As obesity keeps rising, more Americans are just giving up • Hacker News Board

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

#41

Post by soneca » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 12:27 AM UTC

quotemstr wrote: post #32

zitterbewegung wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

You're correct about there being a genetic component to obesity. Unfortunately, it's also the case that it is just "eating less" --- physics has no special case for 21st century humans. The way to square this circle, and what's particularly difficult for people in this society, is to accept that that there is a genetic component to this behavioral issue. We'd prefer very much going around believing that behavior is s…

What you eat make harder or easier to eat less.

It is not just genetics and it is not just self control. If you eat more fat and no carbs is much easier to eat less calories in total.

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

#42

Post by MattRix » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 12:27 AM UTC

DoodleBuggy wrote: post #24

Neliquat wrote: 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.

> Calories in - calories out = fat accumulation. It is literally that simple. It's literally the first law of thermodynamics. Everyone tries to over complicate things, but the reality is if you eat more calories than you burn, you will become fat.

Yes, but it's a gross oversimplification! If I asked you "what's the secret to getting rich?" and you said "earn more than you spend", it would be true, but it wouldn't be very helpful.

The fact is that different calories affect our brains differently. Some cause us to crave more food, some cause us to feel satiated, etc. I hate this modern trend of saying "calories in vs calories out" as if it's a magic cure.

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

#43

Post by Fricken » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 12:27 AM UTC

revelation wrote: post #30

wavefunction wrote: post #7

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…

I don't understand, the equation doesn't change at all.

When your body is breaking down simple carbohydrates, it causes your blood sugar levels to spike, and during this period you're packing away more fat than you would otherwise. Combined with a sedentary lifestyle it's really bad. It does matter where you're getting your calories from.

This is why poor people have greater obesity problems than the rest. Potato Chips, white bread, pasta, and of course sugar feature prominently in their daily calorie intake, these are the cheapest calories you can make a diet out of.

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

#44

Post by atopuzov » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 12:27 AM UTC

krisroadruck wrote: post #29

lacampbell wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Do we all know? I currently weigh 270lbs (and climbing) and I * Don't consume soda or sugary drinks of any kind * Go on 3 mile walks 3-4x weekly * Have switched to soylent 100% of meals to make calorie counting dead simple * Recently cut out alcohol too And yet pounds are adding on not coming off. I've been gaining about 10-15lbs a year every year since I hit 30 after being at a stable weight of 170lbs for all of my…

Have you tried keto? Works for me™

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

#45

Post by angry-hacker » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 12:28 AM UTC

jahewson wrote: post #34

lacampbell wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

I think as a society it is pretty clear that we do not know the secret to not being obese. I can't count how many times a day I am bombarded with messages telling me to eat junk food, that it's fine, it's fun. People do not live in a vacuum and can't be judged too harshly for choosing the options that society has worked very hard to place in front of them and promote. It's simple psychology that when faced with sizes…

The secret is eat less calories than you burn. What are you talking about?

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

#46

Post by civilian » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 12:28 AM UTC

lacampbell wrote: post #17

quotemstr wrote: post #8

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?

If we're on the hook for paying for their health coverage, then being authoritarian about what people can consume starts to make a lot of sense.

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

#47

Post by sethammons » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 12:28 AM UTC

DoodleBuggy wrote: post #28

bijection wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

OK, so tax garbage food and tax BMI. Really, it should be no different than any other sin tax. It's behavior you want to discourage, so tax it.

Simply raising prices on bad food would not be enough. Food education and getting healthy food choices to be more affordable are key. There are huge swathes of people who have no clue what eating healthy looks like. And eating healthy is more expensive.

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

#48

Post by rglover » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 12:28 AM UTC

BadassFractal wrote: post #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…

No, it's the individual's fault. I was severely overweight a year ago and lost 80lb doing nothing other than eating healthy, exercising, and...being patient.

The deferment of responsibility and lack of self-control is the problem. Of course, companies–and more specifically, their marketing teams/firms–know people are weak-minded and as a result, can more or less control people's habits (read: greed outweighs public concern). It doesn't help that the culture has tilted toward justifying poor health in the form of all the body image propaganda.

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

#49

Post by minikites » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 12:29 AM UTC

lacampbell wrote: post #36

minikites wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not childish, it's how a society works. It's the same concept behind seatbelt laws. Not wearing a seatbelt "should" be an individual choice but individuals not wearing a seatbelt in aggregate is a net negative for society so we legislate their use.

I think wearing a seatbelt is a great idea, and if I'll refuse to drive a car unless all my passengers are wearing their seatbelt first. My partner is from a country where it's not enforced at all, and I have insisted she always wear a seat-belt when I noticed she didn't wear them routinely. I personally rarely drink alcohol, don't smoke, take drugs etc etc. I still don't think any of the above should be forbidden. I…

I think alcohol is a thorny example because of status quo bias stretching back thousands of years. Based on what I know of the physical harms of alcohol, I think if it was invented today it would be illegal.

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

#50

Post by tzs » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 12:29 AM UTC

Here's a nice map of the US showing the adult obesity rate in each state: http://stateofobesity.org/adult-obesity/

Note that you can select earlier years using the controls below the map. Some depressing observations:

• In 1990, the highest rate was 15% (Mississippi) and the lowest was 6.9% (Colorado).

• In 2000, the highest was 23.9% (West Virginia) and the lowest 14.5% (Colorado). Note that in a mere 10 years, the lowest was almost equal to what had been the highest.

There are plenty of other charts on the site. There is one for physical inactivity. That shows two interesting things:

• The states with the highest obesity have the most inactivity, and the states with the least obesity the least inactivity.

• However, for each state the level of inactivity has remained fairly flat over the last 10 years, even though the obesity rate has risen in those states. Inactivity might explain why some states are more or less obese than others, but it doesn't appear to have anything to do with why we are getting fatter everywhere.