I think he’s more saying that if you’re fat and you want to lose weight (and keep it off) you have to develop an obsession with food — that it requires an enormous amount of constant attention and effort, unlike the relationship with food that normal-weight people can enjoy.

This is why GLP-1s are so interesting. They suppress hunger, but more importantly they suppress “food noise” — the state of constantly thinking about food. You can separate this effect from appetite suppression due to its seemingly global (although still anecdotal) effect on ALL compulsive behavior, from drinking to smoking to shopping.

Most people I know who are overweight have more of an obsession with beer/alcohol and they make poor food choices when intoxicated.

They eat snacks before bed, consume high calorie foods with low nutritional value. Then they feel too tired or hungover to be active the following day due to a poor night of rest.

Yeah, I can see that. I recently dropped good chunk of fat. For context, I'm a 5'11 (~180 cm) male (early 50s, ugh). I'd been going to my doctor yearly and my weight had been around 195 lbs (88.45 kg) for 5 years. I didn't like it anymore, as that is considered overweight. My doc didn't mind as she said since it was consistent she wasn't worried about it. Sometimes I'd catch my reflection in my car window as I walked up to it, or my shadow and thought "Hmm, I don't like that shape... at all." I didn't like the way my belt and pants felt when I sat. So, back in December I simply cut calories. I started counting my calories and knocked them down to about 1,200 a day. I also walk at a decent pace for 30 minutes at least once a day, but it's usually an hour or more (perhaps 2 30+ minute walks a day). Since then I am now down to about 170 lbs (77.1k g). I am now in the "normal" range, but just barely. I'd like to lose another 10 lbs (4.5 kg), but that is getting more difficult, as I need to pick up the exercise pace and well... I hate exercising. Sweating profusely is not my bag. It makes me angry, and full of rage. Yeah, I know that's odd, but it makes me feel mentally horrible.

I can say that my feet, knees and legs sure appreciate the change. I definitely don't feel that weight on me like I did before. I do like the occasional "Hey, you're looking good" or "You lost weight, didn't you?" That doesn't offend me. My facial structure looks better, as I have a better chin line now. My clothes are a pain, as I have to keep a tight belt as all my pants are too big now. My stomach is much flatter and doesn't poke out. Hah. I don't have a 6 pack but I sure don't have a mini-keg starting.

Anyway, after all my rambling, my point is that I wasn't addicted to food. I just sit in front of a computer too much, and was consuming too many calories. I do miss fun food. I haven't had things like ice cream since I started this thing. I'm not a fan of always being hungry. I deal with it, but I sure feel like I can eat all the time. The key is to just not think of it. Avoid being around it. I don't go out to eat with people, as that stuff is always a killer when it comes to calories. Usually, I meet up for a drink but when they all decide to go hit a table for dinner, I'll say my goodbyes and move along to something and eat later at home as I know what I'm ingesting.

For most of us that have too much fat on us, it's simply about calorie control. It's not food addition, or a mental problem. It's simply awareness. Though, in the US, we obviously have a huge mental disorder epidemic, but I believe that is just the disorder of "rampant cognitive dissonance." It covers so much of our issues here. "This soda is fine, I only have 4 a day." "Sure it's deep fried, but it's fish and that's healthy!" "He's a billionaire; he doesn't want your money! You can trust him to fix the government..." Cough Cough