According to some sources, at least 1 in 8 of the world population is classified as ‘obese’. Since nobody in any government seems to have thought up a working solution, what do you believe can be done to solve the epidemic?
There’s no where to go, and everything is expensive. Pay people more, give them more time off, have city sponsored block parties. You can’t make someone more active, but otherwise healthy and well-rounded people don’t need much incentive to leave the house and take a walk.
After that, have a wellbeing crew that checks on and helps out those that are still avoiding socialization.
But the pearl clutching around wages and vacation means the local governments will do nothing. Any measure implemented without massive societal overhaul will only be a band-aid.
Also, you and I read studies like this, and think “we need to help people.” But if you flip the perspective to who paid for the study, it becomes “we need healthy workers to feed into the meatgrinder.” The goal of the study isn’t altruistic, its to make sure the owners have a healthy livestock pool, which means the bare minimum will be done, or preferably nothing because we may be able to work around it.
Sugar is in every processed food, even savory foods where it’s balanced out with other spices, because sugar is addictive. They can’t put cocaine in food anymore, so they add the next best thing.
I eat nearly zero-carb. I’ve been ketogenic for about six years now. I know exactly what I eat because I make all of my own meals, and none of it is processed food. No, it’s not more expensive, because eating this way eliminates cravings and you eat far less but better quality. It looks more expensive on paper only because you don’t realize you’re going to eat half as much food if you eat this way.
One good rule is no more than two ingredients listed on the package. So, for instance, natural peanut butter includes only peanuts and salt, but the other stuff adds homogenized oil and sugar. They take out the peanut oil and sell it separately for a high price. I don’t eat peanut butter, but it’s a good example of the rule everyone is familiar with.
Eating the rich has been shown to have a positive impact on weight loss and health in general.
Seriously though, this is the answer. Obesity is a systemic problem.
But what does that mean in terms of real actionable steps though?
Organize, educate, advocate
And when that fails, kill.
This sounds a little… cannibalistic
Also terrible for cholesterol. Have you seen what they’ve been eating?
Eating cholesterol doesn’t raise average blood cholesterol levels, it only spikes it for a few hours. The body adjusts.
The rich are taking better care of themselves these days, because they’re hoping to live long enough to reach longevity therapies, and eventually, immortality therapies, which they will very much keep to themselves.
I stopped eating animal products and lost 50 lbs, so that’s a start
Then meat being made largely unaffordable by the inflation crisis ought to bend the curve.
I’ve been proposing that we tax HFCS out of existence for years now. Tax the hell out of all calorie dense sweeteners. When Dr Pepper Zero costs half as much as the sugary stuff, you’ll see a lot more people making the switch
Since the advent of synthetic sweetners, obesity, diabetes and colon cancer rates have skyrocketed.
You know what else has skyrocketed since the advent of artificial sweeteners?
tell us, because that graph doesn’t.
The opposite is happening though. HFCS only exists because of subsidies for corn, it wouldn’t be cheaper than beet sugar otherwise, especially if farmers had to pay a fair price for the water they use.
The first thing to understand is that nobody understands the obesity crisis at all.
The second thing to understand is that the human body naturally stays at a healthy weight, just like any other animal, unless a person has become completely out of touch with their bodies. It cannot be solved with control or medicine.
The third thing to understand is that we teach people to dissociate from their bodies from childhood.
So we do not have an obesity crisis, we have a disembodiment crisis. And obesity is only one of the thousands of horrible effects it creates.
The third thing to understand is that we teach people to dissociate from their bodies from childhood.
Can you explain what do you mean by this? I’m trying to apply your statement to my own childhood and see the mostly the opposite.
“You have to force yourself to eat this even if you don’t like it”
“You have to force yourself to eat everything on your plate even ifyou’re full”
“You can’t touch yourself that way, that’s inappropriate”
“Boys don’t cry”
“Boys don’t get scared”
“Girls don’t get angry”
“Boys / girls don’t like those kind of things”
“You have to smile and be polite even if you don’t feel like it”
“It’s rude not to let them hug / kiss / touch you”
“You have to say thanks and smile even if you don’t mean it”
“You have to be quiet”
“You have to sit still”
Children learn at an early age that they have to choose between listening to their bodies and staying safe by not angering their sources of love and survival. And should they be fortunate enough to have good parents, institutions and their peers will do the job instead.
I feel this so much. Had ADHD in the 80’s and they beat me half to death. Now I’m amxious, depressed, burn out, and running on fumes in my 40s.
now explain why it’s mostly sub regions of one country.
Be different animals or require life to be more physically demanding. The problem isn’t food, it’s just how we are, literally any other animal in an ecological setting like humans would have the same problem. There is no requirement in the modern world that requires humans to not be fat.
It’s not healthy, but to survive in human society physical fitness is 100% not a requirement. This is just us now.
Yeah. We make it to reproduction age and get our kids raised. We can do that while fat and unhealthy.
The only motivations are social demands to be thin, and not dying early. We’re working to eliminate the first one, and the second one is too far in the future for people who are somewhat fat now to worry about.
Capitalism doesn’t care if the 50+ year-old people die, because they’re mostly “used up” by then.
You absolutely can get addicted to food, others turn to food for comfort, some eat as a response to trauma as well (ever see my 600lb life, almost every person there has had some sort of trauma or mental health struggle.), therapy and other mental health care never seems to make it into these plans and that, in my opinion, is where they fail.
Most governments never seem to treat obesity as a chronic illness, just some sort of personal failing.
Edit.
Obesity risk factors are also genetic, no one chooses to be obese and the constant shaming and hatred people who exist in fat bodies get is unreal. I know fat people who are terrified of being seen even going for a walk outside because of internalised fat shaming, it fucks with your head something fierce.
I grew up fat which did not set me up for good habits later in life, I have struggled with binge eating and stress eating all throughout my life, getting an ADHD diagnosis and medicated for it was probably one of the best things that could have happened to me, others in my situation may not have the ability to get that help or be in a place they are ready to even seek it.
“You just eat less and exercise more.”
- Kronk, Crash Nitro Kart
(Or like, regulating the food industry and providing real grocery opportunities for everyone)
Ban every food and drink invented in the last hundred years
Thread over. This is clearly the answer.
Dr Pepper was invented in 1885 and Coca-cola a year later in 1886.
The collapse of industrialized society will solve it very quickly.
The upcoming food shortages should take care of it.
I think most problems with obesity will be solved like this:
If it weren’t taboo, people would for sure just buy mobility scooters and ride around in those all day.
Have you never been to Florida or any state fair in the USA? No one walks, walking is for suckers.
I can tell you what I did. I went from 92 kilos to 69 kilos in a year.
- Nearly removed all carbs from my diet
- Increased diet to include vegetables and chicken and eggs
- Removed artificial sugar
- Removed all apps which allowed food delivery
- Went to gym 5 days a week
- Told myself everyday “trust the process”
I started noticing changes after 3 months.
Now how do you convert this into government policy? That is a huge problem altogether. Long term thinking + strong regulations. Even if you try something like this, you will be ridiculed for suggesting government overreach. At the end of the day, a diet is a personal choice.
Free healthcare including counseling, free gyms, shorter work weeks to give people more time for activities, and subsidize healthy foods so they’re more affordable.
Thanks for highlighting counseling. I think people kind of ignore/underestimate the mental aspect of trying to be fit. A true long-lasting healthy life needs its ground work to be based on sustainable habits. It needs to be taught that fitness isn’t what you do for 1 hour in the gym, but the full 24 hours in your day. At the same time, fitness isn’t torturing your body. You need to reward yourself from time to time (but within limits).
I’d like to add that this education and building of habits should start in grade school.
This works, I did it too. I lost 65 pounds in six months, and It’s been gone for over ten years now.
But, that doesn’t make profits for the rich and takes effort, so they made a drug instead.
If you reduce obesity, how will healthcare insurance companies survive? Won’t someone think about the poor billionaire CEOs?
I am obese. It’s a cumulation of
caloriesfactors. It’s some part meds - which I have to take because society and I don’t mesh well because I actually believe people deserve a good quality of life instead of profit over everything. It’s some part emotional issues - I’ve had some trauma and I need some therapy but I can’t afford the time and money. It’s some part convenience - I don’t have a lot of external support to take care of my family, so I have to do a lot and the available choices are usually focused on convenience not health. It’s some part logistics - walking is not an option around my city and public transit is completely worthless.
