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PaperclipPerfector  7mo ago (text post)   2334 thread views

Wellness Wednesday for April 24, 2024

The Wednesday Wellness threads are meant to encourage users to ask for and provide advice and motivation to improve their lives. It isn't intended as a 'containment thread' and any content which could go here could instead be posted in its own thread. You could post:

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Has anyone made the personal observation that they lose weight when they think harder?

I'm convinced this applies to me, even if the science appears to suggest that the brain consumes only negligibly more calories when it works hard. But even over the course of a day, I notice that I weigh less than expected if I spent the day on more mentally demanding work than otherwise.

I concede that rationally, it's more probable that my body doesn't defy science, and that when I have to think harder, it's correlated to pressure at work, and stress suppresses appetite etc., and even if the mental stimulation is positive because I'm really drawn into a project, then that same passion can deprioritize mindlessly snacking or something. I suppose to someone who wants to lose weight, this nuance might not matter? They could just commit to some project that requires a lot of thinking, and voila, weight loss achieved.

Pressure, stress, and thinking hard are connected to movement which probably plays a role. Pacing, tapping a foot or shaking a leg while sitting, just being more tense in general... along with the things you've noticed.

I get hungry much quicker when doing difficult mental work. And eat more without gaining weight.

I’m exactly the same.

I think your rational concession is likely correct. When very stressed or busy it is easy to make it to the evening without eating anything; over a prolonged period in many people this will mean a calorie deficit and therefore weight loss.

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