Why are people obese? Applied math approach

[razz]

This NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/15/science/a-mathematical-challenge-to-obesity.html?_r=1 article sounds interesting and thought I would share.

Quotes:
That the conventional wisdom of 3,500 calories less is what it takes to lose a pound of weight is wrong. The body changes as you lose. Interestingly, we also found that the fatter you get, the easier it is to gain weight. An extra 10 calories a day puts more weight onto an obese person than on a thinner one.

Also, there’s a time constant that’s an important factor in weight loss. That’s because if you reduce your caloric intake, after a while, your body reaches equilibrium. It actually takes about three years for a dieter to reach their new “steady state.” Our model predicts that if you eat 100 calories fewer a day, in three years you will, on average, lose 10 pounds — if you don’t cheat.

Another finding: Huge variations in your daily food intake will not cause variations in weight, as long as your average food intake over a year is about the same. This is because a person’s body will respond slowly to the food intake.

Did you ever solve the question posed to you when you were first hired — what caused the obesity epidemic?

We think so. And it’s something very simple, very obvious, something that few want to hear: The epidemic was caused by the overproduction of food in the United States.

[krystal]

Experts describe two theories of weight increase that are PUSH theory and PULL theory.The Pull theory says that weight is regulated by factors that are internal and pull food in as an example we can consider huge quantity of fat cell that are waiting to be filled.Push theory says that there are external family factors or culture that is pushing the food in.
A lots of evidence is for Push theory, after all the culture that we live in celebrates food.Holidays and social occasions are based on eating.As an example if you celebrate something you take your family to salad bar.So we live in a culture that gives us countless opportunities of eating.This culture make us fat and puts calories in us.:)

[catherine]

The conclusion reminds me of one of the theories in Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.

Interesting--I've done market research on obesity and doctors have their own theories, many cited the mathematical calories in vs. calories out rule when I asked them the question about the cause of the obesity epidemic. Or a lot of them blamed the "grab-and-go" lifestyle. One blamed women for getting jobs outside the home and therefore not being available to provide good healthy meals.

I think if you combine Ishmael with The Omnivore's Dilemma (which talks about why there's so much darn corn and why it's so ubiquitous in everything we touch), you might come up with the same conclusion that the article did. So, how the heck do you solve that?

Very interesting.

[leslieann]

Good article. I was particularly interested in the "three years to stabilize" idea. As a classic yo-yo dieter, I think perhaps I didn't ever really have a three year stable period at a lower weight. And the part about it being easier to gain weight once you are already overweight...well, that seems like common sense (now that it has been pointed out). Thanks.

[dado potato]

HBO has an interesting documentary series "Weight of a Nation" which I have been watching (On Demand on rainy days).

Among many nuggets:
We eat what is most profitable.
Marketing of food and beverages to children is "predatory".
Orange juice has as many empty calories as soda. (Sweetened drinks add to caloric intake, but do not result in a feeling of "fullness" as solid foods do.)

[CathyA]

I have always believed in the the concept that our primitive bodies haven't caught up with the over-abundance in our present society.
Our bodies are still reacting to "Look! Lots of calories/fat. We must take in all we can, because there may not be anymore for a couple weeks". But people really seem to vary in their physical approach to this. He just doesn't seem to respond to food like I do. (lucky him!)
There are so many factors that "feed" into eating. I have rebound appetite, if I cut down on eating, for any reason. If I diet, I get much more hungry after awhile. If I'm sick and can't eat much, I'm starving as soon as I'm well again. There's just no avoiding that rebound hunger for me. To me that says that my body/mind is responding to scarcity
Also, if I eat much sugar, my mind/body tells me to eat more........since (in my primitive genes), I know I might not get to eat for awhile again.

People can vary so much in their metabolism, reaction to insulin, etc., etc.
So I don't think one factor explains it all. But all this cheap food (high in sugar/fat/salt/carbs) really does take advantage of our primitive drives. Then wanting to make alot of money by the various food producers makes it worse. Then people who aren't knowledgeable on what's healthy and what isn't just buy into it all.........into the cheapness, the popularity, the easyness, etc.

The article mentions that we should stop marketing to children. Well, that's true.........but children eat what they're taught to eat. My children were never "allowed" to respond to marketers. What I mean is that we rarely ate fast food, and we always had healthy foods and snacks at home. I think the problem is more with who's raising our children.

[Weston]

Orange juice has as many empty calories as soda. (Sweetened drinks add to caloric intake, but do not result in a feeling of "fullness" as solid foods do.)

Many years ago I dropped quite a bit of weight merely by cutting out orange juice. I used to drink a ton of it as a "healthy substitute" for soda.

I love the stuff but now try to treat it as poison.

[CathyA]

I, too, find that the more orange juice I drink, the more I crave other sweets.

[domestic goddess]

I think all of this shows that weight loss is a more complex, multi-faceted issue than many people realize, and that there is probably no "one size fits all" solution. I know that I have found it to be so, and I have found various apparently conflicting theories that seem to fit my experience. I think it is also true that one's age is a factor that deserves consideration, too. I also think that there is no reason to feel hopeless, but trying to decipher what will work best for each individual may be a matter of trial and error.

[CathyA]

I have found that carbs really fuel my appetite. DH isn't that way at all.
I'm actually hungrier after I eat, than before!
Yes, it is a very complex issue. For many, its not a matter of will-power at all. Unfortunately, its seen as that by many people who don't have the weight problem.

[razz]

Obesity is complex. I have wondered why one needs to have a large popcorn and pop whenever attending see a 90 minute movie? Why does one need a coffee and some eatable, usually a sweet starch, whenever one is out shopping or running errands?

Soooo, I have made an effort to manage my emotional response to the various stimuli in multiple situations. I bring my own tea in the car, an apple at the movie (eaten in the dark so no one can see me), don't snack but eat a proper mix of protein, veg, fruit and starch for each mealtime as waiting until later or a snack for now just does not work for me.

I treat sweets of any kind as a drug and like a recovering addict, I decline with thanks in my own mind in response to ads and insist on my freedom to do so as politely and firmly as a recovering addict, if necessary, in response to the insistence or even coercion of others - "just try one little piece".

[Gardenarian]

"I knew almost nothing of obesity. I didn’t even know what a calorie was."

Article clearly written by a male.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I have wondered why one needs to have a large popcorn and pop whenever attending see a 90 minute movie?

Because going to the movies is incredibly boring. Luckily it has been years since anyone has dragged me.

[Wildflower]

I've never been one to eat during a movie. I just want to concentrate on the movie.

I don't snack ever and I eat 3 healthy meals a day with proper ratios of protein and carb, low carb meals actually. I stay away from sugar, drink lots of water and plain tea, with the occasional glass of wine, maybe 2 to 3 times a month. But still I struggle with my weight. I cannot be very active these days at all due to a spinal condition, and was recently put on medication with weight gain as a side effect. Not to mention I am in the menopausal years with weight gain as a symptom of a now much slower metabolism. I feel like I'm almost drowning, barely keeping my head above water in this battle with my weight. I am about to give up..... My tall, already thin DH can lose weight by giving up one 100 calorie light beer a day. It is frustrating and people are definitely different in their ability to maintain their optimal weight. It's not as simple as some make it out to be.

[Zoebird]

I think the epidemic has many causes. I think that two of the causes are processed food, an abundance of calories, and an absence of exercise. Might also be related to sleep issues, stress, and many other factors.

[Spartana]

I think the epidemic has many causes. I think that two of the causes are processed food, an abundance of calories, and an absence of exercise. Might also be related to sleep issues, stress, and many other factors.

I agree. We have all had the same "brain functions and metabolism" issues thru out history - and other non-obese cutures have the same - yet we, as a society, weren't obese until the advent of processed food, cars, Tv, video games, and the internet. Kids walked or biked everywhere. Did chores. etc... Now they sit in front of a screen all day and night eating twinkies and soda. And then once you ARE overly fat, you've created those extra fat cells that never go away 9without liposuctiion) and are always yearning for more.

[CathyA]

When I got my first car around age 25, I gained 15 pounds!