You could apply this to yourself.I don’t even need a saying to describe this: We call this denial.I bet you’re fat yourself^^

So, let’s zoom in on your saying: Primum vivere.Well, not all living is “created” equal.Theoretically, you can live a thousand years, doing and thinking the same stuff while doing certain things.You will have less experience than someone who actually tries out things.

About poor fat people- Expertus disco! : I’m from a family of people who are considered poor by the standards of our country.

Nonetheless, when I was young we had aquintances who’d the same income (money from the government, added to their salary to provide a legally granted minimum, that’s how I know) as my family-, and they were twice as large (not in numbers, unless you’re talking weight).Or rather thrice.

They also cconstantly whined about money, despite buying crap in HUGE quantities.Yeah, nutritious food is more expensive…

It is a matter of setting priorities: If you need money to buy fuel in order to drive 300 meters towards a backery, it’s your own fault if you are fat because nothing is left for buying healthy food.

Furthermore, buying less crap means buying in smaller quantities, since satiation can be reached faster.

You’re therefore right, it is not only about will but making smart choices.On average, fat people are dumber.Of course, this is a correlation.Just like fat people are poorer.And smart people tend to achieve more in life.As do people with abundant willpower.You define what you ask from yourself.

“Obviously you are not a (working) poor. ”
Do you imply I don’t work?I don’t call you stupid because of your comment either, so refrain from ad-hominens.Unless, that is, you’re fat and took my comment personally.

“In traditional societies, to be fat or even obese was a mark of power.”

Philosopher: What does traditional mean to you?The rules of modern societies are passed down by tradition, too.What you’re talking about is primitive (in the sence of denotation, not conotation).

Now go eat your tripple-whopper to feel good;)

Ps: I helped enough fat people around me to slim down and gain some muscle.There is no magic in it.Of course, if you need a new I-phone every three months while being rather poor, this isn’t possible.

You guys are just emasculated.

In traditional societies, to be fat or even obese was a mark of power. The slim and slender ones were people barely earning enough to eat their daily calories quota.

Now in our perverse modern society, high carb food or junk food is also the most economical one, so obese people have to be recruited mostly among poor citizens, nolens volens.

This is not simply a question of will, btw, this reminds me of the old saying: primum vivere, deinde philosophari!

However to make a long story short about the (ab)use of sugar, let’s say that there is corporate greed on one hand (supply) and addiction on the other (demand).

To develop a bit the story, lets say that at the beginning the addition of sugar to mass marketed food was initiated because sugar is a very good conservative agent easily available and at low cost. In mass markets, and even more now in the age of globalization, the spatial distance and time from production to actual consumption is widening, hence the importance of the conservative agents as mandatory ingredient of everyday’s food is proportionally increasing too.

Besides, sugar (the refined form) has the very interesting property to be an addictive substance, so it’s a win-win situation for producers. By extending the product durability before peremption, producers are simplifying the logistic of production and lowering their costs.

In the same time, the consumers progressively become addicts and are craving for the poisonous products. A critical mass (pun intended) of citizens are asking for those products forming a self sustained vicious circle stabilized by a social consensus of common acceptance of such products.

Now government could act as a regulator of public health, breaking the vicious circle, but we very well know that in a simili democracy which derived to an hypocrite plutocracy, lobbying is everything. Thus the major producers successfully lobbied to evade bills to enforce a reasonable limit on the use of sugar in everyday mass marketed food nor do the poisoned mass of citizens were asking for it, then no political figure got elected with the promise to eradicate the tyranny of sugar on the table, LOL.

It is only recently that global obesity is taking such a toll among the population that the problem begins to be recognized and, hopefully, will be progressively addressed.

Think about it, if they were helplessly conditioned that way, this would -by means of tradition- imply that the next generations (as long as they live with their parents) are doomed to be “round and sound” as well.

And taking the other direction: How did it all start?This would imply that people were either always fat, or people chose a lifestyle leading to obesity at one point.If they have chosen, then it shouldn’t be impossible to make a different decision now.

Although I dare say those making a living from weight loss programs may be a bit miffed!

Seriously, although I disagree with your view in so far as I think it is good not to always become what you want (hedonic adaptation); I guess that you perils, depending on your age, will be over sooner or later.Either you die or technology will solve these problems, or at least greatly alleviate your “suffering”.

Let’s pathalogozise, while we are at it, stupidity, thieving, murdering etc too.How mean to punish these “evil-doers”, they ALL had NOTHING to do with what they’ve done.Believe me.

Btw:Rude? It seems lying is the polite thing to do.

I side with Mr.Lincoln on this one: I call a spade- well- spade.

I’m sure most of these people have put down others, who suffered from something besides the put down, too, at least once in their life.

E.g:
“It is ok to be rascist towards Mexicans or Arabs, but please don’t make any comment about my ‘gravitas’. “

I think it makes far more sense either way though to keep teaching people to grasp how many calories they themselves typically burn in a day and what that really looks like in volume of assorted food.
Then again, 99% of fat people know full well they eat too much and too much ‘crap’. They’re not unaware of those facts in the least, so any further education is probably worthless.

That phrase alone ruined any hope of you being taken seriously. Do you not know how long can food lasts? There has to be vanishingly little that’s expired as it’s handed out. And most donations are not crap people bought but never ate. Most are extra can people buy to toss in the donation box. And they don’t pick out intentionally weird/gross crap to f’ with poor people.

Canned and frozen veggies are affordable, accessible and inexpensive. Getting fat is largely the effect of eating too many calories of any type of food. Rice, veggies, soup, etc…and you’ll get thin poor people.

There are a lot of bright folks reading these postings Ray has been kind enough to make available for us.

If you were able to make a prediction of the various causes, the question seems to become: what happened within that time frame which might account for this phenomenon to occur. I would be interested in what kind of responses your collective intelligence might offer up as to the possible causes of this problem.

I am guessing that there might be some designed corporate profit making included as part of the causes offered up. Perhaps they might be considered as an easy part of the solutions, which might be easily reversed.

Overeating may be a type of ‘addiction’ (this is not ‘hard science’), but it isn’t the same type as say heroin or nicotine. Not only is there no chemical dependency, but if you actually quit entirely, you starve to death. They just need to stop when they’re full and exercise more than ‘not ever’. This is the main failing is nearly all of these cases. I have pity, but I think you have too much.
But hey, maybe a stupid pill will magically solve it for them. They’ll probably complain about the cost.

I have been following this research since then, and it all sucks. Great idea, no real progress. Perhaps this tyrosine bit will make the difference. I hope so!

So, the “only in the last 4 years” comment is, perhaps, overstated.

I am craving a lemon pie, so I guess my personal discipline is weak. Darn!