this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2023
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Science

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[–] kevin@mander.xyz 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

If you stop eating or eat less, you will lose weight.

Of course you will. This does not mean it's a solution to obesity.

Inarguably, eating less solves obesity and is simple to do.

Except it's not. It's not sustainable. Even with medical intervention, the vast majority of weight is regained.

It is within most people's personal power to control their appetite

Except it's not. The long term success rate of dieting (again, in the context ofa medical study) is 15%

Next, you just have to wrap your head around how simple eating less food is

Except it's not. And the repeated weight loss and regain experienced by most dieters is arguably worse for health than just being overweight.

You can keep simplistically stating that it's easy, despite all the evidence, and you will continue to sound as idiotic as a rich person floating on their inheritance and saying that poverty would be solved if people just weren't so lazy.

[–] Varyk@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

No, poverty is another complex issue that does not have a single, simple solution, like obesity does.

You agree that if you stop eating or eat less, you will lose weight. Great. We'll have to disagree on the definition of a solution, because you do not find a method that solves a problem to be a solution.

I know Americans think it's difficult to stop eating, but this is a localized problem in wealthy countries with a lot of food and marketing.

Also, you keep pretending that it's easy, I keep saying that it is simple. Those aren't the same word, if you're confused.

[–] kevin@mander.xyz 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You agree that if you stop eating or eat less, you will lose weight. Great. We'll have to disagree on the definition of a solution

Cutting off someone's leg will also cause them to lose weight. This is pretty simple. Is it a solution to obesity?

A large nuke dropped on Gaza would end the fighting there. Also simple. Is it a solution?

No, no, I hear you saying, these actions would lead to other problems, don't solve the underlying complexities etc etc.

I'm having trouble believing that you can write in complete sentences but are too thick to understand how "just eat less" suffers from the same problems. So you must be trolling me - congrats! I'm ashamed it took me so long to recognize you're just playing dumb.

I've cited a bunch of scientific papers showing why just eating less isn't a solution. It may lead to temporary weight loss, but doesn't solve the issue long term, and causes other harms. If you want to provide any evidence for your claims or to dispute mine, go for it. Otherwise, cheers! The solution to your ignorance is you just need to learn more. Simple!

[–] Varyk@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Eating less food does not suffer the same considerations or consequences as cutting off a limb or dropping a nuclear weapon on a country undergoing a genocide.

These are further immaterial false equivalences.

If you temporarily eat less food but regularly eat too much food, you will gain weight. Similarly, if you temporarily eat too much food, but regularly eat less food, you will lose weight. This can be connected back to our earlier agreement that it is excess food you put in your body and do not burn that causes weight gain.

If you regularly eat enough, but not too much or too little, food for your body long-term, you will maintain a healthy weight long-term.

Now we have a simple solution to obesity and, at your prompting, a simple solution to long-term weight maintenance.