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People are fat because they eat too much, and they have almost no incentive to stop it. Sure, they are mostly eating the wrong things too, in the wrong amounts

by eric_b 8y ago

People are fat because they eat too much, and they have almost no incentive to stop it. Sure, they are mostly eating the wrong things too, in the wrong amounts, but the bottom line is the number of calories going in the front door. I lost 40 pounds all while drinking gallons of beer in college. I did it by eating less and moving more. It was not an optimal way to lose weight, but it was effective. These days I keep thin by eating high protein/fat, easy-to-digest carbs, and vegetables, and keeping sugar to a minimum. There's a million ways to lose weight, and some are easier than others. But I promise you, if you eat less than your body needs to survive, you will start losing weight. Today it's culturally acceptable to be fat, and there is ready access to so-so quality food in large cheap quantities. I love sugar. I have a massive sweet tooth. I have to be disciplined to stop from consuming all the candy in the world. Some people choose not to be disciplined. Their choice I guess.

untilHellbanned 8y ago
> Some people choose not to be disciplined. Their choice I guess. Empathy goes a long way. I think as a society we will get to the solution faster with the view that some people might have stronger urges to overeat then you. Congratulations you worked hard. Don't discount what others face.
- gore90- 8y ago
  I agree. Clearly it is easier for some people than it is for others. Not always simply a case of "you lack willpower" etc.
- eric_b 8y ago
  Please, why do you think I needed to lose 40 pounds in the first place? Not because I was the paragon of willpower I can tell you. I still go off the rails and eat an entire package of Oreos in a single sitting sometimes. It’s a constant struggle for me, but I don’t make excuses and I keep persevering. Other people can do that too.
parthdesai 8y ago
I have a massive sweet tooth as well. If i buy a pack of cookies, i'l finish it one sitting. What has helped is to avoid buying them outright.
b3b0p 8y ago
I get the impression people want to place blame on something, anything, except themselves. Everything from specific foods, diets and genetics, but it ultimately comes down to consuming too much energy over time, longer term. It's accepted as fact and they can't do anything about it because of genetics or because they can't or won't eat specific foods or can't get to the gym (go outside?). We are surrounded by food. It's everywhere, but we really don't need that much of it (you can get a days worth of your energy in a single meal or drink with how processed and condensed our food has become). Yet, people act and suggest it as if it's the only thing to do. Go to almost any subreddit about a city or state. You'll see dozens upon dozens of posts asking what there is to do when moving or visiting. Almost all the replies are go eat here, go eat there, try eating this while your here. Then way down at the bottom, lower voted replies, will be often actual activities that don't involve eating, it's no wonder we are all so fat with constant and consistent advice like this. Not to mention how much lazier we keep getting. Hunger is very psychological too. People are just used to eating a certain amount at certain times every day. Change that pattern and you'll feel different, mentally and physically. Most people of health can go a day or few without eating and it won't have any negative affects. It will suck, yes, but no you won't starve or die. Missing lunch at work and waiting a few hours until you get home will not have detrimental affects. Skipping breakfast and waiting to eat until your noon/lunch/whatever break won't hurt. It might even help if it allows you to get extra sleep. On another note, diet, health, and nutrition related posts to Hacker News seem to always be N=1 replies or bring out toxic debate. People, especially the Hacker News types, seem to have a very passionate opinion on the topic(s).
- notacoward 8y ago
  > I get the impression people want to place blame on something, anything, except themselves. Human nature. Every way in which people compare well to others is the true measure of merit. Every way in which they compare poorly is a matter of circumstance. If something worked for me it's the One True Way, and if it doesn't work for someone else (even if something else would) it's evidence that they lack my discipline and fortitude. Once you learn to recognize this form of subjectivity, 90% of online discourse (95% on Hacker News) starts to make a lot more sense.
cm2012 8y ago
This is a very similar thing as saying people choose to be poor. Do you agree with that?
- RPLong 8y ago
  Some people definitely do choose to be poor. Others don't. But both kinds of people certainly exist. I have been physically fit my whole life. The comments people make to me in casual conversation might raise your eyebrows. They don't say, "I wish I weren't overweight, and I feel powerless to do anything about my problem." Instead, they say things like, "HAW HAW HAW I don't run unless chased HAW HAW HAW!" They say, "I hate vegetables, I can't stand them. How can you eat steamed brussels sprouts? How do you go without sweets?" They can't figure me out. They just don't understand how it's possible to work out twice a day, take two 15-minute walks, and restrict my daily calories to 2000. They can't figure out why I don't eat bacon all the time, like they do. They can't figure out why I don't eat patty melts and biscuits-and-gravy. These folks are not fat for medical reasons.
  - cm2012 8y ago
    People are obviously born with various IQ levels, right? Doesn't it stand to reason that people are born with certain levels of willpower about food (or in general)? Also, you can predict someone's future weight and bmi pretty well from the time they are children or teenagers. There is a ton of research on this. One of them: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/20927643/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/20927643/
    - RPLong 8y ago
      I'm not making the strongest claim about obesity, I'm making the weakest. That is, my claim is merely that some people choose to be fat, not that all people do. It seems altogether unreasonable to suggest that there are no fat people on Earth who choose to be that way. And, as I noted above, the people who talk to me don't generally discuss a lack of willpower. They discuss their willingness to eat things they know are bad and their unwillingness to be active. It's possible that this is all part of the hocus-pocus of cognitive science and that they're merely verbalizing a chemical predisposition, but I'm not quite so cynical about human consciousness to believe that.

by eric_b 8y ago

untilHellbanned 8y ago

> Some people choose not to be disciplined. Their choice I guess. Empathy goes a long way. I think as a society we will get to the solution faster with the view that some people might have stronger urges to overeat then you. Congratulations you worked hard. Don't discount what others face.

gore90- 8y ago
I agree. Clearly it is easier for some people than it is for others. Not always simply a case of "you lack willpower" etc.
eric_b 8y ago
Please, why do you think I needed to lose 40 pounds in the first place? Not because I was the paragon of willpower I can tell you. I still go off the rails and eat an entire package of Oreos in a single sitting sometimes. It’s a constant struggle for me, but I don’t make excuses and I keep persevering. Other people can do that too.

parthdesai 8y ago

I have a massive sweet tooth as well. If i buy a pack of cookies, i'l finish it one sitting. What has helped is to avoid buying them outright.

b3b0p 8y ago

I get the impression people want to place blame on something, anything, except themselves. Everything from specific foods, diets and genetics, but it ultimately comes down to consuming too much energy over time, longer term. It's accepted as fact and they can't do anything about it because of genetics or because they can't or won't eat specific foods or can't get to the gym (go outside?). We are surrounded by food. It's everywhere, but we really don't need that much of it (you can get a days worth of your energy in a single meal or drink with how processed and condensed our food has become). Yet, people act and suggest it as if it's the only thing to do. Go to almost any subreddit about a city or state. You'll see dozens upon dozens of posts asking what there is to do when moving or visiting. Almost all the replies are go eat here, go eat there, try eating this while your here. Then way down at the bottom, lower voted replies, will be often actual activities that don't involve eating, it's no wonder we are all so fat with constant and consistent advice like this. Not to mention how much lazier we keep getting. Hunger is very psychological too. People are just used to eating a certain amount at certain times every day. Change that pattern and you'll feel different, mentally and physically. Most people of health can go a day or few without eating and it won't have any negative affects. It will suck, yes, but no you won't starve or die. Missing lunch at work and waiting a few hours until you get home will not have detrimental affects. Skipping breakfast and waiting to eat until your noon/lunch/whatever break won't hurt. It might even help if it allows you to get extra sleep. On another note, diet, health, and nutrition related posts to Hacker News seem to always be N=1 replies or bring out toxic debate. People, especially the Hacker News types, seem to have a very passionate opinion on the topic(s).

notacoward 8y ago
> I get the impression people want to place blame on something, anything, except themselves. Human nature. Every way in which people compare well to others is the true measure of merit. Every way in which they compare poorly is a matter of circumstance. If something worked for me it's the One True Way, and if it doesn't work for someone else (even if something else would) it's evidence that they lack my discipline and fortitude. Once you learn to recognize this form of subjectivity, 90% of online discourse (95% on Hacker News) starts to make a lot more sense.

cm2012 8y ago

This is a very similar thing as saying people choose to be poor. Do you agree with that?

RPLong 8y ago
Some people definitely do choose to be poor. Others don't. But both kinds of people certainly exist. I have been physically fit my whole life. The comments people make to me in casual conversation might raise your eyebrows. They don't say, "I wish I weren't overweight, and I feel powerless to do anything about my problem." Instead, they say things like, "HAW HAW HAW I don't run unless chased HAW HAW HAW!" They say, "I hate vegetables, I can't stand them. How can you eat steamed brussels sprouts? How do you go without sweets?" They can't figure me out. They just don't understand how it's possible to work out twice a day, take two 15-minute walks, and restrict my daily calories to 2000. They can't figure out why I don't eat bacon all the time, like they do. They can't figure out why I don't eat patty melts and biscuits-and-gravy. These folks are not fat for medical reasons.
- cm2012 8y ago
  People are obviously born with various IQ levels, right? Doesn't it stand to reason that people are born with certain levels of willpower about food (or in general)? Also, you can predict someone's future weight and bmi pretty well from the time they are children or teenagers. There is a ton of research on this. One of them: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/20927643/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/20927643/
  - RPLong 8y ago
    I'm not making the strongest claim about obesity, I'm making the weakest. That is, my claim is merely that some people choose to be fat, not that all people do. It seems altogether unreasonable to suggest that there are no fat people on Earth who choose to be that way. And, as I noted above, the people who talk to me don't generally discuss a lack of willpower. They discuss their willingness to eat things they know are bad and their unwillingness to be active. It's possible that this is all part of the hocus-pocus of cognitive science and that they're merely verbalizing a chemical predisposition, but I'm not quite so cynical about human consciousness to believe that.