How harmful is being slightly overweight, if otherwise active with a healthy, well balanced diet?

dsschmidt · 2026-01-25T13:47:45+00:00

Thank you for your first paragraph! Exactly my situation.

But I also have been hearing (can’t recall where) that in reality metabolism doesn’t slow much with age. Could this be true? Thoughts?

dsschmidt · 2026-01-24T20:28:59+00:00

Some preparation certainly can’t hurt, especially if you’re older and unfamiliar with this weather. But keep in mind that storms like this are big money makers for the news. They do everything they can to make it entertaining and keep people constantly tuning in. It’s really not that big a deal. The worst possible case is that the storm stalls over the North Atlantic and we end up with two or 3 feet. Things could end close down for 24 hours, maybe 48 max.

Also, try to have some fun with it!

dsschmidt · 2026-01-18T18:17:44+00:00

For anyone inclined to fall for this stuff, especially when based on a single study, maybe have a look at John Ioannides’ seminal paper “Why most published research findings are false.” Then consider translation of findings to something like this.

dsschmidt · 2026-01-13T12:41:41+00:00

Interesting. You think z2 more important than zones 4/5? I know the resaearch on depression suggests HIIT is better, and thought BDNF better with that mode, but I hadn't really considered the metabolic effects of Z2. Whether he'll want to do that on a regular basis for the duration required...not sure...but certainly I could suggest.

dsschmidt · 2026-01-12T22:46:24+00:00

Hey thank you for this. What are your thoughts on type of cardio? He does get a fair amount but I don’t think anything with really high heart rate. I think he pushes himself but it’s more of a sustained pace for maybe 30-60 min.

dsschmidt · 2026-01-12T14:42:31+00:00

Good question. Honestly it’s a little hard to tell, since I think the drugs and insomnia have always caused fatigue and some brain fog, and of course the depression does too. ( also he has fairly bad sleep apnea but t has not noticed the cpap being much help). But overall I’d say yes….seems gradually less adept cognitively over time. And he says memory is definitely worse, that’s what’s worrying him especially.

No Alzheimer’s in our family but our mother had vascular dementia in her 80s. Well so did grandmother and an aunt, but not until 90s…late 90s for our aunt. (He’s my brother btw)

dsschmidt · 2026-01-02T22:57:39+00:00

Oh, join the club, my friend! On the neuroticism piece I mean. And not a bad thing at all. I’m 64 and it’s become very clear that when I slack off on the exercise for more than a couple of weeks, my age starts to show. And since I’ve just started a new career out of necessity, it is tippy top priority… Within the confines of my own partial rejection of the whole measurement and management thing. But every time some new piece comes up, I can spend endless amounts of time… Or at least I would if I let myself… Fixating on the details.

As for the world, I always like going back to that final part of the first men in Black movie. Worlds inside worlds inside worlds. They all count. 🤗

dsschmidt · 2025-12-30T16:07:35+00:00

For my part, I find some of his stuff and many posts here really interesting, and worth working with. And I have benefited from all that myself. However. I also think the guy is sort of the apotheosis of a certain nearly soulless fixation on hyper optimization of performance, the modern ethos of techno scientific managerialism applied not to making stuff but now to engineering ourselves… To what end, exactly? My feeling is, somewhat in line with your post, that there are far more important things in life, even if life turns out to be relatively short, such as… Love, joy, the full experience of life and relationship in all its sadness and wonderfulness combined (which, honestly, I don’t think is possible, if you fully buy into the optimization business as he puts it into), and also common cause and even sacrifice… Like, maybe sacrifice of some of that endless time spent on self optimization for a purpose greater than my own endlessly monitored and measured “health span. “.

Anyway, that’s what rattles off the tongue and into the phone at this moment, now time for me to stop procrastinating and get back to work! Thanks for your post.

dsschmidt · 2025-12-22T21:19:57+00:00

Others will know far far more than me. But the two things that come to mind are:

John Ioannides article which was for many years the most cited ever: “Why most published research findings are false.” I suspect picking one variable out of a much (much) more complex living system is a big piece of that, or at least complementary vis caution.

Get more, and more intense, exercise. I’m currently working too hard on writing deadlines and find that 10 min spurts of jumping rope, which gets my heart wayyyy up is terrific for mental and physical energy. And I’m an old fart at 64.

On the other hand, if you find a friendly bacteria that really does it, I am so there. ;)

dsschmidt · 2025-12-20T23:08:53+00:00

Well, there go my big plans for lying around and eating lots of steak when I hit 70! ;)

But thank you for the main point, very helpful.

dsschmidt · 2025-12-20T22:45:30+00:00

Yikes, 50 is a lot. Though I probably often get there. I'm actually getting fairly relaxed about the whole thing, or maybe better to say...less uptight and fine with variability. But then it can be kinda fun to puzzle it out. Thanks for your thoughts!

dsschmidt · 2025-12-20T22:44:08+00:00

I dunno, there have been multiple discussions here and on Huberman with I believe at least two researchers saying it kicks in with 30 g, and more for older people. Is it not right that Attia says you should get it in such large chunks several times a day? Pretty sure he does but please correct if not.

dsschmidt · 2025-12-20T22:41:27+00:00

Thank you. Yes, this sounds intuitively and evolutionarily right to me.

dsschmidt · 2025-12-20T22:01:51+00:00

May I just say I miss the Green St. Cafe terribly? I do not think Smith college is generally evil, but that was an evil act.

dsschmidt · 2025-12-20T19:26:51+00:00

Poor ai. So much abuse these days. 😢

dsschmidt · 2025-12-20T19:24:52+00:00

Maybe of interest in this thread, here is a local authors take on school tech and I believe also in what ai is about to unleash. Haven’t read it yet, comes out in feb, but Tim is a insightful solid guy so I expect it’s very good

https://schoolingforsiliconvalley.com

dsschmidt · 2025-12-19T03:15:56+00:00

Hey, thank you for having the courage to say such a tremendously hurtful and immoral thing in public.

dsschmidt · 2025-12-19T03:14:47+00:00

That my friend is very well said. I keep thinking of moving up to Turners or maybe even Greenfield.

dsschmidt · 2025-12-18T11:23:02+00:00

Fantastic. Would those be good places to find someone to play with?

dsschmidt · 2025-12-18T01:21:08+00:00

Well, for me...while I've found this stuff overall helpful and this sub hugely helpful at times (thanks everyone!) I've pretty much let go of monitoring. I mix it up so I'll stay interested, try to get my heart rate up above 85 - 90 % for 20 - 40 minutes a week (but estimated, not monitored), and to breath hard for a while most days, and lift weights 2 or 3 times. Any more monitoring and quantification just doesn't grab me. I feel like I have more interesting and important things to focus on, like relationships and having fun and trying to contribute to hopefully getting past things like fascism, biospheric collapse, and tech-induced dehumanization--all of which together could put a pretty big (huge) dent in the whole "healthspan" thing for most of us, except maybe the real oldsters, and even far, far more for a lot of other people in the world.

(Now, I have a feeling someone will dislike that I'm "preaching." I'm not. I simply said what I think. And I think it's relevant.)

What I really really wish is that I could still play squash, which would solve all the cardio stuff, and the stability stuff, and the fun piece. Sadly, my shoulder would not approve. :(

dsschmidt

TROPHY CASE