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Because it is more complicated than this. One point is where is the causation in this correlation (calories vs weight). Everyone who doesn't want to think a lot

by soneca 12y ago

Because it is more complicated than this. One point is where is the causation in this correlation (calories vs weight). Everyone who doesn't want to think a lot about it think that your consuming of too much calories makes you gain weight. But evidence is that you having too much weight demands you to consume more calories - and it is very difficult to escape all the tricks your brain and body have to make you do what they want. The same happens when you burn calories, your body demands you to consume more calories. So how to loose weight if your overweight or overexhausted body will keep demanding you to eat excessive calories? The trick is to consume different kinds of calories, and this is where consuming less carb and more fat enters. A good analysis I heard here in HN once (sorry, don't remember the author) is that just saying is calories in vs calories burn is like explaining why a Super Bowl stadium is full of people saying: "Because more people got in than went out". It is not an useful analysis, it is not actionable and it shows that you know nothing about the dynamics of this particular phenomen.

cheepin 12y ago
> "[...] your consuming of too much calories makes you gain weight. But evidence is that you having too much weight demands you to consume more calories" Appetite is at best correlated with weight, not a causal relationship. > "[...] calories in vs calories burn [...] is not actionable" I don't see this. The pretty clear action item is to eat less, which while not easy, seems obvious. Can you explain this more?
- soneca 12y ago
  Well, it is not me, it is some studies. But I'm sorry I can't google them right now. But the evidence, not proof, it is this counter intuitive causal relationship that if you have more weight (or exercise more), you have more appetite. And altough sounds "easy" to eat less, it is not. Just like it is not easy to skip sleep. Your body want this... This explain a few decades of moral judgement of obese people just as being lazy, not having enough strong will and stuff. It is just that is not that easy to make people sustainably eat less calories for long periods of time. Not because of character, but because your body and mind have tricks that are stronger than any rationale.

by soneca 12y ago

cheepin 12y ago

> "[...] your consuming of too much calories makes you gain weight. But evidence is that you having too much weight demands you to consume more calories" Appetite is at best correlated with weight, not a causal relationship. > "[...] calories in vs calories burn [...] is not actionable" I don't see this. The pretty clear action item is to eat less, which while not easy, seems obvious. Can you explain this more?

soneca 12y ago
Well, it is not me, it is some studies. But I'm sorry I can't google them right now. But the evidence, not proof, it is this counter intuitive causal relationship that if you have more weight (or exercise more), you have more appetite. And altough sounds "easy" to eat less, it is not. Just like it is not easy to skip sleep. Your body want this... This explain a few decades of moral judgement of obese people just as being lazy, not having enough strong will and stuff. It is just that is not that easy to make people sustainably eat less calories for long periods of time. Not because of character, but because your body and mind have tricks that are stronger than any rationale.