Overweight people eat too much

I am interested in knowing what the members of sciforums have to say...

 

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There are many reasons for people to be overweight, it's not always because they eat too much. However, they must eat more in order to go about their everyday life at the same level that others do. They must eat more, because they need more energy. Moreover, all obesity can be fixed with help.

 

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Not always. Most of the time its becuase of that but its not always true.

 

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do you mean to say that if 60% of Americans are overweight, its because they need help?

 

Yes, they need help motivating themselves to excercise more and eat healthier.

 

Why would they need to be motivated? Do they want to be overweight?

 

you can't be overweight without eating too much otherwise you wouldn't be overweight you would be "big" like a bear.

 

Imo, it's a matter of how much energy you take on and how much you burn.
You can eat much, but then you also need to burn that off, or it stays in the body.

 

Hmm what would you say to the idea that beig fat versus being big is all a matter of metabolic regulation and that even how much energy you burn can manipulated by your body?

 

How efficiently, yes. It just might take more workout than for one with an efficient metabolism.

 

I meant apart from a workout or an exercise, just naturally, what if your body as an efficient engine (naturally geared towards conserving energy) can regulate energy balance by burning more or less fuel. That overweight as a disease is a manifestation of poor diet and environment over a long period of time, when consistent intake of poor or mal nutrient diets overcomes your bodys natural ability to take care of itself.

 

I think that the genetic factor should not be disregarded when talking about metabolism.

 

I agree, so how can you help an overweight person whose metabolism is genetically geared to conserve energy ?

 

Sign that person up for serious martial arts trainings.
A straightforward and simple method, but it works.

 

e.g. the Pima Indians who lived in a very rigid environment, with harsh living conditions and a diet with low energy densities when assimilated with the rest of the population gained weight with increased rapidity, reaching severe obesity at a faster rate, when compared to other groups.

 

Assuming there are no other co-existing morbidities which can prevent the person from exercising. Also assuming that the overweight person is not a four year old. Or is not 200 pounds and unable to exercise. Say we do that, but since the genes are still the same, the excess weight is kept off only as long as that person follows this rigorous exercise ( ignoring the poor compliance rates of such interventions, that is). Of course, as soon as this person stops exercising the weight all comes back and then some.

What then?

 

Well, if that person stops the exercise, then nobody else is to blame, but him.

Of course a genetical treatment would be nice and ellegant, but such methods are still in their infancy.
Other possible solutions would be to inject that person with some genetically engineered energy burning bacteria, mechanically remove the fat or restrict the ammount of food for that person, so it feeds on its' own fat.

 

there is only one reason for obesity and that is they consume more calories than they burn. so with that in mind one or the other or both of the following is true:
1. they eat too much
2. they don't burn enough calories

 

I believe that less intelligent people are on the average more overweight.

 

Explain