# I unhappily report that I am right about obesity and diet (Very long) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 16, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543 "2011-02-16T04:25:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/281 "2011-03-07T17:22:33Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > This is something I would suggest talking to a doctor about. Exercise really shouldn’t upset your stomache. (of course, exercise makes me stupid and sometimes gives me a headache, and of course I haven’t talked to my doctor about this, so feel free to call me a kettle) I don’t think this is anything too unusual, depending on how stressful your exercise is, when you’ve eaten, and whether you’ve taken in fluids (nausea is a sign of dehydration.) For me, whenever I exercise, I don’t normally get nauseous (unless I’m really going balls out), but my stomach never feels quite settled enough to eat anything solid within an hour or so of completion. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/282 "2011-03-07T18:31:01Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Also, for some people such as myself, exercise and physical activity suppresses the appetite. Especially if you’re doing a lot of it. Time spent moving is less time devoted to snacking or thinking about food, at the very least. > > I’m wary of all generalizations about diet and weight loss. I’m in my mid-30s and eat carbs without ever having a second thought. Just within moderation as with everything. And I’ve never had a weight problem. Then again, I’m also moderately active. Perhaps my habits wouldn’t work for someone else, but at the same time I’m all rolly-eyes when someone tells me that physical activity won’t help you lose weight. It will if you do enough of it…and it will absolutely help you keep it off. > > Walking briskly 30 minutes every other day won’t help you lose much weight at a _rapid rate_. But walking briskly an hour or two a day, every single day, will. > > A healthy lifestyle is hard to maintain, yes. But recognizing a healthy lifestyle in the 21st century is NOT rocket scientist. People and their metabolisms are so different, I really don’t think there are hard and fast rules about what will cause individuals to gain and lose weight. Exercise is a huge factor in helping me (underweight and with a lightning fast metabolism that prefers to burn off extra calories as heat instead of putting on mass) gain and maintain weight. Load bearing stuff, not cardio. For my friends with normal metabolisms and weights (like you), beginning regular moderate cardio exercise with no effort to change eating habits can mean a weight loss of 5-25 lbs. For my fat friends and those with various metabolic issues (I have several close younger female friends who are overweight and also have hypothyroid, PCOS, and insulin resistance or diabetes), it can vary. Some do have overeating problems, and changing their habits there along with a little exercise makes the weight melt off. But I’ve also seen months of strict low-calorie dieting and intense amounts of calorie-burning cardio exercise have negligible results on their fat mass. Low-carb dieting is a very different story… ---
**Author:** ![Submerged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Submerged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Submerged)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/283 "2011-03-07T18:37:00Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > Exercise is a huge factor in helping me (underweight and with a lightning fast metabolism Do you have actual, medical proof that your metabolism is significantly “faster” than average, or is this an assumption based on your percieved levels of caloric intake and activity level? > [@rhubarbarin](#): > > younger female friends who are overweight and also have hypothyroid Obesity caused by thyroid issues is actually very, very rare. You have “several” obese friends with this? Has this been confirmed medically? ---
**Author:** ![Submerged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Submerged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Submerged)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/284 "2011-03-07T19:57:39Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Tto lose the widely recommended MAX of 2 pounds \*\*\*weekly, I should eat no more than 1,437 (webMD) 1,445 ([livestrong.com](http://livestrong.com)) - 1,679 calories (1.5 pound loss weekly, per caloriecount.about) 1615 ([mynetdiary.com](http://mynetdiary.com), the tool I finally settled on) daily. This is an average of 1544 and all the calculations were based on age, height, sex, and an activity level described as “sedentary”. You do realize that to lose 2 pounds a week (3500 calories per pound x 2 = 7000 calories), you need to be running a **1000 calorie per day deficit** , right? You’ve decided to “cut down” to 1,544 calories and are complaining that you aren’t losing weight. If you are middle-aged and sedentary, as you describe, it is highly unlikely that 1,544 calories is 1000 calories fewer than what you require to maintain body weight. In fact, 1544 calories is probably close to what you should be eating to maintain your weight, not lose any. There is nothing wrong with the science; your calculations are simply way off. You’ll need to either eat significantly less, or alter your expectation of losing 2 pounds per week. ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/285 "2011-03-07T21:17:07Z")
> [@Submerged](#): > > You do realize that to lose 2 pounds a week (3500 calories per pound x 2 = 7000 calories), you need to be running a **1000 calorie per day deficit** , right? > > You’ve decided to “cut down” to 1,544 calories and are complaining that you aren’t losing weight. If you are middle-aged and sedentary, as you describe, it is highly unlikely that 1,544 calories is 1000 calories fewer than what you require to maintain body weight. In fact, 1544 calories is probably close to what you should be eating to maintain your weight, not lose any. > > There is nothing wrong with the science; your calculations are simply way off. > > You’ll need to either eat significantly less, or alter your expectation of losing 2 pounds per week. That might be maintenance for someone weighing 150 lbs. Likely the OP weighs more than that. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/286 "2011-03-07T22:44:32Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I meant a person with Type 1 diabetes (no insulin available) will not typically gain weight without insulin shots, even after eating vast amounts of food. Unexplained weight loss is one of the early symptoms. The more intensive the insulin therapy, the more weight they gain. Diabetic girls reportedly will skip insulin shots to help lose weight. Yep cool, that’s how we noticed my son’s diabetes at age 14. 10kg weight loss in a few weeks. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/287 "2011-03-07T22:54:46Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > People and their metabolisms are so different, I really don’t think there are hard and fast rules about what will cause individuals to gain and lose weight. > > Exercise is a huge factor in helping me (underweight and with a lightning fast metabolism that prefers to burn off extra calories as heat instead of putting on mass) gain and maintain weight. Load bearing stuff, not cardio. > > For my friends with normal metabolisms and weights (like you), beginning regular moderate cardio exercise with no effort to change eating habits can mean a weight loss of 5-25 lbs. > > For my fat friends and those with various metabolic issues (I have several close younger female friends who are overweight and also have hypothyroid, PCOS, and insulin resistance or diabetes), it can vary. Some do have overeating problems, and changing their habits there along with a little exercise makes the weight melt off. But I’ve also seen months of strict low-calorie dieting and intense amounts of calorie-burning cardio exercise have negligible results on their fat mass. Low-carb dieting is a very different story… I don’t know how abnormal or normal my metabolism is, since I’ve never been to an endocronologist. I assume it’s normal, but I dunno. I have been underweight for the past three months and continue to remain this way even though I have stopped exercising as much as I used, and I try to gobble down at least 1300-1500 calories a day. I fluctuate really close to the borderline of normal, so I’m not so worried about it. I just have to worry about calcium and keeping my bones strong. All’s I know is that I did lose weight once I started taking up walking. It didn’t melt off 2lbs/week. But after five months of walking 7 miles a day, I had lost about 15 lbs. On an already spare frame, it was noticeable. I imagine if I had been trying to lose more, then that would have been a frustratingly slow way to go about it. But if you’re not on some mad dash to be skinny, it does work. I have a mixed ectomorphic/mesomorphic build, I think. Not totally scrawny because I’ve got meaty calves, but I don’t have to work too hard to either lose or gain weight. Everyone is different though. Still, no one can violate the laws of thermodynamics. Yes, if one has a hormonal issue, it will be harder for them to lose weight through either diet or exercise or both. But **Stoid** threw out a blanket statement about exercise…basically saying it sucks as a tool in a weight loss regime. Uh, no it doesn’t. Just because her exercise routine isn’t the fat burner she wants it to be does not make it a useless way to lose weight. People just have to find something that works for them to achieve the goals they want. And be patient, for goodness sake! My mother, bless her heart, is sad because she’s been losing 8lbs a month instead of the 10 that she wants to. I’m happy that she’s losing weight, period. I’m sure her body can’t tell the difference between 8 and 10, and I’m afraid she’s going to sabotage the whole thing just because she can’t reach an unrealistic (and unhealthy) goal. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/288 "2011-03-08T00:43:23Z")
> [@Submerged](#): > > You do realize that to lose 2 pounds a week (3500 calories per pound x 2 = 7000 calories), you need to be running a **1000 calorie per day deficit** , right? > > You’ve decided to “cut down” to 1,544 calories and are complaining that you aren’t losing weight. If you are middle-aged and sedentary, as you describe, it is highly unlikely that 1,544 calories is 1000 calories fewer than what you require to maintain body weight. In fact, 1544 calories is probably close to what you should be eating to maintain your weight, not lose any. > > There is nothing wrong with the science; your calculations are simply way off. > > You’ll need to either eat significantly less, or alter your expectation of losing 2 pounds per week. Catch up, Sub, we’ve moved way beyond the OP… ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/289 "2011-03-08T00:48:10Z")
An interesting factoid floated in my direction today- a close friend has a daughter with mild anorexia. She is very closely monitored, and very honest, reports when she restricts faithfully, and she’s never been bulimic. She does not exercise, but she is only 14, so she’s growing and all teenagers can handle much higher calories than adults. Even so, she’s up to nearly 4,000 calories per day and she’s barely managing to gain a quarter of a pound per week. (I guess her nurtitionist or therapist have super sensitive scales…) Just thought I’d mention it. ---
**Author:** ![Fell\_through\_the\_Ice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9adbd/32.png) [@Fell\_through\_the\_Ice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fell_through_the_Ice)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/290 "2011-03-08T01:04:58Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Catch up, Sub, we’ve moved way beyond the OP… I’ve read the entire thread, and I don’t see where Submerged’s point was stated before. I agree with it. Your math is wrong, and you’re eating too much to lose 2 pounds a week. I also think that trying to do 1000 cals less every day than baseline is a recipe for failure. Try for one pound a week, that is more realistic. ---
**Author:** ![Fell\_through\_the\_Ice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9adbd/32.png) [@Fell\_through\_the\_Ice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fell_through_the_Ice)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/291 "2011-03-08T01:07:50Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > An interesting factoid floated in my direction today- a close friend has a daughter with mild anorexia. She is very closely monitored, and very honest, reports when she restricts faithfully, and she’s never been bulimic. She does not exercise, but she is only 14, so she’s growing and all teenagers can handle much higher calories than adults. > > Even so, she’s up to nearly 4,000 calories per day and she’s barely managing to gain a quarter of a pound per week. (I guess her nurtitionist or therapist have super sensitive scales…) > > Just thought I’d mention it. She’s definitely NOT eating that much, and is probably, as most anorexics do, exercising like crazy in private. This kid’s in a lot of danger, hope she’s getting help.. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/292 "2011-03-08T01:43:17Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > An interesting factoid floated in my direction today- a close friend has a daughter with mild anorexia. She is very closely monitored, and very honest, reports when she restricts faithfully, and she’s never been bulimic. She does not exercise, but she is only 14, so she’s growing and all teenagers can handle much higher calories than adults. > > Even so, she’s up to nearly 4,000 calories per day and she’s barely managing to gain a quarter of a pound per week. (I guess her nurtitionist or therapist have super sensitive scales…) > > Just thought I’d mention it. Don’t know what this is supposed to prove, but I believe it. You don’t say how long this girl has been on a 4,000 calorie a day diet. If she’s been on it for several weeks or less, then yeah, it’s not inconceivable that her body would resist gaining weight as much as possible. Some people’s metabolisms actually increase when their caloric intake is abruptly increased. Some skinny people have to fight against the same inertia that some fat people have to fight–that is, good ole homeostasis. Eventually, however, her body will give in. Her weight will come on more rapidly. And because she has anorexia, she will suffer from it psychologically. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/293 "2011-03-08T01:49:15Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > If you’re a middle aged broad like me who manages to haul her ass outta the chair for a brisk 30 minute walk 5 days a week and maybe a couple of hard swims, you’ll do your heart and your muscles and your sense of well-being a great deal of good, but you won’t make any meaningful difference in your energy balance, especially since you are almost guaranteed to find yourself eating more to compensate. As far as swimming is concerned, you are dead right about that. It is tailor made for inducing people to knock over a vending machine. It’s vigorous physical activity, but you don’t get the body temperature rise that should suppress your appetite. You absolutely shouldn’t be swimming if you want to lose weight. If you’re flatly stating that physical activity is negligible in weight loss, I’m going to have to ask for references that back this up, because I have read study and study that says it helps (in addition to endless firsthand personal anecdotes). Here’s [one such study](http://www.exrx.net/FatLoss/WTCalLBWStudy.html) found that restriction and weight loss combined have a dramatically higher effect on weight loss than either one in isolation. If you want to argue that exercise increases the appetite in ways most people aren’t prepared to handle, I would consider that arguable. But exercise isn’t part of the equation at all? No way. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/294 "2011-03-08T01:49:23Z")
Well, that’s just what this thread needed: Some poor anorexic kid’s secondhand-related story trotted out as an example of how calories don’t make you gain weight. I hope this kid is getting professional help, because of all the possible reasons (and there are many) why she could be eating 4000 calories per day and barely gaining weight, “She is lying about some aspect of her food intake or exercise level” is the most probable. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/295 "2011-03-08T02:24:19Z")
What would it even mean to consistently ingest 4,000 calories and not be burning or storing the energy? Pooping it out undigested? Ouch. ---
**Author:** ![Submerged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Submerged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Submerged)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/296 "2011-03-08T02:30:14Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > What would it even mean to consistently ingest 4,000 calories and not be burning or storing the energy? Pooping it out undigested? Ouch. Neither. Anorexics lie. It’s part of the disease. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/297 "2011-03-08T03:15:26Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > What would it even mean to consistently ingest 4,000 calories and not be burning or storing the energy? Pooping it out undigested? Ouch. I saw a show about a study where skinny people were forced to eat ridiculous amounts of food for a month. Surprisingly, during the first couple of weeks, some of the people in the study didn’t see any increase in weight and their basal metabolic rates had actually increased. The explanation given was that their bodies fought the abrupt onslaught of extra food by simply burning it all up. Eventually these people did gain weight, but not as much as you would expect them to. ---
**Author:** ![Submerged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Submerged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Submerged)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/298 "2011-03-08T03:17:57Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I saw a show Um, a TV show? Hardly a credible source of facts. Can you provide a cite? ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/299 "2011-03-08T03:38:40Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > An interesting factoid floated in my direction today- a close friend has a daughter with mild anorexia. She is very closely monitored, \*\*and very honest, reports when she restricts faithfully, \*\*and she’s never been bulimic. She does not exercise, but she is only 14, so she’s growing and all teenagers can handle much higher calories than adults. > > Just thought I’d mention it. Sorry, I call BS on this. There is no such thing as a “very honest reporting” anorexic. I’m also confused as to what this anecdote is intended to prove. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/300 "2011-03-08T04:35:05Z")
> [@ladyfoxfyre](#): > > Sorry, I call BS on this. There is no such thing as a “very honest reporting” anorexic. I’m also confused as to what this anecdote is intended to prove. I call bullshit on anyone claiming that every single person who has anorexia is a liar. In fact I call bullshit on anyone claiming that every single person who has any particular disease, disorder, characteristic, etc. behaves exactly like every other person who shares that one particular disease, characteristic, disorder, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543.md?page=16)