Adopting healthy habits: It's not just about losing weight
EvgeniZyntx
Posts: 24,208 Member
Motivation to lose weight varies immensely but health seems to be an important driver. "I want to get healthy" or "I want to live to see my grandchildren" or "I want to get of these medications/fear getting sicker." or "I want to be able to do things!".
For many, the simple act of losing weight improves health significantly - I've been known to state that the single most important risk factor for metabolic-related diseases is weight loss. Study after study shows this to be true.
However, I also see certain types of questions posed over and over on MFP - do I need to exercise? Or I don't like fruits/vegetables, must I eat them? In other words, should I follow what are generally considered healthy lifestyles choices?
In a words: Yes. If you are doing this for health, look at your overall lifestyle and exercise, don't just lose the weight.
Or more exactly, probably. (I'll get to that)
A quick review of a research article* looks at lifestyle habits and the risk of dying for people at various weights. This was done with a sample of 11700 people followed over a period of 170 months.
In short, whether you were obese or not, people with healthy lifestyles (as measured by no smoking, regular exercise, 5 fruits/veg or more per day, moderate alcohol) had a MUCH lower risk of death in this period.
Take a look a this graph:
On the left, being obese and having no healthy habits results in very high risk. And on the right, people with the 4 measured healthy habits, independent of weight, had much lower risks of death.
Wait, can I stay fat and eat all the food and just work out? This research makes no statement on the impact of obesity on long term healthy - just that people with healthier lifestyle habits had better outcomes. This is about health risk - want to reduce it? Losing just weight might not be enough but overall lifestyle factors may improve overall health.
Are the risk changes seen in the study significant?
Yes the risk change was very large, the authors note "the adoption [presence, really] of each additional healthy habit decreased all-cause mortality between 29% and 85%" and compare it to statin use as a risk reducer of 12% for cardiovascular disease.
Two other points.
First, I am not suggesting that one should forget about losing weight. There are a lot of reasons to do so, however, if health is a concern - an effective strategy should also include significant focus on an overall healthy lifestyle (whatever you see that to be). In the study the health indicators used were, as self-reported:
'healthy eating' was at least 5 servings of fruit/veg per day
'exercise' was leisure time physical activity of 12 times per month
'moderate alcohol consumption' was defined as more than 0 but no more than 1 drink a day for women and up to 2 drinks a day for men
'smoking' - self reported whether the person smoked.
Second, the causation/correlation issues - as the researchers note "healthy habits were associated with decreased mortality, association does not prove causation" It most likely isn't just adopting the measured parameters that will improve health but perhaps overall living style or other undetermined factors. caveat emptor That's the probably. It's probably a good idea. It doesn't necessarily mean you need exactly match the parameters measured and, for example, eat exactly 5 fruits/veg every day. Perhaps an overall increase is an improvement - focus in general in eating variety, etc...
*Healthy Lifestyle Habits and Mortality in Overweight and Obese Individuals.
Eric M. Matheson, MS, MD, Dana E. King, MS, MD and Charles J. Everett, PhD, J Am Board Fam Med January-February 2012 vol. 25 no. 1 9-15 (here: http://jabfm.org/content/25/1/9.full )
TL;DR - If you are doing this for health, look at your overall lifestyle and exercise, don't just lose the weight.
For many, the simple act of losing weight improves health significantly - I've been known to state that the single most important risk factor for metabolic-related diseases is weight loss. Study after study shows this to be true.
However, I also see certain types of questions posed over and over on MFP - do I need to exercise? Or I don't like fruits/vegetables, must I eat them? In other words, should I follow what are generally considered healthy lifestyles choices?
In a words: Yes. If you are doing this for health, look at your overall lifestyle and exercise, don't just lose the weight.
Or more exactly, probably. (I'll get to that)
A quick review of a research article* looks at lifestyle habits and the risk of dying for people at various weights. This was done with a sample of 11700 people followed over a period of 170 months.
In short, whether you were obese or not, people with healthy lifestyles (as measured by no smoking, regular exercise, 5 fruits/veg or more per day, moderate alcohol) had a MUCH lower risk of death in this period.
Take a look a this graph:
On the left, being obese and having no healthy habits results in very high risk. And on the right, people with the 4 measured healthy habits, independent of weight, had much lower risks of death.
Wait, can I stay fat and eat all the food and just work out? This research makes no statement on the impact of obesity on long term healthy - just that people with healthier lifestyle habits had better outcomes. This is about health risk - want to reduce it? Losing just weight might not be enough but overall lifestyle factors may improve overall health.
Are the risk changes seen in the study significant?
Yes the risk change was very large, the authors note "the adoption [presence, really] of each additional healthy habit decreased all-cause mortality between 29% and 85%" and compare it to statin use as a risk reducer of 12% for cardiovascular disease.
Two other points.
First, I am not suggesting that one should forget about losing weight. There are a lot of reasons to do so, however, if health is a concern - an effective strategy should also include significant focus on an overall healthy lifestyle (whatever you see that to be). In the study the health indicators used were, as self-reported:
'healthy eating' was at least 5 servings of fruit/veg per day
'exercise' was leisure time physical activity of 12 times per month
'moderate alcohol consumption' was defined as more than 0 but no more than 1 drink a day for women and up to 2 drinks a day for men
'smoking' - self reported whether the person smoked.
Second, the causation/correlation issues - as the researchers note "healthy habits were associated with decreased mortality, association does not prove causation" It most likely isn't just adopting the measured parameters that will improve health but perhaps overall living style or other undetermined factors. caveat emptor That's the probably. It's probably a good idea. It doesn't necessarily mean you need exactly match the parameters measured and, for example, eat exactly 5 fruits/veg every day. Perhaps an overall increase is an improvement - focus in general in eating variety, etc...
*Healthy Lifestyle Habits and Mortality in Overweight and Obese Individuals.
Eric M. Matheson, MS, MD, Dana E. King, MS, MD and Charles J. Everett, PhD, J Am Board Fam Med January-February 2012 vol. 25 no. 1 9-15 (here: http://jabfm.org/content/25/1/9.full )
TL;DR - If you are doing this for health, look at your overall lifestyle and exercise, don't just lose the weight.
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TL:DR0
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Great post--I agree 100%. Since I live in Italy, home of the Mediterranean diet, I see these results every day. When I go home to the States for a visit, it's always a shock at first. People, generally, are alot more "healthy" here. The articles I'm reading say that people in the USA are starting to focus on health, and that's a good thing. MFP is an example of this. Thanks again.
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Interesting research - too many people look at weight loss in isolation.
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I love this0
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Thanks0
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Yes. First things first.0
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Nice post.
I'm somewhat skeptical when people--other than those with specific health problems--give health as a motivator, so I guess I'm less surprised that it doesn't always include a willingness to do things like exercise.0 -
Nice post0
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Very good. I have decided that for me, this journy is not only about loosing weight, it is also the healthy aspect. I have taken to increasing water intake and have cut out all fizzy drinks.....that was hard!!! The benefits are extrodinary!!0
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It seems that many people claim health as a reason to lose weight, but I think most of us are motivated more by our appearance than our health, if truth is told. And if we consider our health with respect to weight loss, we think mostly about cardiac and cancer risks and metabolic disorders.
But strength, endurance, mobility and balance can affect our health and safety at least as much. You can disable yourself from years of sedentary habits at any weight. So yes, I agree that exercise is important and not just as a way to burn more calories.0 -
Nice post
Should be a sticky0 -
Great post, and great points. I'm one for whom a diagnosis triggered all this. It's good to know I'm on the right track. I already had the veggie intake down, I've now adopted exercise as a new habit.0
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QuintinVAbrams wrote: »Very good. I have decided that for me, this journy is not only about loosing weight, it is also the healthy aspect. I have taken to increasing water intake and have cut out all fizzy drinks.....that was hard!!! The benefits are extrodinary!!
While increasing water and or reducing fizzy drinks may or may not improve your personal health the research posted focuses on the need for other lifestyle modifications which include exercise and overall dietary considerations with more produce particularly vegetables/fruit.
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Love this!! As I get older, I'm trying to focus on overall health (diet AND exercise) to make sure that I can continue enjoying my favorite things in life. I don't want to end up old and not being able to bike, kayak, hike, etc.0
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Good article, and thanks for posting at least one of your references. I cringe everytime I hear someone say "studies show..." then don't cite a single study. Or worse yet, "science says..." It's like nails on a chalk board.0
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I always try to emphasize this pont when I'm talking to people. I had tried to diet and lose weight in the past and did what most people do...crash the diet, lose some weight, go back to normal, gain it all back.
It wasn't until a trip to the doctor right around my 38th birthday and some really bad blood work that I started thinking about my health....I hadn't given that much thought before, it was always about trying to achieve some look or look good for summer or whatever.
Basically my doctor told me that I was well on my way down the same path that my dad went down which left him with Type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome, stage IV kidney disease, heart disease, and ultimately an untimely death at 62.
I have a now 4 y.o. and a 2 y.o....my 2 y.o. was still an infant at that time and I thought to myself, "how *kitten* irresponsible can you be to be doing things so destructive when you have these precious babies and a beautiful wife to take care of." I pretty much decided then and there that I was going to change the way I was living.
I quit smoking (I was a 2-3 PAD smoker for almost 20 years) and completely overhauled my diet...note that this wasn't an overnight transformation, these things took place over time...baby steps...mini goals here and mini goals there. I started exercising again and fell in love with fitness...I started drinking less and signing up for fitness events.
Over the course of about a year, my life completely changed...my eating habits had completely changed as I was eating for my health and my life (and was learning to eat for my performance)...and of course there was the exercise. Exercise started out small...just regular walks around the block...then those walks turned into some running...then I got myself back into the weight room...then I started signing up for 5Ks and decided I wanted to train for a triathlon which I never ended up doing, but fell in love with my bike in that process and have become an avid cyclist.
The result of the above is that my blood work is now all in the optimal range and I am off most of my meds (other than hypertension which seems to be largely hereditary). Another nice bi-product was that I lost weight pretty easily and painlessly...once I made the determination to change my dietary and other lifestyle habits, basically the weight just fell off...it wasn't a struggle...it took time but it wasn't difficult because it ultimately wasn't even my focus, it was just something that was naturally happening as I started living a more healthful lifestyle.
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EvgeniZyntx wrote: »Motivation to lose weight varies immensely but health seems to be an important driver. "I want to get healthy" or "I want to live to see my grandchildren" or "I want to get of these medications/fear getting sicker." or "I want to be able to do things!"....
Excellent post. It is very frustrating when I read other threads on here when a poster is thrashed for daring to state that someone's favorite food/beverage isn't healthy. Healthy nutrition and eating goes far beyond only counting calories.
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Good article, and thanks for posting at least one of your references. I cringe everytime I hear someone say "studies show..." then don't cite a single study. Or worse yet, "science says..." It's like nails on a chalk board.
Thanks, when I'm active, I do a few article reviews every year and these are always referenced.
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Hooray! *applauds* logic and science... we need more of this here!0
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beemerphile1 wrote: »EvgeniZyntx wrote: »Motivation to lose weight varies immensely but health seems to be an important driver. "I want to get healthy" or "I want to live to see my grandchildren" or "I want to get of these medications/fear getting sicker." or "I want to be able to do things!"....
Excellent post. It is very frustrating when I read other threads on here when a poster is thrashed for daring to state that someone's favorite food/beverage isn't healthy. Healthy nutrition and eating goes far beyond only counting calories.
I get that frustration with the "how dare you eliminate anything at all from your diet if you like how it tastes" rants. Then the caveat is made that they only mean "normal" people, not anyone with a medical issue. There seems to be a huge disconnect with eliminating those things so someone doesn't get the medical issue in the first place.0 -
Cliffs?
Umm.... Asking for a friend0 -
Thanks for the post, Evgen. I have compassion for the young crowd that seems to be obsessed with "thigh gap" and all - but your summary hits the importance of what it takes to truly sustain optimal quality of life.0
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Seriously asking, I'm terrible at reading graphs and bad at science in general, I'm reading this as healthy habits correlate to better health regardless of weight, but when i look at that graph don't the healthy habit people by and large weigh less? Or am I reading that wrong? And doesn't the risk seem ton decrease right along with the weight (as reflected by bmi)?0
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beemerphile1 wrote: »EvgeniZyntx wrote: »Motivation to lose weight varies immensely but health seems to be an important driver. "I want to get healthy" or "I want to live to see my grandchildren" or "I want to get of these medications/fear getting sicker." or "I want to be able to do things!"....
Excellent post. It is very frustrating when I read other threads on here when a poster is thrashed for daring to state that someone's favorite food/beverage isn't healthy. Healthy nutrition and eating goes far beyond only counting calories.
Consider that healthy nutrition also goes beyond one single choice. Cutting out x as a single element of a diet is not a significant overall improvement when variety micro-nutrients aren't met. It's completely possible to eat poorly in any of the variety of paleo/vegetarian/vegan/low-carb/low-fat/non-diary/non-sugar/non-alcohol/keto/"clean"/what not diets.
Restriction is not a magical pass into the world of healthy eating. Some moderation, mental and social considerations, variety and access to fresh food particularly variety in fruits and vegetables leads to a good path for many. We've got people here eating clean and losing hair, perhaps sometimes because they've cut out too many calories or fats, etc.
Consider that a lot of those comments are focused on orienting towards a general view about eating and not this or that is evil.
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Seriously asking, I'm terrible at reading graphs and bad at science in general, I'm reading this as healthy habits correlate to better health regardless of weight, but when i look at that graph don't the healthy habit people by and large weigh less? Or am I reading that wrong? And doesn't the risk seem ton decrease right along with the weight (as reflected by bmi)?
The healthy habit people can still have high BMI - see the fourth cluster, right bar (yellow arrow head below).
Two reads possible, good question.
Take a look at this --
Imaging someone with no healthy habits that loses weight, they move along the blue path - still smoke, still eat poorly still get drunk, no exercise, just lost the weight by eating less.
Risk goes down, somewhat, if they truly move into the low weight group.
Imagine the person that doesn't lose weight but has their lifestyle in order.
They apparently are in the even lower risk group. (yellow arrow)
Well - if you can actually move from risk group to risk group. This was a non-interventional study.
In reality, what the study suggest is one should sort of try to do both, to be more effective. Weight loss alone still leaves a lot of risk.0 -
One of the things I noticed from my weight loss is that counting calories resulted in an increase in those healthy habits from the study. With a limited amount of calories for the day, I started eating more vegetables to keep me full, working out to gain more calories for the day, and drinking less to keep my calories in check.
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The risk is shown on the y axis (or how tall the bars are). The number of health habits is shown on the x axis (bottom) and increase from left to right. At each count of healthy habits, they show three BMI groups.Seriously asking, I'm terrible at reading graphs and bad at science in general, I'm reading this as healthy habits correlate to better health regardless of weight, but when i look at that graph don't the healthy habit people by and large weigh less? Or am I reading that wrong? And doesn't the risk seem ton decrease right along with the weight (as reflected by bmi)?
As the healthy habits increase, the hazard risk (height of the bars) decrease for all three groups.
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One of the things I noticed from my weight loss is that counting calories resulted in an increase in those healthy habits from the study. With a limited amount of calories for the day, I started eating more vegetables to keep me full, working out to gain more calories for the day, and drinking less to keep my calories in check.
Yes, this is sort of the circle of virtue path that many of us take - you still have a lot of posters asking should they exercise or telling us that they hate it. I'm not saying it is a must - just providing the info that argues that if health is a goal, exercise and lifestyle are important (and possibly more so) than weight loss. Again, other studies, suggest weight loss itself is the most important risk reducer for metabolic diseases.
Balance that out and the message is lose weight/get fit/eat well/etc.
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