Vinny
Member
Very good points, IMOI think this is a pretty standard mainstream point of view. I’m not sure how much time you spend here at RPF, but these contentions have been repeatedly refuted by a multitude of studies. Haidut, in particular, has posted a number of studies that offer other explanations for obesity, none of which align with your arguments. I can only speak for myself, but I’m not eating, sitting, eating, sitting. I walk A LOT. I have several dogs so we are out in nature, rain or shine, every day without fail. I walk at least 5 miles a day if not more. I do not work in an office setting, and I really don’t sit that much. I am moving most of the day. I do eat three meals a day and usually one snack. No more or less than my parents, grandparents or children eat. We all eat about the same amount. Actually, we pretty much eat/ate all the same things too. Just clean, whole foods... nothing processed or altered in some way.
Did you know that people in Belgium eat an average of 3700 calories a day? Seems excessive doesn’t it? Yet, along with Switzerland and France they have one of the lowest BMI in Europe. A Swiss person eats an average of 24 lbs of chocolate per year and as much or more pounds of cheese. Holy cow, that’s a lot of sugar and fat! How can you explain this phenomenon if sugar and fat consumption supposedly is what’s piling on the pounds for the average Peater?
As far as society valuing thinness ...that’s pretty much a modern western phenomenon. In the past, and in some places in the world still, thinness equaled/equals undesirability. Mostly because being thin could signal compromised health—a warning sign, so to speak. This is something that is still recognized among animals. Thin animals are typically starving or sick animals, and for sure that sends the message to others that : “ Hold on, something is not right here.”
Speaking of animals, how do you reconcile the fact that animals everywhere on the whole are getting heavier as well, in step with human trends? Even zoo animals on controlled diets are gaining weight, despite the fact that their calorie and macro intake is the same as it was in years past.
As far as the argument that we are sitting too much, wasn’t it just established that the remaining hunter gatherer societies that exist are really no more active than we are? Someone just posted something on that very subject. Needless to say, that surprised me, but apparently they sit around quite a bit too. It seems that most humans enjoy a mix of movement and rest... just as they always have, regardless of whether they are in primitive or modern societies.
These are just some examples of why many people are questioning the old idea that people need to eat less and move more. It doesn’t add up exactly, there are too many holes in the mainstream view and that’s why it is being challenged. Many people who are eating less and moving more are not making progress and not really understanding why. The mechanisms behind safe weight loss are very complex. That is why I suggested that maybe additional weight, although deemed unsightly, could possibly be health promoting or possibly a sign of good health for some people. I think it depends on the person honestly, but it seems to me that one size does not fit all. No pun intended.