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As obesity keeps rising, more Americans are just giving up

latimes.com

11–20 of 139 posts

Re: As obesity keeps rising, more Americans are just giving up

#12

> Replicated by other studies, that research helps explain the discouraging finding that within five years of having lost weight, 95% of dieters will regain all the weight they lost. And most will gain a few extra pounds as well. I'm part of that privileged 5%. I lost around 60 pounds in 2009-2010 and I've kept it off. It really is a lifestyle change. You have to be constantly aware of the portions you choose and rem…

Do you still have to actively manage your calorie intake?

I haven't A/B tested it so I can't say for sure if I "have" to but yes, I continue to manage my intake as closely as I can. I read the labels on everything, measure liquids or weigh foods where the package is larger than a single serving, and so on.

Re: As obesity keeps rising, more Americans are just giving up

#13
I haven't really paid attention to men's physiques, but there's a stark difference between the silhouettes of women in many cities of Europe and those in even the most "superficial" US states such as California.

I know the PC police will eat me for lunch for saying this, but the dating pool, at least in the 20s and 30s range, shrinks considerably in the US for anybody used to European body image standards.

Whatever's happening to the population here is not normal. I don't know if it's our lifestyles becoming totally sedentary, if it's food marketing having reached absolutely irresistible heights, or if it's the lack of a culture of slow eating, but something is clearly not working and it really doesn't feel like the individual's fault, it seems actually systemic.

One thought is perhaps we should start treating the constant incessant advertisement of food the same way we treated the cigarette industry and regulate its appeal to children, put up disclaimers about what happens when you down that entire bag of cheetos etc.

Re: As obesity keeps rising, more Americans are just giving up

#14
post #4

Until this is treated like the public epidemic it is, and promote education, this will only get worse. Calories in - calories out = fat accumulation. It is literally that simple.

You're of course leaving out the complexity in how "Calories in" and "calories out" are derived for individuals. Some people consume too much calorically as a mental-health coping mechanism. Some people consume too much calorically because the food culture they were raised in promotes that. Some people consume too much calorically because they have a lack of real options to purchase fresh whole foods. Some people don…

Every complexity you posted still comes down to consuming more calories than is needed.

The reality is the vast majority of people eat way too much, and the dietary guidelines for caloric intake are far too high for a largely sedentary society.

Re: As obesity keeps rising, more Americans are just giving up

#15

Is this really different from smoking or another harmful unhealthy lifestyle choice? It's abusing food, and it has negative consequences. The cost of health care to manage obesity and related issues is staggering and will only increase. Maybe the USA should start having a BMI tax?

It may be that that lower income means lower quality food means higher BMI, in which case a BMI tax would exacerbate the problem. Food for thought.

Re: As obesity keeps rising, more Americans are just giving up

#16
post #4

Until this is treated like the public epidemic it is, and promote education, this will only get worse. Calories in - calories out = fat accumulation. It is literally that simple.

CICO isn't very useful because all diets that are successful are CICO. It's like saying space travel is simply applying enough force in the right direction.

Logging and limiting calories isn't the only way to achieve CICO.

Re: As obesity keeps rising, more Americans are just giving up

#17

Is it really in the best interest of society to allow food makers to advertise superstimuli-level [1] food products that we know in aggregate make is less happy and likely to die earlier? Why? We regulate all sorts of substances that we know are harmful when ingested. We shouldn't make exceptions for things that happen to be called food. Even if we don't want to enact anything as drastic as a "soda tax" or a ban on r…

At what point do people take responsibility for their own bodies and their own lives? We all know the secret to not being obese. Asking the government to step in and help us just seems... childish. Are we not adults? Do we have no agency?

Re: As obesity keeps rising, more Americans are just giving up

#18

Is it really in the best interest of society to allow food makers to advertise superstimuli-level [1] food products that we know in aggregate make is less happy and likely to die earlier? Why? We regulate all sorts of substances that we know are harmful when ingested. We shouldn't make exceptions for things that happen to be called food. Even if we don't want to enact anything as drastic as a "soda tax" or a ban on r…

At what point do people take responsibility for their own bodies and their own lives? We all know the secret to not being obese. Asking the government to step in and help us just seems... childish. Are we not adults? Do we have no agency?

There is a genetic component to being overweight that you are overlooking. It's not just eating less .

Re: As obesity keeps rising, more Americans are just giving up

#19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're of course leaving out the complexity in how "Calories in" and "calories out" are derived for individuals. Some people consume too much calorically as a mental-health coping mechanism. Some people consume too much calorically because the food culture they were raised in promotes that. Some people consume too much calorically because they have a lack of real options to purchase fresh whole foods. Some people don…

Every complexity you posted still comes down to consuming more calories than is needed. The reality is the vast majority of people eat way too much, and the dietary guidelines for caloric intake are far too high for a largely sedentary society.

It's easier to eat fewer calories when the foods you eat are high in water and fiber content.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CdwWliv7Hg

Re: As obesity keeps rising, more Americans are just giving up

#20

Is it really in the best interest of society to allow food makers to advertise superstimuli-level [1] food products that we know in aggregate make is less happy and likely to die earlier? Why? We regulate all sorts of substances that we know are harmful when ingested. We shouldn't make exceptions for things that happen to be called food. Even if we don't want to enact anything as drastic as a "soda tax" or a ban on r…

At what point do people take responsibility for their own bodies and their own lives? We all know the secret to not being obese. Asking the government to step in and help us just seems... childish. Are we not adults? Do we have no agency?

The way mobs and politics work, no, it appears that in aggregate, we do not have agency. That is the tragedy of the commons.
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