Fat People

[YGIFS 19452]

6 hours ago, Kennythetiger said:

I’m not your intended audience but I am going to pretend that I am. I had very, very good results with a weighted blanket. I went through some shit and thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. I couldn’t sleep more than about three hours a night. That blanket did wonders for me.  Damn thing broke about six months after I got it, but by then I was past the point of needing it anymore. 

I've thought about this.  During those really cold spells earlier this Winter...I was sleeping with a couple extra layers and the weight was actually somewhat comforting.  But these were just heavy blankets that still had some open stitching, not proper "weight blankets."  The couple of weighted blankets I've tried just sleep way too fucking hot.  And I sleep hot anyway.  Any suggestions for those of us (presumably like you) here in the South where a weighted blanket 5 months of the year don't seem so fucking relaxing? 

But I'm open to it as well as trying Trazodone like Basil said.  I'm at a stage where I can't afford my "clean living" mantra anymore of quality food, no pills, no tobacco, no drugs, lotsa time outside, etc.  If you're not sleeping, everything else is bullshit.  You can fucking Keto and Crossfit all you want, if you're getting a garbage 4-5 hours a night with young children and an otherwise full schedule of being "on", you're proper fucked no matter what.  I gotta do that just for sanity and being alive, if it helps with weight loss---cherry on top.  I wanna try it for a few months maybe with some other stress relief and cardio and see if I can get hypertension a bit more "less-fluctuating" before I commit to those pills.  But obviously I'll consult my GP and certainly now a cardiologist.  I'm a workable weight now, I need to use this window to get BP and sleep better (not necessarily under control) and can then focus on other fun stuff like getting back into my Speedos and fixing my fucked up elbow.  

But glad y'all are so open about this.  I know we came from a generation where men wouldn't talk about this kinda shit that worried them because it was weakness.  And I'd still probably be that way and shitfaced drunk but for my two young kids.  Men in my dad's family talked about wellness, being outdoors, and active.  But to discuss serious issues, doctors, meds, serious diet shifts...that was a sign of weakness.  My wife's male family thought going to the doctor was for godless pussies who didn't trust in the Lord's plan for them.  Flash forward a few years, my dad dies at 62.  Every guy in her family has serious health issues from the neck to the rectum.  A half dozen funerals in a year suddenly wakes them all up.  But I still feel weird talking about my shit with them, so glad y'all are here to openly discuss.  Obviously, I can find this shit anywhere on the web but we all probably have much more in common with lifestyle and age and size than we care to admit so the background stories are super helpful.  And many of us appear to still have young children, if not for them---what the fuck else is the point?  

[formermav43 4606]

11 hours ago, YGIFS said:

 

2.  How old are you now, what do you read on BP regularly on the meds?  Do you still get any wild variances (besides obvious shit like running or intensive yardwork)?  I guess, does it just long-term lower it or does it keep you from having those major swings like 210/115?  THANKS, pos rep

122/87 this evening before giving blood, ftr.

[YGIFS 19452]

Noice! 

[Basil 755]

I've thought about this.  During those really cold spells earlier this Winter...I was sleeping with a couple extra layers and the weight was actually somewhat comforting.  But these were just heavy blankets that still had some open stitching, not proper "weight blankets."  The couple of weighted blankets I've tried just sleep way too fucking hot.  And I sleep hot anyway.  Any suggestions for those of us (presumably like you) here in the South where a weighted blanket 5 months of the year don't seem so fucking relaxing? 
But I'm open to it as well as trying Trazodone like Basil said.  I'm at a stage where I can't afford my "clean living" mantra anymore of quality food, no pills, no tobacco, no drugs, lotsa time outside, etc.  If you're not sleeping, everything else is bullshit.  You can fucking Keto and Crossfit all you want, if you're getting a garbage 4-5 hours a night with young children and an otherwise full schedule of being "on", you're proper fucked no matter what.  I gotta do that just for sanity and being alive, if it helps with weight loss---cherry on top.  I wanna try it for a few months maybe with some other stress relief and cardio and see if I can get hypertension a bit more "less-fluctuating" before I commit to those pills.  But obviously I'll consult my GP and certainly now a cardiologist.  I'm a workable weight now, I need to use this window to get BP and sleep better (not necessarily under control) and can then focus on other fun stuff like getting back into my Speedos and fixing my fucked up elbow.  
But glad y'all are so open about this.  I know we came from a generation where men wouldn't talk about this kinda shit that worried them because it was weakness.  And I'd still probably be that way and shitfaced drunk but for my two young kids.  Men in my dad's family talked about wellness, being outdoors, and active.  But to discuss serious issues, doctors, meds, serious diet shifts...that was a sign of weakness.  My wife's male family thought going to the doctor was for godless pussies who didn't trust in the Lord's plan for them.  Flash forward a few years, my dad dies at 62.  Every guy in her family has serious health issues from the neck to the rectum.  A half dozen funerals in a year suddenly wakes them all up.  But I still feel weird talking about my shit with them, so glad y'all are here to openly discuss.  Obviously, I can find this shit anywhere on the web but we all probably have much more in common with lifestyle and age and size than we care to admit so the background stories are super helpful.  And many of us appear to still have young children, if not for them---what the fuck else is the point?  

Well I had pretty serious butt cancer and that’s not something you walk away from with any dignity intact.

I’ve been sober 90-something days and that’s all I’m focused on right now. I’m making token strides in eating habits and exercise, and I’m on Wellbutrin and naltrexone, but it’s working for me and that’s all I’m really concerned about right now. No drinking, no desire to drink - oh, and one more thing, weight loss. I’ve gone from 232 to 205. Once I’m at 185-90 and am further away from being a drunk, I’ll turn my attention to balanced nutrition, exercise, dropping the meds and quitting the Skoal. But for now I’m content and getting better day-by-day.

[YGIFS 19452]

that's my attitude for the most part these days.  But thanks for the advice on sleep help.  'Cause I can take all the day-to-day measures I want, but I'm so fucking gassed.  

Sorry about your cornhole brutha.

[Hornius Emeritus 12480]

As a perpetually skinny person, I just don't get it.  I have some obese friends who are my age.  35 years ago they were normal size but I guess every year they put on 4 or 5 pounds and 35 years later they are 120 pounds overweight.  And I just don't get it because I, myself, after gaining about 10 pounds and maybe my clothes not fitting so well I'd look at myself and say "hmmm ... maybe I need to drop a few."   In other words, the weight just doesn't jump onto your body all it once. It takes years. I don't understand how folks don't see it coming and nip it in the bud when it's easy to do so, rather than wait until they are 100 pounds overweight and have to start taking drugs.





 

[YGIFS 19452]

Fair point.  I got to the final cut of walk-on tryouts for a pretty decent Div. I baseball program in Florida.  After cuts, was on the rowing team for one year, and did club swimming for two years.  Wasn't the leanest or most muscular by a damn sight.  Certainly wasn't the fastest.  But I had stamina.  Probably at best shape during those days, 180-190 pounds at 6'1" and could outlast almost anyone in a scull, or a swim, or altitude hike, or drinking marathon.  But as you say, it creeps up on.  Shitty diet, stagnant at work, drinking, you gain 2-3 pounds a year for 25-30 years and BOOM!  

But the drugs we're talking about are for high blood pressure/vascular issues/hypertension.  And you hit my age, and there's still way more I can do...but unlike weight loss...it's not just a "burn more than you consume" simple formula.  There's dozens of factors and some of them, I can never solve for.  I've had my BP taken recently next to a 350# guy who broke a sweat lifting his sleeve up, who could barely breathe from the walk from the check-in desk.  Fucker comes in at 135/80.  And guys around my age who hit the gym 6 days a week, and they're trying to get under 160/100 and just can't get there from here.  It's like that friend we all have who manages to do a gram of blow a day and somehow seems to get fatter.  

Weight loss is a bitch.  Quitting drinking is a weekly challenge.  But trying to just "will" your way to lower/more steady blood pressure is way fucking harder than I ever thought.  so yeah, we talking about drugs.       

[BabaYaga 15302]

6 hours ago, YGIFS said:

Fair point.  I got to the final cut of walk-on tryouts for a pretty decent Div. I baseball program in Florida.  After cuts, was on the rowing team for one year, and did club swimming for two years.  Wasn't the leanest or most muscular by a damn sight.  Certainly wasn't the fastest.  But I had stamina.  Probably at best shape during those days, 180-190 pounds at 6'1" and could outlast almost anyone in a scull, or a swim, or altitude hike, or drinking marathon.  But as you say, it creeps up on.  Shitty diet, stagnant at work, drinking, you gain 2-3 pounds a year for 25-30 years and BOOM!  

But the drugs we're talking about are for high blood pressure/vascular issues/hypertension.  And you hit my age, and there's still way more I can do...but unlike weight loss...it's not just a "burn more than you consume" simple formula.  There's dozens of factors and some of them, I can never solve for.  I've had my BP taken recently next to a 350# guy who broke a sweat lifting his sleeve up, who could barely breathe from the walk from the check-in desk.  Fucker comes in at 135/80.  And guys around my age who hit the gym 6 days a week, and they're trying to get under 160/100 and just can't get there from here.  It's like that friend we all have who manages to do a gram of blow a day and somehow seems to get fatter.  

Weight loss is a bitch.  Quitting drinking is a weekly challenge.  But trying to just "will" your way to lower/more steady blood pressure is way fucking harder than I ever thought.  so yeah, we talking about drugs.       

I know a guy...

[YGIFS 19452]

^
No, you misread my post.  I wrote "guy who does a gram of blow a day", but you thought I meant "guy who blows a kid named Graham each day"

[BabaYaga 15302]

1 minute ago, YGIFS said:

^
No, you misread my post.  I wrote "guy who does a gram of blow a day", but you thought I meant "guy who blows a kid named Graham each day"

Meh, semantics

[Wulaw Horn 19144]

16 hours ago, YGIFS said:

I've thought about this.  During those really cold spells earlier this Winter...I was sleeping with a couple extra layers and the weight was actually somewhat comforting.  But these were just heavy blankets that still had some open stitching, not proper "weight blankets."  The couple of weighted blankets I've tried just sleep way too fucking hot.  And I sleep hot anyway.  Any suggestions for those of us (presumably like you) here in the South where a weighted blanket 5 months of the year don't seem so fucking relaxing? 

But I'm open to it as well as trying Trazodone like Basil said.  I'm at a stage where I can't afford my "clean living" mantra anymore of quality food, no pills, no tobacco, no drugs, lotsa time outside, etc.  If you're not sleeping, everything else is bullshit.  You can fucking Keto and Crossfit all you want, if you're getting a garbage 4-5 hours a night with young children and an otherwise full schedule of being "on", you're proper fucked no matter what.  I gotta do that just for sanity and being alive, if it helps with weight loss---cherry on top.  I wanna try it for a few months maybe with some other stress relief and cardio and see if I can get hypertension a bit more "less-fluctuating" before I commit to those pills.  But obviously I'll consult my GP and certainly now a cardiologist.  I'm a workable weight now, I need to use this window to get BP and sleep better (not necessarily under control) and can then focus on other fun stuff like getting back into my Speedos and fixing my fucked up elbow.  

But glad y'all are so open about this.  I know we came from a generation where men wouldn't talk about this kinda shit that worried them because it was weakness.  And I'd still probably be that way and shitfaced drunk but for my two young kids.  Men in my dad's family talked about wellness, being outdoors, and active.  But to discuss serious issues, doctors, meds, serious diet shifts...that was a sign of weakness.  My wife's male family thought going to the doctor was for godless pussies who didn't trust in the Lord's plan for them.  Flash forward a few years, my dad dies at 62.  Every guy in her family has serious health issues from the neck to the rectum.  A half dozen funerals in a year suddenly wakes them all up.  But I still feel weird talking about my shit with them, so glad y'all are here to openly discuss.  Obviously, I can find this shit anywhere on the web but we all probably have much more in common with lifestyle and age and size than we care to admit so the background stories are super helpful.  And many of us appear to still have young children, if not for them---what the fuck else is the point?  

Having insomnia for a month was terrifying. It truly is awful. One thing I did that was somewhat helpful- no phone or Tv for 2 hours before bed, walked for like 30 minutes an hour before bed, took a hot shower, had a hot bedtime tea 30 minutes before bed after the shower and read a book for 30 minutes. That worked 5 out of 7. The other two nights were torture and misery. I was on my way to cracking up. Truly truly awful stuff. 

[South Austin 52526]

We are not a fat country. We are not an overweight country. I was at Universal Studios Hollywood yesterday with my kids, and let me tell you, we are an obese country. 

[YGIFS 19452]

On 3/7/2023 at 8:40 AM, Wulaw Horn said:

Having insomnia for a month was terrifying. It truly is awful. One thing I did that was somewhat helpful- no phone or Tv for 2 hours before bed, walked for like 30 minutes an hour before bed, took a hot shower, had a hot bedtime tea 30 minutes before bed after the shower and read a book for 30 minutes. That worked 5 out of 7. The other two nights were torture and misery. I was on my way to cracking up. Truly truly awful stuff. 

Was yours trouble falling asleep at bedtime or was it fell asleep on time and then woke up in the middle of the night and just toss and turned for hours and decided "fuck it, let's get up?"  In my 20's and part of my 30's, it was couldn't fall asleep until after midnight.  Then slept okay for a few years.  During Covid and just the schedule shock, it was would wake up early (3-5am window) and just couldn't fall back asleep.  Then slept okay again for all of 2022.  But it has been back to just garbage, fall asleep late and wake up early and can't get back to sleep.  Sometimes, I can and will nod off again from like 6-8am.  And get a total of 5 hours.  Wife keeps lecturing me that sleep is essential for health and weight loss (despite me having lost almost 40 pounds in the last year).  I've never regularly used prescription drugs but I think I need something for just sanity and basic functionality.  If sleeping also helps metabolism, as I said, cherry on top.  I do the shower drill some nights.  And I read and ignore screens.  I like your idea of walking at night.  Nobody in my neighborhood really does that so I'm sure I'll look like a nutjob (more than I am already considered).  But not even for the physical wind-down but getting all the shit outta my head would help.  thanks.

29 minutes ago, South Austin said:

We are not a fat country. We are not an overweight country. I was at Universal Studios Hollywood yesterday with my kids, and let me tell you, we are an obese country. 

I was thinking about this yesterday at SXSWinteractive.  Walking several blocks from my parking spot to a lunch deal, heard so many languages and accents.  And of course one fat Texan probably just going to work had to crack asshole and say "you're in Texas, speak English" to some nice Asian folks looking around for the next event.  The guy had to be 300 pounds, easy.  And a half foot shorter than me.  But it made me notice something, you can usually spot an out-of-towner for SXSW, be it New York or New Delhi.  And there are three grades of SXSW attendees, and keep in mind this is no anecdote-there are 200,000 attendees between registered and unofficials.  There are foreign nationals coming here who are thin, there are non-Texan Americans coming here who are fat, and then there are the Texans attending who are full-on obese.  It's the perfect hierarchy encapsulation.  Not judging.  But then I remember fat people are very judgey of others.  I have pounds and pounds to go before I am "normal/healthy" weight.  But yesterday, I felt downright skinny at my current height/weight.  If I can sleep and BP right, I might have a decent shot of living to see my kids graduate college.  Baby steps fellas, baby steps.

[South Austin 52526]

I get it, Lobo (like Cassius Clay, you’ll always be Lobo to me). There were a lot of folks in the park who could easily shed some weight. But they were still relatively compared to the mass of people who looked like they were auditioning for the lead in the sequel to The Whale.

It’s one thing to see a few people like that scattered in a crowd. But it was a significant part of the park’s population. And the sad thing is a lot of them are starting their kids down that path at a very young age.

[Wulaw Horn 19144]

11 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

Was yours trouble falling asleep at bedtime or was it fell asleep on time and then woke up in the middle of the night and just toss and turned for hours and decided "fuck it, let's get up?"  In my 20's and part of my 30's, it was couldn't fall asleep until after midnight.  Then slept okay for a few years.  During Covid and just the schedule shock, it was would wake up early (3-5am window) and just couldn't fall back asleep.  Then slept okay again for all of 2022.  But it has been back to just garbage, fall asleep late and wake up early and can't get back to sleep.  Sometimes, I can and will nod off again from like 6-8am.  And get a total of 5 hours.  Wife keeps lecturing me that sleep is essential for health and weight loss (despite me having lost almost 40 pounds in the last year).  I've never regularly used prescription drugs but I think I need something for just sanity and basic functionality.  If sleeping also helps metabolism, as I said, cherry on top.  I do the shower drill some nights.  And I read and ignore screens.  I like your idea of walking at night.  Nobody in my neighborhood really does that so I'm sure I'll look like a nutjob (more than I am already considered).  But not even for the physical wind-down but getting all the shit outta my head would help.  thanks.

I was thinking about this yesterday at SXSWinteractive.  Walking several blocks from my parking spot to a lunch deal, heard so many languages and accents.  And of course one fat Texan probably just going to work had to crack asshole and say "you're in Texas, speak English" to some nice Asian folks looking around for the next event.  The guy had to be 300 pounds, easy.  And a half foot shorter than me.  But it made me notice something, you can usually spot an out-of-towner for SXSW, be it New York or New Delhi.  And there are three grades of SXSW attendees, and keep in mind this is no anecdote-there are 200,000 attendees between registered and unofficials.  There are foreign nationals coming here who are thin, there are non-Texan Americans coming here who are fat, and then there are the Texans attending who are full-on obese.  It's the perfect hierarchy encapsulation.  Not judging.  But then I remember fat people are very judgey of others.  I have pounds and pounds to go before I am "normal/healthy" weight.  But yesterday, I felt downright skinny at my current height/weight.  If I can sleep and BP right, I might have a decent shot of living to see my kids graduate college.  Baby steps fellas, baby steps.

Falling asleep. Couldn’t do it. Literally zero minutes of sleep. Getting out of bed after giving up at 3 in the morning and just sitting on the coach melting down mentally trying to fight off terror at what life would be like if it didn’t improve. 
wife had some xanax and some thc (low doses legal) funnies that I took maybe 6 times during the month. I never take anything. Truly truly awful. 

[Wulaw Horn 19144]

4 minutes ago, South Austin said:

I get it, Lobo (like Cassius Clay, you’ll always be Lobo to me). There were a lot of folks in the park who could easily shed some weight. But they were still relatively compared to the mass of people who looked like they were auditioning for the lead in the sequel to The Whale.

It’s one thing to see a few people like that scattered in a crowd. But it was a significant part of the park’s population. And the sad thing is a lot of them are starting their kids down that path at a very young age.

Yeah. As a guy who alternated between obese and morbidly obese with occasionally a lot of work done to get to merely fat that always irritated me when I’d see the kids 50 pounds overweight. 

[YGIFS 19452]

My momma call me Clay, call me Clay.  

Yeah, it's a cliche of huge Americans at amusement parks.  But it's a benchmark for a reason.  But you're in a similar neighborhood to mine in Austin.  Really big people stick out that would just be a "normal" shopper in the rest of Texas.  And then you layer on SXSW and suddenly somebody like me looks "overweight" and a usual rural Texan looks outright insane.  And then you go to an amusement park in San Antonio and you think, "What the fuck is wrong with our planet?"  It's just that SXSW visitors really drove the point home about how provincial and heavy we are.  Not judging.  I was walking around last week all high and mighty after some decent weight loss and life changes, then I get downtown this week and was like "Aw fuck, I'm not even normal yet."  I just lived the Texas life for 25 years, treating my body like a garbage disposal because it meant I was a patriot.  And it's gonna take a couple more years to rewire my system.  I hate it, but that's the reality.  It's fucking hard and I salute all of you trying the same.  This shit is fucking damn weird.  

[BabaYaga 15302]

38 minutes ago, South Austin said:

I get it, Lobo (like Cassius Clay, you’ll always be Lobo to me). There were a lot of folks in the park who could easily shed some weight. But they were still relatively compared to the mass of people who looked like they were auditioning for the lead in the sequel to The Whale.

It’s one thing to see a few people like that scattered in a crowd. But it was a significant part of the park’s population. And the sad thing is a lot of them are starting their kids down that path at a very young age.

It's the diet obviously, but it's also as low energy entertainment via a vacation as it gets.  These families are for the most part not hiking the mountains or skiing/scuba diving, etc.  

[HamsterHookah 112]

I know everyone has seen the word Ozempic as it has become a meme and it's going viral on social media the last few weeks/months culminating in The Oscar's, but there is a really great article about how the drug works and how being fat has a strong genetic component (to which the drug isolates/attacks): https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/03/27/will-the-ozempic-era-change-how-we-think-about-being-fat-and-being-thin

The drugs mimic a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1, which stimulates insulin production and suppresses the production of glucagon, which raises blood sugar. The body naturally releases GLP-1 after a meal, and the hormone travels to the brain, triggering the feeling of fullness. GLP-1 drugs effectively inject that sense of satiety, and also slow the rate at which food empties out of the stomach; patients generally report a freedom from cravings and an inability to overeat without becoming ill. “I’m convinced that this basically replaced a signal my body has been missing my whole life,” a commenter in a Reddit group for people using semaglutide wrote recently. “All I can say,” a member of an online group called Lose the Fat wrote, “is that it is no wonder that skinny people think heavy people have no willpower. Their brains actually do tell them to stop eating. I had no idea.”

[Aqua Buddha 14599]

4 minutes ago, HamsterHookah said:

I know everyone has seen the word Ozempic as it has become a meme and it's going viral on social media the last few weeks/months culminating in The Oscar's, but there is a really great article about how the drug works and how being fat has a strong genetic component (to which the drug isolates/attacks): https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/03/27/will-the-ozempic-era-change-how-we-think-about-being-fat-and-being-thin

The drugs mimic a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1, which stimulates insulin production and suppresses the production of glucagon, which raises blood sugar. The body naturally releases GLP-1 after a meal, and the hormone travels to the brain, triggering the feeling of fullness. GLP-1 drugs effectively inject that sense of satiety, and also slow the rate at which food empties out of the stomach; patients generally report a freedom from cravings and an inability to overeat without becoming ill. “I’m convinced that this basically replaced a signal my body has been missing my whole life,” a commenter in a Reddit group for people using semaglutide wrote recently. “All I can say,” a member of an online group called Lose the Fat wrote, “is that it is no wonder that skinny people think heavy people have no willpower. Their brains actually do tell them to stop eating. I had no idea.”

Oh, fuck that and I used to be fat.  

Do fat people's brains also tell them not to exercise?  

[HamsterHookah 112]

2 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Oh, fuck that and I used to be fat.  

Do fat people's brains also tell them not to exercise?  

From the article:

"A healthy body can generally signal to the brain when it has had enough food. But that signalling system can be faulty, or get injured. “One of the most important things about obesity, and something most people don’t understand, is that, in the process of gaining weight, the neural circuitry of the brain that regulates weight is damaged,” Dr. Louis Aronne, the director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center, at Weill Cornell Medicine, told me. (Aronne, like many other prominent practitioners of obesity medicine, has consulted on trials conducted by Novo Nordisk.)

“The hypothalamus shows signs of inflammation and injury,” he went on. The prevailing theory, he explained, is that “too many calories coming in too quickly damages nerves that respond to the hormones that control body weight.” One of these hormones is leptin, which is produced in body fat, and which signals to the brain that it’s time to stop eating. But, if you gain fat, the oversupply of leptin can cause your body to be desensitized to it, making your brain erroneously believe that you are starving. “Your body tries to rebalance the system by slowing down the metabolism and increasing appetite,” Aronne said. After a person has gained enough weight to enter this cycle of metabolic misdirection, it becomes nearly impossible to lose that weight and keep it off long-term simply through diet and exercise. (About five per cent of people manage to do it.)

A well-known study followed contestants on “The Biggest Loser,” the weight-loss-competition show, and found that the contestants’ metabolisms slowed so drastically after their weight loss that nearly all of them regained what they’d lost. One contestant, who’d dropped an astonishing two hundred and thirty-nine pounds, soon regained a hundred, and then began gaining weight whenever he ate more than eight hundred calories less than the average amount recommended for a man his size."

[HamsterHookah 112]

And for @Wulaw Horn re: Bariatric (bolded below):

Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk together have at least twelve more obesity medications in development. Novo Nordisk reportedly spent about a hundred million dollars advertising Ozempic last year, and the two companies are spending roughly ten million dollars annually on lobbying. A primary focus of that lobbying is the proposed Treat and Reduce Obesity Act, which has been introduced in congressional sessions annually since 2012, and which would require Medicare to cover, among other treatments, chronic-weight-management drugs. Anticipating the passage of this bill within the next few years, Morgan Stanley has forecast that U.S. revenue from such drugs will increase four-hundredfold by the end of the decade. Obesity looks “set to become the next blockbuster pharma category,” it declared, in a report last year, which also predicted that social media and word of mouth will create an “exponential virtuous cycle” around the new medications: a quarter of people with obesity will seek treatment from physicians, up from the current seven per cent, and more than half of those who do will begin taking medicine. In March, WeightWatchers acquired the telehealth weight-loss company Sequence, which specializes in prescribing GLP-1 drugs.

Controversially, the American Pediatric Association recently included weight-loss medication and bariatric surgery as part of a set of treatments that physicians should consider for kids with obesity. (Bariatric surgery, previously the only medical intervention that resulted in lasting weight loss for more than a small percentage of people, works in part because it, too, increases GLP-1 levels, and does so before any weight loss has occurred.) In clinical trials, patients who go off GLP-1 drugs regain much of their lost weight within a year. I asked Dr. Aronne, from Weill Cornell, about the possible medical consequences of irregular lifetime use, which seems to be a likely outcome for many patients, especially those who are prescribed the drugs at an early age. “That’s a great question,” he said, “and we don’t have the answer.” He suggested that doctors might begin treating obesity the way they treat hypertension. “You could start people on a tiny dose per week, and they would never get to the place where they have catastrophic problems,” he said. Patients would still need regular blood work and other monitoring; it’s likely enough that, as these drugs come into use in a wider patient population than ever before, new risks and complications will arise. But to Aronne, who has treated patients with serious health complications related to weight for thirty years, a lifetime on Wegovy seems far less dangerous than a lifetime of severe obesity.

[Aqua Buddha 14599]

3 minutes ago, HamsterHookah said:

From the article:

"A healthy body can generally signal to the brain when it has had enough food. But that signalling system can be faulty, or get injured. “One of the most important things about obesity, and something most people don’t understand, is that, in the process of gaining weight, the neural circuitry of the brain that regulates weight is damaged,” Dr. Louis Aronne, the director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center, at Weill Cornell Medicine, told me. (Aronne, like many other prominent practitioners of obesity medicine, has consulted on trials conducted by Novo Nordisk.)

“The hypothalamus shows signs of inflammation and injury,” he went on. The prevailing theory, he explained, is that “too many calories coming in too quickly damages nerves that respond to the hormones that control body weight.” One of these hormones is leptin, which is produced in body fat, and which signals to the brain that it’s time to stop eating. But, if you gain fat, the oversupply of leptin can cause your body to be desensitized to it, making your brain erroneously believe that you are starving. “Your body tries to rebalance the system by slowing down the metabolism and increasing appetite,” Aronne said. After a person has gained enough weight to enter this cycle of metabolic misdirection, it becomes nearly impossible to lose that weight and keep it off long-term simply through diet and exercise. (About five per cent of people manage to do it.)

A well-known study followed contestants on “The Biggest Loser,” the weight-loss-competition show, and found that the contestants’ metabolisms slowed so drastically after their weight loss that nearly all of them regained what they’d lost. One contestant, who’d dropped an astonishing two hundred and thirty-nine pounds, soon regained a hundred, and then began gaining weight whenever he ate more than eight hundred calories less than the average amount recommended for a man his size."

The Biggest Loser contestant gained the weight back because they went back to previous behaviors.

If that quote is to be believed, then it's impossible to lose a significant amount of weight yet it's done all the time.

[Aqua Buddha 14599]

1 minute ago, HamsterHookah said:

And for @Wulaw Horn re: Bariatric (bolded below):

Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk together have at least twelve more obesity medications in development. Novo Nordisk reportedly spent about a hundred million dollars advertising Ozempic last year, and the two companies are spending roughly ten million dollars annually on lobbying. A primary focus of that lobbying is the proposed Treat and Reduce Obesity Act, which has been introduced in congressional sessions annually since 2012, and which would require Medicare to cover, among other treatments, chronic-weight-management drugs. Anticipating the passage of this bill within the next few years, Morgan Stanley has forecast that U.S. revenue from such drugs will increase four-hundredfold by the end of the decade. Obesity looks “set to become the next blockbuster pharma category,” it declared, in a report last year, which also predicted that social media and word of mouth will create an “exponential virtuous cycle” around the new medications: a quarter of people with obesity will seek treatment from physicians, up from the current seven per cent, and more than half of those who do will begin taking medicine. In March, WeightWatchers acquired the telehealth weight-loss company Sequence, which specializes in prescribing GLP-1 drugs.

Controversially, the American Pediatric Association recently included weight-loss medication and bariatric surgery as part of a set of treatments that physicians should consider for kids with obesity. (Bariatric surgery, previously the only medical intervention that resulted in lasting weight loss for more than a small percentage of people, works in part because it, too, increases GLP-1 levels, and does so before any weight loss has occurred.) In clinical trials, patients who go off GLP-1 drugs regain much of their lost weight within a year. I asked Dr. Aronne, from Weill Cornell, about the possible medical consequences of irregular lifetime use, which seems to be a likely outcome for many patients, especially those who are prescribed the drugs at an early age. “That’s a great question,” he said, “and we don’t have the answer.” He suggested that doctors might begin treating obesity the way they treat hypertension. “You could start people on a tiny dose per week, and they would never get to the place where they have catastrophic problems,” he said. Patients would still need regular blood work and other monitoring; it’s likely enough that, as these drugs come into use in a wider patient population than ever before, new risks and complications will arise. But to Aronne, who has treated patients with serious health complications related to weight for thirty years, a lifetime on Wegovy seems far less dangerous than a lifetime of severe obesity.

They want kids to have bariatric surgery?

How about they exercise and not eat trash?

[Fondren & Main 6726]

There didn’t used to be so many fat people and now there are more than ever.  I don’t think people’s brains suddenly stopped working.

Edited March 21, 2023 by Fondren & Main
Except for mine.

[Aqua Buddha 14599]

1 minute ago, Fondren & Main said:

There didn’t used to be so many fat people and now there are more than ever.  I don’t think people’s brains suddenly stopped working.

Also, other countries are not as fat as us.  Certain states and cities in America are fatter than others.  

I doubt it's because their brains work differently.

[HamsterHookah 112]

6 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

The Biggest Loser contestant gained the weight back because they went back to previous behaviors.

If that quote is to be believed, then it's impossible to lose a significant amount of weight yet it's done all the time.

Previous behaviors being ingesting 800 fewer calories? I mean, I guess they could be lying about that. 

Here is a different article talking about that: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html

I mean, it's fine if you don't want to believe it because it's personal to you, but I'm just sharing some interesting research and writing about it, not attacking you. I congratulate you for your weight loss and sounds like you are doing great keeping it off (which is why you have a bit of indignation about all this).

Quote

 

The results, the researchers said, were stunning. They showed just how hard the body fights back against weight loss.

“It is frightening and amazing,” said Dr. Hall, an expert on metabolism at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. “I am just blown away.”

It has to do with resting metabolism, which determines how many calories a person burns when at rest. When the show began, the contestants, though hugely overweight, had normal metabolisms for their size, meaning they were burning a normal number of calories for people of their weight. When it ended, their metabolisms had slowed radically and their bodies were not burning enough calories to maintain their thinner sizes.

Researchers knew that just about anyone who deliberately loses weight — even if they start at a normal weight or even underweight — will have a slower metabolism when the diet ends. So they were not surprised to see that “The Biggest Loser” contestants had slow metabolisms when the show ended.

What shocked the researchers was what happened next: As the years went by and the numbers on the scale climbed, the contestants’ metabolisms did not recover. They became even slower, and the pounds kept piling on. It was as if their bodies were intensifying their effort to pull the contestants back to their original weight.

Mr. Cahill was one of the worst off. As he regained more than 100 pounds, his metabolism slowed so much that, just to maintain his current weight of 295 pounds, he now has to eat 800 calories a day less than a typical man his size. Anything more turns to fat.

 

 

Edited March 21, 2023 by HamsterHookah

[Aqua Buddha 14599]

3 minutes ago, HamsterHookah said:

Previous behaviors being ingesting 800 fewer calories? I mean, I guess they could be lying about that. 

Here is a different article talking about that: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html

I mean, it's fine if you don't want to believe it because it's personal to you, but I'm just sharing some interesting research and writing about it, not attacking you. I congratulate you for your weight loss and sounds like you are doing great keeping it off (which is why you have a bit of indignation about all this).

 

Yes, fat people lie about what they eat.  No shit.  It's not intentional.  They truly believe they eat what non fat people eat but when you get the honest assessment, they don't.  They eat significantly more.  (Just watch a fat person eat.)

Their metabolism is lower because they are not exercising.  

Edited March 21, 2023 by Aqua Buddha

[HamsterHookah 112]

10 minutes ago, Fondren & Main said:

There didn’t used to be so many fat people and now there are more than ever.  I don’t think people’s brains suddenly stopped working.

Did you miss this explanation of how/why it happens (allegedly)?:

Quote

 

"A healthy body can generally signal to the brain when it has had enough food. But that signalling system can be faulty, or get injured. “One of the most important things about obesity, and something most people don’t understand, is that, in the process of gaining weight, the neural circuitry of the brain that regulates weight is damaged,” Dr. Louis Aronne, the director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center, at Weill Cornell Medicine, told me. (Aronne, like many other prominent practitioners of obesity medicine, has consulted on trials conducted by Novo Nordisk.)

“The hypothalamus shows signs of inflammation and injury,” he went on. The prevailing theory, he explained, is that “too many calories coming in too quickly damages nerves that respond to the hormones that control body weight.” One of these hormones is leptin, which is produced in body fat, and which signals to the brain that it’s time to stop eating. But, if you gain fat, the oversupply of leptin can cause your body to be desensitized to it, making your brain erroneously believe that you are starving. “Your body tries to rebalance the system by slowing down the metabolism and increasing appetite,” Aronne said. After a person has gained enough weight to enter this cycle of metabolic misdirection, it becomes nearly impossible to lose that weight and keep it off long-term simply through diet and exercise. (About five per cent of people manage to do it.)

 

It's like saying, why are there more opiate addicts now than ever? Did their brains stop working from back in the 1900's?

No, people are abusing food (fast food and sedentary nation) and injuring their brains in ways that they never used to (thus causing a negative physical dependency/outcome), is the prevailing theory.

Edited March 21, 2023 by HamsterHookah

[HamsterHookah 112]

4 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Yes, fat people lie about what they eat.  No shit.  It's not intentional.  They truly believe they eat what non fat people eat but when you get the honest assessment, they don't.  They eat significantly more.  (Just watch a fat person eat.)

Alrighty then. I'm not trying to sell you on it, I just found it interesting reading and an intersection between modern medicine and culture and this thread-- and think there is probably more to the story than just "fat people have no will power and discipline and/or lie about eating and are lazy" even as we find it to be less desirable and sub-optimal in ourselves and others to be overweight, bordering on a moral failure.

Edited March 21, 2023 by HamsterHookah

[Aqua Buddha 14599]

1 minute ago, HamsterHookah said:

Alrighty then. I'm not trying to sell you on it, I just found it interesting and think there is probably more to the story than just "fat people have no will power" even as we find it to be less desirable and optimal in ourselves and others to be overweight, bordering on a moral failure.

Being fat is not a moral failure.  It's simple math.  You are eating more calories than you are burning and it's stored as fat.  The first step is to admit you're fat.  The second step is to admit why.  (This is key.)  Do you have an emotional attachment to food?  Do you not exercise?  

Your lifestyle is the reason that you are fat.  This whole "our brains work differently" is complete horse shit.  Yes, people have different levels of metabolism but that doesn't explain why one person is +300lbs and another is 190lbs.  

[Aqua Buddha 14599]

Let me got hard to the motherfucking Cloak Room paint here.

People will blindly take Ozympic (not approved for weight loss) or whatever the fuck or have some surgery but they question everything about the covid vaccines.  

Fucking mystifies me.

[HamsterHookah 112]

2 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Let me got hard to the motherfucking Cloak Room paint here.

People will blindly take Ozympic (not approved for weight loss) or whatever the fuck or have some surgery but they question everything about the covid vaccines.  

Fucking mystifies me.

Listen-- I don't disagree with you at all. But, I have to know: How many margaritas have you had tonight? 

[gmr548 16590]

28 minutes ago, Fondren & Main said:

I don’t think people’s brains suddenly stopped working.

Not at all limited to weight related issues, but you sure about that?

[Aqua Buddha 14599]

2 minutes ago, HamsterHookah said:

Listen-- I don't disagree with you at all. But, I have to know: How many margaritas have you had tonight? 

Bourbon.  I drink bourbon.

[Fondren & Main 6726]

37 minutes ago, gmr548 said:

Not at all limited to weight related issues, but you sure about that?

People have always been stupid.  Now they’re fat and stupid because they eat too much and sit on their asses jerking off all day.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

People have always been stupid.  Now they’re fat and stupid because they eat too much and sit on their asses jerking off to Fox News all day.

[Blotto 23560]

stumbled across this video on reddit the other day: https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/11omf4t/nyc_in_the_1930s_street_scenes_remastered/

Every time I see footage from this era, I'm immediately struck by how thin people are. Less than 100 years ago, and obesity is basically nonexistent. You may see a few people 20 or 30 lbs heavy, but you dont see an army of 400 lb tanks cruising around. Everyone just walked a lot more, and they ate real food. 

Pepsico, Tyson, Nestle, Coca Cola, Kraft, etc... make billions of dollars every year selling us processed shit for our bodies, and many of us sit around  all day staring at our computers, gaming, watching TV etc... while shoveling that shit down. 

 

People want to make things a lot more complicated than they really are. Eat less processed unhealthy shit, and exercise more. that would go a long way to fixing the obesity problem in this country. A problem we didn't have less than 100 years ago.

[TwiceHorn 31516]

3 hours ago, Blotto said:

stumbled across this video on reddit the other day: https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/11omf4t/nyc_in_the_1930s_street_scenes_remastered/

Every time I see footage from this era, I'm immediately struck by how thin people are. Less than 100 years ago, and obesity is basically nonexistent. You may see a few people 20 or 30 lbs heavy, but you dont see an army of 400 lb tanks cruising around. Everyone just walked a lot more, and they ate real food. 

Pepsico, Tyson, Nestle, Coca Cola, Kraft, etc... make billions of dollars every year selling us processed shit for our bodies, and many of us sit around  all day staring at our computers, gaming, watching TV etc... while shoveling that shit down. 

 

People want to make things a lot more complicated than they really are. Eat less processed unhealthy shit, and exercise more. that would go a long way to fixing the obesity problem in this country. A problem we didn't have less than 100 years ago.

Well, there was this little thing called The Depression going on then.  A lot of people were literally starving.  Most were probably underfed a bit.

There were also a lot of manual labor jobs, i.e. manufacturing, that no longer exist.  People took mass transit and did a lot of walking.

But the food point is accurate.

[Wulaw Horn 19144]

2 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Well, there was this little thing called The Depression going on then.  A lot of people were literally starving.  Most were probably underfed a bit.

There were also a lot of manual labor jobs, i.e. manufacturing, that no longer exist.  People took mass transit and did a lot of walking.

But the food point is accurate.

I mean- Yeah- society is different. The higher paying your job the more likely it is to be sedentary sitting behind a desk for 8 hours without moving. 
Yesterday was my first day back at work since my surgery. I’ve been WFH and reactive not proactive the last couple weeks.  I set an alarm to get up every hour and walk for 10 minutes. Managed to get in 6000 steps during the work day. Previously it had been about 500. Cool cool. My wife gets in 10,000 steps without trying doing housework. That pays nothing when it’s your house- 30k or so when you are doing other peoples houses for money.  When I was a busboy was probably my skinniest, that pay-  nothing- was fucking around at my parents restaurants over the summer time in between teaching school. If I was doing that for money it would have been $10 an hour. Awesome. 
My job? Setting the alarm?  Only missed out on a full hour of work. Shorted my day 2 actual tasks. Which meant I got to work from 6:00-6:45 instead of just watching my son at Karate, so that’s awesome. 
My day yesterday:

-rise at 6:30 make myself my shakes for the day.

-Get my kids up at 7:00. Get them ready for school/my myself for work

-7-8. Drop them off and commute to work from 8:00-9:00.

-Work (with said 10 minute walking breaks- 9-5.

-Pick up kid and take to karate- 5-6.

-Work thru karate 6-7.

-Drive home 7-7:30.

-Treadmill 7:30-8:30.

-Shower/rehydrate- 8:30-9.

- Fuck around 9-10.

yeah- big moral failing for me in that day. And I know my day isn’t unusual because when I used to live in the burbs and workout it was 5:45-7:00 in the morning and the streets were packed and the gym was packed with working dudes getting in a sweat in the only time during their day they had a chance. But yeah- it’s just a bunch of lazy asses that are gamers or something. It’s not a complete and total shift in how society is structured. 

Edited March 21, 2023 by Wulaw Horn

[Jkwellborn 6717]

Oh, fuck that and I used to be fat.  
Do fat people's brains also tell them not to exercise?  

I’ll say this as someone who’s overweight. Exercising used to be enjoyable when I was younger and in shape. Now that I’m older and heavier, the shit hurts sometimes. I’m well aware that people avoid exercise because of that.

[statsman 5474]

Shareable link-

Maternal mortality in the U.S. surged in 2021, pushing the rate to its highest level since 1965

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-maternal-mortality-hits-highest-level-since-1965-f9829776?st=jmkrsrheelaynd4&reflink=share_mobilewebshare

you read the article and see that obesity is driving maternal deaths. 

[YGIFS 19452]

There's probably more to explain it then obesity.  A 40% spike YoY in the last two years?  That's not just due to expectant mothers got overweight outta the fucking blue.  That's been a thing for decades.  There's gotta be another reason(s) behind that.  

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4976]

8 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Let me got hard to the motherfucking Cloak Room paint here.

People will blindly take Ozympic (not approved for weight loss) or whatever the fuck or have some surgery but they question everything about the covid vaccines.  

Fucking mystifies me.

Wegovy is the same active ingredient at a higher dose approved for weight loss. You rant against people not believing in science while claiming that science is wrong about weight loss and its long term effects on metabolism.

[Parliament 14277]

9 hours ago, HamsterHookah said:

...began gaining weight whenever he ate more than eight hundred calories less than the average amount recommended for a man his size."

Well that would suck.

[HamsterHookah 112]

1 hour ago, Wulaw Horn said:

I mean- Yeah- society is different. The higher paying your job the more likely it is to be sedentary sitting behind a desk for 8 hours without moving. 
Yesterday was my first day back at work since my surgery. I’ve been WFH and reactive not proactive the last couple weeks.  I set an alarm to get up every hour and walk for 10 minutes. Managed to get in 6000 steps during the work day. Previously it had been about 500. Cool cool. My wife gets in 10,000 steps without trying doing housework. That pays nothing when it’s your house- 30k or so when you are doing other peoples houses for money.  When I was a busboy was probably my skinniest, that pay-  nothing- was fucking around at my parents restaurants over the summer time in between teaching school. If I was doing that for money it would have been $10 an hour. Awesome. 
My job? Setting the alarm?  Only missed out on a full hour of work. Shorted my day 2 actual tasks. Which meant I got to work from 6:00-6:45 instead of just watching my son at Karate, so that’s awesome. 
My day yesterday:

-rise at 6:30 make myself my shakes for the day.

-Get my kids up at 7:00. Get them ready for school/my myself for work

-7-8. Drop them off and commute to work from 8:00-9:00.

-Work (with said 10 minute walking breaks- 9-5.

-Pick up kid and take to karate- 5-6.

-Work thru karate 6-7.

-Drive home 7-7:30.

-Treadmill 7:30-8:30.

-Shower/rehydrate- 8:30-9.

- Fuck around 9-10.

yeah- big moral failing for me in that day. And I know my day isn’t unusual because when I used to live in the burbs and workout it was 5:45-7:00 in the morning and the streets were packed and the gym was packed with working dudes getting in a sweat in the only time during their day they had a chance. But yeah- it’s just a bunch of lazy asses that are gamers or something. It’s not a complete and total shift in how society is structured. 

Also, to add to your points, all the people who want to look at black and white photos of Spring Break 1980 and cut to Universal Studios 2023, imho, are failing to calculate the damage that has been done to the brain that controls things like weight and eating after years of abusing food.

Food is a drug and it’s been abused and you have damaged people. It seems as simple as that. You can argue why society has become a bunch of food addicts and food injured people, and there are obvious answers like mass produced bad foods and fast food nation, but poverty and food desserts and cultural influence also play parts IMO.

Edited March 21, 2023 by HamsterHookah

[BabaYaga 15302]

1 hour ago, Jkwellborn said:

I’ll say this as someone who’s overweight. Exercising used to be enjoyable when I was younger and in shape. Now that I’m older and heavier, the shit hurts sometimes. I’m well aware that people avoid exercise because of that.

[Js1 85457]

4 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Well, there was this little thing called The Depression going on then.  A lot of people were literally starving.  Most were probably underfed a bit.

There were also a lot of manual labor jobs, i.e. manufacturing, that no longer exist.  People took mass transit and did a lot of walking.

But the food point is accurate.

Also cigarettes. Everyone started smoking in the 30s and 40s. Obviously probably a) helped with the stress of the Great Depression and b) made them less hungry 

[Wulaw Horn 19144]

54 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Also cigarettes. Everyone started smoking in the 30s and 40s. Obviously probably a) helped with the stress of the Great Depression and b) made them less hungry 

1 month in and I miss cigarettes about a billion times more than alcohol and slightly more than food.  God I loved smoking.  Having to give that up is awful (I mean it's healthy, but it really cuts down on my enjoyment of life). 

[tbone_ 14138]

That will get better. A lot better. Pretty soon smoking will disgust you, like it does everyone else.

I quit smoking Jan 8 2003. After a pack a day for probably 15 years.

I like to do this math occasionally: pack a day x 30 days x 12 months X 20 years is 144,000 cigarettes I haven’t smoked through Jan 8 of this year.

144,000 fucking cigarettes I would have smoked.

That is something I’m proud of.