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Call for an urgent rethink of the ‘health at every size’ concept

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Re: Call for an urgent rethink of the ‘health at every size’ concept

#11

Post by sharpray »

atwebb wrote: post #8
steven777400 wrote: post #6

This is significant as well in that it points out that people can legitimately struggle with overweight eating issues as the brain adapts and makes people more hungry. I struggled a lot with losing weight and continue to struggle with keeping it off. It's frustrating when some folks (presumably, who have never struggled with weight and eating, and the psychology issues with eating, such as eating to feel good and the…

That goes for a lot of issues, it's hard to empathize. Addict? Just stop using Alcoholic? Just stop drinking Gambling issues? Just stop betting Depressed? Just cheer up Unmotivated? Just try harder There are underlying, complex factors to most of these and many other issues. It's easier to ignore them when you've never directly dealt with it.

There's an obvious difference here.

If the addict can't find drugs anymore, he can't use them.

If the alcoholic can't find alcohol anymore, he can't drink it.

If the gambler can't find slot machines, he can't gamble.

If the overeater can't find food, he can't eat.

The same can't be said for depressed and unmotivated people - there's nothing you can take away from them in order to keep them from suffering depression or demotivation.

Since they themselves can't take those things away from themselves for their own good, the addic, the alcoholic, the gambler and the overeater really suffer from the same problem, lack of self-control.

EDIT: atwebb:

Since having self-control would suffice to stop using drugs, drinking alcohol, gambling, and overeating, therefore one who can't stop doing any of those has to be lacking self-control.

Tell me where you got lost in that argument.

Re: Call for an urgent rethink of the ‘health at every size’ concept

#12

Post by DanBC »

rtl49 wrote: post #7
steven777400 wrote: post #6

This is significant as well in that it points out that people can legitimately struggle with overweight eating issues as the brain adapts and makes people more hungry. I struggled a lot with losing weight and continue to struggle with keeping it off. It's frustrating when some folks (presumably, who have never struggled with weight and eating, and the psychology issues with eating, such as eating to feel good and the…

I agree. Earlier this year I read an article highlighting just how extraordinarily rare it is to overcome morbid obesity in adulthood and maintain this progress indefinitely without medical intervention. Ultimately, we need to accept that our bodies, including the organ which gives rise to our behavior, are physical systems subject to occurrences entirely beyond our conscious control. I've not dealt with obesity pers…

> and maintain this progress indefinitely without medical intervention

And bariatric surgery comes with significantly increased risk of suicide.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/852616?nlid=89075_2052&s...

Re: Call for an urgent rethink of the ‘health at every size’ concept

#13

Post by allencoin »

atwebb wrote: post #8
steven777400 wrote: post #6

This is significant as well in that it points out that people can legitimately struggle with overweight eating issues as the brain adapts and makes people more hungry. I struggled a lot with losing weight and continue to struggle with keeping it off. It's frustrating when some folks (presumably, who have never struggled with weight and eating, and the psychology issues with eating, such as eating to feel good and the…

That goes for a lot of issues, it's hard to empathize. Addict? Just stop using Alcoholic? Just stop drinking Gambling issues? Just stop betting Depressed? Just cheer up Unmotivated? Just try harder There are underlying, complex factors to most of these and many other issues. It's easier to ignore them when you've never directly dealt with it.

>Unmotivated? Just try harder

Or my personal favorite, "Work harder."

Re: Call for an urgent rethink of the ‘health at every size’ concept

#14

Post by spinlock »

steven777400 wrote: post #6

This is significant as well in that it points out that people can legitimately struggle with overweight eating issues as the brain adapts and makes people more hungry. I struggled a lot with losing weight and continue to struggle with keeping it off. It's frustrating when some folks (presumably, who have never struggled with weight and eating, and the psychology issues with eating, such as eating to feel good and the…

I used to think the healthy at any weight movement was a gateway to actually being healthy. Start acting healthy and forming healthy habits and eventually you'll be healthy. Kinda like magic thinking except it would actually work.

But, there's a backlash against people who actually loose weight in the movement. That's the part I just don't understand.

Re: Call for an urgent rethink of the ‘health at every size’ concept

#16

Post by MPSimmons »

rtl49 wrote: post #7
steven777400 wrote: post #6

This is significant as well in that it points out that people can legitimately struggle with overweight eating issues as the brain adapts and makes people more hungry. I struggled a lot with losing weight and continue to struggle with keeping it off. It's frustrating when some folks (presumably, who have never struggled with weight and eating, and the psychology issues with eating, such as eating to feel good and the…

I agree. Earlier this year I read an article highlighting just how extraordinarily rare it is to overcome morbid obesity in adulthood and maintain this progress indefinitely without medical intervention. Ultimately, we need to accept that our bodies, including the organ which gives rise to our behavior, are physical systems subject to occurrences entirely beyond our conscious control. I've not dealt with obesity pers…

It's hard to admit this, but I have found since I lost around 90 pounds (~41KG), I've found myself mentally judging overweight people pretty harshly. I don't mean to do it, it just happens. I think it may come from the, "if I can do it anyone can" line of thinking, but I'm not proud of it.

Re: Call for an urgent rethink of the ‘health at every size’ concept

#17

Post by MPSimmons »

rtl49 wrote: post #7
steven777400 wrote: post #6

This is significant as well in that it points out that people can legitimately struggle with overweight eating issues as the brain adapts and makes people more hungry. I struggled a lot with losing weight and continue to struggle with keeping it off. It's frustrating when some folks (presumably, who have never struggled with weight and eating, and the psychology issues with eating, such as eating to feel good and the…

I agree. Earlier this year I read an article highlighting just how extraordinarily rare it is to overcome morbid obesity in adulthood and maintain this progress indefinitely without medical intervention. Ultimately, we need to accept that our bodies, including the organ which gives rise to our behavior, are physical systems subject to occurrences entirely beyond our conscious control. I've not dealt with obesity pers…

It's hard to admit this, but I have found since I lost around 90 pounds (~41KG), I've found myself mentally judging overweight people pretty harshly. I don't mean to do it, it just happens. I think it may come from the, "if I can do it anyone can" line of thinking, but I'm not proud of it.

Re: Call for an urgent rethink of the ‘health at every size’ concept

#18

Post by rtl49 »

sageabilly wrote: post #9

Nutrition is such a vast science, one where new theories and ideas are coming almost every month and one where the general public is either completely uneducated or working off of decades-old assumptions (such as following the surgeon general's dietary guidelines from the 70s or 90s). It's no wonder to me at all that a vast majority of people regardless of their current size have zero idea what to do to eat healthily…

I've long disliked the amount and kind of attention the mainstream media devotes to covering research in nutritional science. Not only does it confuse people, even those with scientific training, its vacillation also undermines the public's confidence that science is a valid approach to understanding the world.

Still, I'm not convinced that public confusion on the subject of nutrition is a leading cause of widespread obesity. An environmental or social explanation seems more probable than simple ignorance. After all, obesity is less of a problem in many less educated societies, despite an abundance of food.

Re: Call for an urgent rethink of the ‘health at every size’ concept

#19

Post by mcguire »

If you're interested, Dr. Amanda Sansbury-Salis[1] has a book out, The Don't Go Hungary Diet: The Scientifically Based Way To Lose Weight And Keep It Off Forever[2]. You can read the first chapter on her website.

[1] http://www.dramandaonline.com/

[2] http://www.amazon.com/The-Dont-Go-Hungry-Diet/dp/1863255230

Re: Call for an urgent rethink of the ‘health at every size’ concept

#20

Post by fatpeopleh8 »

Frondo wrote: post #10
rtl49 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. Earlier this year I read an article highlighting just how extraordinarily rare it is to overcome morbid obesity in adulthood and maintain this progress indefinitely without medical intervention. Ultimately, we need to accept that our bodies, including the organ which gives rise to our behavior, are physical systems subject to occurrences entirely beyond our conscious control. I've not dealt with obesity pers…

I think you're touching on the heart of the tension behind the "health at every size" movement. I know a couple of people who are big advocates of it, and surprise surprise, they're all pretty fat. They're still wonderful people, and I of course don't respect them less because they're fat. You know, for me, it's like..who cares? It's not my body. I'm even pretty sympathetic to how much difficulty they have doing basi…

I care. Taxpayers in the UK spent £47bn on obesity.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/20/obesity-bigge...

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