# What message would it take to make obesity rates plummet dramatically? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 2, 2019, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154 "2019-10-02T15:28:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/124 "2020-02-27T20:35:05Z")
> [@Kovitlac](#): > > Of course your body knows obesity is bad for it - yet again, _this is why obesity leads to so many life-shortening conditions._ This is how your body tells you, “Hey, something is NOT right.” I’m really not sure how to explain it in any more simple terms than that. Your body doesn’t WANT anything, because your body is a meat-filled skin suit. You yourself decide what you’re putting into it, and it makes due as much as possible Okay, here’s your problem. You think that we are divided into two things, (1) the body, which can become unwell, and (2) the person, which can decide what to eat, and that the body communicates with you by becoming unwell. But that’s not how it works. It is also the body that is telling you “I really want to eat some pizza right now.” Becoming unwell is not an act of communication, it’s a result that happens in some indeterminate future. Cravings/appetites/hunger/desire, are rooted in our physical bodies as much as they are in our intellectual/rational minds. > [@](#): > > But you really can’t, with an ounce of rationality, argue with me that obesity does not lead to an increase in health problems Who said that? > [@](#): > > , OR that people are incapable of making rational decisions concerning what they eat. People are very much capable; there is even an organization of people who have lost weight and kept it off to prove it. What it comes down to is whether or not someone has the determination/motivation and education to make a lifestyle change. Right now, a lot of people lack one or the other, or both. If you think that the public obesity crises is about determination/motivation/education, you are never going to solve the problem. The people who have lost weight and kept it off merely through applying the rational facts of calories are outliers. You cannot use them as a model. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/125 "2020-02-27T21:18:17Z")
Parents make all the decisions about what and how much their children eat. Outside of the rare medical condition there shouldn’t be even one chubby kid. Considering the consequences of a lifetime of obesity and the odds a child that is obese will stay obese it surprises me we don’t see this in the same light as smoking in your car with your baby. I’m in my 40’s, when I was a child I sat in the front seat without a seatbelt and my mother smoked. That sort of thing isn’t ‘done’ anymore. Obese children I think will one day bring social shame to their parents, so they’ll change, and healthy kids will likely stay healthy adults. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/126 "2020-02-27T21:19:56Z")
> [@Kovitlac](#): > > I’m really not sure how to explain it in any more simple terms than that. Your body doesn’t WANT anything, because your body is a meat-filled skin suit. Ah. There, exactly, is what your problem is. You/your body is not a bag of skin filled with a lump of meat which is being run from the outside solely by the part of it that is called your conscious mind. You/your body, along with its normal microbiota, is an intricate highly complicated entanglement of systems continuously providing feedback to and among each other. Your conscious mind is a part of this, and has significant influence over much of what the whole system does; but it is only a part of it, is continuously affected by what’s going on with the other parts, and neither understands nor controls all of the other parts. Insisting on attempting to treat this situation as something that can be dealt with in “simple terms” isn’t a solution. It’s a problem. ETA: > [@Sitnam](#): > > Parents make all the decisions about what and how much their children eat… Children under the age of around four, maybe. And even then, at most in one direction; the kid who’s nauseated by tomato sauce isn’t going to eat it, and a parent who insists is just going to wind up wearing it. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/127 "2020-02-27T21:34:26Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Children under the age of around four, maybe. And even then, at most in one direction; the kid who’s nauseated by tomato sauce isn’t going to eat it, and a parent who insists is just going to wind up wearing it. :rolleyes: I don’t force feed my children, but I do buy and prepare everything. They only CAN eat what I choose in the quantities I choose. You underestimate the parents role, I think. Now their school plays a role, and I wouldn’t be shocked if healthier options where more common in wealthier districts. Still, most of what a child will eat before they can drive is determined by parents. Or should be by responsible ones. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/128 "2020-02-27T21:46:28Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > :rolleyes: I don’t force feed my children, but I do buy and prepare everything. They only CAN eat what I choose in the quantities I choose. You underestimate the parents role, I think. Now their school plays a role, and I wouldn’t be shocked if healthier options where more common in wealthier districts. Still, most of what a child will eat before they can drive is determined by parents. Or should be by responsible ones. I wonder if the change in children’s eating habits in the past decades has greatly contributed to the obesity problem. I would guess that most modern families are busy and stressed and frequently turn to highly processed convenience foods. Kids likely grow up on a diet of chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, pizza, etc. rather than regular food cooked from scratch. Even if the child eats well in the household, everywhere else will have typical kid food. Even schools and restaurants have kids meals which are more of the same glop. Even the drink choices in the school cafeteria may include carbo-loaded chocolate milk and gatorade. So it would probably be expected that kids would maintain those same diet preferences as adults for rich, fatty, creamy, starchy, and low-nutrition foods. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/129 "2020-02-27T22:31:03Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Parents make all the decisions about what and how much their children eat. You do understand that the universe of decisions isn’t necessarily accessible to all parents, right? What about those living in a food desert? What about those whose children are bombarded by advertising? Etc. This is not a problem that can be solved by targeting individuals. > [@](#): > > Obese children I think will one day bring social shame to their parents, so they’ll change, and healthy kids will likely stay healthy adults. You believe there’s insufficient shame surrounding obesity in our culture? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/130 "2020-02-27T22:39:31Z")
Dup ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/131 "2020-02-27T22:55:13Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > You do understand that the universe of decisions isn’t necessarily accessible to all parents, right? What about those living in a food desert? What about those whose children are bombarded by advertising? Etc. > > This is not a problem that can be solved by targeting individuals. Yes it can, individuals are the ones making decisions that have severe consequences for their children and future generations. What if I used all the above excuses for why I buy my 6 year old smokes and a Bud Light? Next to those two, obesity is what an adults doctor is most likely to be concerned about so why is it different? And shame directed at parents can be appropriate. For instance, a parent has a responsibility to not let their children destroy displays in apartment stores. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/132 "2020-02-27T22:57:20Z")
This approach will accomplish nothing. You aren’t even taking in the entire issue. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/133 "2020-02-27T23:08:56Z")
To those who insist, “It’s simple! You simply have to consume fewer calories than you burn,” I can only say I sure hope you don’t use that line on drug addicts. “It’s simple! You simply have to stop doing drugs!” What’s that? You’d never say that to drug addicts because food doesn’t have the same effect as drugs on the brain? Au contraire! [From _Scientific American_](http://https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/addicted-to-fat-eating/): “Like many pleasurable behaviors—including sex and drug use—eating can trigger the release of dopamine, a feel-good neurotransmitter in the brain. This internal chemical reward, in turn, increases the likelihood that the associated action will eventually become habitual through positive reinforcement conditioning.” [Johns Hopkins:](https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/publications/cutting_edge/cutting_edge_summer_2013/unraveling_the_brain_chemistry_of_food_addiction__) > [@](#): > > For many, their relationship with food is comparable to that of a drug user’s with drugs—and Steele’s research could potentially back that up. > > Often associated with addiction research, dopamine controls the pleasure and reward centers of our brains. Those with lower levels of dopamine have a decreased ability to experience pleasure or satisfaction. For those with a particular vice—be it sex or drugs or something else entirely— many may increase the activity in hopes of recovering the feelings of pleasure that they may have lost. > > When starting her own research, Steele found a scientific study in which the researcher took brain scans of obese patients. “He found that as their BMI increased, their dopamine levels decreased,” Steele explains. In other words, those patients demonstrated a decreased ability to experience pleasure from the foods they’d once enjoyed. _[Nature](https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn.2017.130)_: > [@](#): > > Behaviours such as eating, copulating, defending oneself or taking addictive drugs begin with a motivation to initiate the behaviour. Both this motivational drive and the behaviours that follow are influenced by past and present experience with the reinforcing stimuli (such as drugs or energy-rich foods) that increase the likelihood and/or strength of the behavioural response (such as drug taking or overeating). At a cellular and circuit level, motivational drive is dependent on the concentration of extrasynaptic dopamine present in specific brain areas such as the striatum. Note that the Hopkins article specifically says what many researchers have found: as BMI increases, dopamine levels drop, compelling people to eat more, just as addictive drugs do. I’m willing to repeat all this every time someone gives a simplistic answer or thinks it’s as simple as using a message. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/134 "2020-02-27T23:47:39Z")
But the anti-anti-obesity crowd (for lack of a better term) still has not come up with a good solution. 1. “Weight loss is simple, but difficult” leads to _ **"don’t call it simple!"** _ 2. “Our high-tech, convenient lifestyle enables obesity” - well, the benefits of a high-tech society outweigh the drawbacks. We shouldn’t give up cars, subways, etc. and force people to walk on foot, that would make no economic sense. 3. “Run a PSA about how obesity is unhealthy” - it doesn’t work, everyone \*\*\*knows \*\*\*that obesity causes heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. 4. Body positivity = doesn’t work 5. Body negativity = doesn’t work You have one side of the debate that is great at arguing against things like pro-exercise, pro-healthy diet campaigns, but presents no viable alternative. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/135 "2020-02-27T23:50:31Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > But the anti-anti-obesity crowd (for lack of a better term) still has not come up with a good solution. > > 1. “Weight loss is simple, but difficult” leads to _ **“don’t call it simple!”** _ > 2. “Our high-tech, convenient lifestyle enables obesity” - well, the benefits of a high-tech society outweigh the drawbacks. We shouldn’t give up cars, subways, etc. and force people to walk on foot, that would make no economic sense. > 3. “Run a PSA about how obesity is unhealthy” - it doesn’t work, everyone \*\*\*knows \*\*\*that obesity causes heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. > 4. Body positivity = doesn’t work > 5. Body negativity = doesn’t work > You have one side of the debate that is great at arguing against things like pro-exercise, pro-healthy diet campaigns, but presents no viable alternative. Public policy could change the kinds of food that are out there (i.e. make sure grocery stores are accessible to every neighborhood), and can make walking more necessary – i.e. better public transportation, no requirements for parking for new construction, pedestrian-only streets (or pedestrian + bus only), etc. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/136 "2020-02-28T03:11:30Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Public policy could change the kinds of food that are out there (i.e. make sure grocery stores are accessible to every neighborhood) That wouldn’t work, as apparently any kind of calorie deficit is a psychological nightmare. So nutritious but less calorie-dense food would have to be consumed in ever greater amounts. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/137 "2020-02-28T03:45:39Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > But the anti-anti-obesity crowd (for lack of a better term) still has not come up with a good solution. > > 1. “Weight loss is simple, but difficult” leads to _ **“don’t call it simple!”** _ > 2. “Our high-tech, convenient lifestyle enables obesity” - well, the benefits of a high-tech society outweigh the drawbacks. We shouldn’t give up cars, subways, etc. and force people to walk on foot, that would make no economic sense. > 3. “Run a PSA about how obesity is unhealthy” - it doesn’t work, everyone \*\*\*knows \*\*\*that obesity causes heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. > 4. Body positivity = doesn’t work > 5. Body negativity = doesn’t work > You have one side of the debate that is great at arguing against things like pro-exercise, pro-healthy diet campaigns, but presents no viable alternative. I’m NOT arguing against pro-exercise, pro-healthy-diet campaigns. I do intensive 60-minute workouts six days a week and do weight training three of those days. I’m at a healthy weight, and I’m all for healthy eating and exercise. What I’m firmly, passionately against is people arguing that weight loss is simple, or that people who are obese simply need to control their food intake. That’s insulting to overweight people–and I’m not overweight–AND it’s simplistic. We need more research so we can understand the mechanisms that lead to obesity better. In the meantime, let’s quit insisting it’s either easy or simple. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/138 "2020-02-28T05:40:14Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > This approach will accomplish nothing. You aren’t even taking in the entire issue. I know, it’s complex and no one anywhere personally can be held accountable for anything. If we _could_ start somewhere though, might it be young ones whose diet and behavior could be modified with just providing less calories? Is that asking too much of humanity? Is that too complex for this issue? ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/139 "2020-02-28T05:40:27Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > :rolleyes: I don’t force feed my children, but I do buy and prepare everything. They only CAN eat what I choose in the quantities I choose. You underestimate the parents role, I think. Now their school plays a role, and I wouldn’t be shocked if healthier options where more common in wealthier districts. Still, most of what a child will eat before they can drive is determined by parents. Or should be by responsible ones. I don’t have children, but I have been one. Even in the 1950’s, and even in grade school, kids traded lunches, gave other kids things they didn’t feel like eating, sometimes ate at each other’s houses, used what pocket money they were given or could earn to buy treats to eat, and so on. Plenty of kids who aren’t old enough to drive are sometimes out of their parents’ sight at places where they have access to food. Do parents have a lot of say in what their children get to eat, especially when those children are very young? Yes, of course. But they don’t have total control once the children get past infancy (some of them don’t have it then, as they may have to go to work and may have limited options for where to leave the children while they do); and the degree of control they have lessens as the children get older. And attempts to keep stringent control may backfire. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/140 "2020-02-28T06:37:12Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I don’t have children, but I have been one. Even in the 1950’s, and even in grade school, kids traded lunches, gave other kids things they didn’t feel like eating, sometimes ate at each other’s houses, used what pocket money they were given or could earn to buy treats to eat, and so on. Plenty of kids who aren’t old enough to drive are sometimes out of their parents’ sight at places where they have access to food. > > Do parents have a lot of say in what their children get to eat, especially when those children are very young? Yes, of course. But they don’t have total control once the children get past infancy (some of them don’t have it then, as they may have to go to work and may have limited options for where to leave the children while they do); and the degree of control they have lessens as the children get older. And attempts to keep stringent control may backfire. Your hyperbole is hilarious. Parents have the greatest reason to engender the health of their children and the greatest ability to as well, despite the silly excuses of some. The question asked was ‘what message would it take to make obesity rates plummet dramatically?’ My answer was, ‘it is no longer socially acceptable to raise a fat kid’. Which is not ‘fat shaming’ it is ‘poor parenting shaming’, which is fine because, for many other reasons as well, that is also why we don’t beat children in public anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/141 "2020-02-28T15:15:46Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > The obesity rate has gone up in recent decades. It seems highly unlikely to me that what’s changed is Americans’ “determination/motivation and education to make a lifestyle change”, rather than the structure of our society. If it is the structure of our society that has driven this increased obesity rate, then only changing the structure of society will fix it. There’s no way to change human beings’ average levels of determination and motivation to make a lifestyle change. > > Or are you arguing that it’s not society that’s changed, but rather Americans’ determination and motivation? It’s rose dramatically because our food has changed (endless access to it, and junk food to boot), and our jobs have become less physical. Years ago, by and large, people didn’t really need motivation to stay relatively thin because that was just a natural state of being for most people (excusing maybe the far richer elite, in later years). So no, I don’t necessarily think people simply AREN’T motivated in general. But we’ve been afforded the opportunity to form different motivations. Similar with education - I don’t think we’re, by and large, just not educated enough. But nutritional education specifically hasn’t been a huge priority and schools, and how are parents going to teach proper nutritional education when, statistically, they’re also likely to be overweight or obese, and weren’t taught how to remain a healthy weight? I feel it’s not the level of motivation that needs to change - it’s finding the right motivation for you. In my case, 2-3 years ago, I didn’t feel motivated to lose weight due to health. I was in my late 20’s, obese but otherwise fortunate enough to be healthy. I never had high blood pressure, I could walk all day no problem, etc. So losing weight wasn’t a priority. I went through a hard time where I got hurt by someone super important to me. I realized that I had really very poor self-esteem, and that I had used this other person’s feelings about me to prop myself up (I apologize for being vague, it’s just not something I like to talk about a lot). I decided to lose weight as well as focus on my mental health. My mantra became, “I will be the sole source of my self-confidence - not some random dude.” And it worked. I actually didn’t find it very difficult to shed the pounds. Some people may struggle with actual addiction, which I can only imagine would make things 10x harder. That doesn’t change the fact that even drug addicts and lifetime smokers can still quit, however. They need the right motivation, but likely also the help of a professional therapist or psychiatrist. I’d recommend the same for people struggling to overcome food addiction. ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/142 "2020-02-28T15:21:46Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > I’m NOT arguing against pro-exercise, pro-healthy-diet campaigns. I do intensive 60-minute workouts six days a week and do weight training three of those days. I’m at a healthy weight, and I’m all for healthy eating and exercise. What I’m firmly, passionately against is people arguing that weight loss is simple, or that people who are obese simply need to control their food intake. That’s insulting to overweight people–and I’m not overweight–AND it’s simplistic. > > We need more research so we can understand the mechanisms that lead to obesity better. In the meantime, let’s quit insisting it’s either easy or simple. But I’d argue that simple =/= easy. A simple concept (eat less and move more / stop drinking alcohol / stop gambling) can be incredibly difficult to actually pull off, namely because we are human beings with normal human shortcomings. The problem with insisting weight loss is so impossibly difficult is that if that’s all someone ever hears, _of course_ they’re never going to actually try. I wish more people understood that losing weight doesn’t mean starving yourself. It means lowering your calories, either simply by eating less or determining a daily or weekly calorie amount to stick to. It’s not **easy** , no, but it is _simple._ ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154/143 "2020-02-28T15:28:05Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > But the anti-anti-obesity crowd (for lack of a better term) still has not come up with a good solution. > > 1. “Weight loss is simple, but difficult” leads to _ **“don’t call it simple!”** _ > 2. “Our high-tech, convenient lifestyle enables obesity” - well, the benefits of a high-tech society outweigh the drawbacks. We shouldn’t give up cars, subways, etc. and force people to walk on foot, that would make no economic sense. > 3. “Run a PSA about how obesity is unhealthy” - it doesn’t work, everyone \*\*\*knows \*\*\*that obesity causes heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. > 4. Body positivity = doesn’t work > 5. Body negativity = doesn’t work > You have one side of the debate that is great at arguing against things like pro-exercise, pro-healthy diet campaigns, but presents no viable alternative. Personally, I think there just isn’t ever going to be a perfect answer. Me, I’d want to see better nutritional information in schools. Adults CAN alter their lifestyle habits, but that’s easier to do when you’re a child, your habits are still developing and you’re reliant on adults to get your food for you. Eventually those children, hopefully with better eating habits, will then grow up to raise their own kids in a similar style. You’ll still have your kids that do overeat, and your adults that develop bad habits (although I was overweight here and there as a kid, I didn’t become obese until I left my parents’ house), but hopefully far fewer. And hey, maybe this is happening. It’s been a long time since I was in grade school/middle school, so maybe nutritional education has improved. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154.md?page=8)