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I have a T2 diabetic friend that complains about the cost of insulin, yet refuses to exercise and loose weight. Losing weight and keeping the weight is hard. I

by kiba 5y ago

I have a T2 diabetic friend that complains about the cost of insulin, yet refuses to exercise and loose weight. Losing weight and keeping the weight is hard. It isn't a coincidence that we have an obesity epidemic for a reason. Suppose your friend did try to lose weight? More likely than not your friend will gain weight back. Yes, there's no excuse to try. but there's no expectation of success. People have not been suckered into anything. Most people lack the agency to change their circumstances. This is called learned helplessness and it is a big problem, but there are also contributing problems other than learned helplessness, such as structural problems surrounding housing options. In any case, blaming people for their lack of moral fortitude isn't really a solution at all. It means we stopped asking questions and looking for solutions.

anonuser123456 5y ago
In the case of weight loss, just knowing that regaining weight is likely is very atypical. Most dieters labor under the delusion they will be part of the 3% that can make a permanent change. I don't think that's de-motivating a considerable portion of people from making the change. I do not believe the status quo bias is learned helplessness. I believe it is the natural state of most people and that rational agency is an outlier. We are, as individuals, extremely predisposed to just doing what we do and discounting alternatives.
- adrianN 5y ago
  Most dieters labor under the delusion that they can stop dieting after a couple of weeks, return to their previous eating habits, and not regain the fat. This is actively encouraged by most of the dieting industry, so it's not surprising.
beebeepka 5y ago
What is so hard about not consuming a lot more food than you need? It's an honest question
- anonuser123456 5y ago
  We do not currently know why it is so hard. Empirically it is know to be true. But it is clear that parts of the brain involved in feeding behavior can override the cortex.
  - lotsofpulp 5y ago
    It is hard because bad habits are hard to break. It starts in childhood for most people, and parents who foster an environment full of soda, junk food, and other sugar/carb/sat fat/salt/alcohol laden foods basically decide their kids’ future for the most part. And, of course, people use food to deal with stress. You drink water almost all the time and eat mostly green stuff, you should be fine.
    - balfirevic 5y ago
      > It starts in childhood for most people, and parents who foster an environment full of soda, junk food, and other sugar/carb/sat fat/salt/alcohol laden foods basically decide their kids’ future for the most part. Do you have a citation (preferably one that tries to control for genetics, but I'd appreciate any)?
      - lotsofpulp 5y ago
        It is a conjecture from my observations, and I guess I should note that I am not qualified in this field to make official statements. But I think the formula of “sleep right, eat right, excercise right, in that order” is pretty accurate. “Sleep right” contains the stress portion of being healthy. I do not even know if a proper controlled experiment could be conducted for such a complicated topic with our current technology. I just look at the habits of people I think are doing it right, and try to tease out the commonalities. Discipline is really the one trait that I guess leads to success in the above process, and probably everything else in life. Who knows how much of that is nature vs nurture.
        5y ago
imtringued 5y ago
>It isn't a coincidence that we have an obesity epidemic for a reason. There are multiple factors but let me simplify everything. A lot of obese people are either hormonally or mentally ill. Their body or mind is no longer able to track food consumption and they overeat because of their hormonal state or because they are depressed and eating helps them overcome it. Obesity fuels hormonal and mental problems so it is a self reinforcing loop. If there are factors outside your control that make you obese then you will most likely stay obese because of the sheer amount of will power it takes to stop being obese. Obese parents make their children obese, transportation by car and easy desk jobs make obesity bearable, food quality is going downhill causing hormonal imbalances or lack of satiation. Bodies don't track calories for satiation, they track intake of nutrients. If you eat fatty foods your body will track how much fat you are eating and thus regulate how much fat to burn or store. Same with proteins. Carbs are different. They affect your insulin level but they don't affect satiation all that much. It's very easy to overeat carbs and run into hormonal imbalances where you feel hungry even through you already ate too much from a purely caloric perspective. The sheer density of calories in carbs is causing problems. If we wanted to stop the obesity epidemic we probably have to introduce carb/fat/protein ratios that must not be violated in processed food. Plus we need smaller packaging for food that cannot meet these ratios to prevent overconsumption. (no more 1.5 liter bottles for soda unless it is sugar free) Disclaimer: I don't know anything. I'm just a random person on the internet. Edit: The reason why intermittent fasting (and fasting in general) works is because it is the act of not letting your hormones or mental state decide your eating habits.

by kiba 5y ago

anonuser123456 5y ago

In the case of weight loss, just knowing that regaining weight is likely is very atypical. Most dieters labor under the delusion they will be part of the 3% that can make a permanent change. I don't think that's de-motivating a considerable portion of people from making the change. I do not believe the status quo bias is learned helplessness. I believe it is the natural state of most people and that rational agency is an outlier. We are, as individuals, extremely predisposed to just doing what we do and discounting alternatives.

adrianN 5y ago
Most dieters labor under the delusion that they can stop dieting after a couple of weeks, return to their previous eating habits, and not regain the fat. This is actively encouraged by most of the dieting industry, so it's not surprising.

beebeepka 5y ago

What is so hard about not consuming a lot more food than you need? It's an honest question

anonuser123456 5y ago
We do not currently know why it is so hard. Empirically it is know to be true. But it is clear that parts of the brain involved in feeding behavior can override the cortex.
- lotsofpulp 5y ago
  It is hard because bad habits are hard to break. It starts in childhood for most people, and parents who foster an environment full of soda, junk food, and other sugar/carb/sat fat/salt/alcohol laden foods basically decide their kids’ future for the most part. And, of course, people use food to deal with stress. You drink water almost all the time and eat mostly green stuff, you should be fine.
  - balfirevic 5y ago
    > It starts in childhood for most people, and parents who foster an environment full of soda, junk food, and other sugar/carb/sat fat/salt/alcohol laden foods basically decide their kids’ future for the most part. Do you have a citation (preferably one that tries to control for genetics, but I'd appreciate any)?
    - lotsofpulp 5y ago
      It is a conjecture from my observations, and I guess I should note that I am not qualified in this field to make official statements. But I think the formula of “sleep right, eat right, excercise right, in that order” is pretty accurate. “Sleep right” contains the stress portion of being healthy. I do not even know if a proper controlled experiment could be conducted for such a complicated topic with our current technology. I just look at the habits of people I think are doing it right, and try to tease out the commonalities. Discipline is really the one trait that I guess leads to success in the above process, and probably everything else in life. Who knows how much of that is nature vs nurture.
      - 5y ago

imtringued 5y ago

>It isn't a coincidence that we have an obesity epidemic for a reason. There are multiple factors but let me simplify everything. A lot of obese people are either hormonally or mentally ill. Their body or mind is no longer able to track food consumption and they overeat because of their hormonal state or because they are depressed and eating helps them overcome it. Obesity fuels hormonal and mental problems so it is a self reinforcing loop. If there are factors outside your control that make you obese then you will most likely stay obese because of the sheer amount of will power it takes to stop being obese. Obese parents make their children obese, transportation by car and easy desk jobs make obesity bearable, food quality is going downhill causing hormonal imbalances or lack of satiation. Bodies don't track calories for satiation, they track intake of nutrients. If you eat fatty foods your body will track how much fat you are eating and thus regulate how much fat to burn or store. Same with proteins. Carbs are different. They affect your insulin level but they don't affect satiation all that much. It's very easy to overeat carbs and run into hormonal imbalances where you feel hungry even through you already ate too much from a purely caloric perspective. The sheer density of calories in carbs is causing problems. If we wanted to stop the obesity epidemic we probably have to introduce carb/fat/protein ratios that must not be violated in processed food. Plus we need smaller packaging for food that cannot meet these ratios to prevent overconsumption. (no more 1.5 liter bottles for soda unless it is sugar free) Disclaimer: I don't know anything. I'm just a random person on the internet. Edit: The reason why intermittent fasting (and fasting in general) works is because it is the act of not letting your hormones or mental state decide your eating habits.