Every few years, there is another frontier of nutrition, exercise, or medicine that promises to solve the "obesity epidemic". We continue to learn more, and there is certainly no knowledge deficit when it comes to the scientific understanding of what leads to fat loss.
Despite this, obesity rates have been climbing for decades. Therefore, it begs the question: is obesity here to stay?
I would say yes, at least for the foreseeable future.
Unfortunately, while the principles of fat loss are quite simple (eat less, exercise more), the upstream factors that drive initial weight gain can be more complex. Many people who end up obese do so as a result of social, environmental, genetic, and economic constraints that make the outcome (a calorie surplus) more probable. Therefore, in the absence of modifying these constraints, there will be significant friction
between the obese individual and successful execution of health behaviours.
Food has continued to get tastier and more accessible. One can easily access thousands of calories that are very
tasty at a low cost, often within less than a 5-minute walk in an urban area. This is a terrifyingly easy decision to make.
Exercise has continued to become more of an inconvenience. The
economic constraints necessitate that one works hard to make money, and in an increasingly sedentary economy, the result is more and more time spent sitting at a desk, with less time leftover for leisure time activity or exercise.
Disposable income to access personal trainers, gyms, and convenient health foods is a luxury that not everyone has. Even when one has the income, eating well and exercising may still be disincentivised within your culture, whether that be work culture, community culture, or national culture.
Ultimately, I am suggesting to you that the problem of obesity prevalence is not easily solved, as so much of the rise of obesity prevalence is attributable to progress in society that has led to positive outcomes in other domains.
As trainers or knowledgeable individuals, what we can do is ensure that our knowledge and competence is sufficient to be able to provide more nuanced advice. Not just "eat less", but specific guidance as to how that might fit into an individual's life. I think that might be a step in the right
direction.
Conveniently enough, for both me and you, we are just 7 days out from the launch of our Triage Nutrition Certification, so if you would
like to upskill, you can read more about that below.
