Human Weight Issues

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/athlete

1. (Athletics (Track & Field)) a person trained to compete in sports or exercises involving physical strength, speed, or endurance
2. a person who has a natural aptitude for physical activities

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Hath Jules listened to this? Thoughts?

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/589/tell-me-im-fat

challenged wrote:
Hath Jules listened to this? Thoughts?

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/589/tell-me-im-fat

Yes, and I was disgusted. I don't want to go into a full rant but allow me a few bullet points about this:

[li]Ira says in the opening that the episode is all about this topic and that we will hear from both sides. Fantastic: I look forward to equal time for anti-fat acceptance people on the episode. (SPOILER: not one such person is allowed to speak.)[/li]
[li]The first real segment is with Lindy West telling us how fat shamers are the worst. She is given a one on one interview with Ira and her story is backed with piped in sad violin sounds. When she starts to overcome her feelings of fat shame, triumphant music is played. [/li]
[li]Ira at one point literally says something like "some people say obesity speaks to a lack of self control, like obese people lack willpower to control how much they eat. That thought is just . . . gross." No, Ira, it's absolutely, inarguably true.[/li]
[li]A second segment is with a woman who tried to diet. Having little success, she turns to drug use and surgery. She bemoans the fact that the husband she met while thin might not have liked her fat. She reveals she continues to take speed pills (which she acquires illegally, IIRC) to maintain her weight and wishes she had the confidence to have stayed fat. . . like LINDY WEST, who she calls a hero.[/li]
[li]Third segment is a fat woman talking about how she embraced being fat after reading the inspirational writings of – guess who! – LINDY WEST.[/li]
[li]Fourth segment is about Oral Roberts University in the 70s would require overweight students to take physical education classes. Literally this is the closest we come to any discussion of anti-fat acceptance: a program at a religious college 4 decades ago. Don't worry, they make sure to point out, apropos of nothing, that Oral Roberts handled snakes and believed in faith healing multiple times just to reinforce that the idea an overweight person should diet and exercise was the ravings of a loon.[/li]
[li]Final segment: LINDY WEST bonus hour, telling the story of her engagement party. She purrs about how traditionally attractive and fit her husband is and how surprised people are to find out they're married and not brother or sister.[/li]

As a long time This American Life listener, I literally unsubscribed the moment I finished the podcast and have never re-subscribed. It was a disgusting shit on the face of journalism. It wasn't an unbiased look at a topic, it was a goddamn shill piece for hambeast infant terrible Lindy West. It hits all the #FatAcceptance talking points: all skinny people are unhappy and likely bordering on a disorder, all fat women are fierce and brave and heroes, and those fat women deserve to date attractive men. (Funny how fat men are never, ever, ever included in this movement ever at any time. I wonder why that is?) Any connection between self-control and weight is dismissed as "gross" and no even worthy of discussion. There is a constant finger pointing at thin people and talking how they have an inappropriate relationship with food, but never the same for an obese person. An hour long recitation of Mein Kamp would be less damaging to society than that hour of propoganda Ira Glass verbally shit on America.

Though I did not unsubscribe; it was a difficult listen for me as well.

challenged wrote:
Though I did not unsubscribe; it was a difficult listen for me as well.

Glad to hear it. It just defied all critical thinking. The sole purpose of every segment was to literally deny everything we know about the relationship of weight and health and to make Lindy West out to the second coming of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Julian, wrote:
As a long time This American Life listener, I literally unsubscribed the moment I finished the podcast and have never re-subscribed.

one strike in almost 600 episodes, and they're out? 

you are listener equivalent of a single-issue voter.

sweetcell wrote:
you are listener equivalent of a single-issue voter.

I will die on this hill, I tell you what.

Julian, wrote:

challenged wrote:
Though I did not unsubscribe; it was a difficult listen for me as well.

Glad to hear it. It just defied all critical thinking. The sole purpose of every segment was to literally deny everything we know about the relationship of weight and health and to make Lindy West out to the second coming of Martin Luther King, Jr.

I came away from that episode thinking that I have to work on my bellyfat. I am the worst: skinnyfat.

so what is the best way to combat belly fat? (please no dumb ass statements bout not drinking beer).. is there an exercise one can do at a gym?  or does one have to periodically go in for a vacumm suction?

Deadhead wrote:
so what is the best way to combat belly fat? (please no dumb ass statements bout not drinking beer).. is there an exercise one can do at a gym?  or does one have to periodically go in for a vacumm suction?

You're a straight guy. Why would you care? Was Lucinda mocking your obesity?

Space wrote:

Deadhead wrote:
so what is the best way to combat belly fat? (please no dumb ass statements bout not drinking beer).. is there an exercise one can do at a gym?  or does one have to periodically go in for a vacumm suction?

You're a straight guy. Why would you care? Was Lucinda mocking your obesity?

dude..Lucinda loved me… what a great time that show and after was….

I'm just curious.. I'm always trying to learn.. I have some people I know who have tremendous beer guts….WTF do people do to combat this? Even challenged talked about being "skinny fat"

But its no secret I loathe fat of any sort.. other than that to be found on a juicy steak…

Deadhead wrote:
so what is the best way to combat belly fat? (please no dumb ass statements bout not drinking beer).. is there an exercise one can do at a gym?  or does one have to periodically go in for a vacumm suction?

i don't believe you can "target" one area.  

your body happens stores most of its fat around the belly (as is the case with most men), so losing weight = belly will shrink most noticeably.

sweetcell wrote:

Deadhead wrote:
so what is the best way to combat belly fat? (please no dumb ass statements bout not drinking beer).. is there an exercise one can do at a gym?  or does one have to periodically go in for a vacumm suction?

i don't believe you can "target" one area.  

your body happens stores most of its fat around the belly (as is the case with most men), so losing weight = belly will shrink most noticeably.

but what if a person is thin?.. its nice to have some extra "reserve" like in case of an accident or something….when I had my accident a few years ago i sure could have used a "reserve"… just why does it have to be around the belly? it should be more evenly distributed is the thing..

Can't say that makes a lick of sense to me but then again I'm not a curvy woman so what would I know?

May*

Just like skinny women may be more intelligent than "curvy" women.

I also tend to lean more towards "curvy" having meat on their bones vs being overweight… Like Beyoncé. She isn't fat or overweight, but she's curvy as hell. I hate that "curvy" has gone into the "BBW" realm.

If she's "curvy", count me in. I'm 49, therefore less inclined to be picky.

Your body will adapt to your level of activity and food consumption. This adaptation will change as you age. Someone who eats and exercises a lot may be the same weight as someone else (same sex, height, age) who eats and exercises less. But the more active person will probably have a lower body fat percentage. If that percentage is low enough, they will appear fit and lean, perhaps "ripped".

If you want to reduce your belly fat then you have to increase your activity and/or reduce your consumption. Your body will adjust to your new level of activity and consumption. At some point your body will have made its adjustment. If this new state is unsatisfactory (you've "plateaued") then you have to make further adjustments to your activity/consumption (increase/decrease). Once your body has adjusted to your satisfaction, you then need to either keep up your present level of activity/consumption or make very small adjustments to see how your body responds.

If you want to lose weight you need to use more energy than you consume (more activity and/or less food). It's far better to consume less AND exercise more so that you lose mostly body fat, otherwise you may lose too much muscle as well (which can lead to being "skinny fat": lower weight but same or higher body fat percentage). You can't choose where to lose your fat (unless you elect surgical methods); your arms and legs will "lean out" before the last of your belly fat can disappear.

As for reducing your calorie intake, you can take one or more of a few tacks: Smaller portions of everything, same portions but of lower calorie versions, or cut out something that's caloric but nutritionally inert. Very recently, I completely cut soda from my diet. I was consuming as much as 1,000 calories of it daily (already down 6 pounds in 2 weeks, but I'm exercising more as well). That shit is really insidious. Beer isn't any better. If you drink beer, stick to the high quality stuff that's consumed in small portions (because that shit costs money). Beer bellies are caused by the commercial swill that's intended for high consumption. People drink it to get drunk; some people require several servings to get wasted. By the time they get there, they've consumed 500 calories or more. Then they drink more.