Weight Loss Thread

Khane · Wednesday at 4:35 PM

sleevedraw said:
Work at one and maybe you'll get a different perspective on things. Doctors and hospitals aren't saints either.

I worked for a benefits company that offered a stored value debit card for healthcare spending for 18 years. I wrote software that processed all kinds of claims data including information from pharmacy benefits managers who negotiate a lot of this shit. Who's claiming doctors and hospitals are saints?

BrutulTM · Wednesday at 4:41 PM

A friend of mine worked at an insurance company and he said he had to quit out of conscience. He said "You spend half of your time telling people you're going to take care of them and the other half trying to avoid paying them any benefits when they have a claim."

sleevedraw · Wednesday at 4:51 PM

I have a very clear conscience working in prior auth. Ask me about the times when doctors are trying to CT the heads of kids and exposing them to a very significant amount of radiation when they are acting "down" (no neuro changes on exam, no attempt at trialing talk therapy or antidepressants, just on a hunch). Ask me about the times when surgeons try to "unbundle" services (i.e. try to bill for 2 codes when they are captured by 1) just to drive up the bill.

This is not to say that all companies are good, because they certainly are not.

Kithani · Wednesday at 5:37 PM

sleevedraw said:
I have a very clear conscience working in prior auth. Ask me about the times when doctors are trying to CT the heads of kids and exposing them to a very significant amount of radiation when they are acting "down" (no neuro changes on exam, no attempt at trialing talk therapy or antidepressants, just on a hunch). Ask me about the times when surgeons try to "unbundle" services (i.e. try to bill for 2 codes when they are captured by 1) just to drive up the bill.

This is not to say that all companies are good, because they certainly are not.

Imagine being the insurance prior auth team and considering yourself the good guy lmao

Izo · Wednesday at 5:41 PM

sleevedraw said:
I have a very clear conscience working in prior auth. Ask me about the times when doctors are trying to CT the heads of kids and exposing them to a very significant amount of radiation when they are acting "down" (no neuro changes on exam, no attempt at trialing talk therapy or antidepressants, just on a hunch). Ask me about the times when surgeons try to "unbundle" services (i.e. try to bill for 2 codes when they are captured by 1) just to drive up the bill.

This is not to say that all companies are good, because they certainly are not.

I'm evil. I bill zero. Muahahaha.

unhappyendings · Wednesday at 6:41 PM

Every level of the system has significant actors trying to claim their piece of the pie with incompetence and negligence sprinkled in. It is just a game of whack-a-mole for the patient to locate the dick coming to fuck them next. Many do not even realize they are getting fucked.

Every level has people trying to do the right thing as well.

Cad · Wednesday at 10:25 PM

sleevedraw said:
I have a very clear conscience working in prior auth. Ask me about the times when doctors are trying to CT the heads of kids and exposing them to a very significant amount of radiation when they are acting "down" (no neuro changes on exam, no attempt at trialing talk therapy or antidepressants, just on a hunch). Ask me about the times when surgeons try to "unbundle" services (i.e. try to bill for 2 codes when they are captured by 1) just to drive up the bill.

This is not to say that all companies are good, because they certainly are not.

I don't do health insurance stuff but we are coverage counsel for some of the big property and casualty companies. Claimants are absolutely trying to rip the insurance companies off on every single claim. Lots of them are represented by sophisticated counsel trying to rip the insurance companies off. (I'm careful not to say "us" here on purpose, I am not my clients, put down the pitchforks.)

It's an emotional issue regarding health care because "somebody" has to be the one to say no to care... and doctors sure aren't... (as if we don't all also complain about the cost of care in the next breath) while also thinking *our* care should be 100% covered even if it's expensive.

The problem as I see is that the process just isn't accurate/efficient enough - people get denied that probably should be covered, and people get covered that probably should be denied, and there's enough overlap that everyone is fucking pissed about both of those situations.

Noodleface · Wednesday at 10:53 PM

sleevedraw said:
Here's the article if you want to do do a deep dive.

There are some cost savings realized from weight reduction, but (a) GLP-1s have their own set of complications such as pancreatitis which can eat into their cost savings similar to bari surgeries having complications, (b) bari surgeries also achieve some cost savings from weight reduction, so that needs to be factored in, and (c) medication adherence is an issue with GLP-1s.

Interesting read. Thanks

Aldarion · Thursday at 9:06 AM

This is one of the best and most honest pieces I've read on weight loss in a long time.

Is the Fattest Place in America the Starbucks Drive‑Through?

Sweet coffee, whipped cream, liquid sugar, and why exercise can’t save us

substack.com

We do not need another campaign telling people to count calories harder or buy gym memberships in January.

We need to say, clearly, that:

Sweet makes us fat, especially when it comes in liquid form and especially when it comes early and often.

Coffee chains and “healthy” juice bars that sell liquid dessert for breakfast are part of the fast‑food problem, not an escape from it.

Ultra‑processed, corn‑ and soy‑based products designed to be eaten quickly with those drinks are not “food” in the evolutionary sense. They are feed.

ShakyJake · 2026-05-03T11:45:17-0400

So, progress update for anyone that's interested:

I've been on Tirzepatide (GLP-1 injection) for a month now. I haven't bothered getting on the scale..I've just been doing the "jeans test."

About a year ago, my 32" jeans were getting too tight, so I bought some 33"s. Those eventually got uncomfortable too, which is what finally pushed me to try this medication. After just one month, the 33"s are now totally comfortable again.

It's kind of wild how the medication works. I genuinely have almost no desire to eat. I subscribe to Factor meals, and even though their portions aren't huge, I couldn't finish one this past week. Ended up throwing it out, which honestly made me feel a little bad.

By the way, this stuff isn't nearly as expensive as I thought. I'm paying about $250/month... nowhere near the $1,000+ I kept hearing about.

Bottom line: shit works.

ronne · 2026-05-03T13:30:09-0400

Aldarion said:
This is one of the best and most honest pieces I've read on weight loss in a long time.

Is the Fattest Place in America the Starbucks Drive‑Through?

Sweet coffee, whipped cream, liquid sugar, and why exercise can’t save us

substack.com

This is well written but ultimately is still mostly making excuses for poor eating habits.

Yes drinking a 600 calorie Starbucks milkshake for breakfast will make you fat, but it's not via some kind of biological magic of it being 'sweet liquid', its because it was 600 calories on top all the rest of the food that person is gonna consume that day as well.

Yes yes, not all calorie sources are the same, but for 99% of people that's a minutiae that is like 5 layers removed from the root of the problem - that they simply eat/drink too much. If you want to get to 6% body fat that's when you probably want to start worrying about your calorie sources and macros, but if you're some normal office schlub that is 40lbs overweight the type of calories you're eating is not the problem, it is entirely the quantity of them.

Control · 2026-05-03T22:50:38-0400

250 today. Logically I know I must have been this weight at some point in the past, but I have no idea when it was.

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Weight Loss Thread

Khane

Got something right about marriage

BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.

sleevedraw

Revolver Ocelot

Kithani

Vyemm Raider

Izo

Tranny Chaser

unhappyendings

Golden Knight of the Realm

Sheriff Cad

scientia potentia est

Noodleface

A Mod Real Quick

Aldarion

Egg Nazi

Is the Fattest Place in America the Starbucks Drive‑Through?

ShakyJake

ronne

Nǐ hǎo, yǒu jīn zi ma?

Is the Fattest Place in America the Starbucks Drive‑Through?

Control

Golden Baronet of the Realm