be careful about admitting you eat carrots, some think thats weird here :o:

I can down a half a bag of carrots and be full for 4-5 hours...:pimp:

That's what's up dude, its the ultimate snack imo

that's a very white thing to say

"Fat" isn't a pejorative, it's a descriptive term that can be used for adults, babies, dogs, and asses alike.

Also the economy argument lol. Dumb statements like that are hurting the howle cunchtry my friend

You're maybe thinking of "phat"

Do you disagree about the correlations drawn from the data regarding the economic impact or do you simply think the impact is irrelevant? This is the only place where I've ever really had this conversation so if I'm being dumb I'd love to be educated on why. MB is cool as a place to hone my arguments with some smart people in a zero-pressure setting

This isn't 1997

Using economic impact (which is more related to our bloated healthcare system than obesity itself) as some kind of justification that fat people apparently deserve a prerogative like obesity is solely a lifestyle choice is pretty dumb, yes.

Definitely true, although there's a ratio there which is hard to determine

I'd be curious to see the fraction of the obese population that has reached that point due to factors outside of their control. Its a sizable percentage for sure but I also don't believe in enabling destructive behavior among the population that can do something about their overall health.

Thinking that personal choice matters is thinking that personal responsibility is a thing which means that pulling oneself up by the bootstraps is a thing which means one is a libertarian which means one is a republican which means one is a nazi.

(c) MB

my mind is irreversibly blown

The majority of people get there simply based on what their family feeds them growing up and continue those habits when they reach adulthood. Our brains adjust to our body weight over time and if you have years of obesity under your belt, the brain references that as the body's set weight point. Surely you've met a thin/fit person who could eat like a horse and not gain a pound? That's because of set weight points as well. Set points makes losing weight as an obese person insanely more difficult than losing a couple of extra pounds gained over the holidays for someone with an average body weight. It even impacts the immune system when the body goes below the set weight which makes obese people more prone to sickness when they're losing weight in the same way that you losing 20+ pounds over two weeks would make you sick.

There are also genetic variables that drastically change on a case by case basis. Then you have the economic component where the American industry has made it more affordable to buy junk food than a healthy meal plan, which contributes to poor Americans being more likely to struggle with weight. Combine that with the lack of widespread culinary and nutritional knowledge and you have more people buying easy premade junk foods exacerbating the issue.

There's just so many variables at play that "just lose the weight!" as a response to the obesity epidemic doesn't even skim the tip of the iceberg. Obesity sucks, to think that someone just chooses it is simply ignorant.

Hey, while we're talking about stats as justification for ideology, have you read The Bell Curve?