Re: A cure for obesity (was 'a to-do list for the next century')

From: James Rogers (jamesr@best.com)
Date: Thu Mar 30 2000 - 08:24:00 MST


On Thu, 30 Mar 2000, john grigg wrote:
>
> I read how in the U.S. Marine Corps the drill instructors call the very
> obese recruits 'baby whales' and at the end of the 13 weeks these trainees
> have lost weight and toned up quite alot due to the loving attention of
> their instructors in making sure they get enough exercise and don't overeat.
> ;) Now, we have overweight yuppies paying former drill instructors good
> money to give them the sort of ferociously loving attention most nineteen
> year-olds dread. But of course it is not really the same thing.

When I was in Basic Training (Army), it was common for obese individuals
to lose 40 pounds in 8 weeks and you couldn't help but to gain lean
muscle mass. I went in at 150-lbs and came out at 135-lbs despite gaining
some lean mass, and I wasn't obese by any means. My body fat was easily
<10% by the time I left.

All it took was heavy exercise every day and a regulated diet (Army food,
while mediocre in flavor and texture, *is* designed to be quite healthy).
The results are a lot more lasting too, because it tends to encourage
habitual behavior modification. The point being that it is a lifestyle
change, not a "something I do for two hours on four days a week", which is
why yuppie DIs are probably a waste of money.

-James Rogers
 jamesr@best.com



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Jul 27 2000 - 14:06:48 MDT