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Comment by aklemm | Hacker News Reader

"it is a health issue you can clearly do something about with just a little bit of will" <- That a little will can solve this seems obvious for thin people, but it doesn't reflect the reality of weight loss. In fact, this is the core of such discrimination; it seems so obvious to a thin person that the fat person is riddled with character flaws. Read up. Look around. If it was that easy, we wouldn't have this problem.

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> That a little will can solve this seems obvious for thin people, but it doesn't reflect the reality of weight loss.

As somebody who has lost weight and kept it off for years, I agree that it comes at a price—I need to be conscious of how much I eat every day, and devote most of my calories to relatively "satisfying" food. Basically, it's the food equivalent of needing to live within a budget.

The total cost: maybe 10 minutes a day, and I have to be careful about certain indulgences. And I have to commit to this forever.

Not everybody would find this equally easy, and some people have complicating factors such as eating disorders.

My private theory—based on having "budgeted" what I eat for years—is that a lot of modern processed food is high in calories, very tasty, and not very filling. It can be surprisingly hard to fight this. I guess that this is what some people mean by a bad "food environment."

IIRC, keeping the weight off for years puts you among the 5 percent that have done so successfully. That is remarkably telling, I think.

"My private theory—based on having "budgeted" what I eat for years—is that a lot of modern processed food is high in calories, very tasty, and not very filling. It can be surprisingly hard to fight this." <- Absolutely this. Policy-wise, there couldn't be a better place to start. Some would seem to advocate more shaming, marginalization, tough love, etc. and that's just absurd.

I think your theory is most important, but one aspect that needs more thought is lack of proper sleep. Apparently that's a killer for weight gain and seems to widespread.

The reality is that for the majority of obese people, it's about taking personal responsibility for what you put into your body and how you treat it. I don't think it's a coincidence that virtually every time I see an obese person in a grocery store, their cart is loaded with processed foods that are full of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and few if any whole fruits, vegetables, grains or meats.

People need to realize that just because something says "healthy choice" or "light" on the package, doesn't mean it's good for you and chances are, if it's packaged and processed at all it probably isn't. Obese people don't need to go on starvation diets or hit the gym 5 hours a day, but they should be drinking water instead of soda, and purchasing food with as few ingredients listed on the package as possible, or better yet - no ingredients listed at all because it's not processed.

This seems much too simplistic.

I am fit and healthy. So, I can't say how simple it is. I don't know, I'm not in their shoes.

But, I'm told it is simple - for the vast majority of people who are overweight. Put fewer calories in than you use and the result is weight loss. Operate at a caloric deficit and the result is less weight. That is it.

Note: That is just weight loss and doesn't imply that it is healthy eating. Obviously, it should entail more, but I understand it is pretty simple physically. I was a fat kid but I got chicken pox at the age of 15 and have been the appropriate weight ever since then.

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