Newly Approved Drug Heralded As 'Game Changer' In The Growing National Obesity Crisis

[slightlv]

9. I retired two years ago

Everything you guys have written above is true. I especially agree about the HFCS. But, there are other environmental factors to consider, as well. We have no ideas what chemicals pumped into the air are doing to us (besides giving us cancer). Also, sleep has been shown to be a factor in weight, too. Probably (I think) because of stress hormones if we don't get enough of it.

I retired two years ago. I weighed the most of my life - 210. Over the last year of work, I was diagnosed with lupus and was constantly fighting for a part-time telework for my position. I also became caregiver for my mom, who could no longer take care of herself, and was rapidly losing the battle against dementia. IOW, my stress levels were off the scale. Today, I weigh 102 pounds. I don't diet, I eat whatever I want, whenever I want. True, I don't eat as much as I did, because I find I don't want it anymore. You know the one thing that DID change, tho? I sleep whenever I want, for as long as I want. No longer do I have to fit my night owl body rhythm to the 8-5 world -- something else I'd fought my whole life. While I still have stresses (including a husband who's showing the first signs of Alzheimer's) I still maintain a weight between 100-104 pounds without trying. In all these diet studies, I don't know of any that have singled out night owls versus morning people vs placebo groups, although, like I said, there have been studies showing how important sleep is to maintaining a healthy weight.

Obesity and being overweight may be one of the costs of trying to conform to a "normal" workday for some people. Certainly, not everyone. But I would love to see a true, well-designed study on circadian rhythms and weight. Forcing night owls to conform to a morning person's schedule is incredibly stressful to the body, mind, and soul. I know... I've worked since I was 14, and I'm 65 now.