my point is not that we should just give up and give into our instincts because it's convenient. It's that we shouldn't be surprised that it's a difficult choice to make, because it is one that we're making against our instincts. And ultimately, just because someone makes that choice doesn't mean that they're inherently a better person; The choice to eat or not to eat in and of itself is neutral.
If we were in an environment that praised heavier figures, they certainly wouldn't liken the spread of obesity and weight to a virus. Being grossly underweight can cause just as many long term problems as being grossly overweight, and the models they plaster everywhere as the body type to emulate have a pretty good chance of being technically obese when you measure actual body fat percentage, because exercise makes them bulk up, which is an industry no-no.
And, especially here in the US, the cards are stacked against you. Kids are offered junk food in lieu of fruit and the culture in general has developed a taste for more sugar, more sodium, etc; For many years ketchup satisfied the "vegetable requirement" that school cafeterias had to fulfill, and that said amusement park probably won't let you back in without paying full price and certainly won't let you back in if you're toting that healthier fare in hopes of eating with your friends. Kids, women in particular, are entering puberty earlier than ever because of hormones in meat and with that comes the tendency to pack on pounds a lot earlier than we've seen with previous generations. And providers of weight control programs/food are still in it for the business, and in it to make sure you eventually come back.
My point is that there are a lot of mixed messages and contradicting influences, of which this article is one, that oversimplify a really complex condition that even within one person isn't ever going to be a static one.
If we were in an environment that praised heavier figures, they certainly wouldn't liken the spread of obesity and weight to a virus. Being grossly underweight can cause just as many long term problems as being grossly overweight, and the models they plaster everywhere as the body type to emulate have a pretty good chance of being technically obese when you measure actual body fat percentage, because exercise makes them bulk up, which is an industry no-no.
And, especially here in the US, the cards are stacked against you. Kids are offered junk food in lieu of fruit and the culture in general has developed a taste for more sugar, more sodium, etc; For many years ketchup satisfied the "vegetable requirement" that school cafeterias had to fulfill, and that said amusement park probably won't let you back in without paying full price and certainly won't let you back in if you're toting that healthier fare in hopes of eating with your friends. Kids, women in particular, are entering puberty earlier than ever because of hormones in meat and with that comes the tendency to pack on pounds a lot earlier than we've seen with previous generations. And providers of weight control programs/food are still in it for the business, and in it to make sure you eventually come back.
My point is that there are a lot of mixed messages and contradicting influences, of which this article is one, that oversimplify a really complex condition that even within one person isn't ever going to be a static one.
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