[potta_coffee]

It would work if people would actually do it. It 100% works. Human nature is such that people would rather take a drug than change their lifestyle. I've done it myself but it requires a complete realignment of lifestyle to make lasting change.

[asib]

In 2018 I did an Ironman triathlon. Across 2020 and 2021 I cycled over 20,000 miles. I cycled 200 miles on the hottest day of 2022 in the UK. In 2021 I cycled 200 miles in under 12 hours. In 2023 I ran over 10 half marathons. You simply cannot tell me I didn't completely realign my lifestyle or that I'm not determined.

At my lightest in 2023, I weighed 60kg. Currently I weigh over 95kg. I don't know what else people who hold your view can be told to convince them this problem is not one of willpower. I have the capacity to suffer. I've given up smoking. There is no escape from food.

[manfre]

You described a lot of physical activities, but diet controls your weight. It's natural to have more of an appetite with increased activity. It's also normal to increase your weight a bit due to increased muscle mass.

[asib]

I’m trying to demonstrate that I’m not this ridiculous (and frankly grossly reductive) caricature of the overweight slob. And yet I still struggle with food. So maybe let’s drop that notion altogether, because it’s not at all helpful.

The extra weight is not muscle, to be clear.

[SketchySeaBeast]

Yup. I lost 70 lbs in 2017, and I ran my first marathon last month. I'm going out to run a half on Sunday because that's just what I do now, it's nothing to go out and enjoy myself for 2 hours. I'm fit, I know how to lose weight, I know how to be in the suck but I know that this coming winter I'm going to have to fight to keep a decent weight as I fight stress and the holidays. The battle never ever stops and it's exhausting.

[GeoAtreides]

>There is no escape from food.

Ah, but what is food?

A cake made with sugar, flour, and butter will have a different impact than the equivalent number of calories in blueberries

Eggs and butter will make you feel different and will be treated different by your body than white bread and peanut butter and jelly

food is too general a term, it encompasses too many very different things

[icedchai]

Another problem is not doing it enough. Walking a couple miles once a week isn't going to do much. You have to make it a habit, part of your routine, and do it every day.

[arcticbull]

Also not only is your body very efficient at walking/running (losing 10lbs of fat requires an average person to run from SF to LA) there's evidence of a constrained total energy expenditure model. If you try and create a large caloric deficit through exercise you become more efficient at the exercise (so each incremental step costs less calories) and your metabolism slows down (and your NEAT - non exercise activity thermogenesis - levels drop) to conserve energy for you to expend on exercise.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4803033/