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0 pointsAnIdiotOnTheNet4y ago0 comments

> There may be something there, but again I believe the overriding factor is that most people don't understand how little they need to eat when they're driving and sitting all day.

I don't disagree with this, but I think there must be another compounding factor. People never used to count calories, and yet in my own (150lb loss) experience it is necessary because my body wants to eat more than it needs to.

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JabavuAdams4y ago· 2 in thread

What does "want to eat more" mean to you?

I distinguish between "stomach hunger" and "mouth hunger". In other words, hunger and craving. If my stomach hurts, I'm hiccoughing or burping, and I'm feeling mentally jangly and irritable then I'm hungry. If I can really really taste how good that thing would be in my mouth right now, then I'm craving.

The weird thing is that they are spatially distinct. One feeling is in my mouth and one is in my gut.

EDIT> Do you think that if food were not as abundant, if it was kind of taboo to waste your money by going out and buying pre-made food, and if the people around you were not modeling over-eating that your body would still want more than it needed? Could there be a training effect?

AnIdiotOnTheNetOP4y ago

Both. Ask anyone who knows me and they'll tell you all about the hangry, but at the same time I often experience cravings to eat even after overeating.

But in the end I don't think it matters for what I'm saying: people never used to have to count calories, and now they do. Something has changed. It might be that the food is much better, more addictive, more advertised, cheaper, easier, etc. Point is, it isn't just a matter of being deluded about calories, we are driven to consume more than we need by something.

JabavuAdams4y ago

I agree that it's not just about being deluded about calories, although I perhaps overemphasized that in a few sentences. I agree that there are strong environmental (social and cultural, not chemical) factors that train/aid/abet the delusion. I thought I did write quite a bit about portion sizes, changing norms, and cultural factors, but maybe in response to others?

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