fry in that I went for xrays and my hip is about checked out and several discs along my spine are shot (L2-3, L5-S1, C5-6, C6-7). And when I say my BF is higher than expected I'm not saying I'm fat or the number is crazy but it's more than I expected. And I'll fix that, which she knows.

What,s the #?

 

[3C's]

Curious, would you be for or against allowing health insurance companies to charge those with a lower BMI less (so by extension charging those with a higher BMI more)?

Same idea with charging smokers more than non smokers.

Not BMI, it's a flawed metric.

For the average person (not competitive athletes), why is BMI a flawed metric, at least as a quick diagnostic? Serious question, not taking a position.

These are competitive athletes that I'll use as an example.

5'9" 136lbs (weigh in weight). In the normal range

https://dmxg5wxfqgb4u.cloudfront.net/styles/athlete_bio_full_body/s3/2024-02/TURCIOS_RICKY_L_02-24.png

5'11" 185lbs (weigh in weight). Used to fight at 205, likely walks around well over 190. Overweight according to BMI.

https://dmxg5wxfqgb4u.cloudfront.net/styles/athlete_bio_full_body/s3/2022-07/c94750b2-8c3a-4dd7-840c-7bfa0293c244%252FCANNONIER_JARED_L_07-02.png

There are plenty of "average" guys who are not competitive athletes who have considerable muscle mass and BMI does not take that into account.

But you’re admittedly using competitive athletes as examples. Is it a flawed metric for you?

Yes, as it is for a huge number of people. Don't want to make this an "I lift bro" thing but I used to lift hard and I got "big". And there's plenty of people just like me at gyms all over the country. See the link I posted above. From that: "And a third of those who were identified as overweight by their BMI had normal amounts of body fat."

ETA: I'm definitely in need of losing more weight. I hit 60 and cut loose for a while. Getting back but without losing some muscle I'll never be in the "normal" range using BMI as the metric.

This is me. While I didn’t get big, I’m muscular. 5’11 185# 33” waist 26.5 bmi. Overweight. I’m going to see if I can drop 8-10#s. If only for my knees.

One reason people don’t like bmi is that they don’t like what it says about them. I know that’s true for me.

Confession time. I posted in one of the other threads that I got one of these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0020MMCDE and while it certainly could be off a bit my body fat % is higher than I expected. Still got some work to do. Did just get back from my physical and the doc and NP were pleased with where I'm at so there's that.

I'm not trying to pick on you, but it strikes me as odd in the same post you'd be surprised by too much fat, while your healthcare providers are pleased. I'm assuming they also recognize you have excess body fat, but just didn't mention it?

I say this because I think doctors often let people off the hook, due to time constraints, or not wanting to be the bad guy/sound like a broken record, by avoiding talking about weight loss. Patients, in turn, might interpret their silence as implied approval.

I also think healthcare providers "pick their battles", and choose not bringing up some issues with patients they believe are unreceptive to their advice. Whether it's weight loss, or curtailing any unhealthy behavior, I believe your healthcare provider should be having these tough conversations, repeatedly.

My cholesterol is great, BP is great, O2 great, etc (possibly low iron though). Bigger fish to fry in that I went for xrays and my hip is about checked out and several discs along my spine are shot (L2-3, L5-S1, C5-6, C6-7). And when I say my BF is higher than expected I'm not saying I'm fat or the number is crazy but it's more than I expected. And I'll fix that, which she knows.

What,s the #?

Cholesterol? 165. BP 116/66.

But I'm sure you meant BF. 24.8 and I was hoping for sub 22. I'll get there but was hoping to be 22 so my "get there" would be 20 or better. I'll do a dexa sometime to see if this is even near right.

ETA: mentioned the "bone" issues above. Right hip diag from the radiologist is "severe" so that one will probably have to be replaced as well some time. Not yet though, I got work to do

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Curious, would you be for or against allowing health insurance companies to charge those with a lower BMI less (so by extension charging those with a higher BMI more)?

Same idea with charging smokers more than non smokers.

Not BMI, it's a flawed metric.

For the average person (not competitive athletes), why is BMI a flawed metric, at least as a quick diagnostic? Serious question, not taking a position.

These are competitive athletes that I'll use as an example.

5'9" 136lbs (weigh in weight). In the normal range

https://dmxg5wxfqgb4u.cloudfront.net/styles/athlete_bio_full_body/s3/2024-02/TURCIOS_RICKY_L_02-24.png

5'11" 185lbs (weigh in weight). Used to fight at 205, likely walks around well over 190. Overweight according to BMI.

https://dmxg5wxfqgb4u.cloudfront.net/styles/athlete_bio_full_body/s3/2022-07/c94750b2-8c3a-4dd7-840c-7bfa0293c244%252FCANNONIER_JARED_L_07-02.png

There are plenty of "average" guys who are not competitive athletes who have considerable muscle mass and BMI does not take that into account.

But you’re admittedly using competitive athletes as examples. Is it a flawed metric for you?

Yes, as it is for a huge number of people. Don't want to make this an "I lift bro" thing but I used to lift hard and I got "big". And there's plenty of people just like me at gyms all over the country. See the link I posted above. From that: "And a third of those who were identified as overweight by their BMI had normal amounts of body fat."

ETA: I'm definitely in need of losing more weight. I hit 60 and cut loose for a while. Getting back but without losing some muscle I'll never be in the "normal" range using BMI as the metric.

This is me. While I didn’t get big, I’m muscular. 5’11 185# 33” waist 26.5 bmi. Overweight. I’m going to see if I can drop 8-10#s. If only for my knees.

One reason people don’t like bmi is that they don’t like what it says about them. I know that’s true for me.

Confession time. I posted in one of the other threads that I got one of these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0020MMCDE and while it certainly could be off a bit my body fat % is higher than I expected. Still got some work to do. Did just get back from my physical and the doc and NP were pleased with where I'm at so there's that.

I'm not trying to pick on you, but it strikes me as odd in the same post you'd be surprised by too much fat, while your healthcare providers are pleased. I'm assuming they also recognize you have excess body fat, but just didn't mention it?

I say this because I think doctors often let people off the hook, due to time constraints, or not wanting to be the bad guy/sound like a broken record, by avoiding talking about weight loss. Patients, in turn, might interpret their silence as implied approval.

I also think healthcare providers "pick their battles", and choose not bringing up some issues with patients they believe are unreceptive to their advice. Whether it's weight loss, or curtailing any unhealthy behavior, I believe your healthcare provider should be having these tough conversations, repeatedly.

My cholesterol is great, BP is great, O2 great, etc (possibly low iron though). Bigger fish to fry in that I went for xrays and my hip is about checked out and several discs along my spine are shot (L2-3, L5-S1, C5-6, C6-7). And when I say my BF is higher than expected I'm not saying I'm fat or the number is crazy but it's more than I expected. And I'll fix that, which she knows.

What,s the #?

Cholesterol? 165. BP 116/66.

But I'm sure you meant BF. 24.8 and I was hoping for sub 22. I'll get there but was hoping to be 22 so my "get there" would be 20 or better. I'll do a dexa sometime to see if this is even near right.

LFG!!

 

[3C's]

Curious, would you be for or against allowing health insurance companies to charge those with a lower BMI less (so by extension charging those with a higher BMI more)?

Same idea with charging smokers more than non smokers.

Not BMI, it's a flawed metric.

For the average person (not competitive athletes), why is BMI a flawed metric, at least as a quick diagnostic? Serious question, not taking a position.

These are competitive athletes that I'll use as an example.

5'9" 136lbs (weigh in weight). In the normal range

https://dmxg5wxfqgb4u.cloudfront.net/styles/athlete_bio_full_body/s3/2024-02/TURCIOS_RICKY_L_02-24.png

5'11" 185lbs (weigh in weight). Used to fight at 205, likely walks around well over 190. Overweight according to BMI.

https://dmxg5wxfqgb4u.cloudfront.net/styles/athlete_bio_full_body/s3/2022-07/c94750b2-8c3a-4dd7-840c-7bfa0293c244%252FCANNONIER_JARED_L_07-02.png

There are plenty of "average" guys who are not competitive athletes who have considerable muscle mass and BMI does not take that into account.

But you’re admittedly using competitive athletes as examples. Is it a flawed metric for you?

Yes, as it is for a huge number of people. Don't want to make this an "I lift bro" thing but I used to lift hard and I got "big". And there's plenty of people just like me at gyms all over the country. See the link I posted above. From that: "And a third of those who were identified as overweight by their BMI had normal amounts of body fat."

ETA: I'm definitely in need of losing more weight. I hit 60 and cut loose for a while. Getting back but without losing some muscle I'll never be in the "normal" range using BMI as the metric.

This is me. While I didn’t get big, I’m muscular. 5’11 185# 33” waist 26.5 bmi. Overweight. I’m going to see if I can drop 8-10#s. If only for my knees.

One reason people don’t like bmi is that they don’t like what it says about them. I know that’s true for me.

Confession time. I posted in one of the other threads that I got one of these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0020MMCDE and while it certainly could be off a bit my body fat % is higher than I expected. Still got some work to do. Did just get back from my physical and the doc and NP were pleased with where I'm at so there's that.

I'm not trying to pick on you, but it strikes me as odd in the same post you'd be surprised by too much fat, while your healthcare providers are pleased. I'm assuming they also recognize you have excess body fat, but just didn't mention it?

I say this because I think doctors often let people off the hook, due to time constraints, or not wanting to be the bad guy/sound like a broken record, by avoiding talking about weight loss. Patients, in turn, might interpret their silence as implied approval.

I also think healthcare providers "pick their battles", and choose not bringing up some issues with patients they believe are unreceptive to their advice. Whether it's weight loss, or curtailing any unhealthy behavior, I believe your healthcare provider should be having these tough conversations, repeatedly.

My cholesterol is great, BP is great, O2 great, etc (possibly low iron though). Bigger fish to fry in that I went for xrays and my hip is about checked out and several discs along my spine are shot (L2-3, L5-S1, C5-6, C6-7). And when I say my BF is higher than expected I'm not saying I'm fat or the number is crazy but it's more than I expected. And I'll fix that, which she knows.

What,s the #?

Cholesterol? 165. BP 116/66.

But I'm sure you meant BF. 24.8 and I was hoping for sub 22. I'll get there but was hoping to be 22 so my "get there" would be 20 or better. I'll do a dexa sometime to see if this is even near right.

LFG!!

See my edit.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Curious, would you be for or against allowing health insurance companies to charge those with a lower BMI less (so by extension charging those with a higher BMI more)?

Same idea with charging smokers more than non smokers.

Not BMI, it's a flawed metric.

For the average person (not competitive athletes), why is BMI a flawed metric, at least as a quick diagnostic? Serious question, not taking a position.

These are competitive athletes that I'll use as an example.

5'9" 136lbs (weigh in weight). In the normal range

https://dmxg5wxfqgb4u.cloudfront.net/styles/athlete_bio_full_body/s3/2024-02/TURCIOS_RICKY_L_02-24.png

5'11" 185lbs (weigh in weight). Used to fight at 205, likely walks around well over 190. Overweight according to BMI.

https://dmxg5wxfqgb4u.cloudfront.net/styles/athlete_bio_full_body/s3/2022-07/c94750b2-8c3a-4dd7-840c-7bfa0293c244%252FCANNONIER_JARED_L_07-02.png

There are plenty of "average" guys who are not competitive athletes who have considerable muscle mass and BMI does not take that into account.

But you’re admittedly using competitive athletes as examples. Is it a flawed metric for you?

Yes, as it is for a huge number of people. Don't want to make this an "I lift bro" thing but I used to lift hard and I got "big". And there's plenty of people just like me at gyms all over the country. See the link I posted above. From that: "And a third of those who were identified as overweight by their BMI had normal amounts of body fat."

ETA: I'm definitely in need of losing more weight. I hit 60 and cut loose for a while. Getting back but without losing some muscle I'll never be in the "normal" range using BMI as the metric.

This is me. While I didn’t get big, I’m muscular. 5’11 185# 33” waist 26.5 bmi. Overweight. I’m going to see if I can drop 8-10#s. If only for my knees.

One reason people don’t like bmi is that they don’t like what it says about them. I know that’s true for me.

Confession time. I posted in one of the other threads that I got one of these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0020MMCDE and while it certainly could be off a bit my body fat % is higher than I expected. Still got some work to do. Did just get back from my physical and the doc and NP were pleased with where I'm at so there's that.

I'm not trying to pick on you, but it strikes me as odd in the same post you'd be surprised by too much fat, while your healthcare providers are pleased. I'm assuming they also recognize you have excess body fat, but just didn't mention it?

I say this because I think doctors often let people off the hook, due to time constraints, or not wanting to be the bad guy/sound like a broken record, by avoiding talking about weight loss. Patients, in turn, might interpret their silence as implied approval.

I also think healthcare providers "pick their battles", and choose not bringing up some issues with patients they believe are unreceptive to their advice. Whether it's weight loss, or curtailing any unhealthy behavior, I believe your healthcare provider should be having these tough conversations, repeatedly.

My cholesterol is great, BP is great, O2 great, etc (possibly low iron though). Bigger fish to fry in that I went for xrays and my hip is about checked out and several discs along my spine are shot (L2-3, L5-S1, C5-6, C6-7). And when I say my BF is higher than expected I'm not saying I'm fat or the number is crazy but it's more than I expected. And I'll fix that, which she knows.

What,s the #?

Cholesterol? 165. BP 116/66.

But I'm sure you meant BF. 24.8 and I was hoping for sub 22. I'll get there but was hoping to be 22 so my "get there" would be 20 or better. I'll do a dexa sometime to see if this is even near right.

LFG!!

See my edit.

Don’t wait too long. My mom had to do both of hers and the one thing she says is that she waited way too long and was in pain unnecessarily for years.

 

[3C's]

Don’t wait too long. My mom had to do both of hers and the one thing she says is that she waited way too long and was in pain unnecessarily for years.

Trust me I know. Left one was replaced 8 years ago and by then I was in a massive amount of pain, couldn't ride a bike, lift my foot up more than a foot, and there was audible bone on bone grinding. Not there yet with this one but not far.

 

[notoriousbill]

Interesting read:

Germany mulls sugar tax: What are the benefits? – DW – 06/20/2024

A number of countries already tax sugary foods and drinks. Which model has proven most effective?

www.dw.com

 

[Brunell4MVP]

2 years ago to the day I was 272 lbs.
1 year ago after working out for a year I hit a major wall at 254 lbs.

Honestly I was in adequate shape at 254 lb no matter what the BMI charts say. I could play BBall for 2-3 hours a couple nights a week, played indoor soccer, jog a 5k, etc with no problem. Yes there was too much around the waist, but my fat percentage was average. And that's the number that matters IMO.

A year later .... started Oz in ~November 2023. As of March was at 232 lbs. I did not change my diet or routine. It stops the cravings. I simply eat far less. Never feel the need to stop for fast food or eat at night. Oz was a bit rough at the start from being tired. But it went away after 2 weeks. In April I went off it to see if I could keep the weight down. I am still at 232 lbs. I am now going to do monjauro to see if I can knock out more weight. Would love to be at 210 lbs. Which was my fighting weight playing college sports.

Also I am off all my blood pressure and cholesterol meds. Those problems went away within 2 months of taking Oz.

Just saying ... it helps those of us that aren't blessed with great fat genetics and/or have bad food habits, though I've helped the latter by making scrambled eggs and air frying raw shrimp my snacks. Oz was was the best medical decision I've made. Even better than being a guinea pig for lasik in the 90s.

Don't hesitate to give it a try and see if it helps you.

ETA ... I also fired my doctor 1.5 years ago because she did not want me to take it. Said she had patients that needed it more. Getting rid of her and going to telehealth really helped. Some of these old school docs following their charts and procedures from 2000 are part of the problem. If you get yourself fixed up, you no longer need to see them. Healthcare is a complete mess. Take it into your own hands.

 

[TripItUp]

Interesting read:

Germany mulls sugar tax: What are the benefits? – DW – 06/20/2024

A number of countries already tax sugary foods and drinks. Which model has proven most effective?

www.dw.com

I love the idea of a sugar tax

 

[belljr]

Interesting read:

Germany mulls sugar tax: What are the benefits? – DW – 06/20/2024

A number of countries already tax sugary foods and drinks. Which model has proven most effective?

www.dw.com

I love the idea of a sugar tax

They have it in Philly. Not sure it made a difference. I think NY tried and it was voted down

 

[Mitchie]

Interesting read:

Germany mulls sugar tax: What are the benefits? – DW – 06/20/2024

A number of countries already tax sugary foods and drinks. Which model has proven most effective?

www.dw.com

I love the idea of a sugar tax

They have it in Philly. Not sure it made a difference. I think NY tried and it was voted down

Looks like it did

Beverage sales went down in cities that enacted soda taxes. Philly saw the biggest change.

A study found that sugary beverage sales went down as prices went up across five cities with soda taxes. Philadelphia saw the biggest changes.

www.inquirer.com

 

[waiver wire]

this seems like a good place to ask and i will probably get some flax for the question
What is good pill or anything else to help speed up my metabolism and stop my cravings.

 

[Terminalxylem]

this seems like a good place to ask and i will probably get some flax for the question
What is good pill or anything else to help speed up my metabolism and stop my cravings.

Agree wholeheartedly

Flaxseeds may have several effects on metabolism, including:

• Carbohydrate metabolism
  Flaxseed consumption may improve carbohydrate metabolism, especially by lowering fasting glucose.
• Estrogen metabolism
  Flaxseed supplementation may alter estrogen metabolism in postmenopausal women more than soy supplementation.
• Weight loss
  Flaxseeds are high in protein and fiber, which can help you feel full and lose weight. They also contain lignans, which may help with weight loss and reduce blood pressure.

 

[Terminalxylem]

But seriously. Increase moderate intensity exercise, and drink more water.

And throw out all your snack/junk food, while avoiding places that sell it.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

this seems like a good place to ask and i will probably get some flax for the question
What is good pill or anything else to help speed up my metabolism and stop my cravings.

Cocaine. While not a pill..it will achieve those goals.



















I kid… I kid…










Move more. Like a lot more. So that you’re tired. Don’t give in to the cravings. Sounds simple but it’s not. It takes work. And discipline. Something has to be more important to you than eating crap and giving in to the cravings and not working out. It’s not easy. But you can do it.

 

[Joe Bryant]

But seriously. Increase moderate intensity exercise, and drink more water.

And throw out all your snack/junk food, while avoiding places that sell it.

The goal is a mindset shift to: You are in control of what you eat and drink.

 

[Chadstroma]

this seems like a good place to ask and i will probably get some flax for the question
What is good pill or anything else to help speed up my metabolism and stop my cravings.

Talk to me more about the cravings. Describe them in as much detail as possible. How it feels, frequency, food specific, time of day specific, etc

 

[Joe Bryant]

On the craving topic, I've not read this book but I've heard a few people talking positively of it. https://www.markschatzker.com/the-end-of-craving

FOR THE LAST FIFTY YEARS, WE HAVE been fighting a losing war on food. We have cut fat, reduced carbs, eliminated sugar, and attempted every conceivable diet only to find that eighty-eight million American adults are now pre-diabetic, more than a hundred million have high blood pressure, and nearly half now qualify as obese. The harder we try to control what we eat, the more unhealthy we become. Why?

Mark Schatzker has spent his career traveling the world in search of the answer. In The Dorito Effect, he revealed the startling relationship between flavor and nutrition. In Steak, he was one of the first authors to recognize the critical importance of regenerative agriculture. Now, in The End of Craving, he poses an even more profound question: What if the key to nutrition and good health lies not in resisting the primal urge to eat, but understanding its purpose?

Beginning in the mountains of Europe and the fields of the Old South, Schatzker embarks on a quest to uncover the lost art of eating and living well. Along the way, he visits brain scanning laboratories and hog farms, and encounters cultural oddities and scientific paradoxes—northern Italians eat what may be the world’s most delicious cuisine, yet are among the world’s thinnest people; laborers in southern India possess an inborn wisdom to eat their way from sickness to good health—that reveal how decades of advancements in food technology have turned the brain’s drive to eat against the body, placing us in an unrelenting state of craving. Only by restoring the relationship between nutrition and the essential joy of eating can we hope to lead longer and happier lives.

Combining cutting-edge science and ancient wisdom, The End of Craving is an urgent and radical investigation that will fundamentally change how we understand both food and ourselves.

 

[Mitchie]

https://www.valterlongo.com/obesity-in-italy-a-third-of-adults-are-overweight/

Difference between North and South Italy appears to be 1) more sedentary in the South, which doesn't support the exercise isn't that important hypothesis, and 2) higher level of education in the North which appears to be correlated to lower obesity, my guess being that income greatly impacts that.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Perfect example of where things are.

Weight loss app, Noom just sent an email with the subject line:

Noom: Weight loss without the sacrifice​

It's great marketing.

Everyone wants the thing without sacrificing doing what they want to do.

 

[Terminalxylem]

Perfect example of where things are.

Weight loss app, Noom just sent an email with the subject line:

Noom: Weight loss without the sacrifice​

It's great marketing.

Everyone wants the thing without sacrificing doing what they want to do.

Do you think weight loss messaging has ever been any different?

IMO, we need to get away from the idea of rapid weight loss, as it’s unreasonable to believe years of bad habits/weight gain can evaporate overnight.

But it really doesn’t need to be a huge sacrifice. It’s just retraining your palate, and finding enjoyable exercise.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Perfect example of where things are.

Weight loss app, Noom just sent an email with the subject line:

Noom: Weight loss without the sacrifice​

It's great marketing.

Everyone wants the thing without sacrificing doing what they want to do.

Do you think weight loss messaging has ever been any different?

IMO, we need to get away from the idea of rapid weight loss, as it’s unreasonable to believe years of bad habits/weight gain can evaporate overnight.

But it really doesn’t need to be a huge sacrifice. It’s just retraining your palate, and finding enjoyable exercise.

I'm not saying it's new. I'm saying it's great marketing.

I think lots of people know deep down that magic fixes don't seem right. But they still want them.

I agree completely a better message would be stressing what you said in that it doesn't need to be some great sacrifice. When the focus is denial, that's tough.

 

[Grahamburn]

My daughter had a sleepover the other night with a friend.

The Mom works out with my wife at her gym, but apparently hadn’t been attending lately.

Upon dropping said daughter off, my wife commented on her losing some weight and asked why she hadn’t been at the gym recently.

The Mom says, “I had to cancel my membership so I could afford ozempic.”

 

[3C's]

Curious, would you be for or against allowing health insurance companies to charge those with a lower BMI less (so by extension charging those with a higher BMI more)?

Same idea with charging smokers more than non smokers.

Not BMI, it's a flawed metric.

For the average person (not competitive athletes), why is BMI a flawed metric, at least as a quick diagnostic? Serious question, not taking a position.

These are competitive athletes that I'll use as an example.

5'9" 136lbs (weigh in weight). In the normal range

https://dmxg5wxfqgb4u.cloudfront.net/styles/athlete_bio_full_body/s3/2024-02/TURCIOS_RICKY_L_02-24.png

5'11" 185lbs (weigh in weight). Used to fight at 205, likely walks around well over 190. Overweight according to BMI.

https://dmxg5wxfqgb4u.cloudfront.net/styles/athlete_bio_full_body/s3/2022-07/c94750b2-8c3a-4dd7-840c-7bfa0293c244%252FCANNONIER_JARED_L_07-02.png

There are plenty of "average" guys who are not competitive athletes who have considerable muscle mass and BMI does not take that into account.

But you’re admittedly using competitive athletes as examples. Is it a flawed metric for you?

Yes, as it is for a huge number of people. Don't want to make this an "I lift bro" thing but I used to lift hard and I got "big". And there's plenty of people just like me at gyms all over the country. See the link I posted above. From that: "And a third of those who were identified as overweight by their BMI had normal amounts of body fat."

ETA: I'm definitely in need of losing more weight. I hit 60 and cut loose for a while. Getting back but without losing some muscle I'll never be in the "normal" range using BMI as the metric.

This is me. While I didn’t get big, I’m muscular. 5’11 185# 33” waist 26.5 bmi. Overweight. I’m going to see if I can drop 8-10#s. If only for my knees.

One reason people don’t like bmi is that they don’t like what it says about them. I know that’s true for me.

Confession time. I posted in one of the other threads that I got one of these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0020MMCDE and while it certainly could be off a bit my body fat % is higher than I expected. Still got some work to do. Did just get back from my physical and the doc and NP were pleased with where I'm at so there's that.

I'm not trying to pick on you, but it strikes me as odd in the same post you'd be surprised by too much fat, while your healthcare providers are pleased. I'm assuming they also recognize you have excess body fat, but just didn't mention it?

I say this because I think doctors often let people off the hook, due to time constraints, or not wanting to be the bad guy/sound like a broken record, by avoiding talking about weight loss. Patients, in turn, might interpret their silence as implied approval.

I also think healthcare providers "pick their battles", and choose not bringing up some issues with patients they believe are unreceptive to their advice. Whether it's weight loss, or curtailing any unhealthy behavior, I believe your healthcare provider should be having these tough conversations, repeatedly.

My cholesterol is great, BP is great, O2 great, etc (possibly low iron though). Bigger fish to fry in that I went for xrays and my hip is about checked out and several discs along my spine are shot (L2-3, L5-S1, C5-6, C6-7). And when I say my BF is higher than expected I'm not saying I'm fat or the number is crazy but it's more than I expected. And I'll fix that, which she knows.

What,s the #?

Cholesterol? 165. BP 116/66.

But I'm sure you meant BF. 24.8 and I was hoping for sub 22. I'll get there but was hoping to be 22 so my "get there" would be 20 or better. I'll do a dexa sometime to see if this is even near right.

LFG!!

See my edit.

Don’t wait too long. My mom had to do both of hers and the one thing she says is that she waited way too long and was in pain unnecessarily for years.

Update: Went to see a/the surgeon today. He looked at the xrays and said "when do you want to schedule surgery? we can do it as early as the end of the month." Was not expecting that really. Probably going to push it out to Oct. On the ****ty side of things, I had him look at my left one that was replaced 8 years ago and he noted a couple of issues which would explain the problems I've had with it. But revision surgery carries way bigger risks so I just have to deal with it, wait it out until it HAS to be replaced.

 

[Chadstroma]

My daughter had a sleepover the other night with a friend.

The Mom works out with my wife at her gym, but apparently hadn’t been attending lately.

Upon dropping said daughter off, my wife commented on her losing some weight and asked why she hadn’t been at the gym recently.

The Mom says, “I had to cancel my membership so I could afford ozempic.”

Well... weight loss is like 85% diet and exercise can only do so much. I am dropping roughly 2 pounds a week without any crazy diet or calorie counting or anything- simply being mindful of portions. This with the aid of Ozempic among other things. I am trying to get more active but I can tell you right now that if I didn't have the Ozempic and just tried to lose weight in the gym- it would fail. Because I have tried it many times before. Hopefully she can lose the weight and then get back into the gym as part of maintaining her healthy weight and overall health.

 

[Chadstroma]

Perfect example of where things are.

Weight loss app, Noom just sent an email with the subject line:

​

I'm not saying it's new. I'm saying it's great marketing.

I think lots of people know deep down that magic fixes don't seem right. But they still want them.

I agree completely a better message would be stressing what you said in that it doesn't need to be some great sacrifice. When the focus is denial, that's tough.

My understanding of Noom is that it is based around EXACTLY what you advocate. Changing of eating habits and exercise with heavy doses of mental healthiness and understanding the psychology of why your habits were not good in the first place.

If your goal is behavior change and not a diet then it really isn't a sacrifice, it is simply adjusting how you eat to be in line with healthy patterns. The reason most people end up losing weight on some diet and then gain it all back is because they sacrificed whatever to follow the diet but then the diet isn't something that could always follow. Once they are off, their key to success is gone and they gain the weight back.

Yes, it is marketing. We all know that. No marketing seeks to be really truthful but rather to be really appealing. However, I would argue that saying "without the sacrifice" isn't misleading like you suggest in that sense that they are not asking you to sacrifice anything- just change a lot of what you are doing.