NY Times on Calorie Deficit

Over43 · Post by **Over43** » Mon Jun 15, 2015 3:29 pm

I came across this, this morning, at work, applicable:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/16/upsho ... pe=article

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Tue Jun 16, 2015 8:35 am

Thank you Over43! I love reading articles about these things

r.jean · Post by **r.jean** » Tue Jun 16, 2015 12:55 pm

I also read or at least scan many articles about health, eating, etc. I enjoy all the different perspectives and interpretations. I have never been much for diet books, but articles are fun. The only diet book I ever read all the way through is No S.

Over43 · Post by **Over43** » Tue Jun 16, 2015 9:05 pm

I have read many all the way through, you are not missing much.

I do like the author's take on The Biggest Loser. I believe someday, they will kill someone. And, I think the TV watcher in the States is becoming somewhat sadistic. I think the appeal is watching fit, attractive trainers verbally abuse those folks. Some type of strange satisfaction.

But like article says, we would not watch it if we just watched people eat reduced calories during the day.

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Thu Jun 18, 2015 11:24 pm

When I used to surrender to watching some infomercial on an exercise system for weight loss, I spent most of my time silently talking to the screen about how they don't show how important the dietary changes were for the successes. People will say all kinds of laudatory things when asked to be on camera or to comment publicly. They don't tell the whole truth, but they chalk it up to being positive.

I keep wishing there would some kind of competition between Reinhard and one of these weight loss shows. Reinhard's sections would eschew drama, etc. and use humor and kindness. It would be lighthearted and wryly rational. The contrasting drama would keep the voyeurs around. But there'd have to be an element of who could keep the greatest number of contestants participating and on overall satisfaction rather than on who lost the most weight the fastest.

Though I have to say on BL recently there was a much kinder, in my opinion, trainer, but in the early weeks, his team kept losing... I didn't have the patience to watch the whole season.

I think a show COULD get an audience if they spent more time on following the eating AND on looking at how people end up spending the time freed up from overeating. It would look at the whole picture. People who lose and keep it off will often talk about the changes to their eating and in exercise, but I maintain that there are more changes to how many people spend other time as well that is almost as important, not necessarily to weight loss, but to maintaining the habits. They often find greater satisfaction in other areas as well.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Fri Jun 19, 2015 9:01 am

I agree oolala, it would be brilliant to see the whole picture. Nearly a documentary where people are filmed daily over a few months and then check in a few times over the years. That would be brilliant.

There is a show I love similar maybe to the biggest loser in that it mainly works with exercise but it's much more well rounded. It's one personal trainer who has incredible insight and the right mixture of tough love and kindness to get to what really holds people back. Plus, while I think the exercise is a ridiculous strain on people they are literally checked by doctors completely before doing anything: http://www.sky.com/tv/show/fat-the-fight-of-my-life

I am fascinated by that show. He does focus on food too but it doesn't get the same screen time as the exercise. It's filmed over months and months. He works with morbidly obese people which is also interesting.

But then: they'd probably be able to lose nearly as much not doing the exercise but I think that's kind of what keeps them motivated as often it's the only time they leave the house, really.

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Fri Jun 19, 2015 6:46 pm

The trainer on "your" program, eschano, is Jesse Pavelka, the newest trainer on Biggest Loser. He's the one who was kinder but his people kept getting booted off for not losing enough weight! I LOVED him, and not just because he is heart-palpatatingly gorgeous. I read an interview with him and he said he started as just a trainer, but when he started working with patients who had had bariatric surgery, his ideas changed. He didn't say exactly how, but I got the impression that he became more sympathetic to their struggles, and to the fact that it had to be about a doable lifestyle, and not just to be cosmetically thin. Most bariatric patients won't get there, but their health will be improved dramatically with much more modest losses.

Here are some short excerpt from interviews:
Interviewer on a show Pavelka starred in called Diet Tribe: I'm so not a fan of the scale - I know you put a lot of emphasis on the weigh-in, and I understand the importance of this when you are looking for extreme fat loss. We all know muscle weighs more than fat, so do you incorporate a different way to measure results later once the extreme fat-loss has been achieved?

[ JP ] I don't like using anything to be honest with you. If you're working out and doing what you gotta do, you're going to get results. A lot of people get obsessed with the scale, it's unhealthy. It's not about a number.

Other interviewer: The work youâ€™ve done on â€œDiet Tribeâ€ and â€œObese: A Year to Save My Lifeâ€ is truly amazing. What do you think is the most important piece of advice you could give someone looking to get in shape?
JP: Fall in love with the feeling it gives you and the freedom you get with your body. Too many people jump in and want to just lose weight, but then find that weight loss eventually stops. Fall in love with the feeling and enjoy the freedom it gives you.

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Sun Jun 21, 2015 3:30 am

Love that oolala about the scale and not focusing on a number but rather the feeling of being fit. I really needed to hear that today. Time to do some thinking!

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 11:19 am

Thank you so much for finding that oolala! So funny that we were talking about the same guy. I do think his way leads to more sustainable weight loss. Kinder is better in my books

Thanks also for the interview you found and the quotes! Love them.

You totally made my day with this.