>>> Interesting note. A study done a while back showed that merely knowing
>>> how much you burned, somehow, may result in increased loss.
>>
>> Sounds like something similar to the placebo effect.
>
> It's also the case that your metabolism is regulated based on how much
> food is available, how likely you are to be eaten by a tiger, etc. I've
> seen studies where people imagined being in danger and (over time) lost
> weight, and the doctors doing the study figured it was because your mind
> was preparing you to run away.

Seems reasonable.

Note that stress makes you ill. (I'm not talking about having a naff day 
at work. I'm talking about being /really/ stressed out.) Thing is, when 
humans evolved, the only reason for being "stressed" was that you're 
about to be attacked by something, and you should either kill it or run 
away from it, really fast. So either the threat would be killed, or 
you'd escape, or you'd die. Either way, the situation would be resolved 
pretty quickly.

So the stress reaction is only supposed to be used for a short time. But 
today, a "threat" isn't necessarily something you can resolve in a few 
minutes. It can go on and on for months. Meanwhile, your body is 
prepared for imminent physical conflict 24/7. Gradually that screws 
everything up.

I'm wondering whether stressing yourself to try to provoke weight loss 
is actually a good idea. I suppose it depends on the degree. And hey, if 
you only need to do that until you reach your target weight, maybe 
that's not so bad...

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