Overeating

I agree with the first bit. Not the second bit though. There are way more health benefits to exercise than simply burning off fat. I think most people would be happier and healthier if they worried less about how much they eat and take up a sport such as running, swimming, cycling etc. (Moderate) exercise relieves stress, so as well as burning more calories doing more exercise makes you less inclined to stress-eat large quantities of unhealthy food. (Do not fall into the trap of using extreme exercise to punish yourself though, it should be a fun thing you do that makes you feel good about yourself.)

Much healthier and better for your wellbeing to be strong and active and enjoy your food, than to be skinny and unfit and constantly stressing about your calorie intake.

(btw I used to have an unhealthy relationship with food, I was in a nightmare cycle of binge eating and then over-exercising and skipping proper meals. Beating myself up about it just made things worse but the problem more or less went away by itself when I worked on the stress/anxiety. I don't think you can solve an eating problem without also figuring out some of the underlying emotional reasons.)

On the topic of junk food - I think it would be great if there was a tax on it, and no/lower tax on nutritious foods. I loved what Jamie Oliver was doing. He was educating kids AND government.

AND people need to choose to make these changes. 

AND they're more likely to make changes when they're educated about them, they can afford them, they're not emotionally attached to the old ways, they're not physically limited from making the changes (e.g. unable to cook from scratch, reliant on fast food).

(I used 'junk food' and 'fast food' separately because some food can be prepared quickly and be nutritious, whereas some is just junk.)

It's interesting you say you don't agree when I was referring to the same things you mention, but using different terms. It sounds like we agree.

It is not only about psychological things, but a complex picture of everything. Our minds, our bodies, our lifestyles, choice in shops and restaurants, availability worldwide.

Even when someone is sufficiently active, even when someone is buying organic and filling their plates with fruit and veg, soils are still depleted so we get several times less nutrients than our grandparents did. EVEN if they aren't depleted of nutrients, some freshly harvested foods are still stored for months longer than they used to be before they are put on supermarket shelves so nutrients break down before we can even buy them.

There are many factors at play in this picture. A lot needs to change across many different systems.

My point is that what you mention is important AND so are other things that you do not mention.

There is a lot we can do for ourselves, we are not completely helpless. But there are many things that make it much harder today.

Absolutely. Combine that with our sedentary modern lifestyles (we are 50% less active than our ancestors).

There have always been a very tiny minority of people who over-eat because of a psychological problem but that cannot account for the absolute explosion in obesity in modern times, but I think answer is much simpler. It's all to do with our sedentary modern lifestyles.

The answer is much simpler, in my opinion. It's all to do with our sedentary modern lifestyles (we are 50% less active than our ancestors).

The worldwide prevalence of obesity nearly tripled between 1975 and 2016, Giraffe. And while there has always been a tiny minority of people with psychological problems in relation to food, trauma and/or emotional issues do not account for the absolute explosion in obesity in modern times. That's a theme popularised by the health media (and sadly used by the overweight and obese to justify overeating). Past generations had much more to contend with emotionally and physically than us, but obesity was relatively rare. It's all to do with our sedentary modern lifestyles (we are 50% less active than our ancestors) married with a diet of fast food and drinks that are high in saturated fats and trans fats—and yes, a higher rate of greed and gluttony. We're doing so much less and having more time to fill our faces with rubbish.

Yes, I agree. And people are also much lazier than in previous generations because daily life is much less demanding.

There's something wrong at the source. How many humans slowly wake up to the idea that the discomfort they've been feeling their whole life isn't normal? I've had friends in Italy who said most just lived with gluten intolerance until 10 years ago when society started accepting it. Being addicted to feeling healthy isn't normal. 

I live in the UK, but when I'm back in the US, eating the exact same things, there's an incredible difference in my ability to properly digest and 'expunge' it: Fully process it. Carrots and berries are flavourless if not bitter. Foods are not the same - last time I was back apple skin and red pepper skin seemed impossible to bite through. I typically end up not eating much & suffer until I return. And I have a collexion of vitamins I take on a regular basis and a set of dietary restraints.

Yes, humans can over-eat from depression and comfort eating. They can fail to take care of themselves for all kinds of psychological reasons. But I know I don't get enough nutrients from what I eat to begin with and it took years of modifying my diet until I worked out what was causing problems (doctors rarely help). I always start with biology & external sources before condemning someones (or my own) emotional or psychological well-being. 

I echo what Giraffe said - food is more than functional. We include food in a lot of life events, from birthday cakes to 'drinking away our sorrows'.

Food is a sensory thing from the texture and taste to the way the ingredients affect our bodies afterwards. Sugar and caffeine for a high or a rush, alcohol to numb us.

Yes, it's important to look at balancing energy input (food volumes) with our energy output, but food has a lot more meaning to us than that. Within our bodies, food does more than just provide energy, too.

The nutritional content of raw foods such as vegetables is not what it used to be compared with just a few decades ago (due to modern farming methods), and we have bodies that are asking for a top up of these nutrients, but we do not have brains capable of decoding the signals. We may reach for sugar thinking it's a sugar craving (as an example) when actually our bodies are asking for micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Sometimes a poor diet will give us a side effect that is addictive, making us think it's a nutrient craving, too. An illness may change our appetite or cravings, as well.

It's a complex bigger picture, especially when you add in the effects of our childhood experiences, memories & associations throughout life, food advertising, peers, stress, illness, lack of time to prepare meals, and so on (like some of what Plastic said).

I don't believe we're more likely to be obese if we're autistic, although I don't know this for sure. I suspect even if the figures looked that way, that it would be more complex than that underneath anyway. E.g. I maintain my weight between a certain range because I hate the feeling of being so skinny I feel fragile or when I'm bigger and my skin and body senses change as a result and drive me mad. I'm only able to keep between this weight range thanks to putting in years of effort learning about nutrition in general and also specifically to my needs. I suspect most people (autistic or not) do not have the time or motivation to invest that kind of effort. Even me, really - I didn't have a choice - my health depended on it in the beginning.

I believe there are some big changes that us, as a society, could push for (e.g. stop using sugar and salt as cheap flavour enhancers, basic nutrition education in schools, improved farming methods). But I think they need to be done all together and with an individualised approach, whether that's self-led (like I did) or via support.

consumer culture...
the brands and corporations want you to buy their products more, hence they will do anything to make our society normalise over eating and try to make us add more meals per day. this is so they can sell more product and make more money. this is consumer culture.... hell, at one point naturally we only had like 1 meal per day.... now we have what, 3? .... some people 4? ..... others probably have anywhere up to fecking 6 meals a day lol and the corpos want to keep increasing this so we consume more and they can make more and more money. even the addition of biscuits was a consumerist addition that wasnt normal to be munching on biscuits during the day until we reached a stage of consumerist corporatism.

they dont care... they want you to consume more so they can make more money. they dont care for your health or the state of the nation and its ability to raise a capable population capable of defending our borders, they dont care about that, they care about profit and making more money.

It's more complicated than people being greedy and lazy. Most obese people have an unhealthy relationship with food due to trauma and/or emotional issues, and society's obsession with food and weight adds fuel to the fire. As someone who has lived with an eating disorder since they were 13, I know that society's relationship with food is messed up.

Yes. I was too fond of TV as a kid. My gran wondered why I wouldn't go outside. But I didn't know any better.

Eating a mars bar provides ~200 calories, but burning 200 cals with exercise takes a surprising amount of effort.  Something like a solid 30 mins on an Elliptical cross trainer on a medium resistance setting.  That doesn't sound like much but if you've tried it you'll know you'll be coming off there completely saturated with sweat.  There's also weight lifting, which is overlooked as a way of burning calories.  The following days while your body is recovering you're burning extra calories, but of course you're in pain too.

IMO, most people should forget about exercise, it's easiest to stay trim by balancing your intake with your BMR, then eat a little more if you've had a busy day or whatever.  Easy is more sustainable for most people I think.  And if being a little hungry every day is too much, I guess go eat whatever, live your life and be happy.. but don't complain when you're dying of some obesity related illness.

Hiya

It's nothing to do with fast food - (the government tell you this so they can tax you) but it's about a sedentary lifestyle of zero exercise and people not being able to cook anything from scratch - so they buy ready-meals instead - all full of sugar.