With thanks to conuly and ysabetwordsmith

[flamingsword]

Links!

Finally The End Of Counting Calories relates the nutritionist and dietitian research about how calorie restriction works initially but causes bounceback and, for some, long term weight gain. We have better ways to be healthy. Let's use them.

Did you know there is a site you can go to to send your pics of friendly neighborhood bees and get information on them? And help scientists at the same time? BumblebeeWatch.org would like to establish this mutual aid.

Whales trade songs! Whales have oral traditions and hip new tunes! Whales are people! AAAAHGH!!! *sword proceeds to lose their shit*

The Epic Of Gilgamesh, sung in the original Sumerian.

Comments

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

When people try to lose weight, only about 5% of them succeed long-term, while 95% gain it back quickly -- and the vast majority of those gain back more than they lost. It is so close to a total failure that the "success rate" hovers just above statistical significance (3-4%). Not only does dieting fail to help, it actively makes matters worse more often than not. Yet people are constantly pressured, and sometimes forced, to do this risky and pointless thing.

Re: Yes ...

[flamingsword]

And since doing yoyo dieting is vastly more correlated to negative health outcomes than non-dieting fatness, it is possible that many of the negative health outcomes associated with fatness come from dieting or are exacerbated by the combination of starvation and social exclusion due to size shaming.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

And the fact that doctors routinely blackmail people on health issues, which means even if you know that literally every tool in their box short of major surgery will make matters worse, often your choices are to accept the abuse or do without health care. That means there's always an extra step, "Is getting this attended worth being fat-shamed and possibly having my weight raised?" It doesn't just apply to weight-related issues; people get it for coming in with a broken bone, infection, or other unrelated issue. So that lowers health access overall, which tends to undermine health.

How much of that poor health is iatrogenic? Probably a lot more than doctors want to admit. But fat people talk about it all the time. They've all got stories about someone who completely refused to address the issue they came in with and instead just nagged them about their weight.

Re: Yes ...

[flamingsword]

I am starting to get it, too. I'm 5'5, 190 lbs, living with multiple disabilities, and have an undiagnosed health weirdness going on that the Endo is being fucking unhelpful about chasing down. I came into his office because both of my last two blood tests were showing weird test results. And the first question he asks me is if I'm exercising.

But he's the only endocrinologist on my insurance within driving distance. Fuck our entire medical system.

[norsellie]

♥♥♥♥♥♥ to all of these!!!

[flamingsword]

I was blown away by the whales thing, and the Sumerian Epic was also just ... epic. Haunting and beautiful and like it is asking you a question that you are straining to answer.

[sophus]

The entire concept of a bumblebee watch is adorable.

Also, reminds me of https://xkcd.com/1871/.