Men Who Want To Lose Weight?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
81

It is not that you said it was easy. You didn’t say this directly. But take it from me, this is a hugely sensitive topic for many people. Even saying “if I can do it, anyone can do it” (an innocent phrase I personally have used many times), can be heard or interpreted as “you aren’t doing it because you are (insert judgement)”. This is doubly so if you are a rare success at resetting your body weight. This may seem unfair (“I didn’t say that”), but even so, experience has taught me it is true.

I have often worked 12 or 16 hour emergency shifts where I was hugely busy, stuck in the department, and ate my infrequent meals quickly. I remember one time a family thanked me for helping them, then the paterfamilias offered to buy me an ice cream blizzard. This would have been awesome!

I thanked the man for his gracious offer, saying I would like whatever small size one. His expression suddenly changed. The broad smile was quickly replaced by a dark look. He had clearly taken this response as a judgement on his weight or lifestyle, and needless to say, no blizzard arrived. There are many stories of people who gave up on their doctor because they simply mentioned their weight or brilliantly suggested they eat less and exercise more. It can be a very, very touchy issue, especially when there may be valid medical reasons to broach the subject.

82

I had about half a dozen more pistachios 3 hours ago. Unlike last night eventually I hit a wall and didn’t want any more. Had one small square of chocolate since then and now a bowl of chicken noodle soup. May have a piece of toast the rest of the night, and that’s it. Hell I’m not even hungry at all right now.

83

Well, depending on your activity level, it sounds as though you’re behaving as a mature adult. I’m sure you’ll vary your diet tomorrow, so you’ll have no or few nutrient deficiencies, probably.

That could well be a sticky post if we had a sub-forum for People Who Desire to Avoid Dire Health Consequences By Being Obese, Obtuse, or Overweight.

Sounds like a sensible diet you have going on. Not for me personally, but if you like it, and it sustains you, power on!

84

I’ve actually cut down on my workouts a bit (from 2.5 hours/week to around 2), intense intervals on an elliptical from a 1:1 ratio to a 3:1. Funny thing is that I am apparently the only person in the entire complex who regularly uses the thing, haven’t seen anyone else in there in c. 2 months now, and sometimes I’ll leave the arms arranged way up/way down to see if it got moved in the interim, and they rarely are.

85

A1C slightly down, triglycerides way down, LDL cholesterol way down, good cholesterol up.

I’m stoked. “So Doc, I asked him: Is it fair to say the food pyramid they’ve been pushing at us for the last few decades is upside down?”

He smiled and nodded.

My wife has been worried about the amount of meat, especially breakfast meats, I’ve been consuming the last few months. Her eyes were opened.

Eating animal fat does not translate into human body fat.

86

That’s not what I understand set point theory to be, although I may be wrong. I was taught that Set Point Theory is when you maintain a certain weight for a long time, and it is difficult to alter your weight either up or down. As an example, I weighed ar183 lbs for about ten years. When I came back from a cruise I was 191, but after a few weeks of normal eating my weight settled back down to 183 +/- a few pounds.

When I went on a diet, I went down to 143 pounds in just a few months, and I didn’t give my body a chance to get used to my new lower weight. When I quit my diet, my hunger went through the roof, and my BMR dropped as my body tried to put back on the weight I had lost. I fought hard to keep the weight off and thanks to the help of a dietician I was able to stabilize my weight at 150.

My dietician told me that if I could hold my weight for 3-6 months, my body would reset to 150 and I won’t have to work so hard to keep from gaining weight. She was right. After about 3 months, I no longer had to watch my calories and my body was okay with me weighing 150. 6 months later I am still at 150, and eating a normal amount of food. My weight fluctuates a little from week to week, but on the whole my set point seems to now be at 150. It’s not about what my weight is supposed to be, it’s about what my body is comfortable with my weight being at.

87

Interestingly, things often work the same way when one is trying to gain weight intentionally.

88

I like the way you think. The food pyramid was pushing Americans to eat more carbs, and I believe that contributed, at least in part, to the obesity and diabetes epidemic. The fact that food based mostly on carbs is a lot cheaper than food based mostly on protein probably also contributed to the problem.

I discovered the same thing while I was on a keto diet. I dropped my carb percentage very low while increasing my protein and fat percentages to compensate. My weight continued to drop no matter how much meat and animal fat I ate. A keto diet may not be the healthiest diet, but it is one way that many people lose weight in a relatively short amount of time.

Once I had reached my goal weight, I switched over to a Low-Carb Mediterranean diet, and I have recently moved over to a Whole Food/Plant-Based diet. I still eat meat, but much less than when I was on keto. This healthier diet works well for me while I am in maintenance mode, as opposed to diet mode, and I don’t have to track my daily food intake or macros, or count my calories consumed.

89

OK, these two statements are not incongruent, but beyond anecdotes, where might find a notion such as “I now weigh 300 pounds…that’s my ‘set weight’” Or, you know, in the other direction. “Yep, 56 pounds and that’s my body telling me, so I should listen!”

No, not intended as sarcastic. I’d really like to know.

Obviously there aren’t going to be any controlled studies, because of justifiable ethical concerns, but surely these concepts couldn’t have materialized from pure ether, could they have?

90

Mine’s the version used by people who think like this:

91

While I can’t remember when I first heard about SPT, there are some scholarly articles online from reputable medical institutions that talk about it. Here is one from the NIH that I think I may have referenced in the past.

“The set-point theory is related to homeostasis. The theory posits that the human body has a predetermined weight or fat mass set-point range. Various compensatory physiological mechanisms maintain that set point and resist deviation from it. Feedback systems are vital in driving the body weight back toward the set point. In 1953, Kennedy proposed that body fat storage is regulated.[4] In 1982, nutritional researchers William Bennett and Joel Gurin expanded on Kennedy’s concept when they developed the set-point theory.”

92

But I am confused as to why your “bad” cholesterol went down. My (now former) doc would periodically get my blood tested, and that was the only marker that he was perturbed by. Thing is I hardly ever eat fried foods, esp. meats like fried chicken, much less steaks; poultry and fish all the way. Maybe baked goods drive that up, but I’ve consciously tried to cut them out as well for the most part. I’d have already gotten tested and seen a new GP, but the govt. website gives you a list of “approved” physicians to contact, all of which are booked solid thru early May (when I’ll finally be able to visit one 3 miles from here).

Has had zero effect on my health tho.

93

The “look” - vascular, with no appearance of body fat, against bulging muscles - is, as noted, largely an illusion, achieved temporarily through certain extreme measures (like dehydrating the body). Interestingly, when these people are walking around in person, they usually don’t look like this.

Instead, they have a lean muscular look that usually gets praised. For all of those who say that women don’t like a man who is too muscular (and there definitely are many women like that), I’ve seen women get downright giddy around a man with a chiseled build.

But, again, I think this ties into the OP’s conversation about body positivity for males. If the magazines and instagram posts are featuring bodies achieved through unnatural means, I think it risks discouraging a lot of men from embracing the healthy and beneficial aspects of working out.

I note that, when discussing losing weight, people invariably mention the importance of “exercise”. But I think that word is too broad to have useful meaning. Most people associate it with some form of cardiovascular exercise, whereas building muscle is a more effective means of losing fat.

I realize I’m a broken record about this, but I always feel bad for people who decide they want to lose fat, but figure they need to starve themselves to do so, or try a monotonous exercise like the treadmill, only to find it doesn’t really change their body.

And that’s not to say that cardio doesn’t have its place. Ideally, a person would do both. And of course getting a handle on nutrition is essential.

But there is a way to lose fat without having to avoid food. In fact, I believe thath merely dieting to lose weight is oftentimes impossible precisely because it’s working against the body’s natural processes : a famine situation is going to slow your metabolism, and catabolize your muscle. Whereas eating healthy foods to fuel muscle growth works in harmony with the body’s abilities: under the stress of weight training, your body adapts by getting stronger and more resilient, and can tap into your stored calories (e. fat) for the energy it needs.

(Usually, what I see is the recommendation that weight lifting is combined with a keto-like diet, although limited carbs before and after the workout - from quality whole food sources, like potatoes or rice - are included. Gradually you can add in fruits and vegetables).

94

OK guys, I have no idea how I do it.

The pistachios were close to 1,000 calories.

Just weighed myself (post breakfast, post workout, post #2, my usual time) and I haven’t gained a single ounce.

You all must hate me. [note I will turn 62 in July]

95

The LDL (or “bad” cholesterol) is made by your body for maintaining muscle. When young this is a much needed nutrient, and as we age the need is much less, but the body doesn’t slow down production (and besides, we live longer than we may have evolved to be, but that’s another topic). Anyway, this is where statins come into play, as they can help lower the LDL levels where diet and exercise wont. HDL (the “good” cholesterol), AIUI, is more diet-related, so you have more control over that than LDL. Triglycerides are mainly a carb/sugars thing. I take a low-dose statin now and has all my lipid levels stabilized and where my doctor is satisfied. No side effects and essentially free on my health plan. And yes, I have had a good friend shame me about taking the statin by suggesting I am not eating right/not trying hard enough.

I have cut back on all animal protien, but that’s a gout-prevention strategy. So the keto idea is a non-starter for me.

96

I embrace the benefits of strength training. And I would, to a reasonable limit, rather have more muscle and focus on metabolic health rather than on numeric weight in the first place. I think being strong is often better than losing weight.

Just ran across this in the NYT. I’m not against the trend. Health matters more than numbers or unrealistic ideals. But I have not seen a male equivalent, though this might reflect my limited information.

97

For what it is worth, here are all the stats published in the Jan/Feb 24 Canadian version of Men’s Health poll of 1500 American men. It is titled the “State of the Weight” survey.

  • 70% feel self-conscious about their body.
    33% are unhappy with their weight
    40% are happy with their body
    27% are meh

  • 57% are currently trying to lose weight.
    20% are on a diet
    19% want to lose up to 10 pounds
    35% want to lose 11 to 20 pounds
    21% want to lose 21 to 30 pounds
    25% want to lose more than 30 pounds

  • 91% want to lose weight in the waist/stomach.
    26% want to lose weight in the face
    20% want to lose weight in the legs

  • 58% want to lose weight for their health.
    17% to get back in shape
    14% to look better naked
    9% to have more energy

  • Among men feeling pressure to lose weight:
    49% say the source is their own health status
    47% say friends and family
    32% say “a lack of male positivity”
    25% say weight loss drug ads or commercials

  • 3/4 of guys say they struggle to lose weight, as:
    56% say we eat too much
    45% say we lack motivation
    35% say we don’t know what to eat

  • Nearly 1/2 say obesity is a failure of willpower.

  • Less than 1/3 think obesity is a medical disease unrelated to willpower.

  • To exercise, 76% walk, 35% lift, 33% run

  • 17% of guys would pay $10k to lose 20lbs stat

  • Guys say weight has given them:
    high blood pressure (21%), breath issue (17%), high cholesterol (16%), depression (24%), stress (28%), lower self esteem (29%).

  • 2/3 of guys think scale numbers are important.
    52% think it is more important now than it was one year ago

  • About 1/2 of men feel left out of the “body positivity movement” advocating for acceptance of all body types

  • Regarding use of the word “fat”:
    43% are totally fine with it
    28% say nope, never
    29% say whatever

  • Nearly 1/4 would be willing to try cosmetic procedures like fat freezing

  • 14% of high-income guys have taken a drug like size pic or Wegovy.

  • More than 1/3 would be ashamed to, as:
    people might make fun of them (58%)
    taking the easy way out (41%)
    risks their health (33%)
    others need them more (13%)

  • 33% would be willing to pay up to $50/mo to take these weight-loss drugs. GenZ feels the most pressure to lose weight.

98

Just wanted to say I love your title.

99

Yeah, “losing weight”’is just about reducing the number on the scale. But that can be achieved in a whole host of ways that can leave a person far worse off (whether it be because they are now depriving themselves of essential nutrients or because they lost a limb).

Most people, men or women, that say they want to lose weight, really want to lose body fat. If they could lose body fat without losing muscle, or even gaining muscle, they would dramatically change the way their body looks. And they would be much healthier than if they just focused on losing “weight”.

If you took a person who is out of shape, and then they lost 10 pounds of fat, and gained 10 pounds of muscle, their bodyweight would not change on the scale. However, the way they would look would change dramatically.

Contrast that with somebody who lost 20 pounds of weight, including muscle mass. That person may look sickly or drained. They probably won’t feel as good as the first person either.

100

Muscle tissue requires more maintenance calories than fat. IOW, gain muscle, eat more!

I remember an SI article that reported NFL linemen, during the summer camps, need 8,000 to 12,000 calories a day to maintain their weight!

Now, there are a number of factors contributing to this, including the strenuous nature of camp, but it certainly helps if you’re a fellow who can bench press 5 or 6 hundred pounds. That muscle needs nourishment.

Strength training is a terrific way to manage your appearance and caloric needs (the latter in the good way!)…and you don’t need to bench 500 pounds either!

ETA: Just agreeing with Moriarty…