3 ms·

This. It's not hard to make the necessary changes if sufficiently motivated. In fact, formulating the motivation is kind of the only step, everybody, and I mean

This. It's not hard to make the necessary changes if sufficiently motivated. In fact, formulating the motivation is kind of the only step, everybody, and I mean *EVERYBODY* can achieve appropriate weight and even above-average fitness if following the right precepts.

tsimionescu 5y ago
Why do you assume this is a matter of motivation, or that motivation is not itself a component of obesity as a disease? Our urges to eat and be lazy are also a consequence of our health and diet. They are not coming out of some pure rational willpower plane.
- lambdaba 5y ago
  Sorry, I'm not sure I expressed what I meant clearly so I'll try again: I mean that it's sufficient to be motivated WHEN armed with the proper knowledge; I think many people fail DESPITE being motivated because they are simply misinformed as to what works. Yes, reading my comment again it doesn't seem I was saying that. Anyway, I don't think that much motivation is required, and if a diet / lifestyle change is hard to stick to, it's often because it's a misguided strategy. For illustration, counting calories while not making qualitative changes in the composition of the diet is just simply never going to work, long-term. Some foods are just too hyperpalatable, too prone to form emotional / addictive associations, but conversely that also implies those dietary changes will have to confront some emotional regulation issues as well. It sounds complicated, but I don't know, I think looking at how widespread the overweight issue is nowadays we have to conclude almost all of us are doing something wrong wrt to diet and lifestyle.
stainforth 5y ago
I'd rather reshape the environment we all live in. And yes I mean soda bans and the like.
- lambdaba 5y ago
  Oh I agree, I think we've been greatly underestimating how damaging all these are and so should be treated like cigarettes with very heavy taxation that should go towards subsidizing healthy food.

tsimionescu 5y ago

Why do you assume this is a matter of motivation, or that motivation is not itself a component of obesity as a disease? Our urges to eat and be lazy are also a consequence of our health and diet. They are not coming out of some pure rational willpower plane.

lambdaba 5y ago
Sorry, I'm not sure I expressed what I meant clearly so I'll try again: I mean that it's sufficient to be motivated WHEN armed with the proper knowledge; I think many people fail DESPITE being motivated because they are simply misinformed as to what works. Yes, reading my comment again it doesn't seem I was saying that. Anyway, I don't think that much motivation is required, and if a diet / lifestyle change is hard to stick to, it's often because it's a misguided strategy. For illustration, counting calories while not making qualitative changes in the composition of the diet is just simply never going to work, long-term. Some foods are just too hyperpalatable, too prone to form emotional / addictive associations, but conversely that also implies those dietary changes will have to confront some emotional regulation issues as well. It sounds complicated, but I don't know, I think looking at how widespread the overweight issue is nowadays we have to conclude almost all of us are doing something wrong wrt to diet and lifestyle.

stainforth 5y ago

I'd rather reshape the environment we all live in. And yes I mean soda bans and the like.

lambdaba 5y ago
Oh I agree, I think we've been greatly underestimating how damaging all these are and so should be treated like cigarettes with very heavy taxation that should go towards subsidizing healthy food.