View Full Version : This is why you became obese after finishing your thru hike
I know, it's a sensitive topic, but here it is. The good news is, it's not your fault.
Insulin Resistance and High Carbohydrate diets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDs7-WNp57k
We don't observe everyone becoming obese after thru-hikes. No one is force feeding anyone. You control what you put into your mouth. If you know this happens than you have a say so over your behavior. Metabolism changes. Perhaps(likely), daily energy needs change post thru-hike. People are aware of this so they change their diet.
Calories in verses energy expended...it is that simple.
Traffic Jam
09-08-2016, 18:06
Calories in verses energy expended...it is that simple.
i respectfully disagree, it is not that simple. Our individual metabolic pathways and hormones play a large part in how we process food and expend energy. People need to know their bodies and do what works for them. I actually have to increase calorie consumption to lose weight.
Maineiac64
09-08-2016, 20:49
I adopted a very low carb nutritional approach, only eat lean proteins, beans/legumes, and low glycemic veggies about 4 months ago. I eat whatever I want on multiple hour hike days and once per week I'll relax it a little, have a couple of beers, some fruits, maybe some pasta. I have dropped 33lbs and will keep this approach when I hit my target of -50 in December. I have seen people out eat a heavy exercise program.
I believe the thesis of the scientist is that high carb foods disrupt the body's fat storage and appetite regulation. Even though you've consumed more than enough calories you stay hungry and keep eating. I agree that this may be true to an extent, but even strictly limiting high carb foods I regularly feel hungry (since I'm at a significant deficit) and must eat small meals throughout the day. I am anxious to test various meal plans when I'm at target.
MuddyWaters
09-08-2016, 21:15
I adopted a very low carb nutritional approach, only eat lean proteins, beans/legumes, and low glycemic veggies about 4 months ago. I eat whatever I want on multiple hour hike days and once per week I'll relax it a little, have a couple of beers, some fruits, maybe some pasta. I have dropped 33lbs and will keep this approach when I hit my target of -50 in December. I have seen people out eat a heavy exercise program.
I believe the thesis of the scientist is that high carb foods disrupt the body's fat storage and appetite regulation. Even though you've consumed more than enough calories you stay hungry and keep eating. I agree that this may be true to an extent, but even strictly limiting high carb foods I regularly feel hungry (since I'm at a significant deficit) and must eat small meals throughout the day. I am anxious to test various meal plans when I'm at target.
I think its exactly the opposite.
You dont get that full sated "Im done, time for a nap" feeling eating anything but easy carbs, this is a very desireable feeling. It promotes over-eating.
This is why people with access to easy carb foods are fat.
Other foods leave you still feeling hungry....because .....you.....are.Or needing multiple meals to add calories thru day.
Its too difficult to get daily caloric intake from meat and nuts, etc. You simply dont want to eat enough of them.
Whose up for 15 chicken breasts a day? anyone? How about 20 packs of tuna fish....blech.
Maineiac64
09-08-2016, 21:42
If you felt sated/full and stopped eating when you ate the calories required for the energy needed then you would be at a steady-state weight wise. The thesis is that high carb foods don't allow your body to regulate to this point and you overshoot your caloric intake. It seems like ypu are saying this too but stated its opposite?
MuddyWaters
09-08-2016, 21:52
You dont get that feeling until too late if eat fast.
I lost weight working in France, no snack foods, and dinner was a 3 hr affair every night from 8-11 pm. You ate.....slowly, spent evening talking and drinking wine, eat bread, talj and drink, eat salad, talk and drink, get food hour later, talk and drink more, have dessert. Life is good.
In eastern countries and middle east they eat lots of rice. Its most of what they eat.
They arent (as) fat because theres no other food besides meals for the most part.
Staying in hotel in amman, i see most middle eastern people get a piece of fruit and fresh yogurt, mabe bit of local goat type cheese for breakfast. Americans especially...pancakes, omelletes, hash browns, toast and jam, donuts, pastries.
I believe there is too much focus on calories, and not enough on nutrients. Meat, and most vegetables and fruit, are nutrient-dense. Grains (especially processed ones), fat, and processed sugars have fewer nutrients per calorie. On a "normal" day a person doesn't need to consume a large amount of grains and processed sugar. If more calories are needed, then fat, grains, and sugars are an efficient means of getting extra calories. But a body still needs the nutrients contained in meat, vegetables, and fruit.
p.s. I know vegans and vegetarians disagree about meat. I know most of their reasons too, I just disagree. My statements are not to support "meat vs. no meat", just the fact that meat, vegetables, and fruit are nutrient dense.
i respectfully disagree, it is not that simple. Our individual metabolic pathways and hormones play a large part in how we process food and expend energy. People need to know their bodies and do what works for them. I actually have to increase calorie consumption to lose weight.
You are welcome to disagree, and you are correct, but only to a point. Even though our BMRs and exercise based energy needs may differ from person to person, it comes down to input verses output. Now, when losing weight through diet and exercise, the loss isn't linear for long. The body is amazingly efficient at holding on to fat as an emergency source of energy, so there will be plateaus in the weight loss graph. Sometimes you need to shock the body into letting go of it's "hard won" stores by increasing intake coupled with a short term drastic increase in exercise which will re-kickstart the process.
Just because your needs and response to work are different from mine, that changes nothing in regard to the simple facts. If you take in more energy (in the form of calories) than you require, you will gain weight. If you take in less, you will lose weight, until the body catches on to what you're doing and slows down the BMR to compensate. Then you have to jump start things in the manner I described above or by further cutting intake, which is the wrong choice. Furthermore, if you repeat the diet cycle multiple times the body figures out what your doing much faster and responds quicker with a decreased BMR...hence the vicious yo-yo diet cycle in which people end up fatter than they started since we almost always lose some muscle along with the adipose tissue.
Simply put, don't restrict caloric intake too far, but do keep a lid on it and eat clean. Couple that with 30-90 minutes of daily exercise, preferably a mixture of aerobic, aenerobic, and resistance training. Do these two things and them monitor the scale for progress. If weight loss stalls, change it up for a week or so, but if you do further restrict calories your asking for problems, it's better to increase exercise levels to get things going.
All the other crap about "It's not your fault" are BS. Eat too much and the results are predictable...
Traffic Jam
09-09-2016, 08:37
You are welcome to disagree, and you are correct, but only to a point. Even though our BMRs and exercise based energy needs may differ from person to person, it comes down to input verses output. Now, when losing weight through diet and exercise, the loss isn't linear for long. The body is amazingly efficient at holding on to fat as an emergency source of energy, so there will be plateaus in the weight loss graph. Sometimes you need to shock the body into letting go of it's "hard won" stores by increasing intake coupled with a short term drastic increase in exercise which will re-kickstart the process.
Just because your needs and response to work are different from mine, that changes nothing in regard to the simple facts. If you take in more energy (in the form of calories) than you require, you will gain weight. If you take in less, you will lose weight, until the body catches on to what you're doing and slows down the BMR to compensate. Then you have to jump start things in the manner I described above or by further cutting intake, which is the wrong choice. Furthermore, if you repeat the diet cycle multiple times the body figures out what your doing much faster and responds quicker with a decreased BMR...hence the vicious yo-yo diet cycle in which people end up fatter than they started since we almost always lose some muscle along with the adipose tissue.
Simply put, don't restrict caloric intake too far, but do keep a lid on it and eat clean. Couple that with 30-90 minutes of daily exercise, preferably a mixture of aerobic, aenerobic, and resistance training. Do these two things and them monitor the scale for progress. If weight loss stalls, change it up for a week or so, but if you do further restrict calories your asking for problems, it's better to increase exercise levels to get things going.
All the other crap about "It's not your fault" are BS. Eat too much and the results are predictable...
sooooo....it's not that simple? :)
Agree with what you're saying and in fact, I said the same thing (but not as well) in a similar thread.
Except the part about "Its not your fault". You must not have confused hormones and a dysfunctional thyroid. And what about Cushing's disease? I talked to a lady yesterday who weighed 300lbs when she was diagnosed with Cushing's and promptly lost 100lbs after treatment.
And I have to brag...three months ago I met a weight goal (and a little less) that I made 6 1/2 years ago. :)
SWODaddy
09-09-2016, 08:53
Calories in verses energy expended...it is that simple.
Not really.
All the various opinions makes the average persons head spin. It is a complex subject. I have lost about 40 lbs over the past ten years by changing what I ate. I did not increase exercise, just continued with moderate exercise. I dropped my % of meat and dairy drastically, gave us "breakfast" type foods, and concentrated on eating fruits, vegetables and moderate meat consumption. It slowly came off. My opinion on diet changed after reading the book "The China Study".
sooooo....it's not that simple? :)
Agree with what you're saying and in fact, I said the same thing (but not as well) in a similar thread.
Except the part about "Its not your fault". You must not have confused hormones and a dysfunctional thyroid. And what about Cushing's disease? I talked to a lady yesterday who weighed 300lbs when she was diagnosed with Cushing's and promptly lost 100lbs after treatment.
And I have to brag...three months ago I met a weight goal (and a little less) that I made 6 1/2 years ago. :)
I'm on 112 mcg of Levothyroxine daily after a thyroid lobectomy in 2014 due to a pre-cancerous nodule. And I stand by what I said...if I'm overweight (which I am by about 30 pounds currently) it's my fault. It SUCKS having to work harder at it than folks without a thyroid issue, but that doesn't change anything. You want it, you gotta work for it. :-)
MuddyWaters
09-09-2016, 13:52
Yes, really.
You cannot bypass the first law of thermodynamics.:)
Energy in - energy out = energy accumulated
But people with a buck to make can convince some people they are special and it's not their fault.
Only within a small range will the bodies efficiency at storing and absorbing energy from food vary . You can affect to some extent the fat/lean tissue loss ratio by exercise and drugs, but if you reduce calories enough, every animal will lose weight until they eventually die.
Many Moons
09-09-2016, 13:53
Move more! eat
less!
Puddlefish
09-09-2016, 17:41
I found the theory behind the science in the video interesting. As to "fault" that's kind of a pointless thing for anyone to worry about. If you're obese or becoming obese, then you and you alone need to do something about it. This video doesn't change that.
It's still going to come down to what and how much you put onto your plate. How you can manage cravings, how much you exercise, how much stress you're under, etc. There are some people who have diseases/conditions that make it harder for them. There are also people who don't try and cling to studies like these to absolve themselves of even trying. There are entire industries attempting to sell you shortcuts.
Keep active, do things you enjoy doing, keep happy and the weight will take care of itself.
Traffic Jam
09-09-2016, 18:42
I'm on 112 mcg of Levothyroxine daily after a thyroid lobectomy in 2014 due to a pre-cancerous nodule. And I stand by what I said...if I'm overweight (which I am by about 30 pounds currently) it's my fault. It SUCKS having to work harder at it than folks without a thyroid issue, but that doesn't change anything. You want it, you gotta work for it. :-)
yep, it stinks.
MuddyWaters
09-09-2016, 19:01
I'm on 112 mcg of Levothyroxine daily after a thyroid lobectomy in 2014 due to a pre-cancerous nodule. And I stand by what I said...if I'm overweight (which I am by about 30 pounds currently) it's my fault. It SUCKS having to work harder at it than folks without a thyroid issue, but that doesn't change anything. You want it, you gotta work for it. :-)
Sorry to hear.
My mom had her thyroid killed because it was over-active, possibly caused her heart attack. Took synthetic thyroid for many years.
When my mom was 65, she went to beach with us and grandkids. My wife turned to me and said " Id kill to have a body like your moms"
My mom ate like a bird her whole life, and was athletic. Went to aerobic class a few times per week.
Sorry to hear.
My mom had her thyroid killed because it was over-active, possibly caused her heart attack. Took synthetic thyroid for many years.
When my mom was 65, she went to beach with us and grandkids. My wife turned to me and said " Id kill to have a body like your moms"
My mom ate like a bird her whole life, and was athletic. Went to aerobic class a few times per week.
I work out 6-7 times a week for 45-120 minutes a pop...it's the eating like a bird thing I have issues with. More like a flock of birds... ;)
MuddyWaters
09-10-2016, 08:45
.it's the eating like a bird thing I have issues with. More like a flock of birds... ;)
Same as most.