Everything you know about obesity is wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The article is neither well written or well researched. It’s pandering to people who feel ostracized or bullied because they are fat. It’s feeding into their insecurity and pain at being fat and giving them an out by blaming things they can’t control. Fat people are not fat because people shame them though normal people may not be fat due to the shame. I agree that fat shaming doesn’t help people who already are fat but it certainly helps many from getting there.

Regardless, public health people are widely unsuccessful at influencing behavior.

What might help would be greater availability and insurance coverage for quality mental health professionals. Obesity in many cases is a consequence of mental health problems whether it’s emotional eating, impulse control, or motivation. Mental health comes into play when people want to change and their behavior is keeping them from being functional which being fat does.

Some people also just do not care and any money spent chasing after them is completely wasted. Look at the high correlation of obesity and Trump supporters. The common connection is anger, anxiety, TV habits, and intentional disregard for their own health. Whether it’s refusing vaccines or stuffing their faces to death, they won’t change because some dippy public health official created a poster.

Please point to any hard evidence the bolded is remotely true. I think it’s a ridiculous assertion and completely contrary to both the history of the obesity epidemic and the hard data we do have. But I’m willing to be wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We do have personal choices. Have ya'll ever looked at the shopping carts in the grocery section of Walmart. There are not a lot of shoppers selecting apples from the apple bin of the produce department. Most shoppers are loading their carts with 2 liter sodas, chips, and processed foods. As a shopper you have to walk through the produce section with your cart to check out.

Ahh but you’ve unwittingly pointed out how the American food system is broken!

Let’s talk apples, since you brought them up. It seems, from my brief European experiences and reading (I lack personal experience elsewhere in the world), that European food systems still tend toward seasonal eating as well as local eating. Apples, as summer to fall (and into winter depending on the storability of various varieties) should just now be starting to come back into the stores. But they’re not, they’ve been there all year. From Chile. From elsewhere overseas.

And is there a lot of nutrition in those traveled and stored apples? Not so much. Is there a lot of flavor? Is there a lot of choice? Depending on what store you go to. But why has America lost most of its local producers of apples with the varieties that we used to grow? It’s corporate food choices made with corporate needs in mind. You won’t find a lot of Esopus Spitzenbergs or Limbertwigs or Pearmains.

Our food is corporate. The flavors are banal and one dimensional and quite frankly, even our fruits and vegetables are no longer as healthy as they were even a few years ago and are far less nutritious than they were a hundred years ago. You were trying to take a swipe at those fatties making poor choices but you instead managed to point out one of the major failings of our food system.

You are right but that’s too complex for that PP to understand.

[Anonymous]

So now the malice crowd has resorted to claiming that their shaming prevents obesity. 3/4 of Americans are overweight, and 40% are obese.

Seems unbelievable to me. Although perhaps the shame keeps me from reaching the obese category. I always diet when I creep up and return to a lower number (overweight category). Or maybe it’s genetics because my mother does the same thing. We both lose weight easily when we track, just not enough and we can’t maintain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The article is neither well written or well researched. It’s pandering to people who feel ostracized or bullied because they are fat. It’s feeding into their insecurity and pain at being fat and giving them an out by blaming things they can’t control. Fat people are not fat because people shame them though normal people may not be fat due to the shame. I agree that fat shaming doesn’t help people who already are fat but it certainly helps many from getting there.

Regardless, public health people are widely unsuccessful at influencing behavior.

What might help would be greater availability and insurance coverage for quality mental health professionals. Obesity in many cases is a consequence of mental health problems whether it’s emotional eating, impulse control, or motivation. Mental health comes into play when people want to change and their behavior is keeping them from being functional which being fat does.

Some people also just do not care and any money spent chasing after them is completely wasted. Look at the high correlation of obesity and Trump supporters. The common connection is anger, anxiety, TV habits, and intentional disregard for their own health. Whether it’s refusing vaccines or stuffing their faces to death, they won’t change because some dippy public health official created a poster.

Please point to any hard evidence the bolded is remotely true. I think it’s a ridiculous assertion and completely contrary to both the history of the obesity epidemic and the hard data we do have. But I’m willing to be wrong.

+1 my whole life obesity has been horribly shamed, the past few years excepted. And the whole time obesity has just kept rising. This line of reasoning makes no sense to me.

[Anonymous]

People are different and if the person who lose 21lbs from cutting out cookies thinks its because of their "optimal choices" then they will always judge others because in their mind if you they were eating cookies and lost 21lbs what must you be eating to be 50-60 lbs overweight. Unfortunately, it is not that linear for most people and thats why the drugs work.

I lost over 40 pounds when I stopped eating massive amounts of junk food. But I try not to be judge others - in fact, I am very lucky that I had the metabolism that allowed me to eat massive quantities of junk for a decade and technically be only 15 pounds overweight on a BMI chart, to lose it easily in 6 or 7 months, and to keep it off. I've been anorexic and I've been a binge eater and I understand how hard it can be to have a healthy relationship with food. When I was overweight, I had other stressors in my life. The food helped and I was not in the mindset to change my ways until those stressors went away. For me and for many others, there is a mental health component. It's not as simple as "eat this, don't eat that."

I feel like I'm finally in a good place when it comes to my eating and fitness and I'm 50. It can be a struggle and each person has their own puzzle to solve. I don't blame people who either don't have the energy to try or try but can't figure out what works for them. You can't know everything about a person by looking at their body or their grocery cart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So now the malice crowd has resorted to claiming that their shaming prevents obesity. 3/4 of Americans are overweight, and 40% are obese.

Seems unbelievable to me. Although perhaps the shame keeps me from reaching the obese category. I always diet when I creep up and return to a lower number (overweight category). Or maybe it’s genetics because my mother does the same thing. We both lose weight easily when we track, just not enough and we can’t maintain.

Yeah, that was quite a self-own. That seems like a spectacular failure of their technique.

[Anonymous]

As with many complex phenomena, it's obviously a combination of systemic failures and individual choices. We can't really control things like subsidies to the junk food industrial complex, but we do have some control over our individual choices. That is the point. When you go to a Super Walmart and spend your money on soda, that's a choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As with many complex phenomena, it's obviously a combination of systemic failures and individual choices. We can't really control things like subsidies to the junk food industrial complex, but we do have some control over our individual choices. That is the point. When you go to a Super Walmart and spend your money on soda, that's a choice.

If only it was all about junk food and soda. I’d be a size 2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We do have personal choices. Have ya'll ever looked at the shopping carts in the grocery section of Walmart. There are not a lot of shoppers selecting apples from the apple bin of the produce department. Most shoppers are loading their carts with 2 liter sodas, chips, and processed foods. As a shopper you have to walk through the produce section with your cart to check out.

Ahh but you’ve unwittingly pointed out how the American food system is broken!

Let’s talk apples, since you brought them up. It seems, from my brief European experiences and reading (I lack personal experience elsewhere in the world), that European food systems still tend toward seasonal eating as well as local eating. Apples, as summer to fall (and into winter depending on the storability of various varieties) should just now be starting to come back into the stores. But they’re not, they’ve been there all year. From Chile. From elsewhere overseas.

And is there a lot of nutrition in those traveled and stored apples? Not so much. Is there a lot of flavor? Is there a lot of choice? Depending on what store you go to. But why has America lost most of its local producers of apples with the varieties that we used to grow? It’s corporate food choices made with corporate needs in mind. You won’t find a lot of Esopus Spitzenbergs or Limbertwigs or Pearmains.

Our food is corporate. The flavors are banal and one dimensional and quite frankly, even our fruits and vegetables are no longer as healthy as they were even a few years ago and are far less nutritious than they were a hundred years ago. You were trying to take a swipe at those fatties making poor choices but you instead managed to point out one of the major failings of our food system.

Remember when tomatoes were amazing? How fresh tomato with a little bit of seasoning tasted flavorful and fulfilling? Those were the days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We do have personal choices. Have ya'll ever looked at the shopping carts in the grocery section of Walmart. There are not a lot of shoppers selecting apples from the apple bin of the produce department. Most shoppers are loading their carts with 2 liter sodas, chips, and processed foods. As a shopper you have to walk through the produce section with your cart to check out.

Ahh but you’ve unwittingly pointed out how the American food system is broken!

Let’s talk apples, since you brought them up. It seems, from my brief European experiences and reading (I lack personal experience elsewhere in the world), that European food systems still tend toward seasonal eating as well as local eating. Apples, as summer to fall (and into winter depending on the storability of various varieties) should just now be starting to come back into the stores. But they’re not, they’ve been there all year. From Chile. From elsewhere overseas.

And is there a lot of nutrition in those traveled and stored apples? Not so much. Is there a lot of flavor? Is there a lot of choice? Depending on what store you go to. But why has America lost most of its local producers of apples with the varieties that we used to grow? It’s corporate food choices made with corporate needs in mind. You won’t find a lot of Esopus Spitzenbergs or Limbertwigs or Pearmains.

Our food is corporate. The flavors are banal and one dimensional and quite frankly, even our fruits and vegetables are no longer as healthy as they were even a few years ago and are far less nutritious than they were a hundred years ago. You were trying to take a swipe at those fatties making poor choices but you instead managed to point out one of the major failings of our food system.

A bland corporate apple is still better for you than a bag of chips.

[Anonymous]

Nope you can offer the best possible locally grown, organic apple that was grown in an orchard playing classical musical and someone who lacks impulse control is going to get the chips and dip or doughnuts. The best ever apple can cost a fraction of the chips and it will still be passed by. Sugar, fat and carbs is extremely satisfying to people. It’s more than just taste, it gives them a chemical boost and satisfies cravings.

I think the person constantly pushing that people are only fat because of the food supply is uninformed. If you are already a normal eater and buy apples then subsidizing them and making them more flavorful is a win for you. It won’t do zip for fat people. But hey the normal sized apple lover can feel superior that she’s helping fat people by getting herself cheaper, tastier apples.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As with many complex phenomena, it's obviously a combination of systemic failures and individual choices. We can't really control things like subsidies to the junk food industrial complex, but we do have some control over our individual choices. That is the point. When you go to a Super Walmart and spend your money on soda, that's a choice.

If only it was all about junk food and soda. I’d be a size 2.

No one is recommending becoming a size 2, but if you're obese, there's no way that you got that way eating only healthy, unprocessed/low processed foods. It would be virtually impossible to become obese if you ate only fruits, vegetables, and low fat meats. You might still be large framed, but not obese.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As with many complex phenomena, it's obviously a combination of systemic failures and individual choices. We can't really control things like subsidies to the junk food industrial complex, but we do have some control over our individual choices. That is the point. When you go to a Super Walmart and spend your money on soda, that's a choice.

If only it was all about junk food and soda. I’d be a size 2.

No one is recommending becoming a size 2, but if you're obese, there's no way that you got that way eating only healthy, unprocessed/low processed foods. It would be virtually impossible to become obese if you ate only fruits, vegetables, and low fat meats. You might still be large framed, but not obese.

Wrong, wrong, and incredibly wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We do have personal choices. Have ya'll ever looked at the shopping carts in the grocery section of Walmart. There are not a lot of shoppers selecting apples from the apple bin of the produce department. Most shoppers are loading their carts with 2 liter sodas, chips, and processed foods. As a shopper you have to walk through the produce section with your cart to check out.

Ahh but you’ve unwittingly pointed out how the American food system is broken!

Let’s talk apples, since you brought them up. It seems, from my brief European experiences and reading (I lack personal experience elsewhere in the world), that European food systems still tend toward seasonal eating as well as local eating. Apples, as summer to fall (and into winter depending on the storability of various varieties) should just now be starting to come back into the stores. But they’re not, they’ve been there all year. From Chile. From elsewhere overseas.

And is there a lot of nutrition in those traveled and stored apples? Not so much. Is there a lot of flavor? Is there a lot of choice? Depending on what store you go to. But why has America lost most of its local producers of apples with the varieties that we used to grow? It’s corporate food choices made with corporate needs in mind. You won’t find a lot of Esopus Spitzenbergs or Limbertwigs or Pearmains.

Our food is corporate. The flavors are banal and one dimensional and quite frankly, even our fruits and vegetables are no longer as healthy as they were even a few years ago and are far less nutritious than they were a hundred years ago. You were trying to take a swipe at those fatties making poor choices but you instead managed to point out one of the major failings of our food system.

A bland corporate apple is still better for you than a bag of chips.

I've had apples with more calories than a standard bag of chips.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So now the malice crowd has resorted to claiming that their shaming prevents obesity. 3/4 of Americans are overweight, and 40% are obese.

Seems unbelievable to me. Although perhaps the shame keeps me from reaching the obese category. I always diet when I creep up and return to a lower number (overweight category). Or maybe it’s genetics because my mother does the same thing. We both lose weight easily when we track, just not enough and we can’t maintain.

That's not genetic. You don't have a genetic disease, you have learned behaviors that you picked up directly from your mother and you copy her disordered eating. That is your normal. As it is for many, many people.