[cthalupa]

Obesity is on the rise in a huge percentage of developed nations, and not just western ones. Even South Korea has seen a huge spike over the past decade - the amount of obese men /doubled/ between 2009 and 2019. It went up 3x in China between 1993 and 2015, and is on track to be over 20% by the end of the decade. Japan is increasing at a much slower rate, but it's still going up. 25% of people in India are overweight, with that number and morbid obesity numbers also increasing.

Basically every country sees obesity rise as the people gain access to the modern diet.

[thefz]

I don't care obesity is rising here and there, the fact that it is culturally induced remains, as it remains that a change lifestyle is the largest defense against obesity. Enjoy the magic pill for the rest of your life.

[cthalupa]

I'm fairly confident in my ability to get back in the same routine I had in my 20s and take myself off of it, but if staying on it is what it takes for me to remain fit and eating well, then sure. I don't mind giving myself an injection twice a week in exchange for good health.

If not needing it makes you feel superior, I'm glad you've found a source of self validation.

[thefz]

Imagine your reaction if smokers were to make the same point and voila, this is how ridiculous it sounds.

[cthalupa]

I don't begrudge smokers any of the tools they have their disposal for cessation. So yes, they're certainly welcome to make the same point. If using nicotine patches or gum indefinitely is what it takes someone to stop smoking cigarettes, then sure, go for it. It's a hell of a lot less harmful than continuing to smoke two packs of cigarettes a day.

It's quite obvious that you think anyone who is incapable of just willpowering through things is lesser for it. And that's fine - you're allowed to hold whatever opinion you want. Thankfully, neither of us are forced to interact with each other in any real manner.

[cynicalpeace]

There are places in the world you could point to that are not obese and in fact has decreased. So it's certainly possible to emulate that.

[cthalupa]

Where? In Japan, obesity among men has increased by 1.5x over the past several decades. It remains quite low, but the rate is still increasing year over year (slower with women). Vietnam, a country with one of the lowest obesity rates in the world is seeing an increase - the overweight and obesity rate has basically tripled since the early 2000s.

[cynicalpeace]

Huntington, West Virginia: https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2020/01/27/fattest-c...

The solution involved exercise and diet, surprise surprise. It's not magic or some law of nature that people will only get more fat and unhealthy.

If we think that way, then it will surely happen though.

[cthalupa]

Alright - so whole community intervention, including literal celebrity chefs appearing and building out menus, can improve the situation.

Yes, if we remove all of the modern, processed, high calorie, energy dense, sugar heavy foods out of a place we can improve the obesity rate.

I hope you understand why individuals are going to take things into their own hands vs. waiting for massive societal change. I thought you were referring to whole cultures or countries making significant change here, not small communities.

[thefz]

So you are going to take the drug and keep on eating the same modern, processed, high calorie, energy dense, sugar heavy foods?

[cthalupa]

No. Where did I ever say that? I take the drug and it makes it significantly easier for me to eat healthy foods and in healthy quantities.

I'm someone who has spent many years of their life fit. I'm also someone who has spent many years of their life fat. I can tell you that when I was fit, I did not suffer from the sort of constant hunger I did before I was fat. It didn't take any sort of willpower or discipline on my part - I just wasn't hungry nearly as often, healthy food was satiating, and things were easy. Lifting weights multiple days a week took a bit of discipline, but it wasn't the reason I was eating healthy - I was doing that before I ever got particularly into exercise.

But I got busy with other aspects of my life and it became easier and easier to just grab some fast food, or order uber eats during the pandemic. But this was just laziness - I didn't have constant hunger or cravings. But before I knew it, I had gained significant weight, and then I did have constant hunger and cravings, and it became a tremendously difficult task for me. Losing weight by sticking to healthy food in healthy quantities required significant willpower, and shoving that hunger down had impact on my mood, ability to concentrate, etc. I struggled to make it past 6 months before some other event in my life would require me put my focus towards it, and I wouldn't have the capacity to deal with both things, so I'd go back to eating poorly.

Tirzepatide puts my relationship with food and hunger back to where it was before I had gotten fat in the first place.

[cynicalpeace]

My entire point is that individuals should take things into their own hands. By exercising and eating whole foods, not depending on the pharmaceutical system for a panacea that may or may not have long term side effects.

And if enough people do it, we have a healthy culture again.

[cthalupa]

If it was that easy, then 'eating better and exercising regularly' wouldn't be the most prescribed and least successful treatment for obesity.

There's countless comments in here from many people explaining why this is the case. If you don't get it by now, I doubt you ever will.