Trevor_Blake comments on Optimizing for attractiveness - Less Wrong

13 Post author: MrMind 31 May 2013 09:14AM

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Comment author: [deleted] 31 May 2013 01:49:03PM *  11 points [-]

The first obvious choice is getting fit, although it's about two years I'm trying different diets with no results.

To emphasize the rational in my reply: I challenge you by saying the above claim is not true. Dieting for a day or a week or a month with no results is possible (and frustrating). Dieting for two years "with no results" means either a rare medical condition (seek help from a professional) or, more likely, you are dieting incorrectly and refraining from rationally noting this fact and trying to be less wrong. A big hint for me is you ask what exercise you should do and you do not say what you've tried. You can eat optimally and be unhealthy if you do not excercise minimally. This is not esoteric information so again I challenge you that you are self-sabotaging.

I have been where you are. Now I am healthier and happier. Having many people say 'aw, it's okay, be yourself' didn't help. A few people who spoke bluntly (far more than I have done here to you) was the trick. Letting myself off easy didn't help. Changes helped. Stopping doing what didn't work helped. Work hard to better yourself, for yourself, and many good things will follow. You will do things you don't want to do along the way, and be glad for it later.

Comment author: MrMind 03 June 2013 09:50:01AM 0 points [-]

To emphasize the rational in my reply: I challenge you by saying the above claim is not true. Dieting for a day or a week or a month with no results is possible (and frustrating). Dieting for two years "with no results" means either a rare medical condition (seek help from a professional) or, more likely, you are dieting incorrectly and refraining from rationally noting this fact and trying to be less wrong.

Yes, I can specify better. I have tried several low-calories and low-carb diets, usually for a period rangin from one-month to three-months. The best result overall has been to lose 2 kgs (that would be 5 pounds), which were regained a couple of weeks later.
It's almost trivially true that I'm dieting incorrectly, but unfortunately the scale doesn't tell me what I'm doing wrong. It just tells me that I'm doing wrong. I lack the incremental feedback that would allow me to correct my course. So the only thing I could do was changing the diet altogether.

You can eat optimally and be unhealthy if you do not excercise minimally.

I was under the impression that studies have shown that exercise has almost no influence on losing fat, but I'm possibly mistaken.