Weight Loss=Not So Simple
This week I’m focusing on health here at HangryHippo, and it seems a new equation pertaining to weight is in our societal midst, thanks to FoxNews…
Weight Loss=Not So Simple!!!
Whoa, revolutionary. Seriously, though, in an article published yesterday, it was revealed that scientists are questioning previous notions about weight loss, and their findings are quite interesting:
Weight loss is not as simple as eating less and exercising more, and for those who struggle to shed the pounds, a new equation may offer some help.
Scientists are now using mathematics to better understand the physiology of weight loss, and more accurately predict just how much weight someone will lose on a specific diet and exercise regime, researchers said here today at the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual meeting.
In the past, physicians assumed that eating 500 fewer calories per day would lead to about a pound of weight loss per week, said Kevin Hall, a researcher at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.
But it turns out, this rule of thumb is wrong, Hall said, because it doesn’t take into account that metabolism slows down during dieting. Thus, predictions that used this rule were overly optimistic, Hall said.
Hall and colleagues have developed a model that takes into account an individual’s age, height, weight and physical activity level to better predict how much weight they might lose on a diet and exercise plan.
Fascinating, huh? There’s a model included in the article about calories cut versus weight loss, and the impact that this could have on societal restrictions/taxes on calorie-laden foods/beverages and “the model may help policy makers understand the impact of public health measures on the obesity epidemic.”
It’s simultaneously inspiring to me that research like this is being done and yet amazing to me that it’s taken this long to even begin to revolutionize the way that science deals with weight loss. But it takes an epidemic…
Hangry Hippo 
Thanks Hangry, this is really interesting stuff, and I fully agree that it’s pretty unbelievable that research like this is only now starting to be conducted. It’s probably symptomatic of the fact that big food or exercise corporations would rather put money behind fad diet and exercise trends rather than research on the true science behind weight loss.
And a side note on the accompanying Fox News article image – WHY IS THIS WOMAN MEASURING HER WAIST???!! YOU ARE A SIZE ZERO, MA’AM. NO MEASUREMENT NEEDED.
really interesting! it also seems unreasonable to apply these diets across the board when each individual has different needs and body situations.
Gah! No one knows anything, trust no one, eat only butter!
And Sexy Crumedgeon, I assume she was trying to see if she could pull off the measuring tape as a sexy accessory to her work out clothes. Personally, I say yes. I frequently wear one around my forehead.
Weight loss, maintenance and good health is about eating foods that your body understands and can utilize. When you feed it a concoction of artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, emulsifiers and fake sugars that look like a supplies list from a chemistry class, your body looks at all that shit, says, Huh? and stores it as fat. When you eat whole foods that it recognizes as fuel…it USES them. The Big Diet Industry (Weight Watchers, MediFast, NutriSystem, Jenny and its ilk) is made up of publicly-traded companies selling a product…no different than laundry detergent or razor blades…their job is to increase share price, not improve health or fix your life. Eat real food. Do real exercise. Live real life.