"Weight management is actually much more complex than just ‘energy in’ versus ‘energy out." No, it's not. Maybe it's more difficult to measure calories (that salad ranch dressing has more calories than that hamburger), but people should be encouraged to balance their calorie intake everyday. For what it's worth, here's why Americans are obese: 50 extra calories / day x 365 days / year x 1 lb / 3,500 calories = 5 lbs…
I know if I burn 500 calories of fat I'll loose 1 lb in a week. And this is a 500 cal deficiency. But since I don't know how much of the burger I've digested or how much intensely my body is working to, say, regulate my T; I have no clear idea how much less I should eat
That being said N. Americans eat horribly and I agree they should put some thought into what they eat.
(Btw, I'm 6ft 2, trying to loose a few lb to get back to the mid 170s)