Aeschines, it might actually be easier to have that interesting conversation if I ignore some of what you are saying (:)) and instead focus on just that one part of it!
Let’s not go into how you believe doctors and nutritionists know so little and that wheat thang and focus on that focus on satiety being key.
I’ll mostly agree there with some important additional comments. First and again, that the other bit that must be addressed - hyperpalatability. What happened in the modern world IMHO that has triggered a worldwide obesity problem is that the Food Industrial Complex have surrounded us with hyperpalatable foods of low satiety. Some brains for a variety of reasons (genetics, changes from exposures, so on) are more prone to than others to be triggered overeat in the face of that than others but it triggers a good many people to do so. Weight gain that is established then also convinces the brain that it is supposed to be there, creating a set-point that the body defends in the face of loss.
Again, IMHO, long term success is achieved least painfully by creating a personal environment in which you are not so exposed to those hyperpalatable, low satiety foods, and in which you succeed in revising the dysfunctional set point. Exercise seems to help on the set point part significantly and more in that regard than in the calories burned. Some general trends exist for satiety and palatability (shorthand as Pollan does with “eat food, not too much, mostly plants” or with “higher protein and fiber with little refined carbs, sugars, and processed shit”) but individuals do vary and what is tolerable long term varies by individual even more. Hence different approaches will be best fits for different people.
Societally long term success is best achieved by preventing obesity in the first place.
You may be correct that messaging those bits is not easy. Hence the popularity of “plans” that achieve those aspects for some people, be it low carb, or paleo, Zone, Ornish, or low GI, or veganism, or whatever.
My response to someone who feels “fat and frustrated … extremely disappointed and dissatisfied” when they had succeeded in making the changes that significantly impacted their health would be that it is fine to keep going for reasons of looks or whatever but to not lose sight of the importance of what they have accomplished and to remember that what matter most from that point is not becoming thin but at least maintaining the fat loss and keeping up with the behaviors that resulted in it, the better food choices and the progressively improving fitness, even if the scale no longer delivers a single additional attaboy.
Yes they will still have to deal with those who judge them based on the fact they are not thin and who then make assumptions about their self-discipline and so on. Sorry that people are ignorant but you cannot set yourself up for failure because of the ignorance of others.
The various plan promoters are so hyped on hyping their plans, very often as the one true way, that they lose sight of what they, and nutrition patterns across the world that have been associated with low obesity rates, have in common.
