Scientists have synthesized a new compound that ‘mimics’ exercise

Re:Scientists have synthesized a new compound that ‘mimics’ ... by DiabloD3 on Monday August 10, 2015 @02:16AM (#10032933)

Although I don't agree with you, the way you put this is unnecessarily antagonistic.

I'm 6 foot tall, I used to weigh, at peak, 340 pounds. After exactly one year of diet modification alone (I chronically under-exercise), I weighed 214 pounds, and now weigh about 190.

I did not reduce my caloric intake, instead I removed all foods that are known to screw with human biology, and decided to follow the Paleo diet: no grains (pasta, bread, cereal, corn, etc), no legumes (peanuts, peas, beans, soy, etc), no seed oils (vegetable oil, corn, canola, soy), no refined sugars, no dairy (to reduce hormone and lactose intake; I limit myself to small amounts cheese and full fat greek yogurt only).

What I do eat? Meat, vegetables, fruits, the aforementioned limited fermented dairy, mushrooms, and if I weren't allergic to them, I could add nuts to that list as well. I use healthy fats like bacon fat, coconut oil, and olive oil instead of seed oils. I also limit myself to one cup of coffee a day, and sometimes even then I don't feel like one, I don't really need it anymore.

My caloric intake has not really changed (it has always been between 1500 and 2000 a day), yet the fat just melted right off. The whole obsession with caloric intake (unless you're clearing 3000 calories with low physical activity) doesn't fix obesity: chronically low caloric intake (below 1500 calories for an extended period) makes your body think it's starving to death, and it will refuse to release energy from your fat cells and start hoarding it instead.

In other words, unsafe caloric reduction for long periods may cause weight gain in some individuals already suffering from some form of metabolic disorder (including prediabetes and diabetes and just being morbidly obese).

Yes, I agree there is nothing to really treat: eat foods that promote the proper functioning of your body, drop the ones that are known to cause chronic inflammation, metabolic disorders, and with grains in particular, the fact they contain phytates and protease inhibitors in very unsafe amounts (both cause malabsorption of nutrients).

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Scientists have synthesized a new compound that ‘mimics’ ... by jschwartzi on Monday August 10, 2015 @03:37AM (#10033173)

Did you rigorously log your caloric intake before and after your diet changed? If not, there's not enough data to conclusively state that your switch to Paleo was anything other than a simple calorie restriction.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Scientists have synthesized a new compound that ‘mimics’ ... by Ueland on Monday August 10, 2015 @02:37AM (#10033005)

This kind of post is something i usually read at Reddit when something related to fat people are being discussed. And of course, many of them appear to have "a metabolic disorder". A post with a whole bunch of undocumented claims is something i do not expect here at HN.

You lost weight, therefore you either reduced calorie intake, or you burned more calories. If you somehow broke the laws regarding energy, you have discovered some magic formula that will make you rich.I am going to assume that you did not discover the magic formula as there is none as per now.

No wonder people have issues figuring out how to loose weight when they find claims like:

- "foods that are known to screw with human biology"

- "My caloric intake has not really changed, yet the fat just melted right off."

-"... caloric intake doesn't fix obesity"

- "chronically low caloric intake .. makes your body think it's starving to death"

" unsafe caloric reduction for long periods may cause weight gain in some individuals ..."

" ...foods that promote the proper functioning of your body"

".. drop the ones that are known to cause chronic inflammation, metabolic disorders"

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Scientists have synthesized a new compound that ‘mimics’ ... by mkingston on Monday August 10, 2015 @04:54AM (#10033413)

DiabloD3 almost certainly limited caloric intake at some point (at intake or somewhere in digestion). But your comment doesn't address some complexity in the way the body processes food, or in the food itself. For example, eating 200 calories of refined sugar is considerably worse in terms of your eventual absorption of energy than eating 200 calories of banana. This is at least partly because the banana consumes more energy in digestion, and partly because less of the energy in the banana will actually eventually be absorbed by your body.

Parenthetically, the banana will not generate a considerable spike in blood sugar, something that, as I understand it, is very unhealthy.

While it's not an awful rough guide, nutrition is not as simple as calories in vs. calories out. Better perhaps if you're counting the calories in your stool, but who's going to do that? (And besides, that still wouldn't be a complete solution).

Also, in case you're reading this DiabloD3, congratulations. A drastic and I'm sure extremely challenging lifestyle change. I'm happy to hear about such a success story.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Scientists have synthesized a new compound that ‘mimics’ ... by DiabloD3 on Monday August 10, 2015 @09:46AM (#10034503)

See, there lies a small problem: I can't measure caloric burn usefully. I can measure what little exercise I do, I can measure a rough amount of what it costs to merely be alive, but I can't measure beyond simple observations like that (I imagine such things can be measured, it is just invasive and expensive).

Intake really hasn't changed, I ate 1500-2000 calories a day then, I eat 1500-2000 calories a day now. I didn't log it, but I did a lot of rough estimates based on things I regularly ate then, and regularly ate now. The only difference I've found is I feel like I'm eating more food now than I did then; but it's because carb-rich food is rather energy compact.

Also, thanks. I only tell my story when someone has gone off the rails quoting the FDA party line of "caloric intake is 100% why you're fat", when it's a massively complex issue; and even with my lengthy reply, I feel I did a disservice in how complex the issue is.

I tried reducing caloric intake, eating lots of "whole grains", limiting meat intake, all the stuff the FDA has recommended for decades: I only kept getting fatter. Caloric intake alone cannot explain why the world is getting fatter: what we're eating clearly does when my diet has worked for so many people, me included.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Scientists have synthesized a new compound that ‘mimics’ ... by LinuxBender on Monday August 10, 2015 @11:40AM (#10035297)

I broke the laws of energy. Ok, not really. I was gaining weight because I was starving my body of nutrients, so it was storing everything as fat. I stopped eating crap and started drinking health shakes several times a day and started taking multi-vitamins. I have increased my caloric intake and have been steadily losing weight for two years now. It is not a diet, but a permanent lifestyle change. I feel better and have more energy. I don't log things in a scientific manor, but I don't really need to. My reduction in weight and increase in energy is all I need.

[ Parent | on HN ]