Comments on: A Little Knowledge about Obesity is a Dangerous Thing

by: Rajiv Mehta

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 02:24:16 +0000

Wilbur — yes, the daily weight variation is often quite substantial. To smooth the fluctuations, I’ve been calculating a Trend value, using simple exponential smoothing algorithm: Trend_(n) = 0.1*Weight_(n) + 0.9*Trend_(n-1).
- Rajiv

by: Wilbur

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:03:09 +0000

Clearly the obesity professionals have not thought the matter through. Losing three pounds in a month is no big deal. I find that my weight can fluctuate a couple of pounds over the space of a day, so being down three pounds in one month is very possible, even doing nothing at all. The professionals should be saying, “Hmm, that’s nice, but let me know how you’re doing a year from now”.

by: Nadav Manham

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:20:18 +0000

Sometimes there seems to be an inverse relationship between a particular medical establishment’s ability to make progress in treating its given problem and the vehemence with which it rejects alternative methods of treating that problem. If any field should be open to new treatment ideas it should be the mainstream obesity establishment, as it has been singularly and embarrassingly unsuccessful at reversing obesity.

by: Kevin

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:18:17 +0000

Seth, Have you seen the studies in this link http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.com/2009/06/good-science-dr-leibel-explains-it-all.html which support the idea of set-points

by: bill

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:21:17 +0000

I have come to the conclusion that the primary purpose of education today is to make sure people do not stray too far from the conventional wisdom.