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Adipose tissue retains an epigenetic memory of obesity after weight loss

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263 points paulpauper | 4 comments | 14 Apr 25 04:47 UTC | HN request time: 0.633s | source
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spoiler ◴[17 Apr 25 06:53 UTC] No.43713850[source]▶
As someone who's struggled with weight loss, and have known others to struggle with it well, I think we colloquially called this "slow metabolism".

It always did feel like it was easier to gain weight than lose it, especially fat weight and not muscle weight for me.

I was recently sent a video about fat adaptation (basically teaching your body to be better at burning fat) by a very fit friend, but I wonder how much of that is bro science and how much of it is grounded in reality. Maybe worth looking into more deeply if it can counteract or balance out this.

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e40 ◴[17 Apr 25 13:41 UTC] No.43716696[source]▶
For me, sugar was the reason I couldn't lose weight. I got a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) and got my blood sugar under control, and with very little effort I lost a lot of weight.

I use 90% cacao Lindt to control my sweet tooth. 1/2 the bar has 4g of sugar, and I consume it over hours. It also has the side effect of reducing my hunger. If you eat much of 90% chocolate, it makes you feel nausea. The trick is to put a small chip in your mouth and let it melt. It's quite delicious and I've not had any sweets in 80+ days.

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1. amonon ◴[17 Apr 25 15:00 UTC] No.43717908[source]▶
This also speaks to another point, when trying to lose weight: you must find new things to enjoy.
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2. hn_throwaway_99 ◴[17 Apr 25 15:37 UTC] No.43718409[source]▶
This is actually great advice for any bad habit you're trying to break. In general, just thinking "Stop doing this thing" (or "do less of this thing"), doesn't really work. It's usually more effective to find something else that you do enjoy (and is better for you), and try to do more of that thing and have it "crowd out" your bad habit.

When it comes to eating, there is a nutritionist with a pretty sizable online following (Kylie Sakaida), and I love one of her mantras of "add, don't subtract". That is, don't think of abstaining from foods you like that might be unhealthy, but instead try to add more healthy things to that food to make it a balanced meal. For example, she gives the example of wanting a frozen waffle for breakfast. Instead of thinking "No, I can't have this frozen waffle", she instead makes a spread using Greek yogurt to add protein, then adds fresh fruit and nuts for more nutrients, fiber and healthy fats, so what started as an 'empty carbs' meal is turned into a pretty balanced, filling breakfast.

3. e40 ◴[17 Apr 25 16:50 UTC] No.43719379[source]▶
So true. I've done this very often:

- See some goodies my wife bought (for herself or me).

- Thinks about having my 90% Lindt later/next day.

- Walks away.

4. djmips ◴[17 Apr 25 18:29 UTC] No.43720511[source]▶
I was realizing that spicy food can be that.