As a one of those tall skinny dudes, I was always told and always expected that I had a fast metabolism. I would eat huge meals and always get the “where does it all go!?” Comment. That is, until I actually started tracking my calories and realized that though I do eat big meals, over all, I don’t really eat that much. I don’t like snacking, I’m not a fan of chips and stuff like that, and I often times skip at least 1 meal a day, I don’t really like soda. So even though I can guzzle 3 cheese burgers in a go, over all, the calories don’t really add up to much. Between 1500 and 2300 Kcal a day. Median around 1900.

It was a pretty shocking result for me who always thought I had this “special metabolism”.

To this debate I would add that it isnt only about your weight, but about the benefits that you are missing if you arent excercising regularly. As someone who struggled with depression I can feel the serotonin spike every time I go for a run.

Oh boy, I’m sure this comment section will be filled with kindness and level headed folks arguing in good faith 😂

The most compliments I ever got on my body was at age 20, when I was working my way through a bachelor's degree. I was trying to keep a roof over my head while taking 15 credits. I was literally starving, because a good day was when I could afford to eat two meals instead of one and I worked on my feet. You wouldn't believe how many people told me I looked good, and all I wanted to do was ask them to buy me a burger before I passed out. That experience taught me something important about what society values, and why it's not worth worrying about. Do the best thing for yourself and let that be enough.

Don't sell yourself short Adam. Your fair and scientific approach to explaining the issues with 'obesity' could very well set someone on the path to a healthier life style, or a less stressed life about themselves, either of which could actually increase their life span. You do good work and I appreciate it.

Totally this. As an obese person I didn’t feel like I was for a large portion of my life except for constant bullying and having a hard time finding clothes. Many of these fat acceptance people are in their 20’s and don’t feel affects of their weight. I’m 40 now and for the past few years I have felt like total crap. In a short span of time I have pre diabetes and probably high blood pressure too. I used to be able to almost do anything physical. Now everything hurts

It is so incredibly difficult to lose weight after spending a lifetime being heavy. Whoever is reading this, try everything to develop healthy eating habits in your children. Bad habits will chase them the rest of their lives.

I was really seduced by the Health at Every Size movement. But after losing half my body weight, I'm still struggling with lingering effects of my obesity. I'm about to head to my surgeon's office to see if I just need a third surgery on my foot/ankle, or also a fourth as well. The particular issue I have is almost exclusively seen in patients who are (or have been) very fat. I didn't know about PTTD before it took my mobility. That was a piece of data that didn't make it into the cherry-picking basket.

Thank you for talking about medical fatphobia as well. I can't even tell you how many times I went to a doctor with a specific issue and walked away with a diagnosis of "you're fat" and a prescription of "lose weight", which is not helpful for bronchitis or a sprained ankle.

Back in the early 2000s; I had lost about 100 pounds but was stuck on a plateau and couldn't drop the last 60.  After about 6 month of utter frustration, I went to the doc; around this time they had approved a bunch of new meds for weight loss.  After much research and discussion, we settled on Meridia.

About 3 weeks after I started taking it, I was driving down the road one day, when it suddenly occured to me...I wasn't hungry.  I WASN'T HUNGRY.  It was the first time in my life that had ever happened to me.  Up until that moment, for 30 years of my life, I had believed that everyone else just had better self control than I did.  I had no understanding of the fact that there was actually something different about the way my body perceived the need to eat...which was constant.  

Unfortutanely, Meridia and the  others in this class of drugs was taken off the market; whether that was a good decision by the FDA or not is another discussion entirely.  What I do know is that for that brief 18 months, I was "normal", and after 2 more decades of living with my brain and body constantly screaming at me that I am starving, it would be a relief to have that feeling of normalcy again.  I don't think this is understood by most "normies".  

Nobody wants to be fat.  We don't choose it the way ya'll think we do.  There's something physiological at play here.

Former fat guy here. Around 20 months ago I made the choice and effort to get in shape. Since then my body weight has gone down ~100lbs and my squat has gone up ~100lbs, and I can honestly say losing the weight has drastically improved almost every aspect of my life, and I’m not just talking about the obvious social benefits of being more attractive or the mobility benefits of having a less adipose tissue. I’m sleeping better, I’m have improved focus and cognition, my sex drive and libido have improved, and I feel more motivated and driven. I wouldn’t try to change someone who truly is content and happy with themselves, but I spent a long time buying into the “healthy at any size” cope, and trying to convince myself that being overweight wasn’t making me miserable, so if you are overweight and unhappy, I urge you to seriously consider the possibility that you might be happier, with less adipose tissue. It will be difficult. It will take sustained effort over a long period of time, but you can do it, and it will be worth it.

I'm 195cm and was 73kg, and saw the doctor for an unrelated issue. I run half marathons and exercised 4 times a week, and I love eating. Just naturally thin. On my way out, the normally very good doctor reminded me to watch my weight and exercise more. I turned around, looked at them, and they kinda started to stutter. The advice was then adjusted to eat more fat and not exercise more. 😅
It's just a reflex, because they've got to give it so very often, I guess.

Also I have opinions on clothing and seating etc pp that fits tall and lean people, safely.

I lost 95 pounds between 2021 and 2022. I was in denial about my weight for years before that, but now I feel so much better. I think it might be a sort of cycle: eat better, feel better, move more, look better, feel better, and be motivated to work harder

Hey Adam, especially for these more science-y videos, would you mind including a bibliography or a list of sources? It would really help those of us trying to learn more (and would probably encourage some people to read the actual papers).

I was obese as a kid, hit my highest weight in my freshman year in highschool. I then rapidly began loosing weight in bursts. I had undiagnosed food allergies, that suddenly developed/showed themselves. I had to change my diet entirely, and everytime I discovered/developed a new allergy I would go weeks-months barely eating. I took this time in my life to fix my bad eating habits, I swapped over to paleo, then to keto. I began intermittent fasting, and I "tried" to develop an exercise routine. I felt awful. I was unintentionally starving myself, I was shaking and cold, and my sleep tanked. My joints hurt alot, and still do sometimes.

If you intend to lose weight, take it slow. Develop a support system that will keep you accountable, and more importantly, keep you from harming yourself. Don't over do it. I may have cause irreparable metabolic changes to myself, and a whole slew of other medical issues. I've been chronically ill since. I know it hurts to be bullied for your weight, but don't let one pain drive you to another. And help others if you can.

Adam your ability to put across two or more sides to the stories and insights you tell, so consistently, is really top notch!!

I really like your point at the end about shame being counterproductive. I’ve found that, in so many areas of my life, shaming myself less for my shortcomings and bad habits has made happier and made it easier to make progress on these shortcoming and bad habits. This has applied to exercise, procrastination at work, setting boundaries in relationships, and yes, even losing weight. It’s paradoxical, but believing that doing X would be good for me and also that it’s not a big deal if I don’t do X makes me do X more often.

I'm really glad you said that people should make their own decisions on their bodies without shaming. I want to see a shift away societally from concern about weight to a focus on healthy practices regardless of size. Eating good, nutritious food, exercising at the level they are able, and better access to health care.

I think this video has done the most in self acceptance for me of anything in a long time. And just like our brains may only deal with the negative shame for a short while, theres a good possibility this won't be long lasting against my own brain chemistry, but I shall do my best to allow it to.  Thanks for the amazing content you consistently release, Adam.

Love the nuance and respect you approach each topic with. It's a fairly rare quality to have on the internet, and I wish more people were like you.

This was maybe the best episode you have ever done. This is Adam Ragusa at his best. Bringing up to date empirical observations to a broader Audience through a consistent, clear, transparent lens.