You guys we’re doing OBESITY all WRONG. I think we can do it better. One simple idea can both fix SOCIETY and help the INDIVIDUAL. Stop thinking about DIETS and start thinking about TEMPTATION.
Yeah it's a rant. washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food…
Yeah it's a rant. washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food…
Every DIET since the dawn of time has worked for the people who can STICK to it. The problem isn’t the DIET, the problem is the STICKING. We all lose some weight, and then we’re undone by … the lure of a FOOD ENVIRONMENT gone wild.
Diets are designed to manage HUNGER. Eat this way and you’ll be satiated! But we don’t overeat because we’re HUNGRY. We overeat because we’re TEMPTED. And mere satiety is no match for CRULLERS. discovermagazine.com/2016/nov/siren…
Meantime, obesity has been COMPLEXIFICATED beyond all recognition. It’s insulin! Fat! Sugar! Microbiome! Sleep! Air conditioning! And while all those things can affect weight, their effects are TINY compared to cheap delicious ubiquitous convenient FOOD. discovermagazine.com/2018/may/one-b…
Some people are perfectly comfortable being overweight and I say HALLELUJAH. Nobody who doesn’t want to lose weight should lose weight, and everyone should feel comfortable at the beach. STOP with the STIGMA.
But obesity is a bona fide health problem, and we have to be able to talk about giving people who want to lose weight HELP and SUPPORT without STIGMATIZING. We can’t just say TALKING about obesity is STIGMATIZING so DON’T.
And here’s the thing. When we have a FOOD SYSTEM that 2/3 of us HUMANS can’t navigate without becoming overweight, the problem is with the SYSTEM, not the HUMANS. We have to walk that system back.
On a societal level, that’s a big job. We have to wrangle GOVERNMENT and INDUSTRY as well as just us people to change the environment & the incentives & our ideas about where & when & what it’s appropriate to eat (must we snack after Little League?). washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food…
But we can start at the individual level, today. After 20 years writing about nutrition, and a lifelong battle with my own weight (winning now, haven’t always), I am persuaded that the key isn’t managing DIET. It’s managing TEMPTATION.
Stop worrying about exactly what to eat - make it a big variety of whole foods, nutrients intact. The mix doesn’t matter much. Worry about getting the stuff you want to eat LESS OF - and you ALREADY KNOW what it is - the hell out of your way.
Get every food that calls your name out of your house. Talk to coworkers about the donuts at the staff meeting. Don’t drive by the bakery. Our FOOD ENVIRONMENT is not navigable so you have to create your own FOOD ENVIRONMENT bubble.
TEMPTATION looks different to everyone, so there’s no one-size solution. You know what tempts you. Rejigger your house, your schedule, your habits so that you stay out of temptation’s way. And fer crissake no more DIETS. THE END.
