15 ms·

There’s amusing statistics that show that if you’re out of shape and a smoker, you get a bigger bang for the buck from getting in shape first than quitting smok

by lovecg 2y ago

There’s amusing statistics that show that if you’re out of shape and a smoker, you get a bigger bang for the buck from getting in shape first than quitting smoking. Disclaimer: not an endorsement of smoking.

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
arendtio 2y ago
How much time do you have to get into shape? When it takes 50 years, the statistic probably doesn't hold because you will be dead by then due to the negative influence of smoking on your health.
- wrycoder 2y ago
  It only takes a few months to make substantial gains in c-v fitness.
  - kccqzy 2y ago
    Define substantial. I find that incredible. EDIT: Now that I've seen the replies, I realize that this is from a very low baseline. I'm personally going to the gym four to five days a week already and my own cardiovascular fitness has not seen much of an improvement in many months.
    - hnick 2y ago
      One example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couch_to_5K https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couch_to_5K 9 weeks. I have basic fitness but have never been close to completing a 5km run (I think I finally realised I have breathing issues - seeing an ENT soon).
    - s1artibartfast 2y ago
      Not a source, but it tracks for me. Walk, jog, or run daily and you will have massive CV improvement from baseline in 3 months. people can and do go from being exhausted walking to their car to being capable running many miles in an incredibly short time. The typical human body is very responsive when pushed.
      - WalterBright 2y ago
        The heart, lungs, and muscles get strong fast. But the bones and tendons take more time. It's best to give them time so you don't wind up with shin splints, etc.
    - elijaht 2y ago
      It’s true. Between myself and some close friends I have seen the following in ~6 months: - unable to run -> run a 10k - increase of ~50% in a all out 20 minute cycling test - max mile time 9min->6:30min The human body can make incredible cardiovascular leaps when starting from a relatively low point
    - hamandcheese 2y ago
      I went from having not run in years to running a 5k in about 2 months. I was obese when I hit that goal, though I recently graduated to being merely overweight. My VO2 max as reported by my Apple Watch has been making steady gains, though I'm still far below average for my age. I didn't train hard, just consistently.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
    - Jimmc414 2y ago
      n=1, but I can personally attest to going from average sedentary 29 year old to marathon running shape in roughly 3 weeks of continuous hiking 8 to 10 hours a day in the Appalachian mountains with a pack that was about 35% of my body weight.
      - TylerE 2y ago
        I have a hard time believing that a truly sedentary person could do that.
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
    - EasyMark 2y ago
      the only way I was able to improve mine was to use interval training to get my heart rate up. It took a few months but going from a walk to sprint levels on my elliptical did wonders after a while. Observing my heart rate carefully of course.
    - SamPatt 2y ago
      It's the same with lifting and adding muscle mass. If you've never lifted before and you hit the gym consistently and have the proper diet, you will get some serious "newb gains." The first year can be amazing. But if you've lifted seriously for a decade, it's totally different. Muscle mass is very hard to add now. Cardio gains from a coach potato introducing a serious routine will be incredible. I went from not being able to run more than 30 seconds to running a 5k in 4-5 months, and that's without pushing myself extremely hard.
      - pepa65 2y ago
        Why would you want to add muscle mass when you've lifted seriously for a decade?
        SamPatt 2y ago
        Many bodybuilders are aiming to add as much muscle mass as their genetic potential allows, which can take more than a decade. The point is about how the body adapts.
    - Mawr 2y ago
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns
  - refurb 2y ago
    This is very true. Long ago I started biking to work, and biking really hard - basically making the best time I could. The first few weeks, at the end of a 10 minute sprint, my heart would be racing and I would be out of breath for 5 minutes after arrival. I was amazed after 2 months of doing the same thing I wasn't out of breath, it took maybe 1 minute for my heart rate to slow back down.
- dopidopHN 2y ago
  A bit less than a year ? And also I made friends along the way.
- s1artibartfast 2y ago
  Its not cardiovasuclar, but the top 2 causes of death in the US are tied to obesity, which takes zero time to reduce. You just have to not eat, which is actually time positive. Most humans are just incredibly bad at impulse control.
  - bagels 2y ago
    It can take months to go from obese to not obese through calorie restriction
    - s1artibartfast 2y ago
      Of course. I was responding to the time spent (out of ones day), opposed to calendar days of not eating. That said, people can make pretty rapid weight loss without eating. skip eating 1 day a week and that is 30 lbs a year for an average obese man. skip 2 days/week and that is 60 lbs/year.
      - jagraff 2y ago
        Those numbers are assuming someone who skips a day of eating doesn’t increase their calorie consumption on other days to compensate
        davorak 2y ago
        And keep track of the calories in the meals they do eat to make sure they are not compensating is going to take nonzero time.
        aidenn0 2y ago
        Exactly; when I fast for 24 hours, I feel a compulsion to consume every single calorie within a 3 block radius afterwards.
        WalterBright 2y ago
        People who do this regularly tell me it gets a lot easier after a while.
rTX5CMRXIfFG 2y ago
That sounds like the sort of stuff you’d remember because it validates what you already want to believe
- darth_avocado 2y ago
  Smoking does reduce appetite and therefore can help in weight loss/getting in shape. (I don’t smoke)
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - EasyMark 2y ago
    I have definitely seen more than a few smokers who quit gain weight, no idea if it's picking up a new addiction or if the smoking subdued their hunger pangs, or some combination thereof.
    - TylerE 2y ago
      Nicotine is absolutely scientifically known to be an appetite suppressant.
  - thefz 2y ago
    Getting rid of all the tar and chemicals takes a significant daily toll on the body, which has a definite caloric cost.
- nradov 2y ago
  That sounds like the sort of stuff that is completely correct. Low fitness is significantly more risky than smoking. (I am not suggesting that anyone start or continue smoking.) https://peterattiamd.com/all-things-vo2-max/ https://peterattiamd.com/all-things-vo2-max/
  - llm_trw 2y ago
    It's pretty funny seeing people today seethe about the obvious (being unfit is terrible for you) the same way people in the 1970s were seething about the obvious (smoking is bad for you). There is a reason why life expectancy was dropping in the US years before covid hit.
m3kw9 2y ago
Getting back to the baseline isn’t a bonus
- Broken_Hippo 2y ago
  It most definitely is a bonus if you aren't there now.
m463 2y ago
reminds me of the bicycle helmet stuff. There was a ted talk that said bicycle helmet laws would kill more people than save. The reasoning was preventing people from riding would also prevent increased fitness, and more lives were lost from that than saved from accidents. EDIT: I think this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07o-TASvIxY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07o-TASvIxY
- AbbeSomething 2y ago
  This sounds ridiculous until you go to Amsterdam see that few wear helmets there. And everyone is cycling. They might be more inclined to cycle because they don’t need to wear a helmet. After years of cycling with helmet you get so used to it and it doesn’t bother you. But how many skip the bike because they never got used to wearing a helmet?
  - kanbara 2y ago
    more like because it’s safe and there are penalties for injuring pedestrians and cyclists, and because the infrastructure is great. not riding a bike because a helmet is ??uncomfortable?? is ridiculous and probably self-selecting
    - Gigachad 2y ago
      Is it that ridiculous? Big tech tracking shows that basically any inconvenience at all causes people to drop off. The page taking half a second longer to load and now you’ve lost a few sales. There isn’t going to be anyone consciously thinking “I’m not gonna ride because I have to wear a helmet” but instead “eh I can’t be bothered riding” without digging too much in to why.
    - eimrine 2y ago
      [flagged]
      - lambdaphagy 2y ago
        I'm a pretty proficient cyclist (lifetime mileage in the tens of thousands) but there have still been a handful of incidents where I've been very grateful to have had a helmet. It might be the case that helmets are a net negative for casual riders. But whenever I've done a spontaneous unplanned dismount at 20mph I didn't find that knowing how to fall helped me much.

by lovecg 2y ago

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

arendtio 2y ago

How much time do you have to get into shape? When it takes 50 years, the statistic probably doesn't hold because you will be dead by then due to the negative influence of smoking on your health.

wrycoder 2y ago
It only takes a few months to make substantial gains in c-v fitness.
- kccqzy 2y ago
  Define substantial. I find that incredible. EDIT: Now that I've seen the replies, I realize that this is from a very low baseline. I'm personally going to the gym four to five days a week already and my own cardiovascular fitness has not seen much of an improvement in many months.
  - hnick 2y ago
    One example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couch_to_5K https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couch_to_5K 9 weeks. I have basic fitness but have never been close to completing a 5km run (I think I finally realised I have breathing issues - seeing an ENT soon).
  - s1artibartfast 2y ago
    Not a source, but it tracks for me. Walk, jog, or run daily and you will have massive CV improvement from baseline in 3 months. people can and do go from being exhausted walking to their car to being capable running many miles in an incredibly short time. The typical human body is very responsive when pushed.
    - WalterBright 2y ago
      The heart, lungs, and muscles get strong fast. But the bones and tendons take more time. It's best to give them time so you don't wind up with shin splints, etc.
  - elijaht 2y ago
    It’s true. Between myself and some close friends I have seen the following in ~6 months: - unable to run -> run a 10k - increase of ~50% in a all out 20 minute cycling test - max mile time 9min->6:30min The human body can make incredible cardiovascular leaps when starting from a relatively low point
  - hamandcheese 2y ago
    I went from having not run in years to running a 5k in about 2 months. I was obese when I hit that goal, though I recently graduated to being merely overweight. My VO2 max as reported by my Apple Watch has been making steady gains, though I'm still far below average for my age. I didn't train hard, just consistently.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - Jimmc414 2y ago
    n=1, but I can personally attest to going from average sedentary 29 year old to marathon running shape in roughly 3 weeks of continuous hiking 8 to 10 hours a day in the Appalachian mountains with a pack that was about 35% of my body weight.
    - TylerE 2y ago
      I have a hard time believing that a truly sedentary person could do that.
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
  - EasyMark 2y ago
    the only way I was able to improve mine was to use interval training to get my heart rate up. It took a few months but going from a walk to sprint levels on my elliptical did wonders after a while. Observing my heart rate carefully of course.
  - SamPatt 2y ago
    It's the same with lifting and adding muscle mass. If you've never lifted before and you hit the gym consistently and have the proper diet, you will get some serious "newb gains." The first year can be amazing. But if you've lifted seriously for a decade, it's totally different. Muscle mass is very hard to add now. Cardio gains from a coach potato introducing a serious routine will be incredible. I went from not being able to run more than 30 seconds to running a 5k in 4-5 months, and that's without pushing myself extremely hard.
    - pepa65 2y ago
      Why would you want to add muscle mass when you've lifted seriously for a decade?
      - SamPatt 2y ago
        Many bodybuilders are aiming to add as much muscle mass as their genetic potential allows, which can take more than a decade. The point is about how the body adapts.
  - Mawr 2y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns
- refurb 2y ago
  This is very true. Long ago I started biking to work, and biking really hard - basically making the best time I could. The first few weeks, at the end of a 10 minute sprint, my heart would be racing and I would be out of breath for 5 minutes after arrival. I was amazed after 2 months of doing the same thing I wasn't out of breath, it took maybe 1 minute for my heart rate to slow back down.
dopidopHN 2y ago
A bit less than a year ? And also I made friends along the way.
s1artibartfast 2y ago
Its not cardiovasuclar, but the top 2 causes of death in the US are tied to obesity, which takes zero time to reduce. You just have to not eat, which is actually time positive. Most humans are just incredibly bad at impulse control.
- bagels 2y ago
  It can take months to go from obese to not obese through calorie restriction
  - s1artibartfast 2y ago
    Of course. I was responding to the time spent (out of ones day), opposed to calendar days of not eating. That said, people can make pretty rapid weight loss without eating. skip eating 1 day a week and that is 30 lbs a year for an average obese man. skip 2 days/week and that is 60 lbs/year.
    - jagraff 2y ago
      Those numbers are assuming someone who skips a day of eating doesn’t increase their calorie consumption on other days to compensate
      - davorak 2y ago
        And keep track of the calories in the meals they do eat to make sure they are not compensating is going to take nonzero time.
      - aidenn0 2y ago
        Exactly; when I fast for 24 hours, I feel a compulsion to consume every single calorie within a 3 block radius afterwards.
        WalterBright 2y ago
        People who do this regularly tell me it gets a lot easier after a while.

rTX5CMRXIfFG 2y ago

That sounds like the sort of stuff you’d remember because it validates what you already want to believe

darth_avocado 2y ago
Smoking does reduce appetite and therefore can help in weight loss/getting in shape. (I don’t smoke)
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- EasyMark 2y ago
  I have definitely seen more than a few smokers who quit gain weight, no idea if it's picking up a new addiction or if the smoking subdued their hunger pangs, or some combination thereof.
  - TylerE 2y ago
    Nicotine is absolutely scientifically known to be an appetite suppressant.
- thefz 2y ago
  Getting rid of all the tar and chemicals takes a significant daily toll on the body, which has a definite caloric cost.
nradov 2y ago
That sounds like the sort of stuff that is completely correct. Low fitness is significantly more risky than smoking. (I am not suggesting that anyone start or continue smoking.) https://peterattiamd.com/all-things-vo2-max/ https://peterattiamd.com/all-things-vo2-max/
- llm_trw 2y ago
  It's pretty funny seeing people today seethe about the obvious (being unfit is terrible for you) the same way people in the 1970s were seething about the obvious (smoking is bad for you). There is a reason why life expectancy was dropping in the US years before covid hit.

m3kw9 2y ago

Getting back to the baseline isn’t a bonus

Broken_Hippo 2y ago
It most definitely is a bonus if you aren't there now.

m463 2y ago

reminds me of the bicycle helmet stuff. There was a ted talk that said bicycle helmet laws would kill more people than save. The reasoning was preventing people from riding would also prevent increased fitness, and more lives were lost from that than saved from accidents. EDIT: I think this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07o-TASvIxY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07o-TASvIxY

AbbeSomething 2y ago
This sounds ridiculous until you go to Amsterdam see that few wear helmets there. And everyone is cycling. They might be more inclined to cycle because they don’t need to wear a helmet. After years of cycling with helmet you get so used to it and it doesn’t bother you. But how many skip the bike because they never got used to wearing a helmet?
- kanbara 2y ago
  more like because it’s safe and there are penalties for injuring pedestrians and cyclists, and because the infrastructure is great. not riding a bike because a helmet is ??uncomfortable?? is ridiculous and probably self-selecting
  - Gigachad 2y ago
    Is it that ridiculous? Big tech tracking shows that basically any inconvenience at all causes people to drop off. The page taking half a second longer to load and now you’ve lost a few sales. There isn’t going to be anyone consciously thinking “I’m not gonna ride because I have to wear a helmet” but instead “eh I can’t be bothered riding” without digging too much in to why.
  - eimrine 2y ago
    [flagged]
    - lambdaphagy 2y ago
      I'm a pretty proficient cyclist (lifetime mileage in the tens of thousands) but there have still been a handful of incidents where I've been very grateful to have had a helmet. It might be the case that helmets are a net negative for casual riders. But whenever I've done a spontaneous unplanned dismount at 20mph I didn't find that knowing how to fall helped me much.