re: #257 withak

This is a pretty fascinating read:

nytimes.com

As someone who’s lost a moderate amount of weight, regained most of it, and is now struggling to lose it again, it makes a lot of sense.

I guess it’s not surprising that their metabolism slows, if it was running in the normal range when they were so much heavier. Now their bodies think they’re starving.

I’m curious about the variables. For example, the people in The Biggest Loser are all >100# over an ‘ideal’ weight, and many have been obese since childhood. Then you have folks like me, who are 30-50# overweight, but were skinny kids who got larger in adulthood.

I lost 30# two years ago, calorie counting and riding more. I’ve gained 20 of it back, but I know where it’s coming from - lack of riding and too many treats. So back to the calorie counting and riding.

I made the mistake of looking at a thread on a bike forum, asking why so many cyclists have potbellies, which led to a long thread full of naturally skinny people blaming heavier riders for not working hard, and heavier riders telling them where to get off. So much of this is genetic or biology in one way or another, and often I find the skinny folks who eat whatever they want and don’t exercise all that much are self-righteous about it. It’s like feeling a sense of accomplishment for being tall.