…and This is Why People Have Unrealistic Weight Loss Expectations
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FWIW, I posted a similar thread over in Debate a couple of years ago, with this as the lead illustration; I think it's worth sharing here for the eye-roll factor:
From my supermarket check-out area, as is probably obvious.
There are a number of things about that magazine cover that are pretty hilarious to me, not least the inevitable juxtaposition of treats and weight-loss diets.
I know why they did it, but that backwards "S" in "REVERSE" is testing my sanity.5 -
penguinmama87 wrote: »FWIW, I posted a similar thread over in Debate a couple of years ago, with this as the lead illustration; I think it's worth sharing here for the eye-roll factor:
From my supermarket check-out area, as is probably obvious.
There are a number of things about that magazine cover that are pretty hilarious to me, not least the inevitable juxtaposition of treats and weight-loss diets.
I know why they did it, but that backwards "S" in "REVERSE" is testing my sanity.
Hahaha, that's pretty funny. I agree, shameless really.1 -
in the early 1990s, when i got into fitness, i read only the men's magazines as the women's always talked about getting toned like it was something other than getting strong and fit.
being fed unrealistic expectations about fitness and weight is nothing new. in older archie comics, they always had archie or the other guys get in shape for sports in a single week, doing workouts that would exhaust anyone. then, a week later - voila! they're in much better shape.
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Look no further than Popeye eating canned spinach to instantly triple his strength.4
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I may still have a similar cover somewhere. I like this part the best:FWIW, I posted a similar thread over in Debate a couple of years ago, with this as the lead illustration; I think it's worth sharing here for the eye-roll factor:
From my supermarket check-out area, as is probably obvious.
There are a number of things about that magazine cover that are pretty hilarious to me, not least the inevitable juxtaposition of treats and weight-loss diets.
Of course, we should never forget Angus Barbieri who lost 327 g a day on average by fasting, about a third of what is claimed here. He also died very young. While I have not been able to fnd what he died of, I can't help but think that his fast has something to do with it.
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I had to look up that Angus Barbieri. 382 days fasting, 276 pounds lost from 456 to 180. He took vitamins, electrolytes, yeast (for amino acids), and occasionally milk and sugar especially towards the end. That's incredible self control to keep going like that to target weight. He was 27 at the time, and died aged 51.
Don't know if true, but it says here he died of stomach bleeding and obesity. So I'm assuming being 24 years later his death wasn't because of the fast.
If you don't want to click the link I found via reddit,
"We have a discord server where we studied Angus' life. A very good friend of mine in the UK officially requested his death certificate.
The causes of death, if I remember correctly, were:
Stomach bleeding, something else (sorry), and obesity.
We were trying to understand if they put obesity on there just because he was obese decades before, or if he was obese again at that time. But we're pretty sure he put the weight back on. He died in Warwick."
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=216734861 -
zebasschick wrote: »in the early 1990s, when i got into fitness, i read only the men's magazines as the women's always talked about getting toned like it was something other than getting strong and fit.
being fed unrealistic expectations about fitness and weight is nothing new. in older archie comics, they always had archie or the other guys get in shape for sports in a single week, doing workouts that would exhaust anyone. then, a week later - voila! they're in much better shape.
On the same thread where I posted that magazine photo**, I posted a pair of Men's Health and Women's Health magazine special issue covers. Both had the main title "No Gym Required" . . . but the subtitle and cover teasers are very different. Start with the first subtitles: "Body-Weight Workouts You Can Do Anywhere" vs. "Hot-Body Workouts You Can Do Anywhere" (guess which was men, which women
). It gets sillier from there (for my tastes).
You'll have to take my word on this next point, but when I flipped through each, it was pretty much the same exercises in the same order page by page, but with a female vs. male model used in the photos.
** for reference, even though it's not that great a thread:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10751781/wondered-where-people-get-some-of-these-ideas/p1
The photo referenced is part way down page 2.1 -
FWIW, I posted a similar thread over in Debate a couple of years ago, with this as the lead illustration; I think it's worth sharing here for the eye-roll factor:
From my supermarket check-out area, as is probably obvious.
There are a number of things about that magazine cover that are pretty hilarious to me, not least the inevitable juxtaposition of treats and weight-loss diets.
That magazine and Women's Weekly never cease to amaze me. Week after week their covers promise big weight loss, less stress and better sleep. I just wonder how their writers can repackage the same garbage over and over again.2 -
Here are three crazy ones from the past to add to the list to make us feel better that it is not just us who are nuts about weightloss and succumb to scams or unhealthy practices …
Smoking. — i am sure many of us remember smoking being used informally as a tool to keep from eating but cigarettes were actually promoted as diet aids to women. Remember Virginia Slims? My great aunt worked for a Manhattan advertising agency that did tobacco ads (a true mad woman!) and she used to have a candy dish full of loose cigarettes in her apartment to keep her girlish figure.
Tapeworms - I don’t know of anyone who has actually done it but swallowing diet aids that contained viable tapeworm eggs also used to be a thing. My mom tells me I look like I swallowed a tapeworm
The sleeping beauty diet —apparently used by Elvis, the idea is to sleep so you don’t eat, which is logical to a point, but Elvis and other adherents supposedly used to use alcohol in combination with sedatives in order to try to stay asleep for extended periods of time.
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yes, the crazy makers for me particularly are the photos of food treats/feasts right next to the Diet promises that you can eat what you want and lose 2 lbs a week! (think ice cream or pizza diets) lol
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Thank you for that. I knew that report. Since there is no official source, it is to be looked at with some reservations. In addition, I submit (also speculation) that he was possibly still overweight or even obese when he reached his goal weight. When he weighed 82 kg (his reported minimum), he would have had to be about 183 cm tall or more in order to call that a normal weight. Since I have not been able to find out how tall he was, that is pure speculation, but it does seem somewhat unlikely.Retroguy2000 wrote: »I had to look up that Angus Barbieri. 382 days fasting, 276 pounds lost from 456 to 180. He took vitamins, electrolytes, yeast (for amino acids), and occasionally milk and sugar especially towards the end. That's incredible self control to keep going like that to target weight. He was 27 at the time, and died aged 51.
Don't know if true, but it says here he died of stomach bleeding and obesity. So I'm assuming being 24 years later his death wasn't because of the fast.
If you don't want to click the link I found via reddit,
"We have a discord server where we studied Angus' life. A very good friend of mine in the UK officially requested his death certificate.
The causes of death, if I remember correctly, were:
Stomach bleeding, something else (sorry), and obesity.
We were trying to understand if they put obesity on there just because he was obese decades before, or if he was obese again at that time. But we're pretty sure he put the weight back on. He died in Warwick."
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21673486
Second, we should not make the mistake so many people make with AIDS: people do not die of AIDS, they always die for some other immediate reason. However, that condition was caused by AIDS and AIDS is therefore the real cause of death, just not one that can be officially recorded on a death certificate (there are some ways around that, but this is the principle).
In short, while it is fun to speculate (I plead guilty myself) about his cause of death, that is all it is. Also to be taken into account is that starvation is known to lead to subsequent health problems. Not everybody has them, they are not always serious or directly detectable, but there is an association that is unlikely to be coincidental.
Barbieri survived his fast, that much is certain. But, there are also cases of patients who attempted the same or a similar feat and who did not live to tell the tale.
For me, Angus Barbieri is a great story, mainly because it gives an indication of the maximum amount of weight loss extreme energy deprivation can cause and we can be reasonably certain that faster weight loss is not humanly achievable. That is all I read in this story.
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These two come up constantly in my news feed.0 -
springlering62 wrote: »(snip first guy)
These two come up constantly in my news feed.
That 2nd guy looks like a lot of the retired and widowed military doctors (with one-day-old profiles) who keep sending me friend requests on Facebook.5 -
Craving egg custard today. Browsing recipe sites right after New Years is a minefield….
And just because this one blew my mind. Who thought this was “clickbait”. I just wanted to scroll past it fast as I could.
will spare y’all the “get rid of hanging belly fat overnight ” one. They used real raw meat and it was absolutely revolting (says the woman who used to visualize her weight loss holding while holding roasts).
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hurl.... lol1
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Hmm i will take the retired widowed military doctor please instead ….4
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I wish I could share one I just saw, but it was a quick-paced video ad in an online game, so not easy to grab. I refuse to visit or give a link to their web site. I swear what I'm about to describe is true:
It's a fancy ear cuff - jewelry. It looks similar to a finger ring, but with a split on one side of the circle; it fits around the outer edge of one's ear, around the little curved bit. It's quite pretty, in a showy way, with different sparkly metals and pearls or stones. (I'm sure the specific metals and baubles have magical qualities.)
Reportedly, it stimulates a bunch of different acupressure points. In the video, it showed how different women lost many pounds of belly fat, got rid of floppy "bat wings" on their arms, and various other amazing things (each in different women) . . . in just one month, from wearing the sparkly ear cuff.
This is not that ear cuff - not as sparkly, slightly different shape - that fits in the same way, but this one is "only" for weight loss. The other one is much more powerful, says the seller.
I crossed out the vendor name in that photo, but you can do a web search for weight loss ear cuffs and see similar.
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Of course it is true. There are the weirdest claims everywhere. The most terrifying part is that some people actually believe it or are desperate enough to give it a try. Another terrifying thought is that little can be done to actually stop charlatans like this.I wish I could share one I just saw, but it was a quick-paced video ad in an online game, so not easy to grab. I refuse to visit or give a link to their web site. I swear what I'm about to describe is true:
It's a fancy ear cuff - jewelry. It looks similar to a finger ring, but with a split on one side of the circle; it fits around the outer edge of one's ear, around the little curved bit. It's quite pretty, in a showy way, with different sparkly metals and pearls or stones. (I'm sure the specific metals and baubles have magical qualities.)
Reportedly, it stimulates a bunch of different acupressure points. In the video, it showed how different women lost many pounds of belly fat, got rid of floppy "bat wings" on their arms, and various other amazing things (each in different women) . . . in just one month, from wearing the sparkly ear cuff.
This is not that ear cuff - not as sparkly, slightly different shape - that fits in the same way, but this one is "only" for weight loss. The other one is much more powerful, says the seller.
I crossed out the vendor name in that photo, but you can do a web search for weight loss ear cuffs and see similar.
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Remember these?
This is the answer from a Google search, too, btw. 😮3 -
vivmom2014 wrote: »Lose weight without diet or exercise!
(I'm always wondering: okay, so what does that leave, exactly, for a plan? )
Limb amputation. Lose 30 pounds in one second!BartBVanBockstaele wrote: »I have no idea what the *most* ridiculous tip is I have ever had, but "eat when you are hungry until you feel full and satiated" is certainly among my favoured ones. Hunger is what drove me to overeat in the first place. Just because I eliminated the associated stomach pains, nausea and vomiting is not changing that. I have learned to formulate meals that keep hunger at tolerable levels and because of that, I am able to lose and keep it off, while fully realising that the hunger is there to stay until I snuff it.
The people for whom this advice is intended aren't aware enough of their bodies to implement it either. My partner is on the spectrum and has binge eating disorder and in his mind he has two settings -- starving and so full he can't move. Also on a related note people with binge eating disorder can't separate physical hunger from emotional hunger so they won't feel full and satiated until either they are so physically full they can't move, or they feel emotionally satiated. Also I have PCOS which makes me hungry for no reason sometimes. If I ate whenever I was hungry during those times I'd probably be overweight like most people who have PCOS. Instead I just ignore the hunger if I know I ate enough that day. Which causes me to wonder whether people who are not overweight are just better at ignoring hunger than people who are overweight, rather than having any kind of special metabolism or lack of appetite.
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I wish I could share one I just saw, but it was a quick-paced video ad in an online game, so not easy to grab. I refuse to visit or give a link to their web site. I swear what I'm about to describe is true:
It's a fancy ear cuff - jewelry. It looks similar to a finger ring, but with a split on one side of the circle; it fits around the outer edge of one's ear, around the little curved bit. It's quite pretty, in a showy way, with different sparkly metals and pearls or stones. (I'm sure the specific metals and baubles have magical qualities.)
Reportedly, it stimulates a bunch of different acupressure points. In the video, it showed how different women lost many pounds of belly fat, got rid of floppy "bat wings" on their arms, and various other amazing things (each in different women) . . . in just one month, from wearing the sparkly ear cuff.
This is not that ear cuff - not as sparkly, slightly different shape - that fits in the same way, but this one is "only" for weight loss. The other one is much more powerful, says the seller.
I crossed out the vendor name in that photo, but you can do a web search for weight loss ear cuffs and see similar.
I remember that being a HUGE weight loss "trick" years ago. I think I knew probably half a dozen women that got piercings and special earrings because the acupressure was so amazing for weight loss! I guess everything old is new again eventually, eh?1 -
springlering62 wrote: »Remember these?
This is the answer from a Google search, too, btw. 😮
Yes, a la Britney Spears 2002....0 -
We seem to be of one mind on this. I can imagine that some people feel "full and satisfied" at the very instant they have "eaten just enough", but given how biology works, that would seem like an eating disorder they are lucky enough to have rather than a standard feature of the human condition. Biology should always make us hungrier than we need to be in order to motivate us to store some reserves.siberiantarragon wrote: »Instead I just ignore the hunger if I know I ate enough that day. Which causes me to wonder whether people who are not overweight are just better at ignoring hunger than people who are overweight, rather than having any kind of special metabolism or lack of appetite.
The logical outcome would be that all or many/most biological entities overeat to some extent and that overeating is the normal condition. That is also how medicine usually sees it. It is why we talk about an "obesogenic environment". Many –perhaps even most– of us are in a biologically unique position: there is more food than we actually need. And humans are not the only ones to become obese as a result. We see the same problem occurring in dogs and cats, and even –of all things– obese tigers.
It does not come as a surprise to me that overweight is now the normal condition for most industrialised nations and that the developing world is following suit. Hunger was a challenge in the past: people died from it, and many people still do now. However, the industrialised world is dying from hunger again. This time, not because it doesn't have enough food, but because it has to learn to tolerate hunger to a degree that does not cause overweight or obesity.
In the first version, people had no choice and life was harsh. Now we do have a choice. Life is better, but it does come at the price of self-discipline and while unpleasant, it is also necessary.
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Although not for weight loss, my wife's been trying to quit smoking, and saw advertised online these bracelets which are supposed to magically cure her of any desire to smoke.1
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LifeChangz wrote: »paint your kitchen blue.
Lol! I wonder why blue? At least painting burns some calories? 1 -
Reportedly, it stimulates a bunch of different acupressure points. In the video, it showed how different women lost many pounds of belly fat, got rid of floppy "bat wings" on their arms, and various other amazing things (each in different women) . . . in just one month, from wearing the sparkly ear cuff.
Now you're bringing back a memory from 7th grade of a female student who was quite obese, unusual in 1975 as I only remember two overweight kids in my year. She had things that might have been acupuncture needles in each ear that she had to twiddle occasionally. She said they were for weight loss. I assume their effect was supposed to be appetite suppression.
I can't comment on their effectiveness or lack thereof because she went to a different school after grade 7.
The other overweight kid, a boy, slimmed down by the time we entered high school and became quite a hottie. Many years later I met his dad who told me his son made an effort to lose weight by diet and exercise. To support him dad would go running with the son and told me that at times he thought he was going to die but he wanted to help him reach his goals. 4 -
springlering62 wrote: »Remember these?
This is the answer from a Google search, too, btw. 😮
I have heard a doctor recommend tying a string around your waist to remind you to maintain good posture and keep your core engaged. I guess when you slouch the string will feel too tight? (Now I might need to test this out...)1 -
I suppose waist beads might help by making you aware as soon as your waist circumference had increased and therefore prompt you to address creeping weight gain.
can think of easier (and no doubt cheaper! ) ways though1 -
BartBVanBockstaele wrote: »We seem to be of one mind on this. I can imagine that some people feel "full and satisfied" at the very instant they have "eaten just enough", but given how biology works, that would seem like an eating disorder they are lucky enough to have rather than a standard feature of the human condition. Biology should always make us hungrier than we need to be in order to motivate us to store some reserves.
Plus food is so tied up with emotions. In a way it's a drug since it can cause the same pleasurable feelings that a drug causes.
Ironically I ate and drank my feelings tonight and went way over the allotted calories because I was at a memorial for my friend who passed away (even more ironically my friend passed away from a heart attack caused by obesity). It doesn't happen often but I think almost everyone has those moments.And humans are not the only ones to become obese as a result. We see the same problem occurring in dogs and cats, and even –of all things– obese tigers.
This is what I've always said. Even down to pointing out that most household pets are overweight even though they eat different things than we do. Literally even a lot of pet birds and lizards are overweight even though they eat bugs, seeds, and produce. People spend so much time debating what type of food is causing obesity and it isn't the type of food, it's the availability. Post-WWII was the first time in human history where we had wiped out famine in a large part of the world. Even during the 1930s there were still famines in the U.S. As soon as the food supply was stable we saw obesity starting to rise and it went up more and more as more and more food was produced.
Also at least in the U.S. we have always eaten a junk-heavy diet. In the Little House on the Prairie series Laura Ingalls Wilder describes eating all kinds of "unhealthy" foods on a daily basis and in large quantities. Lots of white bread, pies, potatoes, processed meat such as salt pork, cornmeal, etc. The difference was they had to do hard physical labor all day and they also frequently had periods of famine.However, the industrialised world is dying from hunger again. This time, not because it doesn't have enough food, but because it has to learn to tolerate hunger to a degree that does not cause overweight or obesity.
In the first version, people had no choice and life was harsh. Now we do have a choice. Life is better, but it does come at the price of self-discipline and while unpleasant, it is also necessary.
This is such a great way of putting it.The other overweight kid, a boy, slimmed down by the time we entered high school and became quite a hottie. Many years later I met his dad who told me his son made an effort to lose weight by diet and exercise. To support him dad would go running with the son and told me that at times he thought he was going to die but he wanted to help him reach his goals.
My partner was overweight his whole childhood and slimmed down in high school by doing Tae Bo exercise videos at home...so 90s LOL. His weight still goes up and down due to binge eating but he also still exercises a lot.
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