Ozempic, GLP-1 and other modern diabetes / weight loss medications

[CascadeClone]

Companies make products that are addictive. We choose to do nothing to prevent that, thus it's the free market in action. It's not a matter of "less addictive than smoking", it's making the concept of food, a requirement for living, into anything resembling addictive substances. Speaking of addictions, it just so happens that all the most addictive and destructive foods, tend to be the cheapest to buy and easiest to prepare. Imagine that.

I am a little unsure your point. So all food is addictive because otherwise we would die? Or just because it tastes too good its addictive? Or they are adding some secret heroin to it to make it addictive? Should everything taste bland af so we don't get addicted to it?

How tasty can it be without being addictive? Regular doritos OK, but the chili lime are over the line?

Also, I would argue that junk foods are among the most expensive. A pound of carrots or potatoes or bananas are cheap af. But 8 oz of doritos are like $4-5.
However, I would totally agree that the prep work is a major issue. Wish more people would cook at home, its not that hard to be decent at, and can be fun in itself. I know I eat a lot better than most because gf is a fantastic cook.

I would go back to my original point, people make choices. If everyone ONLY wanted healthy stuff companies would jump thru their own asses to supply it (and they are - it is a big growing market).

So I disagree with you that companies are to blame , but I think we would probably agree on at least some of the policies to make things better (tax sugar, etc). We need to go at this like smoking, and it will take just as long probably to make similar improvements.

 

[1SEIACLONE]

Blaming capitalism and companies for the problem is just as lazy as saying people are only fat because they are lazy.

It takes two to tango. Companies make their products "irresistable"so people buy them, but people still make choices. No one is mandated to eat chips and pop, and they aren't heroin. Doritos aren't as addictive as nicotine, and people manage to quit nicotine.

That said, on a societal level, there IS a negative impact from too many people eating too much junk food. Its probably about time for taxing sugar or fat in some way. Instead of skulls on packs of cigs, maybe you need pics of diabetic feet on bags of Doritos.

What you are saying is true, but only to a point, there are many food deserts out there, where healthy food is difficult to find and tends to cost more than the unhealthy stuff. We had raised a generation or two on eating junk and our bodies have reached the point of that is what they need to feel full.
I am taking Ozempic for three years now if not longer, my A1C is now normal, I have lost all told between 45 to 50 pounds. I eat far less now that what I was before, and I feel better overall. It's not for everyone, but it's been a life changer for me.

 

[Nader_uggghhh]

I am a little unsure your point. So all food is addictive because otherwise we would die? Or just because it tastes too good its addictive? Or they are adding some secret heroin to it to make it addictive? Should everything taste bland af so we don't get addicted to it?

How tasty can it be without being addictive? Regular doritos OK, but the chili lime are over the line?

Also, I would argue that junk foods are among the most expensive. A pound of carrots or potatoes or bananas are cheap af. But 8 oz of doritos are like $4-5.
However, I would totally agree that the prep work is a major issue. Wish more people would cook at home, its not that hard to be decent at, and can be fun in itself. I know I eat a lot better than most because gf is a fantastic cook.

I would go back to my original point, people make choices. If everyone ONLY wanted healthy stuff companies would jump thru their own asses to supply it (and they are - it is a big growing market).

So I disagree with you that companies are to blame , but I think we would probably agree on at least some of the policies to make things better (tax sugar, etc). We need to go at this like smoking, and it will take just as long probably to make similar improvements.

Almost anything shelf stable is heavily processed/easily digestible/low fiber/low satiety. I would welcome a sugar tax. Almost nothing in nature is sweet. Now we even make the low sugar "healthy" options cloyingly sweet.

 

[FinalFourCy]

It takes two to tango. Companies make their products "irresistable"so people buy them, but people still make choices. No one is mandated to eat chips and pop, and they aren't heroin. Doritos aren't as addictive as nicotine, and people manage to quit nicotine.

That said, on a societal level, there IS a negative impact from too many people eating too much junk food. It’s probably about time for taxing sugar or fat in some way. Instead of skulls on packs of cigs, maybe you need pics of diabetic feet on bags of Doritos.

Agree

On a societal level, evolution in food (and food abundance) was far faster than we evolve to deal with those changes. Society is arguably setup to be obese.


On an individual level, personal accountability absolutely comes into play on how we individually deal with the aforementioned . No different than most things in life in which desired results requires getting informed, consistently making tough decisions and sacrifices.

Most aren’t born with hedonic eating habits or inactivity. Insidiously, and often ignorantly, we develop poor habits.

It’s a challenge previous generations didn’t have. It used to be obesity was for the elite. One could argue being “lean” is now for those with the means and methods

 

[FinalFourCy]

I am a little unsure your point. So all food is addictive because otherwise we would die? Or just because it tastes too good its addictive? Or they are adding some secret heroin to it to make it addictive? Should everything taste bland af so we don't get addicted to it?

How tasty can it be without being addictive? Regular doritos OK, but the chili lime are over the line?


I would go back to my original point, people make choices. If everyone ONLY wanted healthy stuff companies would jump thru their own asses to supply it (and they are - it is a big growing market).

So I disagree with you that companies are to blame , but I think we would probably agree on at least some of the policies to make things better (tax sugar, etc). We need to go at this like smoking, and it will take just as long probably to make similar improvements.

Are any type of Doritos different than alcohol? Both have calories that almost exclusively serve hedonistic based consumption.

There’s a big market for booze too. Yet we regulate it due to detrimental societal externalities.

 

[FriendlySpartan]

I am a little unsure your point. So all food is addictive because otherwise we would die? Or just because it tastes too good its addictive? Or they are adding some secret heroin to it to make it addictive? Should everything taste bland af so we don't get addicted to it?

How tasty can it be without being addictive? Regular doritos OK, but the chili lime are over the line?

Also, I would argue that junk foods are among the most expensive. A pound of carrots or potatoes or bananas are cheap af. But 8 oz of doritos are like $4-5.
However, I would totally agree that the prep work is a major issue. Wish more people would cook at home, its not that hard to be decent at, and can be fun in itself. I know I eat a lot better than most because gf is a fantastic cook.

I would go back to my original point, people make choices. If everyone ONLY wanted healthy stuff companies would jump thru their own asses to supply it (and they are - it is a big growing market).

So I disagree with you that companies are to blame , but I think we would probably agree on at least some of the policies to make things better (tax sugar, etc). We need to go at this like smoking, and it will take just as long probably to make similar improvements.

It a lot about dopamine manipulation and the food processing that throws off our satiety levels. Humans have not evolved much in the last century whereas our food industry has experienced incredible change.

We are biologically programmed to seek out high calorie foods, usually foods that will be high in sugar/fat. When we eat those foods our body releases dopamine to reward us for finding high calorie foods and to help us remember what they were so that if we see them again we want to eat them. This worked great when it was strawberry’s or walnuts but falls apart when dealing with things like French fries and ice cream.

Food industry knows this, so through processing they add a bunch of oil and sugar to trigger that dopamine hit while at the same time stripping out the “bulk” of the food aka the water and fiber content found in natural foods. This causes us to eat far more calorie dense food then has every existed in human history while our body doesn’t recognize it.

From the moment we eat little kids having a pizza party or eating chicken nuggets this starts and will continue for most of people’s life. Add in that the foods that are worst for us are the most convenient and often cheapest (this is shifting a bit) and that the foods that are best for us are not giving us that same reward hit of dopamine and for many it’s fighting a losing battle.

Even people who go through life working out and being active will often hit a point in their life where that activity level decreases, their metabolism slows and all of a sudden they are gaining weight pretty quickly even though their diet hasn’t changed very much.

 

[clonechemist]

Blaming capitalism and companies for the problem is just as lazy as saying people are only fat because they are lazy.

It takes two to tango. Companies make their products "irresistable"so people buy them, but people still make choices. No one is mandated to eat chips and pop, and they aren't heroin. Doritos aren't as addictive as nicotine, and people manage to quit nicotine.

That said, on a societal level, there IS a negative impact from too many people eating too much junk food. Its probably about time for taxing sugar or fat in some way. Instead of skulls on packs of cigs, maybe you need pics of diabetic feet on bags of Doritos.

Bruh speak for yourself - I smoked as much as half a pack a day of cigarettes in my early 20s, but I never had a problem putting them down and walking away. I can’t even tell you when I ‘quit’, because it was so easy and casual to do.

Meanwhile, put a dozen donuts in front of me and I’ll cut a b**** to get at them. My little kids and wife literally hide their treats from me so I won’t eat them.

 

[Nader_uggghhh]

Studies have been done that show that mice/rats will choose sugar over intravenous cocaine like 95% of the time. Pretty sure that's including mice already addicted to cocaine. Think of what we do to children in this country

 

[FinalFourCy]

Bruh speak for yourself - I smoked as much as half a pack a day of cigarettes in my early 20s, but I never had a problem putting them down and walking away. I can’t even tell you when I ‘quit’, because it was so easy and casual to do.

Meanwhile, put a dozen donuts in front of me and I’ll cut a b**** to get at them. My little kids and wife literally hide their treats from me so I won’t eat them.

Given the obesity numbers, modern food offerings are seemingly harder to refrain from, some would say addictive, than several controlled substances for reasons that aren’t necessarily physiological

 

[MeowingCows]

Given the obesity numbers, modern food offerings are seemingly harder to refrain from, some would say addictive, than several controlled substances for reasons that aren’t necessarily physiological

It's not a coincidence that peer nations to the US, which often have much more strict food regulations, also have significantly fewer obese people around. It's not like every single person in every other country runs 5 miles a day and pumps 2 plates.

 

[FinalFourCy]

It's not a coincidence that peer nations to the US, which often have much more strict food regulations, also have significantly fewer obese people around. It's not like every single person in every other country runs 5 miles a day and pumps 2 plates.

They also generally view/treat food differently, hence the political capital to have those regulations. There are societal norms and expectations that foster habits that make it less of a challenge by the time you’re an adult.

Many of these countries have an even bigger “food culture” than the US, with lots of “food noise”. But it’s more centered on quality than consumption

 

[Drew0311]

They also generally view/treat food differently, hence the political capital to have those regulations. There are societal norms and expectations that foster habits that make it less of a challenge by the time you’re an adult.

Many of these countries have an even bigger “food culture” than the US, with lots of “food noise”. But it’s more centered on quality than consumption

They also have way way way smaller portions, no free refills on soda. If you eat at a place overseas, don't expect a "to Go" box, Don't expect your waitress to keep coming around filling up more soda. People drink more soda than water. It's crazy. They don't understand that Soda has 220 calories per bottle, sometimes more. Yet they drink 4 and 5 of them a day. That is over 1000 calories. Which is not that far off the normal amount of calories a human is supposed to consume in a day

 

[1SEIACLONE]

They also have way way way smaller portions, no free refills on soda. If you eat at a place overseas, don't expect a "to Go" box, Don't expect your waitress to keep coming around filling up more soda. People drink more soda than water. It's crazy. They don't understand that Soda has 220 calories per bottle, sometimes more. Yet they drink 4 and 5 of them a day. That is over 1000 calories. Which is not that far off the normal amount of calories a human is supposed to consume in a day

The average adult needs 2,000 to 2,500 calories a day to maintain their current weight. I agree soda is horrible, but let's not get carried away here.

 

[xr4ticlone]

I’ve never been skinny since I was 8-9 years old.
Struggled to keep weight off all my life. Despite my size, I don’t eat anywhere near as much as most people would assume.

It’s frustrating and disheartening.

That said, we spent 5 weeks in Russia for an adoption and it opened my eyes to how bad our food is for us.

A. Russians make incredible bread…incredible!
B. The food was always good, and we ate as much or more than we eat here…including desserts that we typically don’t eat here.

I lost 15 -20 pounds over there. It wasn’t from skipping meals or eating just enough to exist.

Heck, I’d have a late night snack of a big candy bar because the Swiss chocolate was incredible.

OUR FOOD SUPPLY IS GARBAGE, SCIENTIFICALLY MODIFIED TO BE ADDICTIVE, AND FOOD THAT CANNOT BE DIGESTED OR CAUSES INFLAMMATION OR ALLERGIC REACTIONS BECAUSE WE WERE NEVER MEANT TO EAT IT.

I’ll swear that til the day I die. Knowing how much healthier and better tasting the food was in Russia is depressing. We could have that here! We SHOULD have that here!

We’ve been sold out.

 

[besserheimerphat]

They also have way way way smaller portions, no free refills on soda. If you eat at a place overseas, don't expect a "to Go" box, Don't expect your waitress to keep coming around filling up more soda. People drink more soda than water. It's crazy. They don't understand that Soda has 220 calories per bottle, sometimes more. Yet they drink 4 and 5 of them a day. That is over 1000 calories. Which is not that far off the normal amount of calories a human is supposed to consume in a day

In EU they drink far more beer and wine than water. What's worse, two glasses of wine or 3 beers with dinner, or two large diet cokes?

 

[Cyclonefan710]

In EU they drink far more beer and wine than water. What's worse, two glasses of wine or 3 beers with dinner, or two large diet cokes?

Diet Coke is so bad for you lol

 

[NetflixAndClone]

I’ve never been skinny since I was 8-9 years old.
Struggled to keep weight off all my life. Despite my size, I don’t eat anywhere near as much as most people would assume.

It’s frustrating and disheartening.

That said, we spent 5 weeks in Russia for an adoption and it opened my eyes to how bad our food is for us.

A. Russians make incredible bread…incredible!
B. The food was always good, and we ate as much or more than we eat here…including desserts that we typically don’t eat here.

I lost 15 -20 pounds over there. It wasn’t from skipping meals or eating just enough to exist.

Heck, I’d have a late night snack of a big candy bar because the Swiss chocolate was incredible.

OUR FOOD SUPPLY IS GARBAGE, SCIENTIFICALLY MODIFIED TO BE ADDICTIVE, AND FOOD THAT CANNOT BE DIGESTED OR CAUSES INFLAMMATION OR ALLERGIC REACTIONS BECAUSE WE WERE NEVER MEANT TO EAT IT.

I’ll swear that til the day I die. Knowing how much healthier and better tasting the food was in Russia is depressing. We could have that here! We SHOULD have that here!

We’ve been sold out.

were you walking more? I don't disagree with what you are saying about food but I know there has been studies done on the whole "travel to europe and I lost weight" and it turns out that 99% of the time it is because people were walking so much more than they did back home in America.

That is a big benefit of walkable communities and cities. If you walk over 10,000-12,000 steps you will lose weight. Sadly, in america we are built for a car society and many of us sit at desks for work.

I always love the joke, Americans love college so much because it is the only time in our lives we live in walkable communities.

Again, I don't disagree with what you said about the food, but I also think there is something to be said about walking more when travelling.

 

[besserheimerphat]

Diet Coke is so bad for you lol

0 calorie beverage is worse than a beverage with hundreds of calories and alcohol, got it.

ETA: To be clear, we should all just be drinking water. But given the choice between regular soda, diet soda and an alcoholic drink - the most commonly available drinks served with meals - diet soda is the winner.

 

[CloniesForLife]

Diet Coke is so bad for you lol

No it's not. It's been proven that zero calorie drinks help with weight loss. And all the "scary" chemicals in it are at such low doses you would have drink an insane amount of them to even begin to reach the safety threshold.

 

[ISUCyclones2015]

were you walking more? I don't disagree with what you are saying about food but I know there has been studies done on the whole "travel to europe and I lost weight" and it turns out that 99% of the time it is because people were walking so much more than they did back home in America.

That is a big benefit of walkable communities and cities. If you walk over 10,000-12,000 steps you will lose weight. Sadly, in america we are built for a car society and many of us sit at desks for work.

I always love the joke, Americans love college so much because it is the only time in our lives we live in walkable communities.

Again, I don't disagree with what you said about the food, but I also think there is something to be said about walking more when travelling.

Anecdotally I have a long term "study" on this.

I had a 2 year project in Eastern Europe and would be over there for 3 weeks and in the US 1 week back and forth. I ate out basically 100% of my meals because I was staying in hotels over there and here I live alone and grocery shopping was just a waste of food. I also walked about the same since I live in downtown Chicago and don't have a car. The week I was in the US made me feel like absolute garbage every time and made me balloon in weight.

The extra salt and sugar and whatever else is in our food is freaking crazy. I agree for the most part it's the walking thing for most Americans traveling over there but after that experience I absolutely believe there's something wrong in our food over here.