Letter from Jess Meyers

Jean-Paul Roy wrote:
And to think we were supposed to talk about ****in airplane

Dude, you need to subscribe to rec.aviation.fetish for that conversation.



--
http://www.ernest.isa-geek.org/
"Ignorance is mankinds normal state,
alleviated by information and experience."
Veeduber

I scrounged through the recycle bin until I found last month's Reader's
Digest (July) and re-read the article on "Beating the Urge to Eat" by Peter
Jaret. Several interesting items caught my attention.

1. A hormone called leptin signals the brain to supress appetite - "Hey,
Dude, quit eating. You're full!".

2. 85 to 90 percent of obese people DO NOT have a deficiency of leptin.
Their bodies have become resistant to its effects. This is much like Type II
diabetes where the body has plenty of insulin but is insulin resistant.

3. An excess of triglycerides may contribute to leptin resistance.

4. An enzyme called SCD-1 - controlled by leptin - is used by the body to
create fat cells. Delete the gene that makes SCD-1 (in mice) and they can
pig out on Twinkies and beer without gaining weight.

5. Another culprit that may make you chubby is a virus, AD-36.

6. Base level activity can vary up to 500 calories/day. Notice how some
people constantly twitch? Low or high metabolism is hereditary, but they're
working on metabolism boosting substances.

The article closes with, "Patients used to blame being overweight on glands
and hormones, and we doctors would say, 'It's not hormones, it's calories,'
" says Banks. "Now we know hormones *are* involved." . . ."People can diet
and lose 10 or 15 pounds. But real obesity isn't a willpower problem,. It's
a medical problem."

Environment, heredity, hormones, cholesterols, viruses - all may play a
part. There is no simple answer to weight control. Sure, you can force a
human to starve to death, but that is not an answer. We need a way for
people to control weight that is workable. I'm currently fighting the fat
with the South Beach diet. It's probably no better or worse than Atkins,
Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. But any time you starting trying to control
what, and how much you eat, it's bound to make a difference. I'm down
fifteen pounds in a month. I might gain it back and then again I might lose
fifteen more. But *right now* I am fifteen pounds less. My feet thank me.

Rich S.

Rich S. wrote:

I scrounged through the recycle bin until I found last month's Reader's
Digest (July) and re-read the article on "Beating the Urge to Eat" by Peter
Jaret. Several interesting items caught my attention.

1. A hormone called leptin signals the brain to supress appetite - "Hey,
Dude, quit eating. You're full!".

2. 85 to 90 percent of obese people DO NOT have a deficiency of leptin.
Their bodies have become resistant to its effects. This is much like Type II
diabetes where the body has plenty of insulin but is insulin resistant.

3. An excess of triglycerides may contribute to leptin resistance.

4. An enzyme called SCD-1 - controlled by leptin - is used by the body to
create fat cells. Delete the gene that makes SCD-1 (in mice) and they can
pig out on Twinkies and beer without gaining weight.

5. Another culprit that may make you chubby is a virus, AD-36.

6. Base level activity can vary up to 500 calories/day. Notice how some
people constantly twitch? Low or high metabolism is hereditary, but they're
working on metabolism boosting substances.

The article closes with, "Patients used to blame being overweight on glands
and hormones, and we doctors would say, 'It's not hormones, it's calories,'
" says Banks. "Now we know hormones *are* involved." . . ."People can diet
and lose 10 or 15 pounds. But real obesity isn't a willpower problem,. It's
a medical problem."

I still don't buy it. If it is a medical problem, why did it just occur
in the last 20-30 years and not 500 or 1000 years ago? I believe it is
our sedentary lifestyle combined with simply eating for recreation
rather than sustenance.


Matt

"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...

I still don't buy it. If it is a medical problem, why did it just occur
in the last 20-30 years and not 500 or 1000 years ago? I believe it is
our sedentary lifestyle combined with simply eating for recreation
rather than sustenance.

Well Matt, you must have some definitive evidence for your firmly held
belief. I would be glad to read about it. Perhaps you could give us some
reference, assuming it is not a divine revelation. :-)

Rich "Willing to listen" S.

Rich S. wrote:

"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...

I still don't buy it. If it is a medical problem, why did it just occur
in the last 20-30 years and not 500 or 1000 years ago? I believe it is
our sedentary lifestyle combined with simply eating for recreation
rather than sustenance.


Well Matt, you must have some definitive evidence for your firmly held
belief. I would be glad to read about it. Perhaps you could give us some
reference, assuming it is not a divine revelation. :-)

Nope, simply observation over time, knowing from labor statistics the
kinds of jobs we have now compared to 30 or 40 years ago. We have fewer
farm, manufacturing, heavy labor, etc., jobs and more desk jobs, service
jobs, etc. Also, I've yet to see any evidence that humans have evolved
genetically in a dramatic way in such a short period of time.

Also, our society in general seems to be much less inclined to take
personal responsibility for anything and wants to blame someone else for
all of their ills. Look at the proliferation of law suits regarding
insane things like spilling coffee in your lap, getting fat on Oreos,
smoking cigarettes, etc. I think obesity is the same way. People
simply are eating too much (myself included) and exercising too little
(again, myself included) and that is why we are fat. However, few want
to admit that and take the action required to address it. It is much
easier to blame something or someone else.

I'm trying to address it and having some success. I joined a health
club 6 months ago and began a weight and cardio routine. I have been
slacking a little now that it is summer, however, I've been adding
bicycling. I rode 25 miles yesterday over hilly PA roads (took nearly
two hours). I've lost about 14 lbs. in 6 months, which is painfully
slow to me, but my doctor suggested that 2 lbs. a month is about right
and lets your body slowly adapt to the new weight. Like he said, "You
didn't gain the weight in 6 months so you shouldn't expect to lose it in
6 months."

Matt

Nope, simply observation over time, knowing from labor statistics the
kinds of jobs we have now compared to 30 or 40 years ago. We have fewer
farm, manufacturing, heavy labor, etc., jobs and more desk jobs, service
jobs, etc. Also, I've yet to see any evidence that humans have evolved
genetically in a dramatic way in such a short period of time.

Matt
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My observations over time...


1. IF YOU EAT MORE THAN YOU BURN....

YOU WEAR IT.


2. Exercise is great for cardiovascular improvement,
but one can easily eat more than can be exercised away.


3. My doctor sez....

Put whatever you desire on your plate,
then slide half of it off and you will lose weight.



Barnyard BOb -

Barnyard BOb - wrote:

My observations over time...

1. IF YOU EAT MORE THAN YOU BURN....

YOU WEAR IT.

2. Exercise is great for cardiovascular improvement,
but one can easily eat more than can be exercised away.

3. My doctor sez....

Put whatever you desire on your plate,
then slide half of it off and you will lose weight.

Barnyard BOb -

that's a keeper...

"Barnyard BOb -" wrote in message
...

Nope, simply observation over time, knowing from labor statistics the
kinds of jobs we have now compared to 30 or 40 years ago. We have fewer
farm, manufacturing, heavy labor, etc., jobs and more desk jobs, service
jobs, etc. Also, I've yet to see any evidence that humans have evolved
genetically in a dramatic way in such a short period of time.

Matt
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My observations over time...


1. IF YOU EAT MORE THAN YOU BURN....

YOU WEAR IT.


2. Exercise is great for cardiovascular improvement,
but one can easily eat more than can be exercised away.


3. My doctor sez....

Put whatever you desire on your plate,
then slide half of it off and you will lose weight.



Barnyard BOb -


My doctor said that whatever part of the body gets used the most gets the
biggest. If you sit at a computer all day, your butt gets big.

Bill Daniels

In article , Barnyard BOb - says...

My observations over time...


1. IF YOU EAT MORE THAN YOU BURN....

YOU WEAR IT.


2. Exercise is great for cardiovascular improvement,
but one can easily eat more than can be exercised away.


3. My doctor sez....

Put whatever you desire on your plate,
then slide half of it off and you will lose weight.

You forgot one Unka Bob ..."all you eat goes to your stomach" along with,
" from a distance food seems far away" oops that's two... :-)

See ya

Neefoo Chuck

Barnyard BOb - wrote:

Nope, simply observation over time, knowing from labor statistics the
kinds of jobs we have now compared to 30 or 40 years ago. We have fewer
farm, manufacturing, heavy labor, etc., jobs and more desk jobs, service
jobs, etc. Also, I've yet to see any evidence that humans have evolved
genetically in a dramatic way in such a short period of time.


Matt

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My observations over time...


1. IF YOU EAT MORE THAN YOU BURN....

YOU WEAR IT.

Yes, it really is a pretty simple energy/mass balance problem at the core.


2. Exercise is great for cardiovascular improvement,
but one can easily eat more than can be exercised away.

True, but exercise also increases muscle mass and muscle consumes more
calories even after the exercise is over so you gain beyond just what
you burn during the exercise period.


3. My doctor sez....

Put whatever you desire on your plate,
then slide half of it off and you will lose weight.

Yep, that is roughly my approach. I haven't dramatically changed my
diet insofar as composition is concerned (I don't believe in low-fat,
low-carb, or any other fad diet), but am trying to reduce portion sizes
(not by 50% though) and cut back on the junk food. I still simply must
have my evening dish of ice cream though!


Matt