You missed this:
I’m not advocating no or low carb diets, just reducing.
Yes, that’s why I said I thought is was a bit more complex than just diet.
I think there was an increase in healthy eating for a spell when people started to become aware of the risks and then processed foods made an appearance and people started eating less healthily again.
Not the case for everyone obviously but some people do become ‘addicted’ to unhealthy stuff.
Let me ignite a second fire here, so we move from the discussion about calories, quantity , quality and exercise (which all of it is important) – i believe that there is something deeper and more important – discipline, and I mean self-discipline.
I leave it there…
I disagree. Carbs are not the problem. It’s over-consumption of unhealthy food in general which is the problem but yes, many people probably consume too many refined carbs - in fizzy drinks for example.
Over-eating doesn’t appear to be a physical addiction like nicotine or heroin but more of a compulsion - like binge-watching a complete Netflix series in one go which is incredibly unhealthy from a lack-of-movement for long periods point of view.
But It’s not just a case of self-discipline as it would appear that different people may appear to have a lower level of self-control but it may just be the compulsion to eat more of the bad things is stronger in those people.
It becomes more of a problem when the unhealthy foods are so readily available.
I can see it in one of my children.
They are all normal weight but one appears to have inherited the genes from one side of the family and likes eating a lot of all those things which are unhealthy - on top of otherwise healthy meals.
It may just be that he is a child though but I think he’s setting himself up for problems in later life despite efforts to educate him.
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In that more strenuous life, accidents, repetitive stress injuries and undetected pollution lead to a shorter lifetime for the average population. Grandpa Joe that lived to 100 is literally this guy:
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Some recent studies claim that the problem with ultra-processed foods is that people get addicted and then eat far too much, which causes their health problems.
These were small studies, so a much larger study is required to get better information.
A reminder that correlation is not causation
I am not claiming ultra-processed foods are healthy, just that more information is needed.
On a personal note, I could not give up bread.
Nova classification says that bread you make at home (or made by an honest baker who doesn’t use dough conditioners or other additives like that) is classed as processed, but not UPF. It’s in Group 3, which means it uses Group 1 and 2 ingredients and then is enhanced by heat.
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It’s probably not a chemical addition but just a desire to eat more for reasons I outlined earlier.
Many UPFs, through design, don’t make you feel satiated.
A good rule of thumb to decide whether a food is UPF or not is to look at the ingredients and see if there are any which people don’t generally have at home in the kitchen.
Not all UPFs are bad for you though - some multi-grain breads and even fish fingers are nutritionally good for you.
It’s generally the ones that people binge on that cause the problems - crisps, biscuits, ice cream, breakfast cereals and fizzy drinks and anything else with too much sugar and salt.
Most people don’t binge on nutritionally good foods, UPF or not.
People don’t binge on porridge oats!
Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken is worth a read.
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don’t leave next to a figue tree… 
This appeared in my feed. The thing I mentioned about exercise being next to useless for losing weight is not a new thing.
This article from 2010 states just that. That’s fifteen years ago.
However, it’s only now that scientists have got the technology to work out why.
Even 15 years ago the answer was there. We’re not machines, we’re humans.
Exercise provides opioids (endorphins), we sleep eat, eat with more appetite, less back pain. lower stress. Dieting gives…a lower number in the balance. So, no surprise why people go for exercise in spite of not being that efficient for weight reduction. From the article:
“Terry’s point is right,” says Paul Gately, “but it’s not right in the context of public health promotion. In people who have lost weight and kept weight off, physical activity is almost always involved. And those people who just do diet are more likely to fail, as are those who just do exercise. You need a combination of the two, because we’re talking about human beings, not machines. We know that dietary behaviour is quite a negative behaviour – we’re having to deny ourselves something. There aren’t any diets out there that people enjoy. But people do enjoy being physically active.”
“What we want to avoid is people thinking they can control their weight simply by dieting,” adds Jebb, who points out that this is the very scenario that encourages anorexia in teenage girls. “Just restricting your diet is not going to be the healthiest way to live.” Traditional dieting clubs like Weightwatchers and Slimming World promote exercise as a key part of a weight-loss strategy: scientific studies show that exercise is an important factor in maintaining weight loss and, Jebb adds, some studies suggest it can help in preventing weight gain.
Of course, this works for the slightly overweight. A few kilos heavier, but not too overweight to restrict mobility or end in an injury when trying the lightest exercise:
But it is still much harder to exercise when you’re already overweight, and “high energy density” foods are quick to get us there – overeating by just 100 calories a day can lead to a weight increase of 10lb over a year.
So, slightly overweight people benefit from exercise and may even lose that extra weight. Clinically obese are in a trap, exercise may even be a risk. Only way to go down is reducing calorie intake.
The new research is suggesting that people are basically burning the same number of calories whatever they are doing.
Whilst people taking a lot of high-energy exercise for hours will obviously consume calories doing this (but not as many as many people would like to believe), obese people will have a higher basal metabolic rate just keeping them alive.
Along with that, their immune system’s inflammatory response will be burning far more calories than in those of someone with a “normal” weight.
I can’t speak for others but the times where I have lost the most weight in my life have been when I have taken no exercise at all - when I have been ill.
Some of this loss, short term can be attributed to a few missing meals and fluid loss but most has been fairly long term and is due to the incredible number of calories ones immunity system needs to fight illness.
The chronic inflammation which obese people have is also burning a lot of calories.
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It’s complex.
Tangentially, good news in CH. It’s dumb that yogurt has added sugar.
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people go to the gym to lose weight? Oh my! I got it wrong all of my life! I go to gyms hunting for prey… it raises endorphines in more than one way!
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I’m not going to ask…
Its hilarious to see you make my argument while trying to argue against it:
overeating by just 100 calories a day can lead to a weight increase of 10lb over a year
You’re making yourself look really stupid now.
People are discussing weight-loss. Not putting it on. That’s the easy part for most people.
People don’t need to be told how to do it (like you just did).
You were making an old assumption (but still pushed to the gullible like you) that exercise is the way to go to lose weight and science shows that you are wrong.
If you eat 100 calories extra about your body’s needs each day then you could, over a year, put on around 5.5Kg a year.
What you are getting confused about is that you think that if you burn 100 calories more each day through example walking 30 minutes a day, you will lose 5.5Kg.
You won’t.
You’re body will find other ways to compensate - for example you may fidget less, or sit around more in the evening.
As you get fitter, you’re immune system will be better, so you’ll use less calories powering your immune system, and so on.
I bet you still think that smoking is good for you.
Ok, this piqued my interest, and sent me down the YouTube rabbit hole…
Do any of you do Tai Chi? Can anyone recommend a particular class or instructor, preferably around the Zürichsee area (either side, but not the city if possible)?
I think I’d like to give it a try, but as a wobbly old lady with busted knees I think I’d should probably start with a class rather than just follow YT videos on my own.
Suggestions greatly appreciated!
(30+ years ago I used to watch the grannies who gathered to do Tai Chi in the early morning. Who’d a thunk that someday I’d aspire to be one of them…)
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OH and I gave a presentation in Beijing in the early aughts…we were entranced by a hundred people doing Tai Chi at 6 in the morning in a park. It looked like a ballet.
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