Plastic Might Be Making You Obese (washingtonpost.com) 286
An anonymous reader shares a report: The global obesity epidemic is getting worse, especially among children, with rates of obesity rising over the past decade and shifting to earlier ages. In the US, roughly 40% of today's high school students were overweight by the time they started high school. Globally, the incidence of obesity has tripled since the 1970s, with fully one billion people expected to be obese by 2030. The consequences are grave, as obesity correlates closely with high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and other serious health problems. Despite the magnitude of the problem, there is still no consensus on the cause, although scientists do recognize many contributing factors, including genetics, stress, viruses and changes in sleeping habits. Of course, the popularity of heavily processed foods -- high in sugar, salt and fat -- has also played a role, especially in Western nations, where people on average consume more calories per day now than 50 years ago. Even so, recent reviews of the science conclude that much of the huge rise in obesity globally over the past four decades remains unexplained.
An emerging view among scientists is that one major overlooked component in obesity is almost certainly our environment -- in particular, the pervasive presence within it of chemicals which, even at very low doses, act to disturb the normal functioning of human metabolism, upsetting the body's ability to regulate its intake and expenditure of energy. Some of these chemicals, known as "obesogens," directly boost the production of specific cell types and fatty tissues associated with obesity. Unfortunately, these chemicals are used in many of the most basic products of modern life including plastic packaging, clothes and furniture, cosmetics, food additives, herbicides and pesticides. Ten years ago the idea of chemically induced obesity was something of a fringe hypothesis, but not anymore.
An emerging view among scientists is that one major overlooked component in obesity is almost certainly our environment -- in particular, the pervasive presence within it of chemicals which, even at very low doses, act to disturb the normal functioning of human metabolism, upsetting the body's ability to regulate its intake and expenditure of energy. Some of these chemicals, known as "obesogens," directly boost the production of specific cell types and fatty tissues associated with obesity. Unfortunately, these chemicals are used in many of the most basic products of modern life including plastic packaging, clothes and furniture, cosmetics, food additives, herbicides and pesticides. Ten years ago the idea of chemically induced obesity was something of a fringe hypothesis, but not anymore.
Or eating a ton of calories (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Yep. You can inject as many obesogens as you want but if you ain't eating too much then you ain't gonna get fat.
Grease cannot be created from nothing.
Re: Or eating a ton of calories (Score:3)
Re:Or eating a ton of calories (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:3)
Well, actually it is true. On a starvation diet people don't get fat. But there's a huge intermediate range where it differing metabolic signals *do* control whether you get fat or not. And there's also psychological problems. I still have trouble avoiding eating everything that's served to me. When I was young I was told to eat it all, whether I wanted to or not, because of the starving children in Belgium. Other people have told me similar stories featuring different groups of distant children, so I
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Too bad the appetite doesn't seem to get the memo.
Re: (Score:2)
Define "too much".
Re: (Score:2)
Define "too much".
More than you expend.
Re:Or eating a ton of calories (Score:4, Insightful)
In that case, obesogens either by decrease the calories you expend or increase the calories you consume. That's not really a point, it's a tautology. Any "obesogenic" factor necessarily has to do one or both of those things, although possibly through rather complex pathways (e.g. disturbing blood sugar levels).
I do understand that behavioral patterns contribute to weight, in fact better than most. I have maintained an 80 pound weight loss for *ten years*, which makes me one of the relatively small (10%) group of people who have successfully sustained a substantial weight loss. Here's the rub: *every* simple approach to weight loss works, because as you suggest weight loss is actually *simple* in principle. Calorie restriction works. Eating a grapefruit with every meal works. But none of these simple methods work *for long*. And in particular crash dieting, which makes complete sense from a simplistic calorie-in/calorie-out perspective, is nearly always followed by dramatic rebound weight gain thanks to your newly efficient starvation metabolism. The problem with calories-in/calories-out isn't that it's *wrong*. The problem is that it's simplistic in a way that undermines its potential usefulness. It glosses over many of the system characteristics which make body composition refractory.
A simplistic interpretation of "calories in/calories out" is attractive because it comes with a pleasing whiff of moral priggery. Fat people are just inferior people who gorge themselves all day due to their lack of character. But the truth is very few people get fat from gorging themselves; in fact people who do that tend to follow with purging or calorie restriction.. What gets most people is an insidious, gram-a-day trend operating over the course of decades and deeply hidden in pounds of daily water weight variation noise. Reversing that subtle trend is the secret to sustainable weight loss, but it's neither simple or easy. It takes comprehensive lifestyle changes. Nobody should feel smug about not being fat; for the vast majority of us unwanted weight gain is in our future.
In the end the trend of people getting heavier than their recent ancestors isn't going to be "caused" by obesogenic plastics. It's going to be caused by dozens of novel obesogenic factors, each putting a featherweight thumb on the scales of weight homeostasis. Desk jobs. Car ownership. Artificial lighting and disturbed sleep hygiene. Ultraprocessed high carb convenience foods. Sedentary leisure activities. Plastic may well be one of these factors, but it is likely neither sufficient nor necessary for the entire trend.
Re: (Score:2)
Yep, all you have to do is deny the second strongest biological urge with no slip-ups for your entire life. Easy-peasy says the person who doesn't have to do it.
Re: (Score:2)
Lifestyle and habits can change.
Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Lets try an experiment. You're going on an air diet today. Don't worry, you'll get more than enough O2 to support life and you'll blow off the CO2, no problem.
Start at rest, slowly fill your lings for 6 seconds, then slowly empty them for the next six seconds. Repeat for 24 hours.
I'm sure that with a few simple lifestyle changes you'll manage it no problem.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Now you're being silly.
I've lost weight before. The trick is to get your body to start using up the fat like it's supposed to. The fat is there to feed you, like a bear in winter. All you do is eat next to nothing for a couple of days.
Once your body figures it's "winter" it starts feeding on the fat and you won't feel hungry. It's a bit like being on a drip in hospital - you don't get thirsty.
The trick is to not go out and binge on food. If you do that then your body will reset to "summer" and you'll have t
Re: (Score:2)
It's not the dress which makes you look fat, it's the fat which makes you look fat.
Re:Or eating a ton of calories (Score:5)
But diets don't work very well because the body's metabolism slows to compensate for fewer calories, making it an uphill battle.
After dealing and reading about this issue a long time, I've concluded that diets partially work because diet food tastes like shit. Eating foul-tasting food suppresses apatite. However, it also increases the chance one will lose control and go on a "real food" binge when other life problems stress one over the edge. When you're dieting, potato chips are like "legal meth".
Humans just were not made for desk-jobs, and physical jobs will wear our your body by about age 45. Since most never lived past 45 in the past, evolution didn't prepare us for such.
Nagging people about "eating too much" won't scale. We need Plan B, as Plan Nag fails.
Re:Or eating a ton of calories (Score:5, Insightful)
I guess that depends on your definition of "diet food".
If your only basis of thoughts on food are what are. pre-processed and meal ready for you to eat out of a wrapper, I would agree wholeheartedly with you.
But let's step out of that box of thought and think about REAL food. Stuff you cook from fresh ingredients that are in season.
You can eat "diet" foods that are nutritionally dense without being overly carb (sugar) and salt laden.
Get some fresh greens and other veggies. Bake, roast, sauté, grill...etc them with good seasonings. You can cook with healthy fats (most generally olive oil), etc....throw in reasonable portions of good quality proteins ,,,,and you are going to be able to eat health.
Depending on your exercise level (which likely needs to be raised significantly), you might have to watch your portion size.
Cooking isn't hard and per portion and shopping locally on what's on sale and in season, it can be more economical in so many cases that eating out or getting the pre-packed diet food I think you were referring to.
It's not rocket surgery...cooking is pretty easy and fun to do.
And you can buy and cook your own healthy foods....and for convenience, do what I do...cook on the weekend more than you need to eat and take the leftovers for lunches all week.
Heck, just grilling out extra chicken, eggplant (other veggies), beef or whatever...and you can use those ingredients in a number of ways for various meals during the week. Mix with a little humus, and pita bread one night. Throw in a mixed salad the next, etc...this way you can cook quick on busy week nights and not get bored eating the same old thing.
Re: (Score:3)
FWIW, cooking for one person is quite hard. Cooking for two or three people is fairly easy, especially if you're one of those two or three. Been there, done that, so I know whereof I speak.
If you don't live within easy walking distance of a grocery store, salad vegetables won't keep. (Well, celery will. You can even get that dried.) Stir-fries are abominable the next day, but doing a one person size is ... I'm not sure it's literally impossible, but it's really a problem. And then you've got all those
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Stuff you cook from fresh ingredients that are in season.
Cooking isn't hard and per portion and shopping locally on what's on sale and in season, it can be more economical in so many cases that eating out or getting the pre-packed diet food I think you were referring to.
I live in Canada. For six months of the year, nothing is in season, as the whole land becomes an inhospitable winter hellscape. Root vegetables can be preserved over winter, meat can still be slaughtered and processed, and some vegetables (notably tomatoes and herbs) can be grown, but that's about it. It's also far more expensive to buy imported fresh produce.
"Shop locally and buy in season" is a pipe dream for vast portions of the world.
Re: (Score:2)
You can grow indoors if you use a bit of imagination....
I have played with a small, but productive indoor hydroponic set up and grown great fresh lettuce, tomatoes, etc....
And for harsh climates...learn to home can things.
I've grown gardens in summer myself, usually MUCH more than I could eat right then and to prevent waste, I bought a pressure canner (manual, not electric) and taught myself to can.
A fresh garden tomato, ca
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
But diets don't work very well because the body's metabolism slows to compensate for fewer calories, making it an uphill battle.
Diets don't work very well, but eating healthy absolutely does. And by far the most important part of healthy eating (as far as obesity impact goes) is limiting calories. If you eat 500 less calories per day, and keep reducing it as you lose weight, you will lose weight if you don't have a rare medical disorder. You can lose weight like this for months without a significant drop in your metabolism as long as you are not reducing past about 25% of your basal metabolic rate + activity level. I have lost 50-75
Re: (Score:2)
The fact that you did it TWICE suggests a sustainability issue...
Others may find it harder.
Re: (Score:2)
The fact that you did it TWICE suggests a sustainability issue...
Others may find it harder.
This was over a 20 year period. Both losses were sustainable (and sustained for years), but I made poor choices during stressful times in my life. I would never claim being healthy is easy in the modern US though.
Re: (Score:2)
Sorry, but no. Humans evolved as cursory hunters, AND as gatherers. Both require lots of physical exercise, though of different nature. A human in good (well, excellent) shape can run down a horse. We aren't as fast, but we can run for longer at a time.
OTOH, a study reported in the Scientific American a few years ago found that Kalahari hunters have a base metabolism rate only very slightly higher than a US couch potato. (IIRC they studied the rate of emission of, I think it was deuterium, after feedin
Re: (Score:2)
> Healthy food tastes great.
Sorry, the majority will not agree. If you are the exception, congratulations!
> But their perception of what constitutes sweet changes to the point where something like a blueberry satisfies that craving.
Yes, I covered that already: "to a degree" one adjusts. Note that "natural" blueberries actually have a fair amount of sugar because they were bred to. Pre-domesticated blueberries were bland. If you eat a lot of the new ones, you'll have the same sugar problems.
And studie
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
You can lose just as much weight without the running though.
Telling a 300lb blog to start trail running isn't going to work.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I've concluded that diets partially work because diet food tastes like shit.
Huh? WTF kind of a diet were you on? If the result tastes like shit you may fall under one of two categories:
a) You went for a really shit diet.
b) You are so insanely addicted to sugar that normal food tastes bad to you.
Last time I went on a diet several of the new meals I tried ended up in my personal favourites which I still have in my rotation even though I'm currently on an eat-whatever-the-fuck-I-want diet.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
But diets don't work very well because the body's metabolism slows to compensate for fewer calories, making it an uphill battle.
Weight loss is simple math. Burn more calories than you consume. You can eat McDonald's for three meals a day if you exercise enough.
Re:Or eating a ton of calories (Score:4, Informative)
I've concluded that diets partially work because diet food tastes like shit.
The idea of special "diet food" is a broken idea.
Re: Or eating a ton of calories (Score:2)
That might explain the US, but it doesn't explain obesity in countries which don't have a crap diet, or wild animals (yes, ones which don't forage human food). The obesity epidemic is universal and very weird.
Re: (Score:2)
That might explain the US, but it doesn't explain obesity in countries which don't have a crap diet
Which ones would those be?
People who think like ants (Score:2)
There's always gotta be some ignorant wiseass who has to signal his obedience to the traditional orthodoxy. Ten years from now he'll tell you he was the first one to say it was microplastics, too.
With people like this guy, their ability to feel shame is much like their ability to feel satisfaction: entirely dependent on other, "higher" authorities' punishment and reward. It's a pathetic existence.
Even lab animals on calorie restricted diets (Score:2)
Even lab animals on calorie restricted diets are getting significantly fatter than animals on the same diet in the 60s.
There's something more going on that just calorie intake.
And there's no shortage of suspects given the HUGE number of different synthetic hormone-like chemicals we've saturated the environment with since then. And plastics are the source of a whole lot of those.
That's what it is! definitely not candy & icec (Score:3, Funny)
I had been feeeling sooo guilty of ingurgitating ice cream, candy, cookies, chocolate and caramel.... It's quite a relieft
fiiuuuu, I feel much better... I'm gonna go celebrate with a giant cake :p
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
What? plastic containers you say? Don't tell me you're supposed to take out the food first... this wisdom is insane :p
Reminds me of the old joke of the guy who goes to the doctor and says... :p
_ hey doctor... I ate oysters, do you think it gave me indigestion?
_ depends, were they fresh? when you opened them, did you try to put lemon and they reacted?
_ Oh wait... you were supposed to open them first?
Modern science has failed in metabolism research! (Score:5, Interesting)
I had been feeeling sooo guilty of ingurgitating ice cream, candy, cookies, chocolate and caramel.... It's quite a relieft
fiiuuuu, I feel much better... I'm gonna go celebrate with a giant cake :p
You're making a false and ignorant assumption that human beings are deterministic. What works for you will not work the same for many people. The modern world focuses heavily on curing disease and surprisingly little about preventing it. Go to your doctor today. If you have Type 2 diabetes, they can prescribe a few dozen medicines, including some, like metformin, which have been in use for decades. Tell them, I'm fat and worried about getting diabetes, you know what your doctor will say?...the same STUPID, IGNORANT, ASSININE, JUDGMENTAL BULLSHIT you just wrote above.
Have you thought about eating less? Have you thought about exercising more? Yes, you fucking asshole!!!! Yes, every fat person who is concerned about their weight has tried eating less. Every fat person has tried a dozen diets, none of which work well. I eventually found something that worked...through fucking podcasts, not my useless doctor. No fat person likes being fat and most don't do stupid things to stay fat. If you can just cut back on the chips and beer and slowly watch your waist go down, you're fucking genetically lucky. If you can just start running a few times a week and get slender, you're genetically lucky. Most fat adults who actually care about their weight have done EVERYTHING you have done and have not had the results you had. I know I have.
If you do research, you'll find that many, if not most, fat adults and not more reckless than their skinny counterparts. Leading obesity researchers have found this as well. If you're actually skinny, I'll wager money I eat less than you do, eat healthier, and exercise more. Obesity runs in my family. I work out daily, eat small portions and pretty much only eat healthy food. This year, I discovered intermittent fasting, which has helped me lose 30lbs so far and is the first thing I've seen that seems sustainable. The problem is it's a new discovery, not that well known, and the doctors are completely clueless as to how to help. You have to do your own research and wade through weirdos who get more attention on Joe Rogan podcasts than mainstream media...because sad to say...Joe Rogan (yes, I cringe typing his praises, but it is true) cares more about fitness and prevention than every doctor in my area.
Here's the problem, modern science has no fucking clue about metabolism. Everyone knows some person who lives off pizza and beer into their 40s and is slender. You also know some person who has a salad every day for lunch and is surprisingly fat. Very few of them stop to ask why. Being fat is the other person's problem. "Eat less cake!" Most fat people eat cake less than you, so your advice is worse than useless. You're just insulting people struggling who take better care of themselves than you do. Do you also go around cancer wards and give people the same judgmental attitude?
Peter Attia and Andrew Huberman have done a lot of research on this Peter treats many patients and found nearly all of his eat just fine, but are fat. There are factors such as insulin response that mean for my body, every surplus bit of glucose goes straight to fat and the body never wants to metabolize fat cells. I have an equilibrium weight of 30% body fat. If I get reckless for a month and go to 32%, I can easily lose weight just be being responsible until I get around 30%. Getting below 30% is very challenging. I've done it a few times with extreme diet and discipline...and any mistake and my body quickly goes back to 30%. There's very little research into this phenomena. That's my concern. It seems like most doctors and researchers don't care despite the fact that obesity is a leading cause of death worldwide.
I've worked out my entire life, don't drink, nor eat dessert. I mostly li
Re: (Score:3)
Nice meltdown!
Yes some people have metabolism or other health issues that cause them to be overweight. Not 70% of the population.
I dispute your percentage (Score:2)
Nice meltdown!
Yes some people have metabolism or other health issues that cause them to be overweight. Not 70% of the population.
So you're saying 70% of fat people LIKE being fat? They'd rather eat insanely recklessly than eat how you do and be less fat?
There are no doubt many reckless people, but I doubt it's 70%. To quote the OP "ingurgitating ice cream, candy, cookies, chocolate and caramel" That's fucking disgusting. If I tried doing that, I'd be nauseous, most would...they'd have terrible heartburn and feel sick. Even if you like to eat, it gets old after a few decades...similar to drinking. Most people who drink in exc
Re: (Score:2)
No, most people don't like to be fat, I'd imagine.
But it's very easy to eat too much of calorie-dense food (or drinks) without realizing it, and most people are not counting it reliably and/or adjusting habits accordingly. When I was exercising and trying to lose fat, I needed to eat about 1,700 calories a day. This is very little food. No breakfast, a grilled, lean piece of meat with rice or buckwheat for lunch, a protein shake, and a chicken salad for dinner. Maybe a small cookie or piece of chocolate. Th
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Modern science has failed in metabolism researc (Score:5, Interesting)
I was a checker at a grocery store through most of college. I can assure you not all overweight or obese people are trying anywhere near as hard as you seem to be making them out to be. In fact the norm was you could see the person's body weight in what they were buying.
That wasn't true for everyone of course. Some folks are unlucky and have bodies that seem to be far more prone to putting on weight and so stay heavy despite a healthy lifestyle but I assure you that is not the norm for every overweight person as you seem to be suggesting here.
Fat people vs concerned fat people (Score:2)
I was a checker at a grocery store through most of college. I can assure you not all overweight or obese people are trying anywhere near as hard as you seem to be making them out to be. In fact the norm was you could see the person's body weight in what they were buying.
That wasn't true for everyone of course. Some folks are unlucky and have bodies that seem to be far more prone to putting on weight and so stay heavy despite a healthy lifestyle but I assure you that is not the norm for every overweight person as you seem to be suggesting here.
Both can be true. You're talking about people who aren't concerned about their weight. A certain percentage of the population is not concerned and you will no doubt see them order a lot of food. Also, you confirmed each person was buying that for themselves or their family? It could have been a fat woman buying desserts for her skinny kids and husband. Finally consider that the fat people who are concerned about their health not only usually have families, but also just may not be shopping there as muc
Re: (Score:2)
If you've tried eating less and all it made you was miserable, but not thinner, why not eat enough to feel full? I assure you that being shamed by some ignoranus on Slashdolt will not do it.
Re: (Score:2)
Wooah, that was very passionate, you have a lot of emotions in there and there is so much to unpack
You need a hug my friend.... Brighten up, relax, breathe in a little Zen..
I might recommend you look up humor in the dictionary one of these days :p
I'll close with a shameless plug to my song Lovely Day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Summary so you don't have to go all the way to youtube to listen to my poor singing.. it's all gonna be ok, have a lovely day
Remember, breathe in, relax and have a lovely day
Re: (Score:2)
Your rant makes the very mistake you are ranting against. You accuse the OP of painting everyone with a brush and then you...
Yes, every fat person who is concerned about their weight has tried eating less.
Sorry but that's horseshit. There's a fuckton of fat people out there looking for easy quick wins. "Eating less" for them was going 2 days only drinking 2L of coke instead of the usual 5 and declaring dieting to be a failure.
Doesn't work for you? Fine. That doesn't mean it doesn't work for others. You've tried it? Fine, that doesn't mean everyone has. A fuckton of people are fat due t
Most reckless people grow up someday (Score:2)
"Eating less" for them was going 2 days only drinking 2L of coke instead of the usual 5 and declaring dieting to be a failure.
Your anecode no doubt makes you feel better and yes, I am sure it's fun for you to make fun of fat people. However, as you get older, that person you're talking about, if they're actually a real person , will get older, have kids, have health concerns.
Is every fat person dieting now? Obviously not. However, at some point, I will wager every fat person will try to lose weight. Many will hit 30, 40, 50, etc...maybe have a health scare or watch their fat family die off and decide, OK junk food is ove
Re: (Score:2)
There actually *are* diets that will take weight off anyone. They are generally impossible to stick to, and there's usually a rebound effect. Many folks who survived the concentration camps ended up fat, but the original diet worked.
The question in my mind is whether you find intermittent fasting to be tolerable enough that you will keep to it. I found that after about a week or two, eliminating all sugars and starches was not a problem. (Well, except that people keep trying to push them on me.) The be
Re: (Score:2)
Most fat adults who actually care about their weight have done EVERYTHING you have done and have not had the results you had. I know I have.
If you burn more calories than you take in you will lose weight. Simple as that.
Re: (Score:2)
There's a study of the Kalahari Bushmen in the Scientific American from a few years ago that you should read.
TLDR version: you're wrong.
Re: (Score:2)
You're talking to a wall. He won't hear you.
FWIW, I've heard good reports of intermittent fasting, too, and of various variation on that theme. But what worked for me (to the extent that anything has worked) is cutting out all starches and sugars. I've lost 40 lb.s on that, and kept them off for over 2 years, but I don't seem to be able to get below that, and I *know* that I'd be better off if I lost another 100 lb.s or maybe a little bit more. (OTOH, that was what I weighed when I was on the fencing te
Calories in, calories out (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Cheaper to buy produce then frozen food. Cheaper to buy beans and rice then steak. Bread is also a wonderful staple and lunch meat really isn't that expensive.
Heck, pasta is super cheap and a brick of firm tofu can provide all the protein at 2/3 the cost of beef and possibly cheaper then turkey.
You can buy a 12oz can of chicken, can of chicken soup, bag/box of pasta noodles, sprinkle some cheese on top and some milk. Good to go. 3-6 portions.
For $14 I can make a pot of chili that will also go another 8-10 p
You're thinking too simple (Score:2)
There's no reason why the human body might not prioritize storing fat. Forget feeling full, your body is short on muscle glycogen at that point. Everything you eat gets stored first and then you have to pull it out of storage (as it were).
When you see folks get fat no matter what this is what's happening (albeit grossly simplified). Yes, they can eat less, but they won't just be hungry, they'll be completely exhausted. As if they're not eating enough to live.
Re: (Score:3)
They also don't live very long, which just goes to show: Skinny isn't necessarily healthy. Of course obese isn't either. Weight is just one number. Where's the weight? Around the mid-section? Not so good. Huge muscles? Better. Why the huge muscles though? Steroids? Bad.
Weight is just one of many numbers to look at when evaluating health. How about pulmonary function, resting heart rate, heart rate recovery after exercise, etc. Also, more technical numbers from blood draws such as cholesterol
It's the diet stupid! (Score:3, Insightful)
Given that
1) Despite years of labelling efforts about nutrition and calories people don't read the labels.
2) Fast food is a prevalent choice for more and more people. They don't look at the calories but hey, I have places to go. I checked out a Burger King special burger before I tried it, 1800 calories: that's almost an entire calorie budget for a day.
3) We don't exercise enough or even walk.
But yes, it's all plastic's fault.
No, it's your fault.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
I was chatting with a friend of mine who's now into "dad mode" with a giant belly. He was like "fuck I don't know how I'm so fat, I'm walking a lot and cycling several times a week"
A few minutes later he suggest we grab a beer, because he's been drinking 4-5 pints daily this whole summer, apparently, and wants to keep it going.
I wonder if those are related!
Labelling is done wrong (Score:2)
> Despite years of labelling efforts about nutrition and calories people don't read the labels.
The labelling is stupid. "Serving size" is too arbitrary, and only helps in comparing the same kind of food. What would be more logical would be percent of X per calories and per food weight of standard amounts, where X is salt, sugar, fat, etc. That would make cross-comparing foods much quicker.
And also add percent of whole grain. It's hard to tell grain mix with current labelling.
lots of chemicals all the time (Score:4, Insightful)
Lots of different chemicals combining to do things that take years to manifest.
Meanwhile, if I'm a large corporation, I can invent a new chemical and it can end up everywhere in the environment, and it might get forced to stop doing that in about 20 years, if ever.
You aren't the product, you're the petri dish.
Re: (Score:2)
I wouldn't be surprised if a chemical component affects humans.
How much active ingredient is in each pill you take? It can have a large effect.
Many cancers are caused by trace amounts in our water and food.
In the US, the largest crops are sprayed with pesticides that may or may not get absorbed into the crop.
Many cook on teflon and are finding out about the effects of PFAS.
Heck, for centuries we used lead in plumbing for drinking water. In the last century we burned it in gasoline for decades before findi
Spoons make you fat (Score:2)
Bad food culture and poor dietary education (Score:5, Insightful)
The other problem is the more obvious one: portion size. That combo meal is probably over a thousand calories on its own; if people are eating three roughly equivalent meals a day, that's like 3000 calories.
I've been struggling with managing my weight for the past ten years, although I have other issues that make it more difficult like IBS and various food sensitivities. The biggest difference I made was when I just cut all sources of straight sugar (not carbs, just sugar). I dropped like 30 pounds over six months without doing anything else (consciously; I was probably eating fewer calories as a result of not cramming so much sugar in).
So maybe there are some other factors at play like chemical disruption of metabolism or whatever, but a large part of it is just our food culture: it's just flat-out unhealthy (some would say by design, but I won't get into that). If you really want to combat obesity, drilling proper dietary practices into kids (and following that guidance properly at school at the very least) would go a very long way all on its own. Because all the shit about diet and such I had to learn on my own; the only thing I was ever taught in school was the food pyramid (which itself vastly over-emphasizes carbs).
It isn't deterministic-obesity is like cancer (Score:3)
In the US specifically, one of the biggest problems is the prevalence of carbohydrates/sugar in our diets. Think of a typical combo meal at a fast food joint: you've got a roughly macro-balanced item like a burger (it's got a decent amount of fats, carbs, and proteins), but then they add fries to it (almost completely fat from oils and carbs) and a drink (nothing but sugar). And then some people will get dessert on top of that! It's no wonder type 2 diabetes and obesity are so prevalent here. I don't support keto diets (cutting all carb/sugar), but the typical American diet definitely way over-emphasizes carbs/sugar compared to fats and especially protein. The other problem is the more obvious one: portion size. That combo meal is probably over a thousand calories on its own; if people are eating three roughly equivalent meals a day, that's like 3000 calories. I've been struggling with managing my weight for the past ten years, although I have other issues that make it more difficult like IBS and various food sensitivities. The biggest difference I made was when I just cut all sources of straight sugar (not carbs, just sugar). I dropped like 30 pounds over six months without doing anything else (consciously; I was probably eating fewer calories as a result of not cramming so much sugar in). So maybe there are some other factors at play like chemical disruption of metabolism or whatever, but a large part of it is just our food culture: it's just flat-out unhealthy (some would say by design, but I won't get into that). If you really want to combat obesity, drilling proper dietary practices into kids (and following that guidance properly at school at the very least) would go a very long way all on its own. Because all the shit about diet and such I had to learn on my own; the only thing I was ever taught in school was the food pyramid (which itself vastly over-emphasizes carbs).
I'm glad you found what works for you, but obsesity is a lot more like cancer than physical therapy (which seems relatively deterministic). Just as some cancers respond better to radiation vs chemo vs surgery....obesity varies in cause of origin and effective treatment plan. I am sure many eat too many carbs, and reducing them helps, but I know many chubby folks who eat none. I am one of them. I haven't had a sugared drink in 20 years. I don't eat sweet desserts or even fruit juice. I don't eat large
Re:It isn't deterministic-obesity is like cancer (Score:4)
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
No in *ALL* cases obesity is caused by consuming more calories than you are burning. *ANYTHING* else is breaking the laws of Thermodynamics and therein lies the route to a perpetual motion machine.
The individual causes for consuming more calories than you are burning will vary. However only a tiny percentage of people who are overweight is it down to any disease and for these people, life is going to be unfortunately short.
Note that obesity is the second biggest avoidable cause of cancer after smoking. We a
Re: (Score:2)
I set up a reverse osmosis system, got a new fridge with an ice maker, and started carrying a gigantic insulated water bottle pretty much everywhere I go. That took off about 40 pounds over the last year. I didn't even cut sugar, but I drink a lot less of it now because there is always ice cold water within reach. Much like converting the bulk of my nicotine from smoking to electronic, I find that a massive reduction sustained forever beats a complete elimination that lasts for a few months.
I'm a big fan
Re: (Score:2)
Cutting out sugar and sweeteners is pretty much how I've been able to keep weight off over the years. Mid 20's me had his shit unusually together when he noticed his belt tightening and began the process of getting refined sugar and artificial sweeteners out of the diet. It took years to do completely as the sugar cravings last for a bit but at least in my own case they're more or less gone at this point. My older brother on the other hand still has only ever made the most modest of lifestyle changes as he'
Re: (Score:3)
plastic (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
I'm so lazy that If I had to walk to the ATM every time I wanted to eat I would just not eat.
Gym class (Score:2)
I'm sure it has nothing to do with the elimination of 5 day per week gym class, calisthenics, and physical fitness testing from school curriculums.
Re: (Score:2)
Halloween in August (Score:4, Funny)
Thank god it's plastics. I thought I was fat because the grocery store starts selling Halloween candy in August.
Re: (Score:2)
I got you beat. My company is already starting to push up thanksgiving displays!!!
Food industry PR spin (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
It's been known for a while (over 10 years) that something in the environment was making things worse based on how various animals that haven't had changes in diets have been effected.
https://www.nature.com/article... [nature.com]
Sure blame plastic... (Score:2)
Disclaimer: I have been lazy all my life and only now in my late 40s am I starting to get a spare tire in the middle - perhaps I can blame plastic too.. Because it can't possibly be the pizza every other night or ice cream as munch food all day.
Hogwash!!! (Score:2)
Give me a break. I wear the same clothes, use the same tooth paste and eat much the same food. I do buy allergenic friendly and more natural based cleaners but it still comes in plastic after all.
I try to not buy much pre-made or processed food but yet I still eat garbage like corn ships, cheese its, pretezels, etc. I avoid most frozen food except the frozen veggies. I still eat fast food though less and less as I get older. It cost to much, you can tell the quality is poor compared to if you just made it y
Is it in the food? (Score:2)
It's one thing to say chemical x is in the plastic and chemical x makes people fat, but I don't actually eat the plastic. I eat the food in the plastic container. Does chemical x actually leak into the food when it comes in contact with it? If so can we wash it off the plastic?
How we know (Score:2)
How we know that it's plastics: because it can't possibly be my fault for being a glutton; nothing is my fault, it's that damn society.
Or it's just sugar. (Score:2)
There's added sugar in everything. Added sugard in hamburger buns. Added sugar in your friggin' breakfast sausage. So much added sugar everywhere. There's almost nothing you can buy that hasn't been pumped full of extra calories.
But no, it must be microplastics, yeah, that's the ticket.
Paper, Tin, and Glass (Score:4, Interesting)
First documented fully ten years ago (Score:3)
The first public coverage of this issue that caught my attention was fully ten years ago, on the Living on Earth show.
https://loe.org/shows/segmentprint.html?programID=12-P13-00022&segmentID=1
That glyphosate is now also implicated is pretty terrible news - the days when it was used primarily as a weed killer are over, and it's now routinely sprayed on various food crops in USA to simplify processing. That means that it's broadly present in the food system and is very hard to avoid.
I'm made of plastic! It's fantastic! (Score:3)
I'm so fat! Help me! (Score:3)
NOM NOM Nom... help me! NOM NOM nom...
STOP EATING! FFS...
Remember back in the 80s and 90s when fat shaming was allowed? IMO, it should not be banned, in fact, it should be mandatory.
Re: (Score:3)
eating garbage food loaded with sugar and fat and not getting any exercise
It's worth double clicking on this one bit - it takes _both_ diet and exercise to be even modestly fit.
As they say: You can't outrun a poor diet.
Re: (Score:2)
To be thin doesn't require any exercise.
I'm betting a thin person can get fit much faster than a fat person can.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Even the summary mentions our current diets which are high in sugar, salt and fat being a big factor, but says it doesn't account for the full increase. At least read the summary.
Re: (Score:2)
First we have to assume that plastic is causing some form of universal weigh gain. Then we need to measure just how much this gain is. Gonna go out on a limb and say it's probably pretty darn small and you would be better off telling people to eat more vegetables and fewer corn chips or sugary drinks.
This just offers up another excuse. Oh, it isn't my fault I'm over weight. Clearly it's all this plastic and all these poor food choices and the air and water and covid. Whatever it takes to not take some perso
Re:Preservatives (Score:4, Insightful)
Besides the calories and carb-heavy diets, poor sleep habits disrupting appetite and fat storing hormones, you have preservatives in the "highly-processed foods" killing off beneficial co-evolved gut microbes which further disrupt proper functioning of systems.
*cough*antibiotics*cough*
No, I mean I have a cough, give me some antibiotics! Make sure to give some to my food, too!
Re: (Score:2)
It's pretty incredible that we just allow companies to whip up whatever the hell chemical they can and use it liberally without much oversight as to its effects on human health or the biosphere. PFAs are now found to be dangerous at parts-per-trillion levels and they essentially never breakdown. Yay!