Why are so many people overweight?

[Hilhen7]

You realize we have a "sedentary office lifestyle" now right?

People sit all day at the computer with no time for breaks. We just grind out endless amounts of work at our desk while consuming shitty food. Most people will need more then 45 mins to get a decent meal, and the crap you eat at restaurants isn't healthy unless your getting a salad.

[jackofwind]

Actually, feeling hungry is normal and starvation only starts to happen after like a week of no food. People who cannot handle their hunger pangs need to just sit through it and learn it is ok to feel that. Also eating breakfast is not great for you either right when you get up. I only eat around 11:30AM and it makes me feel way better throughout the day.

Trying to eat anything solid before 10:30AM makes me extremely nauseous, and I'm a healthy guy who plays hockey twice a week, runs/hikes, and goes to the gym.

Yet my parents still think I'm being unhealthy for "skipping breakfast".

[TJ]

Not if you have self control...

Ok, even if you have that and avoid snacking you're still gimping yourself of arguably the most important meal of the day.

[Bigbazz]

Is that from fasting, or is it from the over all nutrition of the meals they do eat being higher? That would be an interesting thing to look at.

There is a lot of research around fasting, including being used to successfully treat many health problems (like diabetes, many inflammation based issues, hormonal imbalances and depression among other things). It seems fairly clear that fasting as part of a normal healthy lifestyle is very beneficial, whether that means you have a day off of eating once per week or you follow the typical 16 hour per day fast, it's generally very good (no surprise why so many athletes have taken to it).

Traditional diet advice such as "not eating after 6pm" for example also really falls into the same logic as intermittent fasting, because you're having a significant period of the day (say 12 hours if you wake at 6am and eat breakfast) where you don't consume any food.

[Morssoe]

Trying to eat anything solid before 10:30AM makes me extremely nauseous, and I'm a healthy guy who plays hockey twice a week, runs/hikes, and goes to the gym.

Yet my parents still think I'm being unhealthy for "skipping breakfast".

what you would eat for breakfast? Thats a big role.

[jackofwind]

If people cared about appearance they wouldn't allow themselves to.get fat in the first place.

If people cared about appearance they'd go to the gym too, but they don't.

[Mistame]

If people cared about appearance they wouldn't allow themselves to.get fat in the first place.

If people cared about their health, they wouldn't allow themselves to become obese. Health is the important factor here, not appearance.

If people cared about appearance they'd go to the gym too, but they don't.

Meh. Muscle definition is gross.

[Morssoe]

There is a lot of research around fasting, including being used to successfully treat many health problems (like diabetes, many inflammation based issues, hormonal imbalances and depression among other things). It seems fairly clear that fasting as part of a normal healthy lifestyle is very beneficial, whether that means you have a day off of eating once per week or you follow the typical 16 hour per day fast, it's generally very good (no surprise why so many athletes have taken to it).

Traditional diet advice such as "not eating after 6pm" for example also really falls into the same logic as intermittent fasting, because you're having a significant period of the day (say 12 hours if you wake at 6am and eat breakfast) where you don't consume any food.

Only benefit from fasting is all the shity food you usually intake are done and its time for self destruction. It is no wonder inflammation is going away.

[TJ]

Well, it's settled then. It IS genetics. I have a similar daily routine + the occasional gardening work, but only drink coffee w/o any sweeteners, water and sometimes the zero calorie soft drinks. I also cook fresh every day, from actual fresh ingredients, and since I'm a long sleeper I even skip breakfast. I also never got into the habit of snacking. There really is NOTHING in between. Ever. Not even when watching TV. Nil. So, two proper nurishing meals a day. I'm 1.86m tall and bring ~145kg to the scales. Tell me how this works if it isn't at least some genetic dispostion.

Seriously. Whenever I hear that genetics has zero to do with this, I'd happily accept the consequences and thoroughly punch that person right in the kisser. And my punches have some weight behind them...


Edit: The latter parts weren't direct at you specifically ofc.

That seriously doesn't add up, there's no way you should be 145 with 2 meals unless they are family meals from KFC. You're either leaving something out or you have some serious issue with your body, possibly an underactive thyroid: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/undera...ypothyroidism/

[Sughs]

People are lazy. For example I have been with 10 extra Kgs for a year or so now, not really that noticeable other than a tiny little bit of belly if I remove my shirt. I could easily lose them just by eating more times a day and in smaller quantities but I just can't bother to do it and I eat large meals 3 times a day which is wrong af but oh well...

[Morssoe]

Come over here you filthy wanker and get what's yours...

Anger issues? Must be in genes. What a joker.

[TJ]

If people cared about appearance they'd go to the gym too, but they don't.

Depends what appearance you want? Not everyone wants to be extremely muscular, some people are happy just to be an average joe in terms of weight/build.

[Sevyvia]

Sedentary lifestyle with shitty processed foods and sugary soda drinks.

This is the actual answer, rather than all the "lol people r dum n lazee!!1!"

We have more food available, and it's more processed, which means higher calorie count. There are also genetic predispositions and life "conditioning" differences between people when it comes to eating food. You can sit one person down in front of a table full of goodies. If they're full, it's like they don't even notice it. Put someone else down in the same position, and they're going to be continually noticing all the good stuff in front of them.

There are also many reasons people eat too much. Depression, for example. Comfort. Etc. Personal responsibility also has a place in here, but there's a large brigade of people calling people fat slobs who have no idea what they're talking about. Just, no idea at all. It's kind of baffling, and literally the first reply in this thread is of that type.

Lastly, find me a fat person whose highest wish isn't to be thin. It'd astonish you how high the percentage is. It's at least 95%. Fat people don't like being fat either. But, like so many other things in life, getting thin is theoretically easy (eat fewer calories than you burn), but practically much harder, because it's someone having to change their life, and not just a single number (weight) as if it's some isolated, singular thing they can control about themselves. But, obviously, "it's complicated" answers aren't suited for self-serving people who just want to find someone to feel better than today, too.

[jackofwind]

what you would eat for breakfast? Thats a big role.

The kind of breakfast my family would like to see me eat is toast, maybe some fruit, maybe some eggs and bacon. The usual Canadian breakfast fare, nothing particularly heavy but even a piece of toast close to when I wake up makes me feel pretty ill. My go-to for early calories is a high protein/low sugar brand of chocolate milk that we have here.

[Saverem]

Not everybody can blame genetics and problems with their metabolism.

I eat fast food like 4-5 times a week, and on top of that lots of snacks and soda, basically I never think about what I put in my mouth, and I'm not even slightly overweight (77 kilos on 179 cm). I'm also 31 so I've reached the age where the metabolism "apparantely slows down".

Do people constantly have their hands in a bag of crisps, or a spoonful of icecream, or what?

I just don't understand how people can let themselves become so big when I'm such a lazy fuck, who don't even go to the gym, who manage to stay healthy.
In before someone mentions that my insides probably are rotten to the core. Nope, had my biyearly health exam last month and all of my tests came out perfect.

It's a combination of nutrition (the calories you intake), exercise (the calories you burn), and genetics (the rate of which you process calories).

As long as you have 2 of those 3 right, then you should be fine. If you're bad at 2 of those 3, then you're in a deficit and you get fat.

[jackofwind]

Depends what appearance you want? Not everyone wants to be extremely muscular, some people are happy just to be an average joe in terms of weight/build.

You don't need to get extremely muscular by going to the gym (depends how you train), but it's pretty universal that physical fitness looks good on everybody.

[Morssoe]

The kind of breakfast my family would like to see me eat is toast, maybe some fruit, maybe some eggs and bacon. The usual Canadian breakfast fare, nothing particularly heavy but even a piece of toast close to when I wake up makes me feel pretty ill. My go-to for early calories is a high protein/low sugar brand of chocolate milk that we have here.

Just eat that bacon and eggs and you feel much better.

[Unholyground]

Ok, even if you have that an avoid snacking. You're still gimping yourself of arguably the most important meal of the day.

It just isn't though, I feel like shit if I eat in the morning. I literally cannot eat right away when I get up without forcing it down and almost vomiting. You were brainwashed into thinking that by your parents likely and that is not your fault but they were wrong. Now for some people I am sure they can eat breakfast, but even the word implies fasting has occurred and sleep is not likely a long enough period for most anymore since a lot of people don't stop eating until they go to bed reducing that fasting window.

[Thrif]

Sugar tastes nice.

[oxyzz]

You seem so incredibly toxic and shallow. Rather have a nice chubby/fat/obese/"disgusting slob" type around me than be anywhere within 10 miles of someone like you. I'd recommend interacting with a few "disgusting slobs", but I guess with your attitude you only interact with people who fit the societal definition of beauty which is total bull anyway. And no, I'm not fat.

Even if his answer is ignorant, I will admit i more often than not feel the same. Let me explain.

When I was fifteen I got Type-1 diabetes. The first year was pure hell. I was (and still are) a very active person, competed in professional rugby and also did a lot of skateboarding. That resulted in hypoglycemia several times a week. Having an insulin shock is one of the worst feelings I ever felt. And I frikkin broke my femur once.

After a year I learned to control my sugar levels, always taking the right amount of insulin when I eat something and never eat anything that has a sugar level above 5g per 100. My diabetes also broke my dreams. I wanted to be a cop badly and also do military service, which is a big no no if you have a chronic disease.

Type-1 Diabetes also lower your immune system with about 15% - 20% and I felt that first hand. I have had two surgeries and both times I ended up with blood poisoning and coma. One of the times it was so serious my doctor told my parents I wold probably not survive the night.

17 years later and I have become best friend with my condition, I still take an insulin shot every time I eat. I still work out 5-6 times a week, stay fit and eat properly. Both because I love exercising and also because I fear I won't survive beyond 60 unless I really take care of myself.

Some days are darker and I wish this never happened to me.

So when I see a fat person eating an extra large pizza with everything on top, drinking their 1 liter of coca-cola, yes I'm disgusted. This is a lazy shitty person that has all the time in the world to change their behaviour, to start working out and eat healthy.
But they CHOOSE not to. They voluntarily get themselves in all kinds of trouble, Type-2 diabetes, and heart diseases are the most common. Not to mention people won't be able to save their life if they end up stuck in a car after a crash or a catastrophe like a tsunami, were are they gonna run? Oh yeah nowhere because they cant run. Not to mention the huge costs of treatment for society, tax payer money that could go to something else.

And I can't imagine why someone ever would give themselves diabetes.

Of course, there are other reasons for people being fat. But a majority don't need to be obese. Really, they have an option. They CHOOSE not to do anything about it. And that is why I think they are disgusting, not because they are fat per se, but because they have the option not to be.