Here are 33 Interesting Weight Loss facts.
1-5 Weight Loss Facts
1. A morbidly obese woman refused to get free weight loss surgery offered by the NHS because she didn’t want to lose the £75,000 in disability benefits she was receiving. – Source
2. A nutrition professor lost 27 pounds off of a “Convenience Store” diet of Twinkies, Doritos, and sugary cereals in order to prove that weight loss relied on caloric intake, not nutrition. – Source
3. Dubai has a weight loss contest called ‘Your Child in Gold’ where individual participants win one gram of gold for every one kilogram (~2.2lbs) lost, and double reward for families. The contest is aimed at combating early obesity and raise awareness about the disease. – Source
4. In weight loss, ~84 percent of the fat that is lost turns into carbon dioxide and leaves the body through the lungs. – Source
5. Mike Kurtz, an American burglar, found out that eating common soap could produce the effect of ill health. His sudden and unexplainable weight loss and other symptoms baffled the prison doctors and he was able to fool officials that he was dying and received a pardon. – Source
6-10 Weight Loss Facts
6. Edible Chia seeds that are sold in health food stores for weight loss are the same seeds Chia Pets are made from. – Source
7. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in male Western lowland gorillas in North American Zoos. To combat this Cleveland Metropark Zoo doubled the gorilla’s leafy green intake which leads to a 65-pound weight loss in the gorillas. – Source
8. Contrary to the belief that cocaine causes weight loss by suppressing appetite, research shows that, on the contrary, cocaine users eat more, but that cocaine directly interferes with metabolic processes related to fat storage, thus promoting weight loss in these individuals. – Source
9. Type-B Diabetes also means rusty keyholes, which can be fixed with exercise, weight loss, or medicine. – Source
10. It is commonplace for weight loss commercials to pay a fit person to gain weight for the “before” photo instead of showing someone who actually lost the weight. – Source
11-15 Weight Loss Facts
11. The heaviest human being ever recorded weighed 1400 lb. At one point, he also lost approximately 924 lb, the largest human weight loss ever documented. – Source
12. Jalapeños, cayennes, and habaneros can lower high cholesterol, protect from heart disease and cancers, relieve pain, and encourage weight loss because of a chemical called capsaicin. – Source
13. 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), a potent weight loss drug that raises body temperature to burn more calories, was used by Russian soldiers in WWII to very effectively survive extreme cold. They could also use it as an explosive. – Source
14. Weight loss, even through surgery, can improve your memory. – Source
15. A documentary team set up a sting that fooled millions into thinking chocolate helps weight loss.They did it by running a study, performing p-hacking, using a for-fee science journal to publish the paper and issuing a press release picked up uncritically across the world by major publications. – Source
16-20 Weight Loss Facts
16. The Salisbury steak was invented by Dr. J. H. Salisbury, an early proponent of low-carb diets to aid weight loss. – Source
17. A company launched a ‘weight loss candy’ in the 1970’s called, ‘Ayds’. An ad had a spokesperson proclaim, “I’m losing weight, deliciously, with the aid of ayds!” – Source
18. A personal trainer gained 70 lbs of fat on purpose in order to experience how difficult the weight loss process is to himself. – Source
19. In a study of four diets – Atkins (high-fat, low carb), Ornish (very low fat), Zone (balanced diet), and the LEARN diet (carb preferred). The Atkins diet performed best in short and long-term weight loss and in secondary outcomes like cholesterol and triglyceride levels. – Source
20. Continuous losing weight below a certain level affects the voice. – Source
21-25 Weight Loss Facts
21. Louis Armstrong controlled his weight using laxatives and even published a book advocating purging as a weight loss method. – Source
22. Crystal meth was used in World War II as a stimulant for Japanese and German fighter pilots to keep them awake and alert. It was also used as a method of weight loss until its classification of a controlled substance in 1970. – Source
23. Weight loss is one of the fatal forms of insomnia. – Source
24. When taking Alli, a weight loss aid, it is advised that you carry a spare change of clothes in case it makes you poo yourself. – Source
25. Surgeons may wire severely obese patients jaws shut as a treatment for weight loss. – Source
26-30 Weight Loss Facts
26. There is a hormone disorder that causes weight gain in the torso and head, but weight loss in the limbs. Patients develop a “buffalo hump” and “moon face”, but their arms and legs remain skinny. – Source
27. You can’t target specific fat for weight loss. It is systemic. – Source
28. Tapeworms were sold to women in the 1930’s as a form of weight loss. “Eat, eat, eat, and always stay thin!” – Source
29. A 2014 study found that the rate of weight loss does not affect how much weight is regained. This is in contrast to the belief that losing weight slowly helps one keep the weight off. – Source
30. Weight loss programs like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig can be tax deductible. – Source
31-33 Weight Loss Facts
31. Frequent fidgeting result in about 350 calories burned per day, enough to produce about 30-40 pounds of weight loss per year. – Source
32. The majority of weight loss occurs via breathing. – Source
33. Factitious Diarrhea is a condition in which you deliberately give yourself diarrhea as a method of weight loss. – Source
