It's 4 inputs, actually.

1) The culture (active, passive). Example: Germany, where people bike a lot more since gas costs so much; and ironically, their shitty Internet and cell service negatively impacts the phenomenon of everyone being glued to a screen. I think they're actually proud of it, at this point? Anyway, they're WAY fitter (despite, or perhaps partly because of, eating meats for breakfast instead of cereals!)

2) The food environment (preservatives, fructose, hidden carbs, bad artificial sweeteners, salts in everything, big serving portions, or more all-natural stuff)

3) Genes- There are literally over 500 discovered that affect your equilibrium weight. 251 genetic markers have been linked to sport-related traits (though only about half have been replicated in multiple studies). 13 genes have been identified so far that affect how the body responds to different types of exercise, including cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength.

4) And finally, there is willpower/discipline. Which is a finite resource, by the way, that gets resupplied by sleep and downtime, and which often needs to be drawn on for other things (like work and childrearing).

Think of it as a dial. In the middle, you stay the same weight. Tilt it slightly to the right (which is all too easy to do), and you are on a weight-gain schedule. Tilt it slightly to the left, and you will lose over time. If you're working against (1), (2), and (3), then (4) becomes MUCH harder to do.

So... why do so many of them gain weight when they move to the US? Again, are they walking through some kind of anti-willpower field on the way in? Do fat Americans gain willpower when they move to another country and lose weight?

Signs point toward a broad set of factors, mostly outside one's personal control, in one's environment mattering more than willpower.

A lot of people never need to learn the ability to delay, me included. I eat whatever I want, whenever I want, and I’m thin.

Peoples brains are all wired differently, and some are wired in such a way where they’re forced to struggle in modern society. I can sit here and say I’m more disciplined or better than others, but I’m just not. I’m lucky. If others can harness that luck, that’s good for them.

I've tried it, as even a low dose gives the person much more willpower to make other life changes, which have nothing to do with the effects of feeling fuller.

Ozempic and other GLP-1 agonists can:

Modulate dopamine release in brain regions associated with reward and motivation, such as the mesolimbic system and nucleus accumbens.

Reduce the rewarding effects of food and possibly other addictive substances, which may explain the increased sense of control or willpower.

Some studies in animals show that semaglutide can alter dopamine metabolism and suppress dopamine-driven behaviors.

> What concerns me is how people will behave when industry leaves our lives.

If that happened, many many people would die of preventable medical conditions, or starvation, or many other causes. Let's avoid that.

We can live in the world where people don't take GLP-1s, and there are a lot of fat, unhealthy, and undisciplined people. Or we can live in the world where people do take GLP-1s, and there are a lot of not-fat, healthier, still-undisciplined people. I would rather live in the second world. I don't understand why you want to live in the first world (over the second world).

I agree with you in the same way that casts don't fix the underlying problem - a broken bone, or band-aids don't fix the issue - a cut. Until people start to treat the real issue and stop relying on crutches, we're just covering up the problem.

This is just not addressing the issue.

What's causing the hormone issues? Who cares. Throw a pill at it and we can forget about it.

So, what's your solution to "lack of self discipline"?

What is the physical basis for lack of self discipline?