4 ms·

Alternative theory: modern lifestyle with very little exercise, exposure to natural light, less face to face human contact and many addictive devices like smart

Alternative theory: modern lifestyle with very little exercise, exposure to natural light, less face to face human contact and many addictive devices like smartphones and tv causes people to have lower neurotransmitter levels, be more depressed and looking for cheap dopamine hits which junk food provides. There is a reason people on simulants lose weight even though they have access to the same food. If that's true it doesn't matter what's available unless you straight up introduce ban on buying excess calories. On the other hand more exercise and other lifestyle changes could help with the problem.

andrei_says_ 8y ago
The body processes sugar/high glycemic index food calories in a very different way. Also, sugar is a highly addictive drug, on par with tobacco. Obesity is 90% diet (and avoiding sugars) and 10% exercise because the body is extremely efficient.
- krzat 8y ago
  Why is sugar so much worse than starch?
  - Gibbon1 8y ago
    Half of sugar is fructose which follows a different metabolic pathway than glucose.
  - geomark 8y ago
    Actually, some starchy foods are worse than pure sugar when considering their glycemic index. Jasmine rice, for example, has a GI of 109, where pure sugar is 100. So choose your starches smartly so that you don't get the large spike in blood sugar that can lead to health problems.
    - GordonS 8y ago
      Even how you cook starches impacts on the GI - the more cook them, the worse it gets.
    - KozmoNau7 8y ago
      And yet people in countries with primarily rice-based diets didn't have widespread obesity issues until they started introduced modern empty calorie-laden soda drinks and candy. You can eat thousands of calories of candy or drink a similar amount of calories from soda in a day, and not feel particularly sated. Try doing that with rice and you'll feel bloated in no time. A ~200g bag of peanut M&M's can easily be eaten by most people, during the ads in a cinema before the movie even starts. That's over 1000 calories right there, consumed in 10-15 minutes.
      - geomark 8y ago
        I had the same impression about countries with rice-based diets. But, anecdotally, after I moved to Thailand I learned that many of my spouse's relatives and friends are diabetic, some seriously. All of them are of older generations that were never exposed to modern junk food and don't indulge in it even now. But they have always eaten a lot of Jasmine rice and sticky rice, both very high GI foods. They typically were not obese, but they definitely were doing something that led to diabetes. Actually, obesity seemed pretty rare when I first came to Thailand about 20 years ago. One rarely saw a truly big person when out shopping or dining. In fact, there used to be "jumbo" contests which were beauty pageants for obese women. Really large girls were considered sort of cute, and there really were not very many of them. Hence the contests. But that has changed and now the trend is the same as western countries with many obese young people indulging in modern junk food. They still eat the high GI rice-based diet, but now have added on sodas and all the other sugar-loaded junk food. The future is bleak.
Swizec 8y ago
> If that's true it doesn't matter what's available unless you straight up introduce ban on buying excess calories. On the other hand more exercise and other lifestyle changes could help with the problem. Stimulants both raise your metabolic rate and lead to higher activity levels. Even just being a twitchy fidgety person (like you are on strong stimulants) is enough to offset the balance.
- bluecalm 8y ago
  It's true but the effect pales in comparison to just not being as hungry on them.
- chillacy 8y ago
  Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis can account for hundreds of cal a day from what I remember.
isodude 8y ago
Feeling well/sleeping well is a great way to stay clear of unhealthy food/lifestyle. Generellay speaking there's papers that describe posigive effects on weight loss when sleeping properly and eating at regular intervals. Stress hormones are introduced by the body when tired (to keep us going when we are searching for food so we don't lay down and die).
- bluecalm 8y ago
  It's not so easy to sleep well when your mental health isn't in good state. Moving more helps with Rusty and with sleep.

andrei_says_ 8y ago

The body processes sugar/high glycemic index food calories in a very different way. Also, sugar is a highly addictive drug, on par with tobacco. Obesity is 90% diet (and avoiding sugars) and 10% exercise because the body is extremely efficient.

krzat 8y ago
Why is sugar so much worse than starch?
- Gibbon1 8y ago
  Half of sugar is fructose which follows a different metabolic pathway than glucose.
- geomark 8y ago
  Actually, some starchy foods are worse than pure sugar when considering their glycemic index. Jasmine rice, for example, has a GI of 109, where pure sugar is 100. So choose your starches smartly so that you don't get the large spike in blood sugar that can lead to health problems.
  - GordonS 8y ago
    Even how you cook starches impacts on the GI - the more cook them, the worse it gets.
  - KozmoNau7 8y ago
    And yet people in countries with primarily rice-based diets didn't have widespread obesity issues until they started introduced modern empty calorie-laden soda drinks and candy. You can eat thousands of calories of candy or drink a similar amount of calories from soda in a day, and not feel particularly sated. Try doing that with rice and you'll feel bloated in no time. A ~200g bag of peanut M&M's can easily be eaten by most people, during the ads in a cinema before the movie even starts. That's over 1000 calories right there, consumed in 10-15 minutes.
    - geomark 8y ago
      I had the same impression about countries with rice-based diets. But, anecdotally, after I moved to Thailand I learned that many of my spouse's relatives and friends are diabetic, some seriously. All of them are of older generations that were never exposed to modern junk food and don't indulge in it even now. But they have always eaten a lot of Jasmine rice and sticky rice, both very high GI foods. They typically were not obese, but they definitely were doing something that led to diabetes. Actually, obesity seemed pretty rare when I first came to Thailand about 20 years ago. One rarely saw a truly big person when out shopping or dining. In fact, there used to be "jumbo" contests which were beauty pageants for obese women. Really large girls were considered sort of cute, and there really were not very many of them. Hence the contests. But that has changed and now the trend is the same as western countries with many obese young people indulging in modern junk food. They still eat the high GI rice-based diet, but now have added on sodas and all the other sugar-loaded junk food. The future is bleak.

Swizec 8y ago

> If that's true it doesn't matter what's available unless you straight up introduce ban on buying excess calories. On the other hand more exercise and other lifestyle changes could help with the problem. Stimulants both raise your metabolic rate and lead to higher activity levels. Even just being a twitchy fidgety person (like you are on strong stimulants) is enough to offset the balance.

bluecalm 8y ago
It's true but the effect pales in comparison to just not being as hungry on them.
chillacy 8y ago
Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis can account for hundreds of cal a day from what I remember.

isodude 8y ago

Feeling well/sleeping well is a great way to stay clear of unhealthy food/lifestyle. Generellay speaking there's papers that describe posigive effects on weight loss when sleeping properly and eating at regular intervals. Stress hormones are introduced by the body when tired (to keep us going when we are searching for food so we don't lay down and die).

bluecalm 8y ago
It's not so easy to sleep well when your mental health isn't in good state. Moving more helps with Rusty and with sleep.