4 ms·

I think the thing is that different people are, well, different. I talked about this a few weeks ago[1], but for me losing and maintaining weight actually is q

by arp242 1y ago

I think the thing is that different people are, well, different. I talked about this a few weeks ago[1], but for me losing and maintaining weight actually is quite easy. I foresee no problems maintaining weight going forward because I managed to do that for 25 years without really paying much attention to it, and can easily identify the source of my weight gain. Even losing weight is just a few relatively simple adjustments to my diet. But the reality for other people is very different. Because I never had problems with my weight before I never really paid much attention to any of these discussion until a few months ago. I've been a bit surprised at the amount of aggression in some of these discussions at times (including on HN). It seems to me that people with different bodies and experiences are just talking past each other, and in addition to that there is a section of rather unpleasant people who are so high up on their moral high horse that they've become hypoxic. [1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44554154 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44554154

theshrike79 1y ago
> But the reality for other people is very different. "Food noise" is the term people use nowadays. Basically I'm always thinking about food. Always. It's a source of dopamine for me - I have others, but food is a constant. It's like trying to get off a drug, but you still need to take that drug 3-5 times a day to not die. Then there are people for whom food is just fuel. They can just ... stop eating. Or eat less. Food doesn't give them any pleasure, it's just a thing they have to consume to not die.
- arp242 1y ago
  > Food doesn't give them any pleasure, it's just a thing they have to consume to not die. There are very few, if any, people like that; almost everyone enjoys nice food. The major exception being people with eating disorders.
- anon373839 1y ago
  Changing the composition of your diet will do much to quiet this noise. If you’re eating a high protein diet with lots of fibrous vegetables, you will likely end up eating more food with fewer calories overall. And this type of food is very satiating - sometimes to the point that lack of appetite can be an issue.
  - Fire-Dragon-DoL 1y ago
    No, unfortunately. I eat a very healthy diet and still struggle.
    - anon373839 1y ago
      Hm. A "healthy" diet is a somewhat slippery concept. There are lots of diets that are healthy, but not optimal for supporting fat loss. Are you building each meal around a significant lean protein source, with a total protein intake somewhere in the vicinity of 0.8+ g/lb. of your goal body weight? And then for the remaining calories that are not protein, are you minimizing high calorie density foods (oils, butter, sugar, breads, pasta, etc.) and maximizing low calorie density foods (quinoa, oats, sweet potato, etc.)? And then finally, are you at a calorie intake that is 80-85% of your TDEE, and not lower? Usually, this kind of diet plan results in eating a large volume of food that alleviates physiological hunger. Granted, it's not the kind of food that lights up most people's reward pathways. If you're fending off cravings for sweet treats and stuff, there are different strategies you can try to help with those. Sometimes it is best to just cut them out for a time, until the "addiction" breaks. But you can also try penciling them in at infrequent, scheduled intervals in highly regulated amounts.
      - Fire-Dragon-DoL 1y ago
        I like everything you mentioned, no concern for me. Usually what kills me is my wife being very good at cooking (a blessing and a curse), along with infinite hunger when I sleep 6 hours instead of 9 (it happens). The other thing is variety. If I keep eating the same stuff over and over, it becomes a problem. Right bow I eat the following at most meals: 1 avocado (150g), 2 tomatoes, lettuce, 60g of greek yogurt, mustard, 200g egg white. That's 450 calories for lunch and 450 for dinner. Very filling. For snack I eat 1 nectarine + 60g of greek yogurt and 20g of honey (1 spoon). This is very sweet and basically stops any craving for sweet, which is why I made the exception. It's high quality raw honey. I do have 3 snacks per day usually, but it depends, sometimes one. When I mess up big usually I eat very out of the line (e. g. A party) and then I'm still hungry after eating easily 3000 calories in one meal. This happens quite easily on the weekend unfortunately. I have been losing weight with the previous diet though. I discovered it 3 weeks ago. It's about 90g of proteins per day, but I'm 80Kg, so under the numbers you reported. Oh, at breakfast I eat 1 cup of milk with quinoa puffs (17g), which is about 180 calories total

by arp242 1y ago

theshrike79 1y ago

> But the reality for other people is very different. "Food noise" is the term people use nowadays. Basically I'm always thinking about food. Always. It's a source of dopamine for me - I have others, but food is a constant. It's like trying to get off a drug, but you still need to take that drug 3-5 times a day to not die. Then there are people for whom food is just fuel. They can just ... stop eating. Or eat less. Food doesn't give them any pleasure, it's just a thing they have to consume to not die.

arp242 1y ago
> Food doesn't give them any pleasure, it's just a thing they have to consume to not die. There are very few, if any, people like that; almost everyone enjoys nice food. The major exception being people with eating disorders.
anon373839 1y ago
Changing the composition of your diet will do much to quiet this noise. If you’re eating a high protein diet with lots of fibrous vegetables, you will likely end up eating more food with fewer calories overall. And this type of food is very satiating - sometimes to the point that lack of appetite can be an issue.
- Fire-Dragon-DoL 1y ago
  No, unfortunately. I eat a very healthy diet and still struggle.
  - anon373839 1y ago
    Hm. A "healthy" diet is a somewhat slippery concept. There are lots of diets that are healthy, but not optimal for supporting fat loss. Are you building each meal around a significant lean protein source, with a total protein intake somewhere in the vicinity of 0.8+ g/lb. of your goal body weight? And then for the remaining calories that are not protein, are you minimizing high calorie density foods (oils, butter, sugar, breads, pasta, etc.) and maximizing low calorie density foods (quinoa, oats, sweet potato, etc.)? And then finally, are you at a calorie intake that is 80-85% of your TDEE, and not lower? Usually, this kind of diet plan results in eating a large volume of food that alleviates physiological hunger. Granted, it's not the kind of food that lights up most people's reward pathways. If you're fending off cravings for sweet treats and stuff, there are different strategies you can try to help with those. Sometimes it is best to just cut them out for a time, until the "addiction" breaks. But you can also try penciling them in at infrequent, scheduled intervals in highly regulated amounts.
    - Fire-Dragon-DoL 1y ago
      I like everything you mentioned, no concern for me. Usually what kills me is my wife being very good at cooking (a blessing and a curse), along with infinite hunger when I sleep 6 hours instead of 9 (it happens). The other thing is variety. If I keep eating the same stuff over and over, it becomes a problem. Right bow I eat the following at most meals: 1 avocado (150g), 2 tomatoes, lettuce, 60g of greek yogurt, mustard, 200g egg white. That's 450 calories for lunch and 450 for dinner. Very filling. For snack I eat 1 nectarine + 60g of greek yogurt and 20g of honey (1 spoon). This is very sweet and basically stops any craving for sweet, which is why I made the exception. It's high quality raw honey. I do have 3 snacks per day usually, but it depends, sometimes one. When I mess up big usually I eat very out of the line (e. g. A party) and then I'm still hungry after eating easily 3000 calories in one meal. This happens quite easily on the weekend unfortunately. I have been losing weight with the previous diet though. I discovered it 3 weeks ago. It's about 90g of proteins per day, but I'm 80Kg, so under the numbers you reported. Oh, at breakfast I eat 1 cup of milk with quinoa puffs (17g), which is about 180 calories total