| Several reasons. The page itself is very problematic in my opinion. Weight loss is a valid and healthy goal if it is done for health reasons and/or to achieve personal goals. But here are the reasons the author mentions here: 1) Live longer - The author uses a quote from 400 BC as a source. 2) Better health - The author uses anectodic stories to justify this. 3) Accomplish more - The author puts the fear of exclusion in the reader's mind. Accomplishing more should be about achieving goals that you weren't able to achieve before, not about fearing that your weight will cause you to lose your job. Everyone should have their own reasons for losing weight. I would say that emphasizing the fear of death in content that markets weight loss is borderline unethical. Especially since this page uses the "bait & switch" principle. It presents death as a fundamental reason to lose weight and ends with what amounts to saying (in my words) "even if what I said above is not true, you are more likely to get sick". Even that is pseudoscience at best. While clinically obese people are at risk, there is no clear conclusion in the medical literature about the "perfect weight." You can even find studies that discuss the potential protective effect of a healthy level of fat that might be considered by some standards unattractive/unhealthy. You can weigh a lot and be healthy and you can be light and unhealthy. Physical activity, diet and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle are all lifestyle choices that matter far more than the number on your scale. Throughout the content of the book, you can never tell if the author is addressing a medically obese person or someone who is a little overweight in the winter and wants to lose a few pounds. The author seems to lack emotional detachment from the subject. This is a double-edged sword. It can mean that the author is giving excellent personal advice, but it can also mean that his fears, traumas, and problematic behaviors shine through. Don't get me wrong, this is an excellent collection of tips & tricks. It is the justifications and thought processes surrounding these tips that I find problematic. |