

Why don't people lose weight despite many free dieting resouces out there? - hn141514

This may seem like a question with an obvious answer: because they too much and don't exercise enough.<p>But, it seems to me that it is not. Isn't it obvious that you will not lose weight unless you eat calories than what you burn? If not, why not?<p>I ask this in a specific context. I have been lurking at HN for over a year and I love how people can get straightforward advice on new business ideas. So I want to get your opinion on my idea.<p>I want to start a service for people who want to lose weight. But I want to use technology (Twitter/Facebook/SMS) to help them. I want their friends to help them lose weight by pestering them when they are at a restaurant eating a big portion. Sort of like a "social weight loss" program.<p>What do you think of the idea? Ask me questions but also try to answer my question above. Thanks.<p>EDIT: tl;dr: Would it be useful if just before you eat, you SMS out what you are about to eat and get an estimated calory count back instantly via SMS?
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libraryatnight
As someone fairly overweight, I'm totally aware of all the resources available
to me should I want to lose weight (I have a fitocracy account currently, I
used to do Weight Watchers -- which worked -- and others)

I am still overweight because I love to eat, I know what needs to be done and
I do not care. I'd rather be plump and have a carne asada burrito tonight than
thin and have a properly portioned meal and well reasoned meal.

It's also much easier to get a carne asada burrito, or order a pizza, because
my life is busy and easy where I can get it is appealing. When it's not busy I
eat much nicer meals, but no less rich in calories. I do at least make sure I
eat lots of veggies and fruits, but I also have a bag of salt & vinegar chips
I know I'll tackle late in the evening when everyone has gone to bed.

A few years ago I did lose weight, about 100lbs, and it happened because I
woke up one morning and decided I needed a change. I focused hard on
monitoring what I ate, I used weight watcher's point system at first then
figured out in general what was going on there and used my own tracking system
and spreadsheets. And after seeing results for weeks and months, I stopped
paying attention. I still monitor, but not as much.

My point is that people, at least a good portion of people, understand what is
necessary to lose weight. It's making a significant life change that's
difficult. People may or may not come to the point where that change is
something they're going to make. When they make that decision, that's when
good tools can help.

So don't make a tool thinking it'll convince people to lose weight, make a
tool that works well for people who truly want to lose weight.

~~~
hn141514
Great response. My idea of the tool was quite simple. I want to remove the
friction between eating and measuring. So here's what I was thinking (but
please feel free to add your thoughts): 1) Just before you eat anything, send
an SMS with a list of what you are about to eat and get an estimated calory
could back instantly via SMS. 2) Get an end of day SMS with total
"theoretical" weight gain/loss for the day.

What else should such a tool have?

~~~
noahc
Not that.

I lost a bunch of weight (50+ lbs) by eating the same meals over and over and
over and over again. If I had to text 1cup this, 3oz that, 1/2 cup flour,
blah, blah every time I ate, I'd go buy a large pizza from a chain store and
get the calorie count that way. It'd be a lot easier. Your sms system is an
incentive to eat processed foods.

I'd look at the psychology of weight loss and also read about personal finance
too. You're probably not the person to build this unless you've tried to loose
weight. All the advice is worthless unless you can build a new lifestyle. In
order to do that you need to introduce barriers to food consumption.

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chipsy
It's definitely a people problem more than it is a technology one. I don't
think a direct social networking approach is right. Consider the following:

If your friends' idea of a meal requires pizza and Coke(and not that "pussy
diet stuff"), you are likely either to join in with them, or stop being
friends. They've already formed a supportive network around bad habits, and if
one member tries to introduce technology with the intention of changing the
habits, they'll get ostracized.

So what you are really in, if you are aiming to help the most at-risk people,
is the business of propaganda. The people who have overcome the social hurdles
already have plenty of resources.

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byoung2
_Isn't it obvious that you will not lose weight unless you eat [fewer]
calories than what you burn?_

Yes, it is obvious. Losing weight is a simple mathematical equation. Burn 2500
calories a day, and eat 2000, and every week you will lose 1 pound (1 pound ~
3500 calories). The difficult part is making it happen on a daily basis. Say
your body burns 2200 calories a day...can you squeeze in 45 minutes of intense
cardio each day to burn another 300? On top of that, can you restrict your
calorie intake to 2000 when a typical fast food combo is 1100 calories and a
Starbucks latte is 190? There is even a salad on CPK's menu that weighs in at
a whopping 1800 calories. I think the problem with losing weight, especially
in the United States, is not a matter of math, it is a matter of discipline.
If you are American and you want to lose weight, I suggest moving to Japan. I
have been there twice, and I lose an average of 5 pounds a week there because
of a diet heavy on rice and seafood, but with extremely small portions, lots
of walking, dancing til 5am, and lots of pushing on crowded trains.

~~~
gvb
I disagree with the "simple mathematical equation". I am pretty sure that it
is a fairly complex nonlinear mathematical equation with estimate and
unknowns, not constants.

* How do you know you burned 2500 calories in a given day? Unless you are instrumented, you don't know. Various people burn more or fewer calories for the same level of activity.

* How do you know you ate 2000 calories? I find it hard to believe that every Starbucks latte is 190 calories - those syrup shooters, etc., cannot be that finely calibrated.

* Most of what I read indicates your metabolism is nonlinear with respect to efficiency: when you "starve" yourself, your metabolism tends to go down and your conversion efficiency is probably optimized.

~~~
hn141514
Actually, long term studies indicate that if you eat a little bit less (say
10% fewer calories every day), you suffer no side effects, lose 1/2-1 lb every
week and are able to keep it off in the long term.

Sorry for the PDF link but this FDA brochure
([http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=http%3A%2F%2F...](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cfsan.fda.gov%2F~dms%2Fwgtloss.html&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CEAQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fweightnomoreohio.com%2Fpdfs%2FDHHSPublication_92-1189.pdf&ei=jV3BTvzPK-
OfiQLPtvyqAw&usg=AFQjCNHPxRCNIBYCJ8CSHHVHT9CpE47x6Q&cad=rja)) lays it out
pretty nicely.

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brudgers
Because "dieting" carries a connotation of sacrifice and limited duration, it
is unsurprising that the weight loss associated with dieting tends to be short
lived - without a change of habit, you lose the ten pounds and then what?

Once I am about to eat something, I have already had ample opportunity to read
the damn label on a can of Pringles, if I really cared.

That's not to say that providing an SMS about calories isn't a way to make
money - offering dieting advice which is ineffective over the long term
appears to be a potentially profitable endeavor for many people.

