4 ms·

Sort of a tangent, but I legitimately thought at the start of lockdown that people would lose weight on average because they couldn't go out to eat anymore. It

Sort of a tangent, but I legitimately thought at the start of lockdown that people would lose weight on average because they couldn't go out to eat anymore. It turns out I just completely underestimated how much people eat out, and how quickly they would all switch to just getting take out. I have friends that would always talk about how we spend way more than them at the grocery store each week. Obviously, they'd tell me, it's because we didn't shop at Aldi. Nope. Turns out it's because we cook and eat at home. I don't remember where I heard it (maybe Michael Pollen?), but the advice I try to follow is: Eat whatever you want, just make it yourself.

standardUser 6y ago
It's not just intake but also how many calories we're burning. I've had dozens of days where I've barely moved more than shuffling around my home. Those days were rare or non- existent pre-lockdown. As for eating out, I find it to be one of the great joys of life and civilization and wouldn't give it up for anything.
bonestamp2 6y ago
The other major factors in people gaining weight during lockdown are: 1. Additional Stress/Anxiety 2. Fridge proximity
- humanrebar 6y ago
  And alcohol consumption.
  - jeffdavis 6y ago
    Can you explain? Is it a metabolic thing, or is it related to the carb content of beer/wine?
    - humanrebar 6y ago
      Alchohol consumption per capita is way up.
- watwut 6y ago
  Lack of physical movement that was on the background all the time. Before I had to walk for bus, take bus, walk from bus to work. Walk for lunch and back from lunch. Walk to nearby office to chat. Walk to kitchen or wc in work is further away. You dont even realize how much you are moving around until it stops.
hnarn 6y ago
> the advice I try to follow is: Eat whatever you want, just make it yourself. This is categorically bad advice. Anyone that has an obese friend that’s into baking knows why. It’s very easy to make incredibly unhealthy and calorie-dense food at home. I understand the sentiment but there is nothing about the process of making your own food that makes you a more healthy person. It all depends on the ingredients and the amount. It’s obviously better to eat healthy takeout every day than it is to cook home made french fries for dinner.
- humanrebar 6y ago
  Yep. Dry pasta, white rice, pancakes, and hot dogs are all very easy to make and very calorie dense, especially when served as folks typically do: with buns, syrups, sugary sauces, etc
- jeffdavis 6y ago
  I think it comes from the idea that you'll have more knowledge about what you are eating. There's some truth to that, but cooking for yourself still hides a lot. And it might end up just being a false sense of health. It's also what stage you are at. Most people can't make soda at home, so eliminating that alone might be a big help for some.
  - hnarn 6y ago
    > Most people can't make soda at home Sure, but most people also already know that soda is unhealthy for you, so they can stop buying it and drink water with their food instead. It doesn't require a framework of "home cook everything" to make these small, incremental changes: in fact I'd argue that these changes are easier than what's essentially just a diet by another name.
- war1025 6y ago
  > This is categorically bad advice. Then perhaps a simpler version: Don't be dumb.
  - hnarn 6y ago
nmfisher 6y ago
> Eat whatever you want, just make it yourself. I'm astonished by how few people prepare their own meals. You're playing the diet game on hard mode if you're limiting yourself to cafe/restaurant food (not to mention the cost!). Conversely, it's actually pretty difficult to eat poorly if you cook everything yourself. Eliminating sugar, refined wheat and ensuring every meal is at least 50% vegetables by volume would go a long way to reducing the number of people in the "obese" category. In that respect, I'd agree that calorie counting is at best unnecessary, at worst counterproductive. But even with such an incredibly low bar to clear, I'm not sure it will make a difference to obesity rates. I'm highly skeptical that the upwards trend has anything to do with confusion, cost, lack of information or anything like that. People just aren't willing to give up the constant dopamine hit from fried and sugary foods.
watwut 6y ago
> Eat whatever you want, just make it yourself. That works only until you learn how to cook food that you really like. You can end up reproducing fattening food or even make it more fattening pretty easily.
Balgair 6y ago
Pollen has another good quip: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants. https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20090323/7-rules-for-eating#1 https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20090323/7-rules-for...

standardUser 6y ago

It's not just intake but also how many calories we're burning. I've had dozens of days where I've barely moved more than shuffling around my home. Those days were rare or non- existent pre-lockdown. As for eating out, I find it to be one of the great joys of life and civilization and wouldn't give it up for anything.

bonestamp2 6y ago

The other major factors in people gaining weight during lockdown are: 1. Additional Stress/Anxiety 2. Fridge proximity

humanrebar 6y ago
And alcohol consumption.
- jeffdavis 6y ago
  Can you explain? Is it a metabolic thing, or is it related to the carb content of beer/wine?
  - humanrebar 6y ago
    Alchohol consumption per capita is way up.
watwut 6y ago
Lack of physical movement that was on the background all the time. Before I had to walk for bus, take bus, walk from bus to work. Walk for lunch and back from lunch. Walk to nearby office to chat. Walk to kitchen or wc in work is further away. You dont even realize how much you are moving around until it stops.

hnarn 6y ago

> the advice I try to follow is: Eat whatever you want, just make it yourself. This is categorically bad advice. Anyone that has an obese friend that’s into baking knows why. It’s very easy to make incredibly unhealthy and calorie-dense food at home. I understand the sentiment but there is nothing about the process of making your own food that makes you a more healthy person. It all depends on the ingredients and the amount. It’s obviously better to eat healthy takeout every day than it is to cook home made french fries for dinner.

humanrebar 6y ago
Yep. Dry pasta, white rice, pancakes, and hot dogs are all very easy to make and very calorie dense, especially when served as folks typically do: with buns, syrups, sugary sauces, etc
jeffdavis 6y ago
I think it comes from the idea that you'll have more knowledge about what you are eating. There's some truth to that, but cooking for yourself still hides a lot. And it might end up just being a false sense of health. It's also what stage you are at. Most people can't make soda at home, so eliminating that alone might be a big help for some.
- hnarn 6y ago
  > Most people can't make soda at home Sure, but most people also already know that soda is unhealthy for you, so they can stop buying it and drink water with their food instead. It doesn't require a framework of "home cook everything" to make these small, incremental changes: in fact I'd argue that these changes are easier than what's essentially just a diet by another name.
war1025 6y ago
> This is categorically bad advice. Then perhaps a simpler version: Don't be dumb.
- hnarn 6y ago

nmfisher 6y ago

> Eat whatever you want, just make it yourself. I'm astonished by how few people prepare their own meals. You're playing the diet game on hard mode if you're limiting yourself to cafe/restaurant food (not to mention the cost!). Conversely, it's actually pretty difficult to eat poorly if you cook everything yourself. Eliminating sugar, refined wheat and ensuring every meal is at least 50% vegetables by volume would go a long way to reducing the number of people in the "obese" category. In that respect, I'd agree that calorie counting is at best unnecessary, at worst counterproductive. But even with such an incredibly low bar to clear, I'm not sure it will make a difference to obesity rates. I'm highly skeptical that the upwards trend has anything to do with confusion, cost, lack of information or anything like that. People just aren't willing to give up the constant dopamine hit from fried and sugary foods.

watwut 6y ago

> Eat whatever you want, just make it yourself. That works only until you learn how to cook food that you really like. You can end up reproducing fattening food or even make it more fattening pretty easily.

Balgair 6y ago

Pollen has another good quip: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants. https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20090323/7-rules-for-eating#1 https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20090323/7-rules-for...