The Guardian said:
Using personal responsibility is clearly not working, IMHO.
"We’re in a new age of obesity. How did it happen? You’d be surprised" [Guardian Column]
- Thread starter Sqrt
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Using personal responsibility is clearly not working, IMHO.
I'm inclined to believe it. We all like to believe willpower is some sort of easily-manifestable thing because it feeds into the sexy idea of mind-over-matter free will and self-determination. I like to think that no person is an island, and that we are spared the worst of our impulses by the company we keep. Social ostracization, then, is counterproductive: shaming serves to do nothing but send the shamed into a feedback loop of negative habits for the sake of socially elevating the shamer.
OP
OP
This has been reported for ages now.
www.nytimes.com
Best way to mitigate this is to avoid processed foods as much as possible and eat more home cooked meals.
You Really Can’t Eat Just One, and Here’s the Reason (Published 2013)
Michael Moss’s “Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us” looks at food manufacturers’ distortion of the American diet in favor of calorie-dense products that maximize “bliss.”
Best way to mitigate this is to avoid processed foods as much as possible and eat more home cooked meals.
Doesn't matter when systematically obesity is increasing. Statistics >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> personal anecdotes.
I absolutely still believe that personal responsibility is a huge part of getting on track. Yes, bad food is addictive. It's always been. Is it within your power to make better choices and stay disciplined. There are more healthy food choices available in a pinch than EVER before.
I'm sorry but this is pathetic. There is so much information and so ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle that no one should have to rely on the government to protect them from unhealthy food.
It's not 'the government', it's an economic system whose sole aim is profit generation exploiting public health and the limits or finitude of human rationality.
Addiction overrides a lot in our brains. And when scientists and psychologists have been paid to prey on people since the day a person is born to trap them in an addictive food cycle, getting out is a mountain.
OP
OP
The government and medical establishment advocating for personal responsibility is clearly not working. So, now what?
They're right tho.
People are shaped by their environments. No doubt about it.
But how could you do it without the government enacting laws to punish junk food manufacturers?
I'm finally at the point in my life where I have relatively full control of my diet habits (32yo). It now feels as if I have levers I can pull to gain and lose weight in a controlled fashion. It was very hard and required a lot of dedication to get to this point, and a lot of personal education.
That said, any time I have truly garbage food (I.e. McDonald's, Taco Bell) it just makes me hungry and want to binge.
It's crazy the effects these things have on us. I can eat a skinless rotisserie chicken breast and some roasted carrots (my lunch most days) with a side of watermelon and I'll be satisfied. Give me a quarter pounder, 6 piece nuggets, and a small fries, and I'm hungry in an hour.
That said, any time I have truly garbage food (I.e. McDonald's, Taco Bell) it just makes me hungry and want to binge.
It's crazy the effects these things have on us. I can eat a skinless rotisserie chicken breast and some roasted carrots (my lunch most days) with a side of watermelon and I'll be satisfied. Give me a quarter pounder, 6 piece nuggets, and a small fries, and I'm hungry in an hour.
Who cares? A lot of things are addictive. It's up to you to decide what food comes into your home. We know more now than ever about what foods promote weight loss and which don't. My parents raised me and we're responsible for the foods that landed on our table. Not the so-called armies of scientists and psychologists paid to make food more addictive (which foods exactly?)
Take some responsibility for choices. Everyone knows what needs to be done to lose weight. Like who doesn't know this these days? But shit is hard and a lot of people don't want to sacrifice. Blaming government isn't gonna help anyone.
I had the ingredients to make dinner in my cart last night before I realized I had absolutely no energy to put it together before ordering a pizza while still inside the grocery store.
An awful feeling.
Portion sizes are out of control in the U.S. One I realized that after visiting a few countries, and started eating sensible portions, I've been able to keep from gaining anymore weight.
When you got two kids and 12 hour work days that willpower gets zapped real quick. Hell take away the kids and it's still the same.
I blame the government for endorsing very bad behaviors when artificially lowering the cost of shitty food with subsidies and not regulating false marketing (propoganda) or unhealthy portions - particularly when it comes to kids.
"Corporations are spending billions to have their food be as addicting as possible and billions more on it being marketed to you"
"Yeah but who cares!? Willpower bro!"
Would you also say poor people just need to get a couple extra jobs so they can afford health care (for example)? Sure, it may be physically possible, but it's not ideal, and the better overall fix would be working to eliminate income inequality.
The government didn't use personal responsibility to tackle tobacco.
Also, you personal responsibility folks know that Twinkies are cheaper than spinach. A lot of that is because we subsidized the foods that make the majority of processed foods--corn, wheat, and soy.
Also, you personal responsibility folks know that Twinkies are cheaper than spinach. A lot of that is because we subsidized the foods that make the majority of processed foods--corn, wheat, and soy.
But a lot of people got addicted because they were fed false or no information in the past. There's also a lot of misinformation about nutrition in circulation. It's not so simple.
Like I said, which foods. Someone forcing you to buy these so-called foods?
You telling me this shit's in the fruit and vegetable aisles? How bout the lean proteins? They more addictive than ever too?
I guess I just can't stand this defeatist mentality that everyone else is to blame for our choices. It's an easy excuse to justify patterns of behavior. You have the ability to make different choices.
OP
OP
They are at the checkout at the very least. So, what you propose that wee should do as a society, keep the current path?
Sugar is just as addicting as tobacco or alcohol. It needs to be regulated accordingly.
This sounds an awful lot like the usual "BOOTSTRAPS!" bullshit you hear conservatives say when talking about helping the poor...
This sounds an awful lot like the usual "BOOTSTRAPS!" bullshit you hear conservatives say when talking about helping the poor...
I'm pretty sure you can find healthier food containing those ingredients than Twinkies.
When the grocery store is 20 miles away, or you have no car, or you have no time to shop, try buying healthy food at the mini mart.
plenty of blame to go around but the solution isn't to wait for governmemt intervention as that will most likely never happen. if you want to lose weight then you gotta take charge.
I think you misunderstand. Most Americans aren't eating Twinkies as full meals. These are additions. They are everywhere. In workplaces, kitchens, and so on.
And while Twinkies are an example. Things are more disguised as well--granola bars and so on. All those are just extra calories.
Moreover, don't forget about eating out as well. More Americans eat out these days and tracking calories for eating out is notoriously difficult.
I would be alright if companies had to issue a warning label for ingredients containing x amounts of sugar per oz. Beyond that, it really is about choices. Some of these foods are vital to low income individuals, so taxes or making the process prohibitive to purchase probably will do more harm than good.
And if you grow up with obese parents giving you only processed foods and candy without encouraging you to build proper exercise and nutrition habits... well guess youre gonna die little jimmy.
edit: nevermind I misread the tone of your post. There is certainly a personal responsibility aspect but some people are essentially fucked over from birth by their parents when it comes to diet and exercise.
OP
OP
The thing is, there are two issues at play:
- What you can do as an individual.
- What you should advocate for as a citizen.
I live 25 minutes away from the nearest grocery store, by public transit. This means that I can't really grab much in the way of groceries unless I go every 2 days or so, which I simply don't have the time to do. Where I live, owning a car is a non-option. Conversely, the nearest pizza place is a 5 minute walk and a McDonalds is right around the corner.
We live in an era where just getting to a grocery store is difficult for many people. Who the fuck cares if I know how to eat healthy if I can't get to a store to buy healthy food?
Anyways, relying on individuals to eventually start making good decisions to course correct on systemic outcomes is folly. If you want more people to make better decisions we as a society as a government have to create better material conditions for them to operate in.
We aren't talking about dedicating hours to going to the gym or cooking extravagant meals. You can do stove-top chicken breast in 20 minutes, and you only have to pay attention for like 3 of those 20. throw some veggies in another pan for 5 minutes and you've got a healthy and colorful meal.
If you are working 12 hours and taking care of kids I would actually suggest not worrying about exercise and focus as much energy as you can on fixing your diet first.