I burned 1,000 calories while playing eq this morning

[Rager and Quitter]

Originally Posted by pink grapefruit [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Genetic metabolic anomalies can be quantified to an extent already, but no matter what it's always going to be, "do what works for you."

A portion of that book I mentioned spends some time discussing professional athletes, and in particular, the subset of that population that are genetic outliers in terms of metabolic expenditure. Pontzer's hypothesis is that many top-level endurance athletes would have high metabolic expenditure even living sedentary lifestyles, rather than the metabolic expenditure being high due to all the exercise. He doesn't suggest that everyone is the same, but rather that an adult individual's total energy expenditure is relatively consistent regardless of activity level- until around age 60, and with the understanding that certain pathologies can affect this as well.

There are many genetic factors that influence level of adiposity, and obviously energy expenditure ("high" vs "low" metabolism) is one of them, but I currently believe that this one factor gets too much credit. A factor deserving more consideration is imo genetic variation of hunger/satiation cues. A simple example of this being genetic differences in production of (or responsiveness to) ghrelin (the "hunger hormone") and leptin (the "satiation hormone").

There are of course also factors beyond the genetic- including social, psychological, environmental, etc. that all affect adiposity. Each individual is unique, and we all need individualized approaches to support our health. In light of our modern food environment, aggressive treatment with prescription medications, psychotherapy, and dietetic consultation may all be required for many to maintain a healthy weight.

I feel like telling someone with adiposity-based chronic disease to "eat less and move more" is about as effective as telling a person with major depression to "cheer up."

I'll openly admit that I actually read very little of what you wrote, but I will say as someone that was rather large when I was younger from eating more and moving less, I found a plethora of excuses as to why I was the size I was, but until I woke up an realized that I needed to change my diet and become more active, nothing changed.

Sure, there are many reasons why someone is the size they are, but there are too many convenient excuses and too many enabling voices that may be coming from a place of compassion, but all result in the continuity of detrimental health. Eating healthier (by whatever degree possible) and becoming more active (by whatever degree possible) is far more beneficial to the person than to suggest they're just the way they are, and that's what it is.

Nothing is more empowering than an individuals making significant life changes and seeing the result of those changes regardless of the starting or ending point. I'm now in the mid-teens percentage body fat, I can lift heavy weights with the big boys, and my body has never looked or felt better. Empowering people to make whatever changes are right for them in the direction of more healthy living should be the primary goal, regardless of the economic or genetic hurdles they might face.

No more excuses. No more complacency.