# 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:** 53
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1041 "2011-03-25T19:55:16Z")
> [@LilyoftheField](#): > > I don’t think your conclusion is valid. If obesity is entirely due to the availability of food, then why doesn’t everyone overeat? I don’t have hard numbers – this is just my opinion based on observations – but I believe _everyone_ is eating more food compared to 50 years ago, or even 30. It doesn’t mean everyone is fat, obviously. But the numbers have shifted: percentage-wise, there are less people today with a normal BMI, and more fat and obese people, compared to yesteryear. I believe much of this has to do with the low cost and wide availability of food. But there are other factors, obviously. Boredom and laziness will lead to overeating, which I believe explains why people who are chronically poor tend to be fat. ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheField](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@LilyoftheField](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheField)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1042 "2011-03-25T20:03:42Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > But there are other factors, obviously. Boredom and laziness will lead to overeating, which I believe explains why people who are chronically poor tend to be fat. Wait, what??? Chronically poor = bored and lazy = fat??? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1043 "2011-03-25T20:03:52Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > It’s not JUST the availability of food. It’s that we’ve managed to refine food to the point where a large amount of the food available has no non-coloric nutrition at all. One aspect of this is that processed foods last longer than non-processed foods - for instance, most whole-grain starches have oil that can go rancid. Another of the big issues that we face is that now, it is as cheap to eat out as to make our own food, especially when you factor in time spent preparing and cleaning up, and supplies; but in the restaurant kitchen, higher calorie foods such as deep-fried starches are cheaper because they require fewer man-hours to cook. Good points. And there are yet other factors, like societal norms. I remember a time when being obese was considered shameful state. Today it’s acceptable; nowadays no one seems to care that they’re fat. But is this a primary cause or a secondary cause? I’m thinking it is secondary. It’s positive feedback… the more fat people there are, the more it becomes acceptable, which leads to more fat people. I contend that that the most significant and _primary_ reason for the skyrocketing obesity rate is the low cost and wide availability of food. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1044 "2011-03-25T20:04:54Z")
> [@LilyoftheField](#): > > Wait, what??? Chronically poor = bored and lazy = fat??? :eek: IMHO, for U.S. citizens, yes. ---
**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 25, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1045 "2011-03-25T20:30:24Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > IMHO, for U.S. citizens, yes. As the OP…the _ **stunned** _ OP, I am officially asking openly, and I will ask a mod via message, that this tangent be moved to Great Debates or stopped right now. Said tangent being, in case there’s any question: does poverty = laziness and does laziness = obesity. In truth, this whole thread should probably have been shipped off to GD a long time ago, but THIS conversation for sure needs to be, and I really, really don’t want this here. Thank you for your cooperation. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1046 "2011-03-25T20:40:33Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > As the OP…the _ **stunned** _ OP, I am officially asking openly, and I will ask a mod via message, that this tangent be moved to Great Debates or stopped right now. Said tangent being, in case there’s any question: does poverty = laziness and does laziness = obesity. > > In truth, this whole thread should probably have been shipped off to GD a long time ago, but THIS conversation for sure needs to be, and I really, really don’t want this here. > > Thank you for your cooperation. Yes, please, take that particular tangent to GD. I’m also thinking it’s time to lock this behemoth [sic] – but don’t have time to deal with it now. Will look at the thread tomorrow morning, but if there are any elements of this discussion you’re not done with, think seriously about starting new threads in GD and linking to them. **twickster** , MPSIMS moderator ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1047 "2011-03-25T23:49:33Z")
While the thread is still open, and fully admitting that I haven’t read even 1/5th of the posts in it: Congratulations on the 11 pounds lost **Stoid**! If what you’re doing is working, keep doing it, and don’t worry about justifying it to us folks on the internet. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1048 "2011-03-26T00:05:56Z")
Can’t be argued: \>Diabetes is a medical condition that has skyrocketed in rates as obesity has increased. \>Obesity leads to medical conditions, such as diabetes. Can we agree on this? Seriously… I am going to question all your sanity if we cannot accept even this. Deal? Obesity can lead to all out insulin resistance. Okay, can we agree on this? Obesity can lead to other complications, such as high BP, joint problems, and other ailments associated with the extra load on the body, such as shortness of breath… I mean, it’s a list that goes on and on. Now, are all these ‘medical conditions’? Please tell me we can agree on this. Okay, the whole goddam body is subject to the cons of obesity, such that a doctor should actually be involved to help you deal with everything from top to bottom. “Don’t do this. Take this insulin. Check your BP x times per day. Etc” BUT… when it comes to the brain – the amazingly complex organ known as the brain… this wonderful chemical/electrical device – we are to just pretend that the brain (the very thing with possibly the most powerful influence over how we turn out) just IS NOT in play when one becomes obese and tried to lose weight. We are to simply WILL ourselves over ANY medical condition that affects the brain. SERIOUSLY? REALLY? Because some incredible small percentage of people seemingly manage that (to conquer obesity thru sheer will)… that right there – _sheer will_ – is THE prescription for just about all obese people? REALLY? . ---
**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 26, 2011, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1049 "2011-03-26T02:30:02Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Can’t be argued: > > \>Diabetes is a medical condition that has skyrocketed in rates as obesity has increased. > > \>Obesity leads to medical conditions, such as diabetes. > > Can we agree on this? Seriously… I am going to question all your sanity if we cannot accept even this. Deal? > > Obesity can lead to all out insulin resistance. Okay, can we agree on this? Not with me. You can argue that the same things that lead to obesity lead to diabetes. They frequently occur together. Changes that result in weight loss also improve diabetes. > [@](#): > > Obesity can lead to other complications, such as high BP, joint problems, and other ailments associated with the extra load on the body, such as shortness of breath… I mean, it’s a list that goes on and on. Yes. These things are direct results of actually carrying the fat on the body. > [@](#): > > BUT… when it comes to the brain – the amazingly complex organ known as the brain… this wonderful chemical/electrical device – we are to just pretend that the brain (the very thing with possibly the most powerful influence over how we turn out) just IS NOT in play when one becomes obese and tried to lose weight. We are to simply WILL ourselves over ANY medical condition that affects the brain. > > SERIOUSLY? REALLY? Because some incredible small percentage of people seemingly manage that (to conquer obesity thru sheer will)… that right there – _sheer will_ – is THE prescription for just about all obese people? > > REALLY? No argument here. ---
**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 26, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1050 "2011-03-26T02:31:58Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > While the thread is still open, and fully admitting that I haven’t read even 1/5th of the posts in it: > > Congratulations on the 11 pounds lost **Stoid**! Thank you kindly! > [@](#): > > If what you’re doing is working, keep doing it, and don’t worry about justifying it to us folks on the internet.🙂 nah, I don’t. I just don’t want others to be scared off either. There’s a lot of folks in a lot of pain and looking for answers. Maybe they’ll find something helpful in all this. ---
**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 26, 2011, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1051 "2011-03-26T12:05:40Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > You know, I do wonder what my life would be like if I lived in an agrarian society as a farmer’s wife. Would I find that lifestyle fit my personality better than the one I’m in, or would it be just as stressful? > I can’t really answer for **SpoilerVirgin** , but for me it’s not about the cupcake making me happy, or not having the cupcake making me unhappy. > > My problem is that I work in a high-stress environment (I’m a programmer). The place I work at is a corporation, and I have never seen a job for my skill set that wasn’t a corporation. It’s not really a good environment for me - I’m required to sit at my desk for 8 hours a day and at least look like I’m working the entire time. Corporations understand if you need to go for a smoke break, or go to the candy machine for a candy bar. But they don’t understand if you need to take a break by reading the web, or by going to your car and reading a few minutes. They don’t understand that I accomplish things by the rabbit method (minus the hubris), rather than the tortoise method. Eating a small amount of something pleasureable reduces my stress levels just a little bit, while still being acceptable to my superiors. And trying to not eat something, when I am already using my much more limited than average self-control to play corporate games is just one more thing I don’t need. Yes, I have made a decision to eat food that I probably don’t need, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s more of a job vs. weight than a pleasure vs. vanity equation. There are people with eating disorders, but I don’t think that eating disorders are the only reason people are overweight. I would think that the percentage of eating disorders in the population is fairly constant, so the recent rise in obesity is probably due to something else. Maybe less time, lack of access to fresh food in some neighbourhoods, lack of cooking skills, and all the other things we have talked about in this and other threads. That said, it seems to me like you are saying you need less stress, or a way to deal with stress, and you are eating as a way to manage that. That’s perfectly reasonable, I think, because eating something is convenient and effective. What I am saying is, that if you did decide you wanted to change that habit, trying to just stop eating those snacks would be very difficult, and a constant battle, because it’s not the food that is driving you, it is the stress. You’d have to figure out another way to manage the stress, and that would be really hard, and complicated and maybe turn your whole life upside down (if you had to quit your job, say, if it was just too stressful). If you fight the battle at the level of food, you will never win (or it will be very hard). ---
**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1052 "2011-03-26T14:54:14Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > While the thread is still open, and fully admitting that I haven’t read even 1/5th of the posts in it: > > Congratulations on the 11 pounds lost **Stoid**! I want to second this. That’s quite an achievement. I can really relate to your struggles, **Stoid** , because I share a lot of them, so I’m happy to see your successes. I posed a question in GQ about body fat and carbohydrate metabolism. If anyone in this thread who has a good biochemical understanding of the processes would like to hop over there to give it a gander, I’d really appreciate it. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=13616828#post13616828](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=13616828#post13616828) ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1053 "2011-03-29T16:45:51Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Perhaps you consider “discussion” to be the same thing as “convincing evidence”. I don’t. However, well-reasoned argument is a good tool for convincing me. Unfortunately, in the substantial amount of discussion that’s occurred over the last few years, very little in the way of evidence has been offered, and when it has been it frequently turns out to be inaccurate, irrelevant, and even completely misrepresented as to content. […] So if you’d like to take the challenge you’ve set for me in reverse, and show me (telling doesn’t cut it, that’s just more insisting and repeating, and more interpreting - plain words that speak for themselves, you just need to quote and link) the instances in which I have, first, stated that my position was factually correct, and second, been shown with minimally reputable evidence that I was wrong, and failed to acknowledge it, feel free. Uh huh. So, you can’t find even a single example of when you’ve changed your mind. (That’s how it works, dear–you make a claim, so you have to support it. You don’t get to make someone else prove that your claim is false.) What do you think is more likely: (a) You’re the smartest, most informed person on a site full of experts on every imaginable subject, such that you’ve never been wrong about anything; or (b) You are incapable of listening to any evidence that contradicts the worldview you already have. > [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](#): > > Congratulations on your 11lb loss! Uh, not to rain on the parade, but doesn’t everybody who starts a low-carb diet lose about 10 pounds of water weight in the beginning? That makes her current level of weight loss pretty meaningless. > [@Zyada](#): > > And yet I’m the person with a degree in human behavior. Oooooh, a _Bachelor’s_! My god, why aren’t you out giving lectures? :rolleyes: > [@twickster](#): > > I’m also thinking it’s time to lock this behemoth [sic] – but don’t have time to deal with it now. Will look at the thread tomorrow morning, but if there are any elements of this discussion you’re not done with, think seriously about starting new threads in GD and linking to them. My $0.02: anyone who is tired of talking about this topic can simply stop posting. I don’t see why we should artificially cut the debate short. ---
**Author:** ![DragonAsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1054 "2011-03-29T17:15:07Z")
> [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally Posted by alice\_in\_wonderland > > While the thread is still open, and fully admitting that I haven’t read even 1/5th of the posts in it: > > > > Congratulations on the 11 pounds lost Stoid! > > > [@Gestalt](#): > > > > I want to second this. That’s quite an achievement. No it’s not. It’d be an achievement if the OP started out at 170lbs. The OP weighed over 300lbs. Losing the first 10lbs - heck, probably the first 15-20lbs - is **ridiculously easy**. As I posted earlier: the OP was overweight for the better part of 50 years, and then complained after not seeing results in just a few weeks. And seemed to think that the _pre-diet_ average calorie intake was 2,200 calories, which is pretty much impossible, since a person burns around 1,800 calories or so if they never got off the couch. You don’t get to over 300 pounds eating 2,200 calories a day. Further evidence of significantly underestimating how much food is being consumed. The OP says that they lost around 70 pounds at one point a few years ago (from 340 to 270). Why not just replicate what you did then? ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheField](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@LilyoftheField](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheField)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1055 "2011-03-29T17:31:27Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Uh, not to rain on the parade, but doesn’t everybody who starts a low-carb diet lose about 10 pounds of water weight in the beginning? That makes her current level of weight loss pretty meaningless. I’m wondering why Stoid didn’t lose those pounds on her initial low-cal diet per the original post. I have always heard that the initial quick weight loss on any diet can be explained away as ‘water weight’. As I recall, she said she would go up a few, down a few throughout the month, but ended up with nothing as far as net loss. Does this mean there is no initial water weight loss on a standard low cal diet? Has she been on the low carb long enough now, to cancel out initial ‘water weight’ fluctuations? I’m inclined to be in favor of low carb just from an evolutionary standpoint, but I would sure be interested in hearing if the initial loss is sustained or just regained the same as on low cal. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1056 "2011-03-29T18:00:55Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Oooooh, a _Bachelor’s_! My god, why aren’t you out giving lectures? :rolleyes: At least I’ve got a little more grounding in the field than an electrical engineer. ---
**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 29, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1057 "2011-03-29T20:08:38Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > You don’t get to make someone else prove that your claim is false.) I disagree. > [@](#): > > What do you think is more likely: > (a) You’re the smartest, most informed person on a site full of experts on every imaginable subject, such that you’ve never been wrong about anything; or > (b) You are incapable of listening to any evidence that contradicts the worldview you already have. ( c) None of the above. > [@](#): > > Uh, not to rain on the parade Really? Then what was the purpose of that remark? Seems very much intended to be rainy to me, can’t see any sunny reason… > [@](#): > > Oooooh, a _Bachelor’s_! My god, why aren’t you out giving lectures? :rolleyes: Was this also not intended to rain on anyone’s parade? If you believe I am so frequently guilty, you should be able to show me, and you’re welcome to in this thread. But apart from that I’m not going to escalate this into a debate about me personally. I don’t really participate on this board to publicly dissect others or to be publicly dissected myself, and I decline to be baited into going there, whether it is in this thread or any other. That’s not what I’m here for. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1058 "2011-03-29T20:23:22Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > At least I’ve got a little more **grounding** in the **field** than an **electrical** engineer. I doubt that 🙂 ---
**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 29, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1059 "2011-03-29T21:00:44Z")
> [@LilyoftheField](#): > > Has she been on the low carb long enough now, to cancel out initial ‘water weight’ fluctuations? I’m inclined to be in favor of low carb just from an evolutionary standpoint, but I would sure be interested in hearing if the initial loss is sustained or just regained the same as on low cal. Taubes describes water weight loss in his book, it’s the first time I’ve ever encountered more than a casual, unexplained reference: > [@](#): > > …insulin signals our kidneys to reabsorb sodium, which in turn causes water retention and raises blood pressure. When insulin levels drop, as they do when we restrict carbohydrates, our kidneys will excrete the sodium they’ve been retaining and with it water. For most people this is beneficial, and it’s the reason why blood pressure comes down with carbohydrate estriction. (This water loss, which can be a half-dozen pounds or more in a two hundred pounder, can constitute most of the early weight loss.) For some individuals, though, the body will perceive the water loss as something to be prevented. It does so through a web of compensatory responses that can lead to water retention and what are called electrolyte imbalances (the kidneys excrete potassium to save sodium) and the result is the side effects just cited. The reactions can be countered by adding sodium back into the diet.. I realized that I was probably getting dehydrated early on because I didn’t have water I liked in the house and I was severely constipated. So I went out and bought ten gallons of water, some ice, some straws, and my freeze-cups (stick 'em in the freezer to get cold) and got serious about my water. I finished a gallon the first day and I’ve been religious ever since. Also started taking potassium, among other things. (the water supplies were about making it palatable. I really only like the taste of Evian and it’s very hard to drink a lot of any other water. But I can’t really afford Evian right now, not in quantity, so the best alternative is to make sure the water is very, very cold and to drink through a straw. That makes it very easy to get enough. I was also reminded what I realized a few years ago: many times what I might interpret as a food craving is actually thirst, especially when it comes to fruit.) Since lowering calories also lowers carbohydrates and lowers insulin, it would seem logical that the reaction happens in any type of food restriction. Whether it happens to everyone, happens to the same degree, who knows? However what’s clear is that it happens as a result of successfully changing the way one is eating, which makes it effective feedback that the person has successfully restricted carbohydrates and/or calories or both, and it seems that should be sufficient to warrant positive feedback to the individual making the effort. Some will disagree. In any case, the goal for me and for anyone with significant weight to lose is to continue losing, and I am. (FWIW I think my water weight was probably around 5 pounds, since that’s what kept bouncing around. When I switched to low carb that first five disappeared and stayed gone at last, then I held steady for a bit, then another 6 came off. Now I’ve been back and forth with two pounds for a few days. That’s always the way it is with me. I don’t know about anyone else, but never in my entire life has it been a steady downward without a bounce back. Especially given my size… couple pounds is nuthin’. So it goes down 3, up 2, up 1, down 2, down 2, up 1, down 2, up 2, down 1, up 1…over ten days net loss will be 3 pounds. But over the 6 weeks of calorie restriction all that bouncing happened within 4 pounds and never progressed until I went low carb. ---
**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 29, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543/1060 "2011-03-29T21:10:49Z")
> [@DragonAsh](#): > > The OP says that they lost around 70 pounds at one point a few years ago (from 340 to 270). Why not just replicate what you did then? Why suggest doing anything other than what I’m doing right this minute, seeing as how I’ve reported that it’s working and I’m finding it very comfortable? Especially since I’m seeking a way to eat that will work for the rest of my life, and the only thing that seems remotely achievable to me is VLC? And in any case, I didn’t do something specific and lose 70 pounds in one shot, I came down from my top of 340 over time without really making a concerted effort, and was then maintaining at around 300-305 for a very long time. As a result of ADD drugs and intense stress, I dropped from 305 or so down to 270. I still take the drugs but the weight loss effect is long past, and I’ll skip adding any stress just to lose weight. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543.md?page=52) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-unhappily-report-that-i-am-right-about-obesity-and-diet-very-long/571543.md?page=54)