A few more thoughts after reading many of the comments I’ve noticed two recurring bits of pushback: The first argument goes something like this: “Sure, these factors all show that not being obese is HARDER for some people, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still a choice. Hard choices are still choices.” I’ve noticed this coming mostly from people who are either currently in good shape, or used to be obese but have since lost a lot of weight. While this life change IS commendable and I have a huge amount of respect for anyone who has done it, to me, this feels similar to those who have gotten rich telling poor people that they are poor because of their poor choices. “I am not poor anymore. You can be not poor anymore too, if you make the right choices.” Obviously, no one is denying that people CAN change their lives around, and work their way to success. And no one is arguing that people have no control over their lives. But people who fall for this argument are usually blinded by survivorship bias. OF COURSE people who got out of poverty will attribute their success to their hard work. OF COURSE people who lost weight will attribute their success to their good food choices. But what about the people who worked hard just as hard as you did, but didn’t get out of poverty? What about the people who made just as many good food and exercise choices, yet remained overweight? We don’t hear from those examples as much. Saying that obesity is still a choice, even if it is harder for some people, is like saying poverty is a choice, even if it is harder for some people. Even though being poor is technically a matter of spending more $ than you make, there are simply too many contributing factors to shift the blame entirely to the individual for their “choice” to be poor. Similarly, even though being obese is technically a matter of eating more calories than you expend, there are simply too many contributing factors to shift the blame entirely to the individual for their “choice” to be obese. Maybe we’re speaking past one another and merely debating the semantics of the phrase “a choice”, but even still, it doesn’t seem like a good phrase to use. Let me try a few examples that I left out of the video: If you get a tattoo on your body, that is 100% your choice. If you get cystic fibrosis (a genetic disease) that is 100% not your choice. If you have the “right genes”, you get cystic fibrosis. As I see it, because obesity has both controllable behavioral inputs (like making healthy food choices) and uncontrollable genetic and environmental factors (like your baseline hunger and childhood diets), it must sit somewhere in between those two extremes. But because the phrase “a choice” implies a simple, binary decision and places the onus entirely on the individual, it can’t be the best way to describe a multi-factorial condition as complex as obesity. It just doesn’t fit. The second argument I’ve been hearing is that "weight loss is so simple, though: It’s just calories in, calories out." On the surface, this is true. But again, it is the same as saying: “getting rich is simple: just make more dollars than you spend!” Humans are not robots. Telling people to “just eat less” or to “put the fork down” isn’t effective most of the time. It CAN work, just like telling people to “just work harder” CAN make some people rich. But it just isn’t the answer most people need to hear. If you build up the discipline to put the fork down today, you might pick it up twice as much tomorrow. The development of obesity is complex physiologically, psychologically, socially and politically, and there are thousands of researchers who have dedicated their entire lives to understanding it and how to address it. If it were as simple as “putting the fork down”, obesity wouldn’t be the enormous multi-disciplinary riddle that it is today. Hope that makes sense!
I'm really glad to see a fitness influencer talking eloquently about this sort of thing, there's so much horrid discourse about obesity within the "fitness" community
This video was incredible Jeff. I admire the work you put into your content. For a long time I looked at obesity as 'a choice', binary. But this video has really made me re-evaluate my presuppositions regarding obesity. I'll adjust accordingly. Again, great work!
Jeff c'mon... I respect your ideas but that's something logical. Everyone who starts to eat in a moderate regimen and train will EASILY become leaner. Nobody is telling that obese have to get in shape and have 6% bf. Going from obese condition to around 20, even 25% bf is a SUPER IMPROVEMENT, and this improvement will take the obese one to be not obese anymore, it's SIMPLE. Isn't the same concept as becoming rich because money don't rely on you, they are given by a number of circumstances. And, trust me, becoming rich is not about working harder, because if this were true we would have a billion of billionaires. Instead, getting leaner rely just on yourself and the choices that you make. And even training is not about working harder, but working smarter.
You addressed that from the 1970's heavily processed high calorie foods became more readily available and cheap, but something that is not mentioned is that cheap healthy options are limited and far between leading many to turn to primarily those processed foods. It's not that there is a choice in their mind, but instead, one option is cheap and will fill their belly
I'm glad you brought up stress and depression (among the other many factors). Really goes against the overused dogma of "everyone has the same 24 hours in a day."
Very true but then the next question is, is depression and anxiety something you have control over. Not, is it easy, but do you have the ability to control it to some degree. I think most folks that lift consistently know the answer to this.
But stress and depression do not subtract from your 24h / day; they provide resistance to you doing *something* with the same hours as everyone else. Depression or not, everyone finds it difficult to go to the gym, yet there are people who go and people who don't. Also, I may be suffering from depression and have 0 motivation and yet go to the gym and take care of myself, whereas someone else doesn't suffer from anything and chooses not to go. The amount of effort you have to exert changes, sure. But everyone does have the same 24h / day
Jeff talking rock-solid science with empathy, care, and nuance. You're very quickly becoming one of my favourite voices on the internet, and you're doing very valuable work
Agreed. The more popular someone is, the more influence they have on the public. Jeff had every opportunity here to hop on the mindless "no excuses, only grindset" bandwagon that is so popular nowadays. Instead he is hitting us with the cold, hard, facts.
And using studies of sample size 24 lmfao. How about finding a TH-camr that researches prior to making videos rather than writing a script then finding the studies to back up later regardless of the level of controversy surrounding the topic.
@@jg9249-u8f Spare me your salty bs. Jeff puts more effort into the research for one video than most people do on their entire channel. He's not running the studies, he's doing meta analysis. Tell me how you would do a large scale study in a metabolic ward? Please? Do you have any idea what kind of money that would take? The economics of it make no sense. Maybe 24 is not a large sample size but its better than zero and Jeff always mentions the sample in the videos and to take them with a grain of salt.
@@jg9249-u8fOkay, this comment misses the mark on many points. 1. Jeff does not run the studies he cites nor does he set the parameters for them. 2. Longitudinal studies are expensive to conduct for any researcher, ever additional participant increases the cost. Furthermore, longitudinal studies tend to always suffer from lower recruitment and retention of participants. It’s hard to get humans to do anything for an extended period of time with little to no compensation. Related to this, longitudinal studies with high researcher involvement with the participants is all of those things mentioned above but worse. Now you have to actually manage each participant as a researcher. It would simply be impractical to keep constant near daily track of even 100 participants due to monetary limitations, and also the amount of time and energy available to each researcher on involved in the study which tend to be relatively few compared to the participants. 3. You are not aware of Jeff’s process, and he does not only a good job at researching each subject he talks about, but also presenting the research clearly and with clear citations. Anyone who watches his videos can scrutinize them based on the papers he cites and he does that very intentionally. Not to mention that research papers (primary sources) are not always free, and often require either a subscription to a journal for access, or direct payment for the paper itself. Given that Jeff has never claimed to be attached to an institution that would pay for these journals for him, it’s safe to assume that a good amount of expense on his part is incurred to deliver accurate information to his audience for each one of his videos. Your comment is either a troll, or simply not well thought out at all. Either way, you should definitely engage in more critical thinking before you critique someone’s hard work next time.
@@jg9249-u8f "I hate obese people and will make up any excuse to validate myself." I encourage you to develop empathy. Life is a lot more rewarding when you care about people.
At my most successful weight loss, I was working a job that I liked, had friends that I saw outside of work, and was feeling happy for the first time in a long time. I ate healthy because I liked feeling healthy. I was able to exercise more because I wasn't constantly worried about people judging me. At my least successful, I was in college, completely burnt out, miserable, and had virtually no social life. I was anxious, depressed, and ate garbage because I felt like garbage. I left the house as little as possible because I felt ashamed to be in public. The only exercise I got was commuting to and from school. External factors are REAL and pretending like they don't matter is not helpful. Sometimes you have to work on the problems surrounding an issue before you work on the issue itself. There's no way of knowing what a person is dealing with; it's not fair to simplify their struggle to "just eat fewer calories, bro."
I also had debates like this with my bf (he´s slim and never had problems with overweight, more with underweight). He thinks fat people have the wrong choices and "you can see where it comes from" when they once in a blue moon go to eat burger or pizza etc. But I (was overweight with all the diagnosis and learning nearly every food is bad but not learning how to eat to become slim) think they can have it once in a while. Regularly eaten it´s not good for your health. But it´s always easier to blame the victim instead of helping them (or at least not say bad stuff at them).
Nobody doubts that you or anyone has stress. But what you're describing is still choice... In college, burnt out, no social life. Those are all choices you made. Many people go to college and have the opposite experiences that you're describing. For example, almost every single college athlete.
@@mikestryker240 I don't know what you're basing any of that off of, but I'll tell you now that I'm a Computer Science major, so athletics really don't apply to me.
@@GashPlague My point was that the decisions you made are what ultimately caused your struggles. It was based on the remarks that you made such as busy with college, no social life, burnt out. My example with the athletes was to demonstrate that the reasons you described, were more of excuses and choices. Athletes go to school and also have extreme workloads.
@@mikestryker240 Very little of my life was a choice. I needed a well-paying job to live and those jobs are only available to the educated. I understand that there are people who are far more driven than I am and able to do a lot more than me, but that's kind of my point. Drive is not something you can just pull out of your ass. Drive is something that develops when you are able to focus on more than just survival. It's much harder to be ambitious when you're putting in 80 hours a week and just barely scraping by. Morale plays an integral part of mental (and to a larger extent, physical) health. This is something that is very hard to understand if you've never been in that situation.
As someone who has never struggled with obesity, but almost everyone in my immediate family has, I’ve always known this is true. I had a terrible gag reflex growing up, which forced me to eat very slowly and chew thoroughly, and this helped me to not overeat. This, combined with feeling less hungry generally than others in my family, helped me remain thin without really trying. Meanwhile, family members are trying their best and seeing few gains. It’s frustrating for them, and the last thing they need to hear is that they aren’t trying hard enough, when people in their family don’t try at all and are at their ideal weight. You cannot know, just by looking at someone, how hard a person is working to achieve their health goals.
But all that you guys are saying its still basically a choice for 99.9 percent of people. Yes people will have vastly different difficulties doing so, but its still a choice. And to be fair if you look around you majority of the fat people doesnt have that hard of a struggles to do so.
@@alexmichl3137 yea the point is is that it is a choice but is way harder for some people, both who say "its a choice man just dont eat" and "i was born to be fat" are both wrong, answers in the middle
@@kibbylol Yes but the first one is true for 99.9 % of fat people and the other one is true for 0.1%. All you guys are saying and also Jeff is trying to present in a "scientific" can be basically summed up by saying its still choice with different difficulty. But for most people its just that they dont want to change theyre lifestyle.
It is crazy how different hunger can feel. I used to be over-weight with generally a low metabolism and was always hungry. I reached a healthy weight through exercise. But then for a while I was depressed because of very real life issues and I never felt hungry. I felt over-satiated without even eating. I lost 15 pounds in a month with no real change in my behavior besides not liking food. For many people I can imagine it would work the other way. We should always be tender hearted with people. You cannot know them enough to judge.
In the one on one conversations you have to be kind and tender. But when discussing this topic objectivelly we shouldn't deviate from what's factual for the sake of kindness.
@@Ignasimp Telling fat people they aren't lazy sods on a systemic level isnt just being kind for kindness sake. The first step to weight loss in many cases isn't telling yourself you're a fat lazy loser. But rather that you are a good in many ways, and that you deserve to give yourself a healthy life style because of that.
@@Itchy__ "The first step to weight loss in many cases isn't telling yourself you're a fat lazy loser." actually it is. listen to anyone that was fat and their motivation to fix themselves. "I looked in the mirror and was disgusted" is going to be their answer almost every time "I couldn't walk up the stairs without losing breath" etc same way a drug addict must admit that they're addicted to drug before any motivation to quit can start
I’ve been struggling with my weight literally my whole life, failed so many times trying to lose fat, but I have faith that one day I will reach my goal and finally be truly happy. Currently, it’s been 4 months since I started my weight loss journey and it’s going slow because i’m not really exercising... I just got some diet help from Next Level Diet which guided me to reduce my food intake. But if I really want to, I could still eat something without restricting. I already lost 27 pounds and I’m much happier everyday :) Of course, there are times when I fall off but that’s why it’s called a journey. It has ups and downs but as long as you have faith in yourself, all your hard work will pay off ❤
>one day I will reach my goal and finally be truly happy This is never going to happen. Oh, you will reach your goal, alright, it's just the goalpost will move up and up. Just a heads-up, if you're not happy now, you likely won't be later. I wasn't and I went from obese to model lean. It won't help, happiness comes from within.
This adds a lot more humility to the discussion. Growing up, I found it easy to think people were simply out of control with how big some of them got, and I scoffed at their absolute disregard for their own health, but maturing has shone light on many more angles of the topic.
You are wrong. The most provable is that non of the people you saw being obese had any real excuse. They are obese because they are not willing to make the sacrifices that have to be made.
The studies on the Dutch Hunger Winter are also pretty eye-opening. In short, children who were in utero during the famine conditions of winter 1944-45 grew up to be much, much more likely to be obese and suffer diseases such as diabetes compared to their siblings born before or after that period. Their bodies were essentially imprinted into believing they were always in starvation conditions, and impacted both their behaviors (binge eat because you don't know where the next meal is coming from) and their metabolism (store more fat to survive the next famine).
Were there actual genetic differences between the two siblings or was it a function of the cultural response that someone who grew up in a famine might have as opposed to one who didn't?
@@sabirzain5053 Neither of those is the cause: it has to do with epigenetics, where some of the many genes that an organism has get labelled to be expressed, whereas others remain dormant. In other words, while the siblings are genetically similar and grow up in the same environment, the one who was conceived during the Hunger Winter has their obesity-promoting genes 'turned on', whereas the sibling who was conceived in times of plenty has those genes 'turned off' or dormant, even though they are part of their DNA as well. You can look up DNA methylation and acetylation as well as epigenetics if you want to know more about this.
That is talking extremes and Jeff is not targeting extremes. There are many situations where choices are defined by your environment. A child technically cannot control all choices offered to them but, they can once they get out of that environment. Could damage be done that can hinder this in the future, sure but are these people the majority? No. General topics should cover the general audience and not extremes as you can give bad information verily easily.
Excellent video, Jeff! Agree completely. You only have to be a trainer for, like, a month to realise just how different people are in this regard! Or to see the difference that a contraceptive pill or epilepsy medication can make. Or hypothyroidism. Hormones alone can completely throw off an AMR calculation. All of which you mentioned and expertly supported 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I was an overweight kid and my family kept blaming me because I wasn’t exercising enough even though in hindsight I was pretty active. I know now that your weight is a lot about your diet, something kids have zero control over. As an adult, I’ve lost a lot of weight just by having control of my food and wish I could tell my younger self to not blame yourself about your weight.
My mom would plate our food and get mad if we didn't want much. We overate. She has an eating problem. In my early 20's, I dieted exercised and went from 44 waist to 32. She got depressed and bought ice cream every three days because it was on sale and got angry if we didn't eat it. I ballooned back up. I got a job at a fast food place and gained even more weight. Went to the gym and managed the weight better but fast food daily kills weight loss. Now years later, I mostly control the food for the family, I exercise, and jog and I've lost 32 pounds since November. My mom despite being confined to a chair because of obesity related disability is still managing to sabotage my results by ordering pizza every week because she refuses to care.
kids have a lot of control over their diet in the form of overeating, but yes you are right that stupid parents impact their kids lives negatively. nevertheless, as an adult with a functioning brain and access to the internet, each spare lb of fat on your body is your own choice to keep it on there. people writing 'choices are hard'... yeah no shit, the right choice for a lot of things is hard. its still a choice that millions of other people made before you with your same conditions, so make it. or dont i get he made this video to appeal to the avg fat person on YT and grow his channel, but a choice is a choice.
Pretty sure I gained 5 lbs from finally moving out. Better quality food I could buy and I could eat whenever. My mom didn't make too much food, just enough. And it's not like I had a choice in what I ate living in the country. Almost possible to get employed without moving out, but I was going to school at the time, and no grocery stores nearby if I did have money.
Excellent video, Jeff. As a former obese person I am often too hard on obese folk. Thank you for reminding me my own experience doesn't qualify me to judge how hard others have it.
Dont use this video as an excuse to stay obese though. The simple science of eating less junk, working out, and getting sleep in, will work for almost everyone. eg. Calories in vs Calories out
I was obese from 6-28 years old and always thought that was simply the cards I was dealt. Managed to get to "normal" BF% levels in a year and kept there since (with some small cuts among the way). Yes, I had to make MAJOR lifestyle changes, I will have to be "calorie conscious" for the rest of my life and will never be Instagram shredded, but it is possible to fight all these factors (which certainly exists) to stay in a "normal" BF range.
the statement that "obesity isn't a choice" doesn't really mean that if you're fat then you're simply screwed. It's just that people who judge those who are overweight or label them as lazy or weak willed are being incredibly reductive and uninformed
I feel your pain I’m the same way. It’s hard to watch all your peers eat and drink whatever they want whenever they want while you have to be very conscious on what decisions you make.
@@MetalliCxZero I personally think it simply means that people consume more calories than they burn. I wouldn't judge someone negatively in that regard. However, we cannot deny that obesity is a consequence of those actions (be it intentional or not). Sure, there are factors as to why some folk are hungrier than others, may take longer to lose weight, etc.
As a doctor, especially as a neurological recovery doctor, I can just congratulate you for this absolutely wonderful video. I couldn’t say it better. This video should be presented at schools.
This video is best not shown at all to anyone who wants to make a change. It basically tells people that their progress is determined by their genetics and their own will has no effect as losing weight (obesity) is not a choice. It essentially is a science-backed black pill.
This is massively important. I am just coming out of a 6 year period where I drank 4-6 dark beers per day (my preferred brew has 256 calories per 12 oz, and I didn't learn this until about 6 months ago) and I would eat an entire family sized pizza 2-3 times a week at night. I walk about 10,000 steps a day but no other real regular exercise beyond normal office work and some core exercises a few times a week to prevent back injury. I gained 85lb. I'm 6'4" with a large frame size and high lean mass. Every partner I've ever had says I feel like sleeping next to a furnace. After tracking my intake/supposed caloric needs for 8 months and extrapolating those back, on a calories in/calories out level I should weigh at least 140lb more than I do. I quit drinking 6 weeks ago and I'm down 15lb. I find that alcohol destroys my ability to tell if I'm hungry and I mindlessly eat and drink more. Anyone who doesn't have empathy for people who have unique struggles with weight and doesn't understand decision fatigue and the power/privilege of education. Find that one thing in your life you can't seem to gain control over. Organization? Time management? Being a better driver? Now imagine that was weight management and integral to your well being.
Well said. I think too many people view weight loss like a math problem when it's far more than that. The main thing is that a person deserves respect no matter what weight they are. To be dismissive of the reasons behind their weight gain and to treat them like petulant children or voracious monsters because they haven't figured out a weight loss plan that works says more about you than them.
@@GashPlaguewhile I agree that we need to be kind, we do not have to ignore that choices are being made. Decision fatigue playing a role means there must be a decision within the mire of feelings. Also, taking someone’s responsibility away, takes away what power they do have over the situation, for how can they change it if they did not cause it? Instead, I offer we should not call someone a bad person or judge someone to be, simply by their apparent weight, whether large or small. Rather, specify that the behaviors leading them to an unhealthy situation are. Meaning, do assume that they aren’t doing work to improve their situation or that they aren’t aware of it.
The most important part is the encouragement. If an obese person makes the decision to change for the betterment of their own health, they're already likely facing an enormous amount of challenge from their own body and psychology alone. If we truly want to consider ourselves fitness-minded people, we should be applauding their every effort and positive choice, understanding of their relapses, and accepting of them into our fitness communities.
Exactly. If you're making fitness content with the intent to genuinely educate and help overweight people, kindness, compassion, and acknowledgement of varying degrees of burden is a huge step in creating a welcoming environment. That's why "obesity is just laziness" is not "much needed tough love"-no one wants to watch content that makes them feel worse about themselves than they already do.
There is also the mental element - I didn't realize I was a stress eater before I didn't move in on my own and my stress levels decreased and suddenly I didn't have those giant cravings anymore, but opted to eat what was in the fridge instead of ordering take away, to use as comfort/ soothing tool for the evening. Great video as always, Jeff!
Exactly - I've had many similar moments. I thought most of my early adulthood that binge eating is just "part of who I am" and that other people who don't overeat just have more self-control than I do. Once I started to eat regular meals (regarding whether I felt hungry or not) my need to binge dissappeared almost completely. Realising this one thing has contributed the most to me losing weight and managing a healthier weight over time. Sometimes we're just not aware of what is shaping our eating behaviours.
The interesting thing is that Im the complete opposite- if im having a stressfull day I eat very little, sometimes a bread is enough. Just shows the different coping Mechanisms
@@Asoftenkameshee especially when learned from a very young age. You can unlearn habits you established during the first three years of your life (It´s not easy).
I've been struggling to not preach this stuff to my family when it's multiple factors contributing to their obesity. Thanks for reminding me to be more compassionate and aiming to point them in the right direction. I just wish they asked me more often instead of being complacent.
obesity is a choice bro to say it’s not means if we look at mass murders who almost all the time have external factors that contribute to them killing are we going to ask is murder a choice? because we know it is 🤦🏾♂️
@@tohhhype2043 murder inherently requires a choice to commit, regardless of outside factors. Obesity doesn't *always* require a choice, so it's a bit different. There are tons of medical factors that contribute to obesity that aren't always due to a purposeful choice. Most of the time obesity is more or less a choice. But not every time like murder. Super slow metabolism, thyroid issues, severe injury, allergies to certain foods, etc. One example is one of my friends from the Marine Corps has ALS that developed when he was in his mid 20s. He's obese now, and it had absolutely no choice involved.
@@tohhhype2043 the age someone becomes obese is also a large factor. I became obese at age 11 when I tried to lose weight after the doctor told me I was overweight. I have a friend who became obese at age 22 because he thought it would be fun. The argument for murder isn't a good one and is also fucking stupid. A better one would be involuntary manslaughter which is the act of accidentally killing someone versus murder which is intentionally killing someone.
Obesity is not a choice but a series of choices everyday all year. That is the problem. Once you're in it, it is very hard to get out precisely because you need to decide to get out every single time. It is sort of like studying a subject you don't like (lets say math). It is easy to decide to start studying (and even then it often is not), but it is very hard to keep deciding to continue studying. Because you will have that decision every 5mins you keep reading and it is "easy" to stop.
It's probably fair to say that everyone can make the choice not to be obese. But for some people that's just a really damn hard choice that requires a ton of work. For other's they practically couldn't get obese if they wanted to. It's a "choice" for both people. But that doesn't mean it's the same choice for everyone.
It makes more sense to say that becoming obese is not a choice, but remaining obese could be (albeit difficult one). It's like saying a smoker made the choice to have cancer, it's semantics. Most of these things are just probabilities not conscious decisions. The smoker doesn't choose to have cancer, but can possibly choose not to go on chemotherapy
I think of it as someone who was born financially privileged and someone who wasn’t. While they can both become wealthy, the person with the better circumstances has a head start. Someone born into a home with the privilege of good genetics, established healthy eating habits passed on by their parents, disposable time for working out will have it easier to maintain a healthy weight vs someone who had the opposite. Although just like you wouldn’t glorify someone living in poverty, but hope they find the resources and opportunities to better themselves, one should also hope obese people are advocated for to access healthy, affordable food, education and creating a more stress-free environment to get them at a healthy weight vs this whole fat acceptance movement that is going on.
This is basically muddling the issue. In this sense nothing is *really* your choice, because you are influenced by your genetics and your environment. But that's all that this is: different life choices have different difficulty levels for different people of different circumstances. This is self-evident, but it doesn't weaken the case of personal choice in the slightest, because at the end of the day everyone has the ability to eat less than they do. If you muddle this issue by saying "but there's a difference in the willpower required to do so, so it's not a REAL choice", then nothing in the world is in your control and you're perpetually a victim of circumstances. Terrible advice from a fitness influencer.
@@alexf7797 Thank you, great observation. I love Jeff's videos, think he is very informative and well researched, but this one is absolute bull... It is 100% a choice.
@@alexf7797 Everyone IS victim of circumstance. That's reality. Humans are predictable and society is deterministic. You can predict an infant's outcome in life just by their zipcode with scary accuracy. You can predict someone's probabilities of finding a mate just from their facial structure. Life is just numbers and stats. This video isn't advice, its analyzing a widespread issue. For example if I were to give you personal advice on how make it out of poverty, it's going to sound totally different (maybe even completely contradictory) to how one should structure our society to ameliorate poverty. For example "you should stop wasteful spending and set aside some money for a retirement fund" vs "we should improve schools and help increase wages" One is changing variables across broader society, while the other is just for the individual. You cannot replace one with the other, you need both.
Thanks for this video. Some great information. 1 year ago, I was 560lbs. It has taken so much work to get down to my current weight of 415lbs. I have a lot more to go but understanding these other factors helps a lot.
My brother suffers from a severe learning disability and has been obese since he was a teenager. I honestly consume more food than him these days and I am a healthy weight and always have been - he weighs 80lbs more than I do. He doesn't have capacity to understand things like food choices but my parents generally try to manage his portions etc. I sometimes can't understand how he doesn't weigh less as when I calculate his caloric needs for maintenance I'm fairly certain he isn't hitting it. It is easy for someone who has never struggled with food or their weight or mental health to say "it's a choice". I thought this video was fantastic, well balanced and presented and I loved the compassion that came across. Great job Jeff!
Wishing you and your family all the best! Some genetically-linked disabilities are associated with an altered metabolism--maybe this is the case for your brother? For example, due to genetic changes on chromosome 21, individuals with Down syndrome often have lower resting metabolic rates than expected for their height/weight.
@@redacted7058 hey no he doesn't have downs syndrome but is severely autistic and has limited understanding. Even though he goes for walks most days he is otherwise very sedentary and also his autistic traits mean he rushes to finish his meals or snacks so likely isn't in touch with his fullness cues so those may be factors. I do also think genetically he is more prone to put on weight and has a naturally slower metabolism. I just think it can be easy for people to judge without understanding the full picture! Thank you for replying 😊
Sounds terrible and i feel for you. But the extra weight is coming from somewhere, and the body doesnt just create and store energy (fat), goes against laws of psychics.
@@zaferoph no it doesnt, just because it's your responsibility doesn't mean you are on your own. Get help there's plenty if you want, but you are the only one who can start the process, specialists will help you but it's not their responsibility, it's yours.
@@HarderBetter I understand that you're not actually familiar with how severe these conditions can be and often are but please don't talk about things you don't know anything about. The amount of free time, money and effort required to handle some of these issues is far more than what you can comprehend it seems. Unhealthy food is cheaper per meal relative to the time it takes to make. Medicine is expensive in many countries too. And on top of that you need regular contact with a doctor regarding your medication and a dietitian regarding your food up until the point that both are in balance without any issues. That alone takes a long time.
@@zaferoph This isn't relevant to the subject. None of this absolves anyone of their personal responsibility. If you don't take care of yourself, no one else will. Change always begins with the person facing the issue, regardless of the difficulty. You can either sit back and lament the cost of treatment or the complexity of the process, or you can take action-even if it's just seeking help. I refrain from judging those who are obese because life is complex and unfair. I don't blame people for their obesity; I'm simply saying that regardless of the circumstances that led us to a difficult situation, the responsibility to act is ours.
Yeah like the time he was talking about how „ safe „ the vaccine is right ? Now that tens of thousands of people have heart problems he simply pulled the good old „ my statements were true at the time „
"Is X a choice?" is more of a "push" question. It's not usually asked by people seeking an answer, but by people who want to shape how you think. You do a great job here of addressing the question as though it were an honest inquiry, seeking an honest answer. Even setting aside the research, your objective, but not uncompassionate, tone communicates really well. Hell of a skill.
I realised that I'm genetically blessed in the metabolism side, my physique genetics are average but this video helped me understand how I was able to eat so much without gaining much weight. For people that are struggling to loss weight they have my complete respect, for lots of people is really hard as Jeff have pointed out
The first study shows me that heavy outliers exist but also that most people are somewhat similar. The issue I have with the metabolism explanation is that many people use it as a default excuse, for themselves or for others. The amount of people that have said that they cant gain or lose weight because of genetics does not track with the amount of people that are at the far ends of the spectrum. The majority of people are within the 15-20 lbs range, which to me is not really that much over 3 months. Issue because this applied to me as well. For so long I believed the people that told that I just have a fast metabolism, not much I can do about it. Then I started to track what I eat and eat consistently more and within 2 months I reached my desired weight. Turned out I just didnt eat all that much.
@@HadenBlake I don’t go out of my way to shame fat people, but I do have a problem with people who encourage others to stay fat just cause they refuse to partake in a healthy lifestyle. As for the economic issue, I think govt needs to do a better job at regulating what gets put into our food supply and not just cater to whatever helps corporations make a fat profit (no pun intended).
@@HadenBlake glad you understand bro. And yes, the obesity epidemic is not just a personal issue but a societal one. The least people can do is not promote it into our culture through stuff like “fat acceptance” and at least encourage people to make better choices. I hope you succeed in your fat loss journey bro, don’t let extreme ideologies or internet hustlers discourage you from your goals 👍
@@HadenBlake ay bro no shame in progress. Progress is progress even if you only lose a few grams and not kilograms I'm glad you started the journey and I really want you to reach your goals. Remember don't do this because you want to look a certain way for society to accept you for how you look, do it for yourself to enjoy a healthy life and as you say enjoy your kids and remember too IS A JOURNEY NOT A RACE!.
It's really impressive that you film right and edit these episodes all by yourself while staying in such good shape. Hats off to you man and thank you for giving me the knowledge that I need to keep going.
Well I guess he´s doing It Full Time, so its not really that hard and he grew with It over the years. I won´t say its not a hell of a work ethic I´m just saying once you quit netflix and or YT everyone can build his hobbies or business. And jeff is the best example for that
This video is such a breath of fresh compared to the attitude that some other fitness influencers take in this space... thanks for the fantastic, science based videos!
Jeff, thanks for this video. As a physician who frequently has this argument with folks online and in person, it's refreshing to hear a respected fitness influencer hit the nail on the head with this incredibly complex question.
Jeff, I love ya. During last two years I lost about 40kg. Went from morbid obese (124kg) to normal weight (85kg). Your "smartest ways to get lean" video helped A LOT. But I've always strugled to explain why people shouldn't just laugh at fat people. You've just done that for me. You named every single problem overweight people face in their life. I've been there. For 30 years. This is spot on. Also I'd add that vicious cycle when depression leads to comfort eating, that leads to weight gain, that leads to depression.
Good on you for finally choosing to lose weight. Somehow, i doubt that thinking you're doomed by your genetics and having no choice would lead to any productive outcome in the end.
@@Pedro_Le_Chef I love how jeff can make a well thought out and nuanced video on a difficult topic and so many people still manage to completely misunderstand it.
I feel like environmental factors are hugely downplayed and always last in these type of videos. In my opinion, it's a greater driving force than biology (as demonstrated by disparity in obesity rates in developed countries, which is not explained solely by genetics since immigrants tend to adopt the same rate of obesity as the host country). Here are some additional considerations in addition to those in the video: Zip code: Many people of low SES live in food deserts where there are no grocery stores for miles and miles, making it harder to buy nutritionally balanced food. If you live in a poor neighborhood, many schools severely lack funding to provide proper nutrition physical education programs. How many schools run proper affordable cafeterias with tasty healthy foods, and not just serve up pizza and fries? Can they afford to run sports teams or have equipment for people to exercise? How do you go for a run if you don't have access to a gym or your neighborhood has no parks? Maybe it's dangerous to exercise outside because it's not safe. Education: With schools no longer teaching home economics, many people don't have the knowledge to interpret nutrition labels and cook healthy foods! Someone could be eating 1900 calories, but if they are severely deficient in a key nutrient, they will end up driving up their hunger response and keep eating. Countries like Japan that teach balanced diets at an early age show drastically lower rates of obesity! Psychology and conditioning: we are taught to finish our plate and not waste food while combining ridiculous portion sizes. it's been shown that people will tend to just finish their plate not realizing they are eating more. Compound that with astronomical portion size and it's very easy to make people gain weight. Many psychological studies show that hunger suppression depends more on habit and psychological factors than actual physical satiety signals. A study gave people with short term memory loss a meal and then waited for them to forget, and gave them a meal again, over and over. They kept eating and eating until their stomach distension got so uncomfortable they had to stop and that was the only predictor of when the subject would stop eating. So clearly, hormonal signals of satiety aren't strong enough to override psychological conditioning. Vicious cycle: How do you eat properly if all of the above compounds into parents unable to have time or afford quality food to cook for their children, end up buying bags of chips or a fast food burger to feed their kids? Their kids end up with metabolic issues and the starting point when they can control what they can eat is at obesity. Then they have to learn how to lose weight, while not losing dangerous amounts of protein, and be able to afford proper nutritionists and workout locations. To top it off, there will be a host of medical issues in the family due to poor diet, leading to huge medical bills, and the cycle starts again. Poverty is extremely expensive and the ability to control what you eat and how much you exercise is a lot harder for some people than just walking to your nearest grocery store and going for a run. If we want to end the obesity epidemic, start with properly funding schools, invest in proper infrastructure in poor neighborhoods and give people the resources to be able to choose without giant hurdles in their way.
Very well said. As someone whose family is of low SES, I can speak to these truths a lot. I was in the midst of gaining weight right after high school but as soon as I left to college, losing weight and being healthy was substantially easier. It is tough to be healthy and make the right decisions when the system is constantly working against you.
Yes, I agree. The only reason I put biological factors first is because they are more in line with the focus of my channel and the interest of my viewers (fitness and science stuff). Also, because the environmental factors carry more political baggage, they are harder to use as an entry point into this topic for viewers who come with heavy pre-existing political bias.
Schools are incredibly "well funded", politicians have been throwing money at schools to solve problems for a long time. That's not really the problem. You could run far better schools for half the price. But you are right to point out that the schools could be run far better.
NEAT is to some extent a matter of choice. Once I learned about the benefits of fidgeting, I made a conscious effort to do more of it when I’m alone. There’s considerable social pressure from childhood on to suppress fidgeting. I don’t recall much of this, so perhaps my baseline propensity to fidget is below average. It’s actually kinda fun to fidget and do “chair squats” while sitting, and to pace during phone calls intentionally.
@Grand Slamwich It's very simple, I concern myself with data and critical thinking, not with narratives that are spread and influence people to think certain ways unthinkingly.
Over the last 10 months, I went from 230 pounds to 165 at 6 foot flat. Whenever people ask how I did it I usually find myself saying something along the lines of eat less and move more. 10k steps a day not only increases the amount of calories you can eat in a day, but also offers a plethora of other health benefits. At the end of the day, discipline is key, and it's simply about being good more often than not.
@@cnlevan you consumed more calories than your body needed despite your health status. It’s that simple. If you had eaten less you would’ve lost weight. Respectfully, thermodynamics is not fake.
@@thepowerliftinginvestor8490 yes it is that simple in terms of the mathematics. However, achieving this caloric deficit may be more difficult for some than others due to individual factors that Jeff explained, as well as the two examples right here
so, on the one hand, there were no obese people at auchwitz. not for every long at least. so sure, there are some known easy ways to lose weight. eat less and just do more work. it is a simple, simple math problem. the problem is, it is a very, terrible way to live. no one sticks with that life style because it is a terrible way to live. if you paid someone like nicotrel to live with you, and forced you to lose weight (eating almost 0 food, and attacked you so you kept moving), you would lose weight. it would just be a terrible way to live though. so it's not really that we need more science to prove "eat less move more" per say (unless we just want more creative ways to accomplish this). i think the value add is to figure out why "it's so hard for obese people" to try and live that way. so, is eating less harder for obese people, or do they just complain more? do they suffer more?
@@cnlevan the difficult way i've learned to say it in my life, :there were no fat people in the concentration camps. if you are doing work, and eating a reasonable amount of food, then you can always work more and eat less, and then you will lose weight". it will not be enjoyable, but it will work. and i say this as someone who badly, badly, badly needs to take this advice. it sounds like a simple math problem, but it s a terrible, psychological problem. failing and eating more food just covers up the psychological problem.
I've lost 60 pounds and I really wish people understood everything in this video. I was depressed my whole adult life; calculating every bite I took wasn't a priority. I could hardly get out of bed let alone excersize and cook a healthy meal. I have finally began to recover and am very close to my goal weight. It took over a year to get this far and it was not easy. I have the utmost sympathy for people like me who struggle to lose weight. People who've never been overweight don't seem to understand that it's not fixable overnight. Just because I'm overweight right now does not mean I'm not doing everything right to fix it.
@@TB-dz6zl If nobody thinks that, then it's weird how many people will say "why don't you just lose weight" in response to any weight related problem. Yeah, I am losing weight, but that doesn't make it easier to find clothing in the meantime.
@TB-dz6zl The average dress size in the US is 14. At my biggest I was a 16. I'm a 10 now. Any brand refusing to make clothes for people my size or larger is ignoring over half of their potential customers just because they don't like how their clothes would look on us. It's elitism, not concern for our health or justified punishment for gluttony. They are leaving money on the table just to tell the average person to stay home until they're thin enough for clothes. If every overweight person started losing weight tomorrow, there would still be a need for clothing beyond XS,S, and M
@TB-dz6zl nothing you're is contrary to anything I'm saying. You're right we shouldn't have such a high average but that's the reality and it's not gonna change overnight no matter how often companies and brands try to shame people out of their products. That is the point you're not getting. Failing to make clothing for overweight people doesn't prevent obesity it just leaves obese people uncomfortable living their lives. Which does not help the obesity issue. Any time it's suggested that any sort of accommodation be made for obese people, everyone jumps out of the woodwork to say that people shouldn't be obese enough to need it. Yeah you caught me. I shouldn't need size 10 jeans and I shouldn't have needed size 16 jeans but being unable to buy jeans didn't help me lose weight any faster it just annoyed me in the meantime. No need to kick obese people while we're down and make our lives harder when we're just trying to get by.
@TB-dz6zl ah so you genuinely believe fat people should wear nothing but sweatpants and oversized T shirts until they are "thin enough". You should have just said you don't see fat people as human at the beginning.
Another thing to consider is how much energy you expend at your job. Yesterday I found out about apple health tracking my steps and you can definitely see a huge difference in my steps for different periods in my life. As a college student, I had an average of around 7,000 steps a day, during the start of the pandemic I had around 2,000, and now, since I work at a grocery store, I take an average of 14,000 steps daily. I also have to lift heavy things frequently for my job. Since we all spend a lot of time at work, I think it’s definitely something to be considered. For me, if I decided “let me try to get 10,000 steps a day” I would have to make literally no lifestyle changes. Meanwhile, for maybe an office worker, they would have to allocate more of their free time.
Yes, and there other elements to it, like how far you communite to work. I had time for exercise in the morning before I started this job an hour and a half away. I am not saying it's impossible to wake up half an hour earlier 2-3 times a week, and maybe do some more in the weekend but it's way more inconvenient.
@@MsMinoula and then you'd be cutting into your necessary sleep, or cutting into time for your hobbies, and neither of these make it easy to make better choices about food.
He's just catering to the fat masses. An obese person can still lose weight, if they choose to put the fork down and put in the work, regardless of all the factors mentioned in the video. It's hard for anybody to lose weight? Yes. Is it harder for some individuals to lose weight? Yes, but it's still possible for them to be and stay in a caloric deficit IF THEY HAVE THE WILLPOWER AND DISCIPLINE TO WORKOUT AND EAT LESS.
@@MedAb8 he literally said it’s possible for some but much harder for others. There are many factors that go into weight loss and that’s what the whole video is about. It’s much more complex than just willpower. For instance, to stay in a calorie deficit and feel “full” it’s helpful to eat a lot of nutrient dense foods that are more filling. These foods are more expensive. He is not catering to the obese population, he is helping others realize that fat loss is a long journey and some people have more obstacles than others.
@@laurenelias6763 since it is possible (although hard) for anyone, as you've just said, and since there are still too many obese people in the world despite the fact it was possible for them to stay in shape (although hard). We can safely assume they lacked the knowledge, the willpower, and the discipline to stick to a healthy lifestyle to keep fit. Yes, it could be harder for some individuals and LESS HARD for others. But if they CHOSE to fight their desires and urges and STUCK to a healthy diet and regular exercise, they wouldn't have become that fat.
Lots and lots of choices. Some have much more difficult choices than others for factors based on hunger response and natural tendencies to move more. But it should be encouraging that everyone can empower themselves to change if they want to. The same is true for very thin people wanting to change
I'm so thankful that you took the time to put this together. In our world the total disregard and shame obese people have to endure as their own exclusive shortcomings is nothing short than cruelty. I've personally experienced that pressure beginning at the earliest memories of my childhood where I was given celery at birthday parties instead of the celebration cake piece, the daily constant bullying from the obnoxious comments to the straightup physical and sexual abuse by my school frenemies and the constant medical shaming and trips to the nutritionist office depriving my siblings of every food related pleasures thus marginalizing me in my own home. Now, a full decade into therapy I know and accept that I'll always be in remission and at risk for an eating disorder and body dysmorphia. Just like we wouldn't shame a schizophrenic patient for taking medication for their condition, obesity should absolutely be addressed thru this multiaxial analytical lense including some pharmaceutical help. The trouble is most obviously to treat the underlying issues first like the psychological trauma then to re-educate and reframe the cognitive frameset towards self-compassionate discourse to enable stable healthy holistic approach to lifestyle rather than full on shame driven radical diets followed by binge sessions.
This is an incredibly well put-together video that really highlights the multiple factors leading to obesity. The fitness community can be quite toxic occasionally through relentlessly blaming and shaming people who are overweight without a fundamental understanding of metabolic activity. As a doctor, it's important to attempt to underline all of the issues a person may be experiencing when it comes to gaining/losing weight. In addition to your point about differences in hunger/satiety - this is mediated hormonally by a number of compounds, mainly ghrelin and leptin. When your body moves away from homeostasis (or your base weight), your body will do whatever it can to get back to 'normal', i.e. decreasing your leptin levels, making you generally hungrier all the time. Unless you are able to resist the urge to eat calorie-dense foods forever, you're more than likely to regain your calorie surplus and gain weight. This is one of the reasons that so many people who lose a lot of weight initially tend to return back to where they started.
Bullshit. You can eat calorie dense foods and not be fat even with a slow metabolism.(which I do and I have) People who are obese have an over eating and bad food choice addiction. I know all about addiction because I used to have both of those and several other addictions. The day you stop blaming everything else and take responsibility for your own decisions is the day you make long term progress. And to debunk the other dumb shit you said about people's homeostasis weight(I can't believe YOU'RE a doctor and don't know this) That doesn't last very long. If you lose the weight then stay at maintenance calories for about 3 months, all of that goes away. I know because I've done it from 235 all fat no muscle, to 215 some fat some muscle, to 195 low fat mostly muscle. The thing is you can't diet off 100lbs then eat whatever you want anytime you're "hungry" and then expect it to stay off. Yes you will be hungry but if you stay at maintenance that will go away.
@@Mikaeel84 It's wild to me how people like you don't seem to understand the difference between an explanation and an excuse, and then use you personal anecdotal experience to try and undermine well observed and scientifically documented facts. The way people like you take personal offense at the idea that someone else might struggle to repeat your success, it says a lot more about you than the people you're criticizing.
@@jeffjeff376 I struggled like crazy to reach my success and I still am but it all comes down to what you want more. Would you rather look good and be healthy but not eat what you want when you want or the other way around. Both are hard in different ways.
@@Mikaeel84 The fact that you struggled for your success doesn't give you the right to be weirdly resentful and judgmental of other people who are struggling and may find comfort in understanding the explanations for *why* they're struggling. Beyond comfort, explanations like those provided by Nippard and the MD you were insulting, also help to identify solutions and to remove shame from the whole process. Shame is psychological poison, more likely to cause people to fall into counter-productive self hatred than to create positive change. When you paint a simplistic and non-scientific view that dismisses all these explanations for why some people struggle more than others, when you imply that it only comes down to willpower and self control, you are judging and shaming those people who may be struggling for reasons that most people don't.
@@jeffjeff376 it does come down to will power and self control. Some just need to try harder than others. In my experience people make excuses for why they are fat because somebody told them they are a special snow flake instead of doing what needs to be done. Positive change usually comes from necessity not coddling. You feel bad so therefore you do what you need to feel good. When someone doesn't feel bad for being fat they think it's ok and that people aren't disgusted by them when they really are. It's called enabling. Like people who are addicted to pain pills then they are told they have a genetic predisposition to being an addict. I've known multiple drug addicts and all that does is enable them. They use it as an excuse for why they aren't clean instead of admitting they just aren't willing to go through the pain of detox and resisting drugs so they can feel better. We haven't survived thousands of years by coddling. It was the strongest survive. 1000 years ago your bitch ass would be dead. Unfortunately that's not the case anymore.
As always, amazingly put together. I do fitness for 5 years. Now in late 30's. Try to implement scientific approach. Live in Ukraine. With the beginning of war and kicking in depression, I jacked up my training routine to counterbalance negative factors. However found myself struggling to loose any fat while reducing overall calories consumption (just saying, not the biggest problem people have here). Sleep quality is also often an overlooked factor. Overall health (and wealth) is always an underlining condition for any sport or fitness. On the other hand none should ever wait environment to improve to start doing fitness. Even when you are not reaching your goals difference between sincere attempt and accepting defeat is massive.
I think it has something to do with ego, too. If i'm lean and they're fat, i'm doing something right and they're doing something wrong,and so i'm better than them at something in some way, in an area that's important to me.
@@herculesbrofister265 they are at health risk because of their obesity while you are not because you are no obese, you are objectively doing better than them in that case
@@Simon-talks that's not what he said, and tbf he probably didn't even say the correct phrase either, which is: "if you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough". But Einstein gets credited with saying a ton of phrases all the time, and I doubt he said ALL of them, he was a physicist, not a philosopher.
1:11 They were not in 1000 calories surplus if their metabolism burned more. That's not how this works. 1000 caloric surplus means that one person might have to eat 3200 calories while another 4000 calories. If your resting metabolism burns more then you need more calories its simple as that. Is that huge difference a genetics component or rather a difference between muscularity?
I've been working really hard on my weight loss by making better choices and exercising more, I did lose all the weight about ten years ago (kept it off for about 6 months) and then I packed it all back on. Thankyou for making a video that doesn't enable bad choices, but also shows compassion. I go to the gym at like 2am in the morning as people are so judgemental and rude towards me when I'm at the gym, lifting weights and doing my cardio days. I carry all my weight around my gut and I'm quite slim everywhere else so i get I look odd, but considering how hard I work and try everyday it's quite hurtful. I've been addressing so many different things about food and it's incredibly difficult, so for a super fit person like yourself to encourage people to not right someone off as a fat greedy pig and look at all the factors, was honestly super healing to read for me. My mother is a sloth, overeats and doesn't try to lose weight ever, and I try to eat less, and work out and we're both judged for being 'fat pigs', I'm going to keep working at all my issues with food and self control and I've made massive strides for my own personal journey, even if nobody else can see it yet. The first time I lost all the weight, it was due to a wonderful PT who would literally kick people out of the gym if they were rude to anyone overweight/ out of shape in his gym. He treated me like a human being, and he was kind to me, and it was almost a familial relationship like a kind older brother. That was the first time I was ever treated properly despite being big and I will forever be thankful to him as he really inspired change, and this dude was JACKED. Yes I packed it all back on over time, but I started to address my issues and make small incremental changes for the better more and more. I no longer eat a stupid amount daily, and I work out 2- 3 times a week now, and I'm adding more effort as my body adjusts to the routine. I don't want obesity to be enabled like it is currently, I just want the human being to be seen and those of us 'fatties' that are actively trying to change be treated with dignity and respect even though we might look like the 'lazy fat pig' ones still, for now. I'll send you some progress photos down the line bro, but seriously thankyou for this video.
That is so sad reading what you saying. No people deserve being hated for they bodyfat, especially those one who wanna change. It's shame that those people were shaming you like you are something bad, while their behavior to the other people should be ashamed by itself. I hope you will continue this path to become more healthy and beautiful person and will not allow these dark days darken your heart.
No one should be judged for being overweight in a gym. Sounds like a bad gym. There are lots of overweight people at my gym and I always admire and respect their efforts and so does everyone else. What caused you to gain all the weight back? I would push myself harder if I was you. 2-3 days is fuck all. Try 5 days a week, weights and 30 mins cardio. Thats what I do and eat lots of meat, veggies and eggs and ive lost 5.5kg in 6 weeks. Sorry you've been treated that way but if you grind harder you will lose weight. Youve done it before
As an Obese lifer about 2 years ago I chose to believe it was a “Switch” and decided to hit it. This worked for me and today I am 104 pounds lighter and very very active. I have to keep an eye on my macs and stay disciplined with activity but I’m in Obese Recovery. I cheat about 2 or 3 treats a week but with the rest of my days of lean proteins and veggies it doesn’t affect me. So as the ex over 300 pounder I agree so much with all this. But for me I turned it into a switch that I was ready to flip. If your watching this video to make a change in your life keep it up. You can do it.
I really believe that we tend to avoid talking about the spiritual because it's so hard to quantify, or it makes a certain portion of the population uncomfortable, but that is what has been giving me the most power to flip that switch to transform my life from fear of the impossible (or improbable) to becoming anything if I put my mind and body to it. This has nothing to do with God or religion, but everything to do with understanding that in essence our bodies are just slabs of meat on the table without the lifeforce or energy to not only guide, but create and carve out our lives with it. Even recently I learned that no matter our age, we can still find ways to heal and regenerate ourselves without being reliant on meds. I, myself, have lost 90 pounds and have gone from non-athletic all my life to a more athletic lifestyle and build. And it only happened because I was ready to make the change. And throughout all obstacles, setbacks, injuries, and life stresses of loved ones suffering, I was still able to change over time. Kudos to you for making that change!
Congrats @Tatted 1969 . The same happened to me, I am still obese but lost a 100 lbs. If someone else is reading this and you are obese, maybe you are looking at all these factors in the video and thinking yeah I cant stop obesity, maybe you cant completely get to low bmi or bodyfat % but even 5-10 lb reduction just feels better and life gets easier.
Why calling it a cheat? Its just part of your 'diët' , but i would like to call it your lifestyle. I eat chocolate everyday because I LOVE it, doesnt mean im cheating. Just eat the 'bad' foods in moderation.You can fit everything in your diet♥️
Thank you for your considerate take! I have recently lost nearly 25 pounds and am hoping to lose about 55 more, but I've been struggling with weight management for over 20 years due to PCOS, stress, and depression. I developed an eating disorder in my early 20's and have yo-yo'd between extremely restrictive diets and binge eating, in addition to overly strenuous workout regimines that caused me to iniure myself, halting my weight loss entirely. Only after I managed to maintain a healthy diet WITHOUT being overly restrictive of my calories (while still struggling with the impulse to restrict further or using exercise as punishment for eating) have I FINALLY been able to start getting in shape. It's easier now that I've been working at it for months, but it's nowhere near as simple as "eat fewer calories" like so many people on the internet who have never struggled with their weight make it out to be.
Quite simply, there is something so refreshing about your vids and I can't put my finger on it yet. Perhaps it's that lack of hubris or whatever. Easy to listen to, easy to watch, because you have done all the hard work. Although you'd think the topics have been done to death, you revive them with a calm, rational approach that is quite appealing. I was going to comment on your 'few more thoughts' post below, but it looks like you have plenty already. Suffice to say, I think we are born with a hand of cards, learning how to play them (or not) is the only choice. Keep the vids coming. Great stuff.
Love this video. As someone who struggles with weight gain who has successfully lost weight (most of my adult life at 225-245 lbs, lowest at 185 with energy issues and less strength, and currently at 200 feeling my best in terms of cardio, strength and general health), I can say that fat shaming and blaming the individual was wrecked my self esteem and made it harder to lose weight. This is all anecdotal but I think another genetic thing is possibly susceptibility to addiction, as my weight problems were directly correlated to my issues with alcohol. Great video, doesn’t shy away from the fact that obesity can cause issues but we shouldn’t make moral judgements of a person for being overweight.
Some medication approved in the YS and Canada, does address addictive cravings, while the newest ones work on hormones that regulate appetite. It can be worth discussing addicive behaviour a long with medical options and counselling with CBT.
Lol. Maybe we were separated at birth. I fluctuated between 235 and 180 - extremes of either full blown anxiety eating or unhealthy deprivation - until I went to recovery for alcoholism earlier this year. Never realized that I was just bouncing between being addicted to food and being addicted to losing weight as fast as possible until I went to recovery. Now I'm 205 but this time it feels sustainable - Recovery helped me see how I previously didn't consider moderation anywhere - it was completely insane as a concept to my old mindset. Had no clue addiction was driving every facet of my weight battle. And yea - the shame and 'its just a choice' mentality just dug me deeper into a hole. I didn't even know what choice I was or wasn't making because it was buried under so many layers. I bet we aren't the only ones - Thanks for sharing this Kyle!
@@seanbrennan5691 it is your choice. Think of it like this. If genetics is the gun then your lifestyle pulls the trigger. It's like any addiction. Yes you may be more susceptible due to genetics but YES it's always your choice. Unless you're being forced to eat
TBH the weigh scale is the worse propaganda indoctrinated to us to measure physical (and in part mental) health. 2nd worse only to parents who tell us about genetic dispositions to certain conditions (diabetes/high blood pressure) but have the wackest solutions to remedy the problem. I'm floating around 220 which puts me on the slight obese by loose medical standards. Have been weight lifting for the past 8 months while in a body recomp so I've been under a slight caloric deficit for awhile. I have made progress pics and have seen my body fat slowly go away in key areas (also different per person where that hits). I've controlled my cortisol levels as well too as I had left a very stressful job that just compounded my mental health. Things just changed when I reframed what being healthy was from a binary 'fat' equation to addressing all the little issues in my life.
I’m glad you addressed this with poise and honesty, although I would say your analysis still determines it is a series of choices, but some choices may be harder for some than others. Most importantly though, it isn’t something to bully people for but rather guide them in the right direction and encourage them to make the choices they can that will impact their lives positively.
1:51 I don‘t like the fact that you keep saying „this lucky person“ or „these blessed individuals“ burn so much more calories while resting… There are underweight people who need to force themselves to eat 5000 calories a day in order to gain weight. IMO these „lucky“ individuals have it even harder since eating so much is more time consuming and forcing yourself to do sth is harder than simply forgoing something.
having been skinny and having been fat i know which one id like to be stuck as. also, he was referring to someone whose metabolism allowed them a couple hundred more calories per day, which i actually would consider such a person lucky. of course someone who literally cant eat enough to maintain a healthy body weight isnt lucky, but guess what? he wasnt talking about such a person.
I love that you take a very empathetic and scientific approach in your videos. I personally know a lot of fit people and fitness influencers who have little to no understanding of the factors that play a role on anyone's weight and judge people and make assumptions about them without knowing anything about the people they ridicule (sometimes publicly). Your videos are informative, sensitive, and filled with passion for knowledge and growth. You've earned yourself every sub on this channel. Congrats, and keep up the good work bro :)
Over a decade being overweight, battling obesity, begging everyone from doctors to strangers on the internet for help, going to every single source I could find to get more information, this is literally the first time I've heard of "NEAT". Thank you.
Keep searching and digging! The helpful advice is out there!! You can do it but it’s true, we aren’t taught this stuff and given what we need to succeed, we have to go out and find the information for ourselves, and wade through all the ignorant people in the process. You’ve got this! I believe in you
The problem is there is only one solution calories in, calories out, but how you get there is a choose your own adventure that depends on your unique situation. You need to find what works for you, which means whatever you can maintain as a new lifestyle. I am a perimenopausal (read hormonal as a 13 year old) woman and I was starting to have joint issues. I chose to increase activity as that was easier than being super restrictive with food because I knew that I could increase activity but I’d never stick with it if I couldn’t eat what I wanted within reason. (My husband jokes that I exercise so I can eat dessert). Educate yourself on portions, nutrients, and how your unique body system works. Recognize that you can tweak along the way and it doesn’t have to be perfect from the start. Find the one thing you can do right now, that would be so easy to add in (10k steps per day for me). Focus on only doing that for a month. Each month add another thing, increase intensity, start a food log, focus on getting more protein, whatever seems right for your goals. Almost 2 years later, I hit the gym almost every day and have cut back some to protect my knees but also know about how to set my food for the best nutrient diversity and based on activity because I started with one habit and grew it. Don’t expect to do it all at once. It’s too much. Focus on doing a little at a time.
Literally just eat less calories than you burn, and you will lose weight. It's not fun, but it's the truth. Eat less. Exercise more. Lose weight. Done.
Great consciousness-raising work, Jeff. Those in public health know this as a socio-ecological approach to a public health crisis. Inviting compassion is hugely encouraging to see given your platform, regardless of whether there are many takers out there.
I had a very draining job in the past years , I took around 30 kg , that put me in the obese category. I stopped it 2 month ago for another job, I'm already 5 kg down without changing my habits. I just have a better sleep and less stress. Thanks for pointing other factors. The "motivational stuff" you can find in the fitness sphere that "it's your choice you fat trash".
The impact of switching from a high stress job to a low stress one cannot be overstated. I couldn't lose weight until I got my current job, where I have a good boss, a manageable workload, and I'm treated with respect. (Decent salary and good health insurance are also very helpful.) The office culture also highly encouraged us to get up and move around instead of being bound to our desks all day, and that change helped snowball into more overall physical activity. I was in a good enough space mentally to pick up lifting, and got a trainer to make sure I didn't hurt myself. Then I started working from home during the pandemic, and the temptation of office treats was gone, and I had plenty of extra time to cook nutritious meals and squeeze in more exercise throughout the day. The person I am today, 100 lbs lighter, would not be here if I hadn't quit the stressful job that was keeping me obese.
I've been fit all my life, but it's largely down to genetic and environmental factors. I would argue that it's rarely been an active 'choice' of mine (aside from some key factors that you could argue are down to my environment) to be fit, and I can recognise that if I was born under different circumstances, maybe I would be obese rn. I'm glad this video can approach the topic with some nuance.
Thank god! an acutal comment with brain cells amongst all these simpletons "iT's A cHoIcE bRo!", I can tell you from someone who grew up pretty chubby/unathletic most of my childhood. I was never tproperly taught impulse control with eating habits and what not, but around my late teens I started getting into intermittent fasting and bodybuilding and eventually got pretty jacked
Very well done, as usual. Very important topic that deserves to be addressed in this way. Glad you're still doing what you do (including the never-ending and consistent improvement). Respect, homie.
Smart thumbnail change but also, this is the best video on the subject i've seen that actually addresses nuance unlike coach greg. If you've the genes, and built good habits from childhood onward, of course you wont understand why others are obese. A good chunk of the damage IMO happens in people's formative years. Through well meaning ignorance or full on negligence, adults fail kids and dont set good eating and discipline habits. This snowballs down the line and then when you're an adult with other responsibilities and want to make a change, you dont have the tools to do it effectively. Its 100x more impressive for an obese person to hit the gym lightly for a week and cut back on soda than it is for these fitness influencers to break PRs and micromanage their diets. It doesnt absolve personal responsibility but lets not act like its a simple "just eat less" situation.
@JeffNippard Thank you for this video. It's the most balanced and informative video I've seen on the subject, and it hits SO close to home. A follow up video where you go through what steps to take to level the playing field would be very welcome. I am a rarity, being an overweight (BMI of 30) marathon and ultramarathon runner. I struggle every day with trying to stay in a caloric deficit, even when running 20-30 miles a week. Meanwhile, many of my friends do almost no training, eat what they want, including snacks and sugar, binge drink every weekend, and still maintain their slimmer looks. It's insanely annoying.
With few exceptions, It’s years of daily lifestyle decisions that lead us to where we are at. Years of good decisions can lead you to a good place, even if genetics makes it tougher.
@@AustinWeber17 You're missing the point, those who are affected by depression or poverty have a higher risk of becoming obese but neither of those factors lead to obesity on their own, so altough the margin for error is much smaller for them, they could still avoid obesity through their choices.
I have always had to eat less than others and work out hard to maintain a good physique. As I am approaching age 34, I am grateful that I had to work hard when I was younger, because it set me up for a good habits that keep me in great shape to this day. Meanwhile, I watch all those that were naturally skinny in high school struggle with slowed metabolisms from aging. Trying to look at the glass half full!
I really liked this video and I’d like to see more on the environmental factors that incentivize people to gain weight. Having lived for a year in the US, and having become overweight in that period- but lost it back when I got back to Europe, I know for sure the environment does a lot. This environment is also structured by government policies, which play a big role in people’s lives. The difference in policies between, for instance, the US and the Netherlands, where I live, are massive. The normal portions sold are half the size as in the US here. Everything is smaller, starting from supermarkets. Big supermarket chains like Carrefour (a big one in Europe, kinda like Walmart), are prohibited. There are many small supermarkets in cities so that people don’t have to travel to get food- as it is reachable by walking or biking distance. Public transportation is present everywhere and bike paths are incredible. This results in the average person probably biking or walking at least half an hour a day. Urban planning and nutrition policies affect people’s lives a lot. It would be interesting to see a video of yours looking at faulty policies that contribute to keep people overweight or obese - going against scientific recommendations found in academic papers. And btw, thanks for the high quality content, I really like how you make academic results accessible to everyone!
What you say is super interesting. Why those big supermarkets are prohibited? Is it because they would force people to go far their home using more public transport or cars?
@@juliocesarsalazargarcia6872 I would assume it is to maintain the walkable nature of the Netherlands, the government there is very progressive in terms of city planning (at least compared to north america).
I agree! Additionally I think weather needs to be taken into consideration. Having lived in many places I've noticed higher fitness levels in people living in more temperate climates compared to places with lengthy, dark winters. That being said the temperate places I lived in also had wealthier people overall than the places with harsh winters.
I can tell ya, during my years of depression and stress, that stuff sneaks up on ya. I didn't even notice I was fat until a year after getting there. It was weird, but when I noticed, I became more sad. Haha. Thankfully, I'm no longer, but it's been an experience. Took me 7 years to make an actual attempt for consistency and learning before finally just starting. Lol. But I chose it, unwittingly or not.
@Vanessa well its a choice then,and an easy choice since you are having mental problem,but still a conscious choice (not a drunk choice),so all the blame is still on you,almost no one in this video comment section use their brain,telling facts doesnt mean telling anything that sounds "emphatic",people are too emotional,im a fat guy who is depressed for years,i was beaten up by a bunch of people in high school (probably 10 or even more),but i admitted its still a choice for me,no matter how depressed you are, depression doesnt make you eat something automatically,you make the choice because that is what is easy for you,depression is not the same thing as alcohol addiction,its not the same thing as men looking at women who use immodest clothing,we have almost no control over that,but obesity is there because its an easy choice,no evidence depression makes you eat things automatically,you want to eat food,and then you search food and did it
I know I'm years late but thanks for this, Jeff. I try and be an empathetic, morally conscious, non-judgmental person but had noticed myself becoming noticeably more judgmental towards obese people since getting into shape. I recognized it as rude and something I needed to work on but didn't have a good lens to attack those biases through. This was the fact-based, empathetic, conscientious explanation I needed to have the tools to really start tackling those judgments so I can be kinder to the people around me. Truly, for everything but especially for this, thanks man
I've finally started losing weight after I worked through my childhood trauma and complex PTSD(even tho I was a professional athlete and exercised). Now as I am in EMDR therapy my weight is going down, my apetite is not messed up anymore, I am not binge eating, very reduced hunger. It is very important to start healing you mind and soul before body.
I’ve went from 166 pounds to 138 pounds at 5’7 this year starting at the end of January. I figured I wanted to be leaner than I went into college as (The freshman 15 is no joke ) and at first I made no changes other than omad . That became unsustainable after I hit 155 then I realized the benefits of walking. I live in the south so it’s always hot so I decided to just walk indoors whenever I had the chance. Days where I stayed in my dorm all day I decided to walk back and forth while watching tv to get my steps in averaging about 16k steps a day sometimes more. I still do get my steps in and I can eat way more than I previously did and maintain my new weight easily. Though I did start paying more attention to macros and doing resistance training around the 155 mark I still could’ve did it with steps alone
@@AislingDonohoe Rix Zin wanted to share their weightloss journey from a BMI of 26 (tecnically slightly overweight) to a lean build with an estimated 21,6 BMI, and they are free to do so. No one asked for your input ! BTW great work Rix Zin! :)
@@Trixu thank you , I didn’t lose as much as a long of people but it felt real hard at times so I understand and feel for people suffering from obesity
Jeff, this is fantastic. I have lost 100lbs from educating myself and watching your's and other's videos on here (also doing your PPL program). I've been trying to find the words to explain to my fit friends why it was always so hard to lose weight, but this is so perfect. Thank you.
It's still a choice. Just like how if you're born into a poor family, it's much harder to become rich vs. being born into a rich family. But that doesn't mean if you're born into a poor family, you can't study, work hard, and become rich also. That is literally the American Dream.
@@slee2695 It was a choice to get healthy, yes. Not choosing to care about my health was also a choice, so in a way it was my choice to gain weight as well.
Fantastic breakdown of a really complex subject. Knowing all the potential pitfalls can help a lot in managing your weight, and knowing the reason behind why you shouldn't always be comparing your progress directly to someone elses. We all get dealt different cards in life and have to play what we got in the best way we can.
Been watching quite a few of your videos since I begun exercising earlier this year and getting this video recommended terrified me. I see you as very reliable and diligent with your research, but was afraid you would have a similar approach to this subject as a lot of gym bros, and just write obese people off as lazy. That would make me heavily question the rest of you content, but luckily you didn't and brought up all the points I hoped you would. Amazing video! Concise, intelligent and understanding! I find you even more reliable now than I already did. Keep up the great work :D
As someone who had to lose 180lbs; I've tried to explain this shit to people over a decade as I became mode educated in the matter. You're an amazing creator and I feel blessed to have someone like you make this video. It definitely flys in the face of the machismo factor people want to believe in so badly in a cultural sense but does a lot to reveal the complex truth of the matter.
Some people are born on third base and think they've hit a triple. This applies to anything from intelligence to financial success to physique. Everything we accomplish is due to factors inside and outside our control, and not all the factors inside our control are as easy for one person as another. For example, I don't have any addictive tendencies. I can stop at one drink. When my pain killers expire, I have no desire to take any more. It's easier for me to not be a drug addict than other people. I'm making choices, but they are easy choices for me to make. I can say this while also saying that being a drug addict isn't good or healthy, that drug addicts should try to make better choices and seek help when they struggle. But it'd also be wrong of me to think their choices are as easy to make as mine and it really wouldn't be very helpful to reduce all those complex factors of addiction down to "just choose not to do drugs." I don't see this as an argument against accountability. Rather, I see understanding the complexity behind detrimental behaviors as incredibly important to working with and addressing them. But some people put more focus on laying blame and moralizing behavior than they do on fixing problems. So, they think that if you're saying it's complex, that you're excuse making or normalizing something they think is bad. That kind of reasoning doesn't get us anywhere. Yelling at fat people doesn't get them anywhere, either.
This should definitely be the top comment but i think a lot of people get drawn in by the divisive title and watch 15 seconds in and comment "its all your fault!!!"
You just said a lot of circle reasoning that leads to no conclusion. Great job you are causing more confusion. Nobody is asking if a choice is hard. The question is if it’s a choice. The answer is yes. Food doesn’t threaten you to eat it.
@@Witcherworks Hey, I don't know if you understand what circular reasoning is. The video is not about what a choice strictly is. Hell, if food could put a gun to your head, you'd still technically have a choice to eat or die. It's about how there are numerous choices and non-choices. Also, how some choices are incredibly difficult, which does actually impact your likelihood of success.
@@abcw114 You are just giving an opinion with no conclusion except whatever works for the person. I understand what circle reasoning means. I was being sarcastic because you are circle jerking people to think whatever they wish.
Great video. This is a difficult topic and you covered everything perfectly. Definitely saving this to share in the future! Thanks and keep up the great work Jeff.
I felt ashamed every day for being morbidly obese, even though I was raised in an extremely overweight family, I still felt that the choice to not change was purely my own, especially into my adult years. But the choice of being obese aside, there did come a time when I felt like I truly had an option. And the result from that lead me to lose over 140lbs, mostly thanks to your videos for giving me an in depth and scientifically oriented mindset to make small incremental changes: eat less, work harder, make better choices. I even started helping my friends lose weight, it truly changed my life. Sadly... Over the course of a year I got a job in construction that all but killed the healthy diet I was on... And then followed by a desk job that killed my exercise routine... I gained a lot of weight back... But I'm out of that environment now, and I feel as though I have that choice again. So starting back from square one, I'm dieting again, I'm exercising just like it used too, and I'm slowly making progress again using what your channel taught me. I'll make you proud Jeff! I did it once and I can do it again!
How does a job in construction or sitting at a desk stop you from eating healthy? Have you tried intermittent fast and bring a healthy lunch? Don't drink any sugars, only water and caffeine pills instead of coffee if you think you need cream and sugar. Drink a dull glass of water before eating anything... each meal and any snack. Literally quadrouple your water intake. If ur working hard in construction, you'll swest it out instead of having to pee all the time. Eat/drink everything cold - choke it down if you have to. I have worked in both construction (residential and commercial) in the past. No microwave? So what? I now work a desk job where I stand and move while working and in meetings (turn off the video and mic), take the steps multiple times a day, eat at my desk while working and then walk during lunch and workout after my son is asleep. You can totally do it, just make it you priority over comfort. Comfort makes us weak
@@brentmchenry9273 it was a very complicated situation, not sure what you want me to say really. I don't really have excuses, It was just a new and very harsh/fast paced environment, I was desperate for more income and I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. I would work a 12-14 hour shift and not get home until late, drive the hour home then pass out and do it all over again the next day. The foreman would bring food sometimes and it was usually junk food, naturally. I lost the time I had to prep meals from shear lack of time and physical exhaustion. It was a hard job of trench digging I took out of desperation to pay rent and while it didn't kill my diet instantly, over the course of several months of the same routine, my eating habits just slowly deteriorated until I was back to eating junk because it was readily available, cheap, easy, and on occasion my only real option. Everybody on the crew ate garbage and I was asked maybe 50+ time if I was a vegetarian from the occasional salad I would bring as a last ditch effort to stay healthy. I was making an effort, it just didn't last sadly. Then, after a work injury, they sat me behind a desk where I was working the same hours but with mountains of paperwork, data entry, and accounting that left me confined to my desk where I watched my weight snowball. It was far from ideal and over time my focus shifted from my health to my work/career. It didn't exactly happen overnight but just slowly through accumulation and deteriorating physical and mental well being. I'm happy for you that you were able to find a way to balance your job with your health, that's fantastic, but it wasn't from a lack of effort that led me to my downward trend. Believe me, I saw what was happening to myself, and I hated it but my priorities were just elsewhere with a mountain of responsibility on top of it. I'm sure I might have had options like you said, but the stress killed my motivation to keep up. Maybe it'll be different should I find myself in that situation again but for now I'm just kinda glad to be set free from that company with the motivation to start over. I don't mind starting over, I'm just happy I'm starting again at all. I did it once and il do it again, and keep doing it however many times it takes, however many times I screw up, so long as I keep going
Poverty, depression and obesity are all things society is happy to tell others is their fault, because every single one of them are systemic issues that we don't want to address because they are huge beasts of world problems. All 3 can happen to anyone. It's a trifecta of "your fault" because all 3 conditions can kill you (usually slowly) and they run together as bed fellows. People are TERRIFIED of things out of their control. So telling themselves that all three are "choices" is a way to buffer that intense fear. Which also leads to phobia, hate and vitriol and you see this in spades in all of human history. Conditions in which aren't a persons fault were often thought of as brought upon the self. People would tell themselves (and in many ways still do) that they are virtuous, of good blood, of good breeding, worthy, deserving of the luck they get. And here's the kicker, I'm not saying it's someone fault that they have privilege or good luck. That aim doesn't serve anyone to make people feel bad yet again for things they didn't choose. They also interplay on each other to cause each other. Usually root cause is poverty. Poverty leads to a plethora of things including stress and survival response and mindset Remember the marshmallow experiment on kids? Consider for a moment that maybe some if not all the kids who took the one marshmallow was not because of impatience, but rather a guarantee that they would get something nice. Anything from untrustworthy adults in their lives to moments of promise being broken influences behavior where you think "it's better to have a bird in the hand than two in the bush" mentality. This has been proven scientifically with living in poverty. Not only are you almost always spending more than you have through sheer necessity (there are some fantastic documentaries showing how being homeless is unintuitively expensive - Bulk buy is not something people in poverty can do, especially if they can't store the food properly.) Depression can happen for a variety of reasons. Genetics, environment, stress, hormone imbalance. It can be a co-morbid to other issues, like untreated/undiagnosed ADHD, Autism, OCD, anxiety, Bi-polar, BPD etc. Depression is also more common in people with worse health and higher stress. It's also genetic, so if it runs in the family, you have the switches to possibly have it turned on by environment, which can be caused by simply being around people who suffer it and don't have the tools to cope. Obesity is so multi-faceted it's not even funny. At base level, you have genetics, your DNA blue print. If you have PCOS, Thyroid etc. you will struggle more than average. Next you have epigenetics, the modification of switches already present in your DNA based on your environment during gestation (See Dutch Hunger Winter study) in which if the person who carried you didn't get in enough nutrients (not just calories) your body will be primed to think that the environment outside the womb has starvation/lean periods and adjust your metabolism accordingly. This can also happen and does happen (See biggest loser study) if you lower your caloric intake to a point that sets off whatever level your bodies alarms systems go off. This is not starvation mode, it is prevention for starvation mode. Your hunger signals ramp up, your metabolism goes down. Notice how we already have two interplays. Poverty has a famous decrease in nutrients, whether it's literal starvation or nutrient devoid easy to eat, cook and often cheap foods. Now the person who already suffered some things at the hands of epigenetics gets to deal with environment. Whatever your care takers who raise you have under their belt is what you have. So any education in cooking, nutrition, what you eat etc. is dictated by this, including any coping mechanisms I hate the fallacy of "If I can do it, so can you". I don't think people know how demotivating that can actually be when they try and they fail; "I mean, if this poor sod as self-decreed by the implicit self-deprecation implication could do it and I can't ... what does that make me?" I also hate the assumption of "one day, I just woke up and decided enough is enough." Our brains are NOT good at recalling where things start. Usually getting out of any terrible situation, habit, environment is a far far longer process than we give credit for. It's taken me 15 years to eventually find something that worked for me to lose weight and it took me 20 years to get out of an abusive situation and another 10 to really accept that it happened and I'm still dealing with trauma from it. These things take time. They take many many small often unnoticed instances of things being wrong, off or enough for change to happen. If change was so easy and "just do it" was at all legitimate advice, are people really so deluded to think that some people just want to be miserable? To die early? To suffer? What kind of comfort do people get in thinking that, to brush off people who need help? It irks me. And it irks me that my fellows who have lost weight also forget that journey, what it really took to get there and how many things just lined up with out realizing it. We only see bad luck and good luck is a privilege. We only remember the breaking or tipping point, not all the weight added to the scale that actually tipped it. I will never tell someone "I did it, you can too." They aren't me. And I will never judge someone after learning all that I've learned for having depression, making bad choices or causing their own suffering. No one in their right mind wants to suffer and that's the part that sticks with me when ever I see someone "fall short of their potential. Make things worse for themselves. Continue to make the wrong decision." Something is wrong. A cow that would intentionally walk to the slaughter house full well knowing exactly what will happen if it goes there isn't told "Haha, what a dumb cow." no, most people think "TF is wrong with the cow?!"
Thank you for the incredibly thoughtful video. I'm not obese, nor do I have a tendency toward obesity, but this video is important for helping us understand the difficulties others may be having trying to manage their weight.
Not being obbese is a hard concious decision for some, but it is still an active choice. Most things worthwhile are not easy but they are rewarding and you as the individual will never know what you are missing from overcoming these hard choices if you never push yourself past that realm of absolute comfort. Take things one step at a time big or small as your steps may be make the active choice to walk, youll start feeling better all around when you do
Yeah the small personal choices can have a strong ripple effect. In my diet I used to focus managing my carb intake/carb types and that led me to overeat more often. In the last 8 months returning to weight lifting I focused more on managing protein intake and I have always felt satiated doing so. For some focusing their diets on the fats intake helps them too. There are some extreme external factors we can't help change or can't immediately address. But in the quest to be physically/mentally healthy, it is possible to modify details that leave a huge impact.
As a former fat dude, I don’t think it’s a choice they made. We simply just uneducated in the nutritional side of things. We just eating foods you don’t realized that’ll made you fat overtime.
@@chrisrendon461 I think if one isn't aware on the fact they have been given wrong information, or just that they hold lies as truth it isn't a choice to uphold that if you have no reason to think that what you believe is false. It isn't a choice to remain uneducated on certain matters if you don't know that you're uneducated on them
Thanks for making this. People like to think it's easy, but it's more complicated. My wife has PCOS, and it makes it very hard to lose weight. When I met her, she was strength training 6 to 7 days a week and eating a more Mediterranean diet, and cutting calories. She did lose weight, but not by much. It wrecked her mental health. She's now focused on eating better foods and working out 3 to 4 days a week. She eats more fruits and veggies, leaner foods. She never overeats. She eats less than I do, yet she's bigger than I am despite me being mostly sedentary, and I typically eat more and worse. She is much happier now and her blood levels come back healthy.
I really appreciate this. I've done a fairly disciplined exercise regimen for almost two years (a set of 25lb/30lb/40lb dumbbells for resistance balanced with yoga for core/flexibility), with a high protein calorie restriction diet (I'm down to about 250lb and target about 1000-1200cal). A fair amount of weight came off in the first few months, but I have since struggled to lose 1.1 pounds/week on average (I have an excel doc I track everything in). I am constantly, distractingly hungry, and chew an insane amount of gum every day to trick my brain into ignoring that hunger. And it's not just age (I'm 39). When I was younger I lived in a hilly city and walked 2 or 3 miles a day (no car), I did pushups and body weight squats almost every day, I was poor as hell and barely ate, and I was still fat. The only time my BMI got under 25 (I know BMI isn't a great measure) was the year I was literally starving because I couldn't afford to eat more than a few hundred calories a day. I'm losing weight and gaining strength for my health and not for aesthetics, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me to know people make moralistic judgements about me without knowing the effort and discipline I've put into this. So again, I appreciate spreading this kind of nuanced information that tries to take the shame and judgement out of this.
@@gemininy1211 I appreciate the advice. I do follow the guidance of folks like Nippard to do a "refeed" of around 2000-2500 cal/day for one week every two months. I believe I've always had a low "resting metabolic rate", and little if any "neat". Aside from potentially dangerous medications/supplements, and driving myself crazy trying to force myself to pace and fidget all day, I have to accept that those things are outside of my control.
As someone who is 265 pound I can confidently say that depression and stress play a huge part in my weight but I do also take full responsibility for my weight so there for I’m going to break this depressing cycle that I’m in and I’m going to improve my life from where I’m out just give me 6 months and I’ll be back so someone like this when I get to the 6 month mark so I can remember
You can do it!! I totally understand what you are going through, it’s not easy. If I could offer one piece of advice…. Give yourself a bit more time than 6 months. I’m 2 years into my weight loss journey and I still have a ways to go. Slow steady progress is more sustainable in the long run. Focus on the big picture and this will help you to pick yourself back up and keep moving forward when you make small mistakes.
Thanks for handling this in its proper scientific context, loads of people especially on TH-cam are still young and have active metabolisms and seem to have no idea how your body varies based on genetics, brain chemistry and age
At the end of the day, it’s still a choice. It’s harder for some people, but saying it’s not a choice and that you’re a victim of circumstance is taking away personal accountability. Calories in/calories out. Simple, not easy. If you’re NEAT is lower, or any of these other factors that lower your metabolism, then you just have to consume even less calories than others your size. Plus most of what you’re saying applies to outliers, not the entire 70% of the population in the US that is overweight.
Wow... You have many videos with many millions of views but man this was such a comprehensive video on at the least the number of factors that affect Obesity. Anyone new to their fitness journey will get such a comprehensive but basic understanding of various factors. This video probably deserves many times more views.
A few more thoughts after reading many of the comments
I’ve noticed two recurring bits of pushback:
The first argument goes something like this: “Sure, these factors all show that not being obese is HARDER for some people, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still a choice. Hard choices are still choices.”
I’ve noticed this coming mostly from people who are either currently in good shape, or used to be obese but have since lost a lot of weight. While this life change IS commendable and I have a huge amount of respect for anyone who has done it, to me, this feels similar to those who have gotten rich telling poor people that they are poor because of their poor choices. “I am not poor anymore. You can be not poor anymore too, if you make the right choices.”
Obviously, no one is denying that people CAN change their lives around, and work their way to success. And no one is arguing that people have no control over their lives. But people who fall for this argument are usually blinded by survivorship bias. OF COURSE people who got out of poverty will attribute their success to their hard work. OF COURSE people who lost weight will attribute their success to their good food choices. But what about the people who worked hard just as hard as you did, but didn’t get out of poverty? What about the people who made just as many good food and exercise choices, yet remained overweight? We don’t hear from those examples as much.
Saying that obesity is still a choice, even if it is harder for some people, is like saying poverty is a choice, even if it is harder for some people. Even though being poor is technically a matter of spending more $ than you make, there are simply too many contributing factors to shift the blame entirely to the individual for their “choice” to be poor. Similarly, even though being obese is technically a matter of eating more calories than you expend, there are simply too many contributing factors to shift the blame entirely to the individual for their “choice” to be obese.
Maybe we’re speaking past one another and merely debating the semantics of the phrase “a choice”, but even still, it doesn’t seem like a good phrase to use.
Let me try a few examples that I left out of the video:
If you get a tattoo on your body, that is 100% your choice. If you get cystic fibrosis (a genetic disease) that is 100% not your choice. If you have the “right genes”, you get cystic fibrosis. As I see it, because obesity has both controllable behavioral inputs (like making healthy food choices) and uncontrollable genetic and environmental factors (like your baseline hunger and childhood diets), it must sit somewhere in between those two extremes. But because the phrase “a choice” implies a simple, binary decision and places the onus entirely on the individual, it can’t be the best way to describe a multi-factorial condition as complex as obesity. It just doesn’t fit.
The second argument I’ve been hearing is that "weight loss is so simple, though: It’s just calories in, calories out."
On the surface, this is true. But again, it is the same as saying: “getting rich is simple: just make more dollars than you spend!”
Humans are not robots. Telling people to “just eat less” or to “put the fork down” isn’t effective most of the time. It CAN work, just like telling people to “just work harder” CAN make some people rich. But it just isn’t the answer most people need to hear. If you build up the discipline to put the fork down today, you might pick it up twice as much tomorrow. The development of obesity is complex physiologically, psychologically, socially and politically, and there are thousands of researchers who have dedicated their entire lives to understanding it and how to address it. If it were as simple as “putting the fork down”, obesity wouldn’t be the enormous multi-disciplinary riddle that it is today. Hope that makes sense!
I'm really glad to see a fitness influencer talking eloquently about this sort of thing, there's so much horrid discourse about obesity within the "fitness" community
This video was incredible Jeff. I admire the work you put into your content. For a long time I looked at obesity as 'a choice', binary. But this video has really made me re-evaluate my presuppositions regarding obesity. I'll adjust accordingly. Again, great work!
Jeff c'mon... I respect your ideas but that's something logical. Everyone who starts to eat in a moderate regimen and train will EASILY become leaner. Nobody is telling that obese have to get in shape and have 6% bf. Going from obese condition to around 20, even 25% bf is a SUPER IMPROVEMENT, and this improvement will take the obese one to be not obese anymore, it's SIMPLE. Isn't the same concept as becoming rich because money don't rely on you, they are given by a number of circumstances. And, trust me, becoming rich is not about working harder, because if this were true we would have a billion of billionaires. Instead, getting leaner rely just on yourself and the choices that you make. And even training is not about working harder, but working smarter.
Sorrt Jeff, but by following this logic, even getting a tattoo would not be a choice. Think about it ;)
You addressed that from the 1970's heavily processed high calorie foods became more readily available and cheap, but something that is not mentioned is that cheap healthy options are limited and far between leading many to turn to primarily those processed foods. It's not that there is a choice in their mind, but instead, one option is cheap and will fill their belly
I'm glad you brought up stress and depression (among the other many factors). Really goes against the overused dogma of "everyone has the same 24 hours in a day."
Tru.
how did u watch the video in 5mins
@@danieltooley675 watch it in 1.5x speed
Very true but then the next question is, is depression and anxiety something you have control over. Not, is it easy, but do you have the ability to control it to some degree. I think most folks that lift consistently know the answer to this.
But stress and depression do not subtract from your 24h / day; they provide resistance to you doing *something* with the same hours as everyone else. Depression or not, everyone finds it difficult to go to the gym, yet there are people who go and people who don't. Also, I may be suffering from depression and have 0 motivation and yet go to the gym and take care of myself, whereas someone else doesn't suffer from anything and chooses not to go. The amount of effort you have to exert changes, sure. But everyone does have the same 24h / day
Changing the thumbnail was a smart move. TH-cam is now recommending this again :P
I was just looking at it thinking wait that video just came out wtf
bro i thought I traveled back in time or some shit
@@ActuallyAbdullah right you peeped that too i was confused
That’s what I thought!!!!!! So smart. I’m like how did this add up? That just got released
Honestly kind of brilliant. I’m the producer on a TH-cam show and I’m definitely stealing this idea lol
This man is so smart man, my man really changed the thumbnail and its working
Right had me scratching my head 🤣
What was the previous thumbnail? Does it matter, or is the point that changing it just reboots the vid?
@@Subgenrelol The new thumbnail features a very recent jubilee segment about this topic while the video was posted over a year ago
@@cawdpoints Oh shit! I didn’t even notice the upload on the original video haha, I follow Jeff and just assumed this was a new video. That is wild
Man this man is a marketing genius man. Man
Man so smart he made a response video 1 year early
Mana got insane observation haki
What happened
@@Anonymous82819 he changed the thumbnail to a video that came out this year yet this video is over 2 years old.
the thumbnail change confused the hell out of me
Your not the only one
For a second, I was like "Oh god, has a year passed since that video was uploaded?".
Yeah that fucked me up
actually so cringe you shouldnt be allowed to do that
@@ohhhbirdy5975Womp Womp
Jeff talking rock-solid science with empathy, care, and nuance. You're very quickly becoming one of my favourite voices on the internet, and you're doing very valuable work
Agreed. The more popular someone is, the more influence they have on the public. Jeff had every opportunity here to hop on the mindless "no excuses, only grindset" bandwagon that is so popular nowadays. Instead he is hitting us with the cold, hard, facts.
And using studies of sample size 24 lmfao. How about finding a TH-camr that researches prior to making videos rather than writing a script then finding the studies to back up later regardless of the level of controversy surrounding the topic.
@@jg9249-u8f Spare me your salty bs. Jeff puts more effort into the research for one video than most people do on their entire channel. He's not running the studies, he's doing meta analysis. Tell me how you would do a large scale study in a metabolic ward? Please? Do you have any idea what kind of money that would take? The economics of it make no sense. Maybe 24 is not a large sample size but its better than zero and Jeff always mentions the sample in the videos and to take them with a grain of salt.
@@jg9249-u8fOkay, this comment misses the mark on many points. 1. Jeff does not run the studies he cites nor does he set the parameters for them. 2. Longitudinal studies are expensive to conduct for any researcher, ever additional participant increases the cost. Furthermore, longitudinal studies tend to always suffer from lower recruitment and retention of participants. It’s hard to get humans to do anything for an extended period of time with little to no compensation. Related to this, longitudinal studies with high researcher involvement with the participants is all of those things mentioned above but worse. Now you have to actually manage each participant as a researcher. It would simply be impractical to keep constant near daily track of even 100 participants due to monetary limitations, and also the amount of time and energy available to each researcher on involved in the study which tend to be relatively few compared to the participants. 3. You are not aware of Jeff’s process, and he does not only a good job at researching each subject he talks about, but also presenting the research clearly and with clear citations. Anyone who watches his videos can scrutinize them based on the papers he cites and he does that very intentionally. Not to mention that research papers (primary sources) are not always free, and often require either a subscription to a journal for access, or direct payment for the paper itself. Given that Jeff has never claimed to be attached to an institution that would pay for these journals for him, it’s safe to assume that a good amount of expense on his part is incurred to deliver accurate information to his audience for each one of his videos.
Your comment is either a troll, or simply not well thought out at all. Either way,
you should definitely engage in more critical thinking before you critique someone’s hard work next time.
@@jg9249-u8f "I hate obese people and will make up any excuse to validate myself."
I encourage you to develop empathy. Life is a lot more rewarding when you care about people.
At my most successful weight loss, I was working a job that I liked, had friends that I saw outside of work, and was feeling happy for the first time in a long time. I ate healthy because I liked feeling healthy. I was able to exercise more because I wasn't constantly worried about people judging me.
At my least successful, I was in college, completely burnt out, miserable, and had virtually no social life. I was anxious, depressed, and ate garbage because I felt like garbage. I left the house as little as possible because I felt ashamed to be in public. The only exercise I got was commuting to and from school.
External factors are REAL and pretending like they don't matter is not helpful. Sometimes you have to work on the problems surrounding an issue before you work on the issue itself. There's no way of knowing what a person is dealing with; it's not fair to simplify their struggle to "just eat fewer calories, bro."
I also had debates like this with my bf (he´s slim and never had problems with overweight, more with underweight). He thinks fat people have the wrong choices and "you can see where it comes from" when they once in a blue moon go to eat burger or pizza etc. But I (was overweight with all the diagnosis and learning nearly every food is bad but not learning how to eat to become slim) think they can have it once in a while. Regularly eaten it´s not good for your health. But it´s always easier to blame the victim instead of helping them (or at least not say bad stuff at them).
Nobody doubts that you or anyone has stress. But what you're describing is still choice... In college, burnt out, no social life. Those are all choices you made. Many people go to college and have the opposite experiences that you're describing. For example, almost every single college athlete.
@@mikestryker240 I don't know what you're basing any of that off of, but I'll tell you now that I'm a Computer Science major, so athletics really don't apply to me.
@@GashPlague My point was that the decisions you made are what ultimately caused your struggles. It was based on the remarks that you made such as busy with college, no social life, burnt out. My example with the athletes was to demonstrate that the reasons you described, were more of excuses and choices. Athletes go to school and also have extreme workloads.
@@mikestryker240 Very little of my life was a choice. I needed a well-paying job to live and those jobs are only available to the educated. I understand that there are people who are far more driven than I am and able to do a lot more than me, but that's kind of my point.
Drive is not something you can just pull out of your ass. Drive is something that develops when you are able to focus on more than just survival. It's much harder to be ambitious when you're putting in 80 hours a week and just barely scraping by. Morale plays an integral part of mental (and to a larger extent, physical) health. This is something that is very hard to understand if you've never been in that situation.
As someone who has never struggled with obesity, but almost everyone in my immediate family has, I’ve always known this is true. I had a terrible gag reflex growing up, which forced me to eat very slowly and chew thoroughly, and this helped me to not overeat. This, combined with feeling less hungry generally than others in my family, helped me remain thin without really trying. Meanwhile, family members are trying their best and seeing few gains. It’s frustrating for them, and the last thing they need to hear is that they aren’t trying hard enough, when people in their family don’t try at all and are at their ideal weight.
You cannot know, just by looking at someone, how hard a person is working to achieve their health goals.
But all that you guys are saying its still basically a choice for 99.9 percent of people. Yes people will have vastly different difficulties doing so, but its still a choice. And to be fair if you look around you majority of the fat people doesnt have that hard of a struggles to do so.
@@alexmichl3137 ?
@@alexmichl3137 yea the point is is that it is a choice but is way harder for some people, both who say "its a choice man just dont eat" and "i was born to be fat" are both wrong, answers in the middle
@@kibbylol Yes but the first one is true for 99.9 % of fat people and the other one is true for 0.1%. All you guys are saying and also Jeff is trying to present in a "scientific" can be basically summed up by saying its still choice with different difficulty. But for most people its just that they dont want to change theyre lifestyle.
calories in, calories out, OBESITY IS A CHOICE!
It is crazy how different hunger can feel. I used to be over-weight with generally a low metabolism and was always hungry. I reached a healthy weight through exercise. But then for a while I was depressed because of very real life issues and I never felt hungry. I felt over-satiated without even eating. I lost 15 pounds in a month with no real change in my behavior besides not liking food. For many people I can imagine it would work the other way. We should always be tender hearted with people. You cannot know them enough to judge.
In the one on one conversations you have to be kind and tender. But when discussing this topic objectivelly we shouldn't deviate from what's factual for the sake of kindness.
Your metabolism is higher when you're bigger, countrary to popular belief.
@@jamesc3953 Exactly bro its not like being underweight where some people genuinely just can not access food. It's lazyness
@@Ignasimp Telling fat people they aren't lazy sods on a systemic level isnt just being kind for kindness sake. The first step to weight loss in many cases isn't telling yourself you're a fat lazy loser. But rather that you are a good in many ways, and that you deserve to give yourself a healthy life style because of that.
@@Itchy__ "The first step to weight loss in many cases isn't telling yourself you're a fat lazy loser."
actually it is. listen to anyone that was fat and their motivation to fix themselves.
"I looked in the mirror and was disgusted" is going to be their answer almost every time
"I couldn't walk up the stairs without losing breath" etc
same way a drug addict must admit that they're addicted to drug before any motivation to quit can start
I’ve been struggling with my weight literally my whole life, failed so many times trying to lose fat, but I have faith that one day I will reach my goal and finally be truly happy. Currently, it’s been 4 months since I started my weight loss journey and it’s going slow because i’m not really exercising... I just got some diet help from Next Level Diet which guided me to reduce my food intake. But if I really want to, I could still eat something without restricting. I already lost 27 pounds and I’m much happier everyday :) Of course, there are times when I fall off but that’s why it’s called a journey. It has ups and downs but as long as you have faith in yourself, all your hard work will pay off ❤
>one day I will reach my goal and finally be truly happy
This is never going to happen. Oh, you will reach your goal, alright, it's just the goalpost will move up and up. Just a heads-up, if you're not happy now, you likely won't be later. I wasn't and I went from obese to model lean. It won't help, happiness comes from within.
@@dive_bomb3r i agree it’s not good to chase happiness if u do you will never truly be happy
You can do it 💪
@@mattyhickman3995 Thanks for support
@@dive_bomb3r thanks for this . I needed to hear this . I need to Change this mentality
This adds a lot more humility to the discussion. Growing up, I found it easy to think people were simply out of control with how big some of them got, and I scoffed at their absolute disregard for their own health, but maturing has shone light on many more angles of the topic.
P
You are wrong. The most provable is that non of the people you saw being obese had any real excuse. They are obese because they are not willing to make the sacrifices that have to be made.
@@Ignasimp Lmao yes at the end of the day, but how their mentality and habits came to be is not so black and white as “they like to eat a lot”
@@Ignasimp dunno about obese people, but you have no excuse for judging people for sure ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@Scrattah of course. If they only like to eat a lot then they have no excuse for being fat. I like to eat a lot myself.
The studies on the Dutch Hunger Winter are also pretty eye-opening. In short, children who were in utero during the famine conditions of winter 1944-45 grew up to be much, much more likely to be obese and suffer diseases such as diabetes compared to their siblings born before or after that period. Their bodies were essentially imprinted into believing they were always in starvation conditions, and impacted both their behaviors (binge eat because you don't know where the next meal is coming from) and their metabolism (store more fat to survive the next famine).
yeah they were extremely insulin resistant and over 90% of them got diabetes
Were there actual genetic differences between the two siblings or was it a function of the cultural response that someone who grew up in a famine might have as opposed to one who didn't?
@@sabirzain5053 Neither of those is the cause: it has to do with epigenetics, where some of the many genes that an organism has get labelled to be expressed, whereas others remain dormant. In other words, while the siblings are genetically similar and grow up in the same environment, the one who was conceived during the Hunger Winter has their obesity-promoting genes 'turned on', whereas the sibling who was conceived in times of plenty has those genes 'turned off' or dormant, even though they are part of their DNA as well. You can look up DNA methylation and acetylation as well as epigenetics if you want to know more about this.
That is talking extremes and Jeff is not targeting extremes. There are many situations where choices are defined by your environment. A child technically cannot control all choices offered to them but, they can once they get out of that environment. Could damage be done that can hinder this in the future, sure but are these people the majority? No. General topics should cover the general audience and not extremes as you can give bad information verily easily.
There are almost no kids being born in the USA who came from parents in “famine conditions”. That doesn’t explain the sudden rise in obesity
Excellent video, Jeff! Agree completely. You only have to be a trainer for, like, a month to realise just how different people are in this regard! Or to see the difference that a contraceptive pill or epilepsy medication can make. Or hypothyroidism. Hormones alone can completely throw off an AMR calculation. All of which you mentioned and expertly supported 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Hey i know u.
Its always nice to see you!
My brother takes epilepsy medication he doesn’t train though. How can that affect his diet? I’d like to know more about this
Love to see you supporting other excellent creators like yourself.
Adam, yes 👌💪
I was an overweight kid and my family kept blaming me because I wasn’t exercising enough even though in hindsight I was pretty active. I know now that your weight is a lot about your diet, something kids have zero control over. As an adult, I’ve lost a lot of weight just by having control of my food and wish I could tell my younger self to not blame yourself about your weight.
My mom would plate our food and get mad if we didn't want much. We overate. She has an eating problem. In my early 20's, I dieted exercised and went from 44 waist to 32. She got depressed and bought ice cream every three days because it was on sale and got angry if we didn't eat it. I ballooned back up. I got a job at a fast food place and gained even more weight. Went to the gym and managed the weight better but fast food daily kills weight loss. Now years later, I mostly control the food for the family, I exercise, and jog and I've lost 32 pounds since November. My mom despite being confined to a chair because of obesity related disability is still managing to sabotage my results by ordering pizza every week because she refuses to care.
kids have a lot of control over their diet in the form of overeating, but yes you are right that stupid parents impact their kids lives negatively. nevertheless, as an adult with a functioning brain and access to the internet, each spare lb of fat on your body is your own choice to keep it on there. people writing 'choices are hard'... yeah no shit, the right choice for a lot of things is hard. its still a choice that millions of other people made before you with your same conditions, so make it. or dont
i get he made this video to appeal to the avg fat person on YT and grow his channel, but a choice is a choice.
Pretty sure I gained 5 lbs from finally moving out. Better quality food I could buy and I could eat whenever. My mom didn't make too much food, just enough. And it's not like I had a choice in what I ate living in the country. Almost possible to get employed without moving out, but I was going to school at the time, and no grocery stores nearby if I did have money.
@@jkhan337 stop making excuses, you still have a choice. My girlfriend orders pizza and I still grab my chicken and rice from the fridge
so your family were giving you high calorie foods and still blamed you as a kid, DA FUK?! LOL
Excellent video, Jeff. As a former obese person I am often too hard on obese folk. Thank you for reminding me my own experience doesn't qualify me to judge how hard others have it.
One of your best videos in a while, and that’s saying a lot. Thanks for all that you do.
Dont use this video as an excuse to stay obese though. The simple science of eating less junk, working out, and getting sleep in, will work for almost everyone. eg. Calories in vs Calories out
@@drabnail777 of course I agree. I’m not obese. But I liked the nuance of the video.
I was obese from 6-28 years old and always thought that was simply the cards I was dealt. Managed to get to "normal" BF% levels in a year and kept there since (with some small cuts among the way). Yes, I had to make MAJOR lifestyle changes, I will have to be "calorie conscious" for the rest of my life and will never be Instagram shredded, but it is possible to fight all these factors (which certainly exists) to stay in a "normal" BF range.
Absolutely.
the statement that "obesity isn't a choice" doesn't really mean that if you're fat then you're simply screwed. It's just that people who judge those who are overweight or label them as lazy or weak willed are being incredibly reductive and uninformed
I feel your pain I’m the same way. It’s hard to watch all your peers eat and drink whatever they want whenever they want while you have to be very conscious on what decisions you make.
@@MetalliCxZero I personally think it simply means that people consume more calories than they burn. I wouldn't judge someone negatively in that regard. However, we cannot deny that obesity is a consequence of those actions (be it intentional or not). Sure, there are factors as to why some folk are hungrier than others, may take longer to lose weight, etc.
u can be instagram shredded if you really really want to. if u dont thats cool but never say never
As a doctor, especially as a neurological recovery doctor, I can just congratulate you for this absolutely wonderful video. I couldn’t say it better. This video should be presented at schools.
Schools are a scamm youre part od the problem
Are you a Physiatrist by any chance? (AKA Physical Medicine and Rehab doctor)
No you don't you mean you categorize the people!
This video is best not shown at all to anyone who wants to make a change. It basically tells people that their progress is determined by their genetics and their own will has no effect as losing weight (obesity) is not a choice.
It essentially is a science-backed black pill.
@@dougt4283, exactly 😌
This is massively important. I am just coming out of a 6 year period where I drank 4-6 dark beers per day (my preferred brew has 256 calories per 12 oz, and I didn't learn this until about 6 months ago) and I would eat an entire family sized pizza 2-3 times a week at night. I walk about 10,000 steps a day but no other real regular exercise beyond normal office work and some core exercises a few times a week to prevent back injury. I gained 85lb. I'm 6'4" with a large frame size and high lean mass. Every partner I've ever had says I feel like sleeping next to a furnace. After tracking my intake/supposed caloric needs for 8 months and extrapolating those back, on a calories in/calories out level I should weigh at least 140lb more than I do. I quit drinking 6 weeks ago and I'm down 15lb. I find that alcohol destroys my ability to tell if I'm hungry and I mindlessly eat and drink more. Anyone who doesn't have empathy for people who have unique struggles with weight and doesn't understand decision fatigue and the power/privilege of education. Find that one thing in your life you can't seem to gain control over. Organization? Time management? Being a better driver? Now imagine that was weight management and integral to your well being.
Well said. I think too many people view weight loss like a math problem when it's far more than that. The main thing is that a person deserves respect no matter what weight they are. To be dismissive of the reasons behind their weight gain and to treat them like petulant children or voracious monsters because they haven't figured out a weight loss plan that works says more about you than them.
@@GashPlaguewhile I agree that we need to be kind, we do not have to ignore that choices are being made. Decision fatigue playing a role means there must be a decision within the mire of feelings. Also, taking someone’s responsibility away, takes away what power they do have over the situation, for how can they change it if they did not cause it? Instead, I offer we should not call someone a bad person or judge someone to be, simply by their apparent weight, whether large or small. Rather, specify that the behaviors leading them to an unhealthy situation are. Meaning, do assume that they aren’t doing work to improve their situation or that they aren’t aware of it.
The most important part is the encouragement. If an obese person makes the decision to change for the betterment of their own health, they're already likely facing an enormous amount of challenge from their own body and psychology alone. If we truly want to consider ourselves fitness-minded people, we should be applauding their every effort and positive choice, understanding of their relapses, and accepting of them into our fitness communities.
Exactly. If you're making fitness content with the intent to genuinely educate and help overweight people, kindness, compassion, and acknowledgement of varying degrees of burden is a huge step in creating a welcoming environment. That's why "obesity is just laziness" is not "much needed tough love"-no one wants to watch content that makes them feel worse about themselves than they already do.
@@marinal2705there is a big difference between calling it laziness and calling it a choice. Not all choices are easy ones.
There is also the mental element - I didn't realize I was a stress eater before I didn't move in on my own and my stress levels decreased and suddenly I didn't have those giant cravings anymore, but opted to eat what was in the fridge instead of ordering take away, to use as comfort/ soothing tool for the evening. Great video as always, Jeff!
„Just Eat It.“ - Not Michael Jackson
Exactly - I've had many similar moments. I thought most of my early adulthood that binge eating is just "part of who I am" and that other people who don't overeat just have more self-control than I do. Once I started to eat regular meals (regarding whether I felt hungry or not) my need to binge dissappeared almost completely. Realising this one thing has contributed the most to me losing weight and managing a healthier weight over time. Sometimes we're just not aware of what is shaping our eating behaviours.
@@oona4787 this! so true. food is used as a comfort too by our bodies and a coping mechanism.
The interesting thing is that Im the complete opposite- if im having a stressfull day I eat very little, sometimes a bread is enough.
Just shows the different coping Mechanisms
@@Asoftenkameshee especially when learned from a very young age. You can unlearn habits you established during the first three years of your life (It´s not easy).
I've been struggling to not preach this stuff to my family when it's multiple factors contributing to their obesity. Thanks for reminding me to be more compassionate and aiming to point them in the right direction. I just wish they asked me more often instead of being complacent.
obesity is a choice bro to say it’s not means if we look at mass murders who almost all the time have external factors that contribute to them killing are we going to ask is murder a choice? because we know it is 🤦🏾♂️
@@tohhhype2043 murder inherently requires a choice to commit, regardless of outside factors. Obesity doesn't *always* require a choice, so it's a bit different. There are tons of medical factors that contribute to obesity that aren't always due to a purposeful choice. Most of the time obesity is more or less a choice. But not every time like murder. Super slow metabolism, thyroid issues, severe injury, allergies to certain foods, etc.
One example is one of my friends from the Marine Corps has ALS that developed when he was in his mid 20s. He's obese now, and it had absolutely no choice involved.
@@tohhhype2043 the age someone becomes obese is also a large factor. I became obese at age 11 when I tried to lose weight after the doctor told me I was overweight. I have a friend who became obese at age 22 because he thought it would be fun. The argument for murder isn't a good one and is also fucking stupid. A better one would be involuntary manslaughter which is the act of accidentally killing someone versus murder which is intentionally killing someone.
Obesity is not a choice but a series of choices everyday all year. That is the problem. Once you're in it, it is very hard to get out precisely because you need to decide to get out every single time.
It is sort of like studying a subject you don't like (lets say math). It is easy to decide to start studying (and even then it often is not), but it is very hard to keep deciding to continue studying. Because you will have that decision every 5mins you keep reading and it is "easy" to stop.
There’s no reason to be compassionate.
Who knew a thumbnail change will bring this vid back to me
Me 2 what was it before though
It's probably fair to say that everyone can make the choice not to be obese. But for some people that's just a really damn hard choice that requires a ton of work. For other's they practically couldn't get obese if they wanted to. It's a "choice" for both people. But that doesn't mean it's the same choice for everyone.
It makes more sense to say that becoming obese is not a choice, but remaining obese could be (albeit difficult one).
It's like saying a smoker made the choice to have cancer, it's semantics. Most of these things are just probabilities not conscious decisions. The smoker doesn't choose to have cancer, but can possibly choose not to go on chemotherapy
I think of it as someone who was born financially privileged and someone who wasn’t. While they can both become wealthy, the person with the better circumstances has a head start. Someone born into a home with the privilege of good genetics, established healthy eating habits passed on by their parents, disposable time for working out will have it easier to maintain a healthy weight vs someone who had the opposite. Although just like you wouldn’t glorify someone living in poverty, but hope they find the resources and opportunities to better themselves, one should also hope obese people are advocated for to access healthy, affordable food, education and creating a more stress-free environment to get them at a healthy weight vs this whole fat acceptance movement that is going on.
This is basically muddling the issue. In this sense nothing is *really* your choice, because you are influenced by your genetics and your environment. But that's all that this is: different life choices have different difficulty levels for different people of different circumstances. This is self-evident, but it doesn't weaken the case of personal choice in the slightest, because at the end of the day everyone has the ability to eat less than they do. If you muddle this issue by saying "but there's a difference in the willpower required to do so, so it's not a REAL choice", then nothing in the world is in your control and you're perpetually a victim of circumstances. Terrible advice from a fitness influencer.
@@alexf7797 Thank you, great observation. I love Jeff's videos, think he is very informative and well researched, but this one is absolute bull... It is 100% a choice.
@@alexf7797 Everyone IS victim of circumstance. That's reality. Humans are predictable and society is deterministic. You can predict an infant's outcome in life just by their zipcode with scary accuracy. You can predict someone's probabilities of finding a mate just from their facial structure. Life is just numbers and stats. This video isn't advice, its analyzing a widespread issue.
For example if I were to give you personal advice on how make it out of poverty, it's going to sound totally different (maybe even completely contradictory) to how one should structure our society to ameliorate poverty. For example "you should stop wasteful spending and set aside some money for a retirement fund" vs "we should improve schools and help increase wages" One is changing variables across broader society, while the other is just for the individual. You cannot replace one with the other, you need both.
Thanks for this video. Some great information. 1 year ago, I was 560lbs. It has taken so much work to get down to my current weight of 415lbs. I have a lot more to go but understanding these other factors helps a lot.
Good job bro.
Congratulations bro, you lost more weight than some people weigh. 🙌
wow bro ... 145 pounds is incredible. truly commendable.
Keep up the good work man!
Well Done bro ! You lost almost my whole bodyweight, it blows my mind ! Respect ! And i'm over here struggling to loose a few KGs ... :)
My brother suffers from a severe learning disability and has been obese since he was a teenager. I honestly consume more food than him these days and I am a healthy weight and always have been - he weighs 80lbs more than I do. He doesn't have capacity to understand things like food choices but my parents generally try to manage his portions etc. I sometimes can't understand how he doesn't weigh less as when I calculate his caloric needs for maintenance I'm fairly certain he isn't hitting it.
It is easy for someone who has never struggled with food or their weight or mental health to say "it's a choice". I thought this video was fantastic, well balanced and presented and I loved the compassion that came across. Great job Jeff!
Wishing you and your family all the best! Some genetically-linked disabilities are associated with an altered metabolism--maybe this is the case for your brother? For example, due to genetic changes on chromosome 21, individuals with Down syndrome often have lower resting metabolic rates than expected for their height/weight.
@@redacted7058 hey no he doesn't have downs syndrome but is severely autistic and has limited understanding. Even though he goes for walks most days he is otherwise very sedentary and also his autistic traits mean he rushes to finish his meals or snacks so likely isn't in touch with his fullness cues so those may be factors. I do also think genetically he is more prone to put on weight and has a naturally slower metabolism. I just think it can be easy for people to judge without understanding the full picture! Thank you for replying 😊
Sounds terrible and i feel for you. But the extra weight is coming from somewhere, and the body doesnt just create and store energy (fat), goes against laws of psychics.
yeah... nothing is a choice
My conclusion from my whole weight loss journey is that it's probably not your fault that you are obese, but it's still your responsibility.
This ignores health conditions like thyroid issues that are not practically possible for anyone to compensate for on their own.
@@zaferoph no it doesnt, just because it's your responsibility doesn't mean you are on your own. Get help there's plenty if you want, but you are the only one who can start the process, specialists will help you but it's not their responsibility, it's yours.
@@HarderBetter I understand that you're not actually familiar with how severe these conditions can be and often are but please don't talk about things you don't know anything about. The amount of free time, money and effort required to handle some of these issues is far more than what you can comprehend it seems.
Unhealthy food is cheaper per meal relative to the time it takes to make. Medicine is expensive in many countries too. And on top of that you need regular contact with a doctor regarding your medication and a dietitian regarding your food up until the point that both are in balance without any issues. That alone takes a long time.
@@zaferoph This isn't relevant to the subject. None of this absolves anyone of their personal responsibility. If you don't take care of yourself, no one else will. Change always begins with the person facing the issue, regardless of the difficulty. You can either sit back and lament the cost of treatment or the complexity of the process, or you can take action-even if it's just seeking help. I refrain from judging those who are obese because life is complex and unfair. I don't blame people for their obesity; I'm simply saying that regardless of the circumstances that led us to a difficult situation, the responsibility to act is ours.
@@HarderBetter oh now I know you were born lucky on many levels. Sorry, not everyone was born in a financially stable family.
I love how Jeff prioritizes the facts and still always comes off as level headed and empathetic.
😨th-cam.com/video/eProUYaIyhQ/w-d-xo.html
Yeah mostly, but been slipping up recently. The bias in his sumo video was evident
Yeah like the time he was talking about how „ safe „ the vaccine is right ? Now that tens of thousands of people have heart problems he simply pulled the good old „ my statements were true at the time „
@@drabnail777 true
@@drabnail777 sumo isn’t cheating
Thank you for being so real about weight gain and loss. It’s not easy.
"Is X a choice?" is more of a "push" question. It's not usually asked by people seeking an answer, but by people who want to shape how you think.
You do a great job here of addressing the question as though it were an honest inquiry, seeking an honest answer. Even setting aside the research, your objective, but not uncompassionate, tone communicates really well. Hell of a skill.
Thanks!
I realised that I'm genetically blessed in the metabolism side, my physique genetics are average but this video helped me understand how I was able to eat so much without gaining much weight. For people that are struggling to loss weight they have my complete respect, for lots of people is really hard as Jeff have pointed out
I have no respect for the fat acceptance movement though.
The first study shows me that heavy outliers exist but also that most people are somewhat similar. The issue I have with the metabolism explanation is that many people use it as a default excuse, for themselves or for others. The amount of people that have said that they cant gain or lose weight because of genetics does not track with the amount of people that are at the far ends of the spectrum. The majority of people are within the 15-20 lbs range, which to me is not really that much over 3 months. Issue because this applied to me as well. For so long I believed the people that told that I just have a fast metabolism, not much I can do about it. Then I started to track what I eat and eat consistently more and within 2 months I reached my desired weight. Turned out I just didnt eat all that much.
@@HadenBlake I don’t go out of my way to shame fat people, but I do have a problem with people who encourage others to stay fat just cause they refuse to partake in a healthy lifestyle. As for the economic issue, I think govt needs to do a better job at regulating what gets put into our food supply and not just cater to whatever helps corporations make a fat profit (no pun intended).
@@HadenBlake glad you understand bro. And yes, the obesity epidemic is not just a personal issue but a societal one. The least people can do is not promote it into our culture through stuff like “fat acceptance” and at least encourage people to make better choices. I hope you succeed in your fat loss journey bro, don’t let extreme ideologies or internet hustlers discourage you from your goals 👍
@@HadenBlake ay bro no shame in progress. Progress is progress even if you only lose a few grams and not kilograms I'm glad you started the journey and I really want you to reach your goals. Remember don't do this because you want to look a certain way for society to accept you for how you look, do it for yourself to enjoy a healthy life and as you say enjoy your kids and remember too IS A JOURNEY NOT A RACE!.
It's really impressive that you film right and edit these episodes all by yourself while staying in such good shape. Hats off to you man and thank you for giving me the knowledge that I need to keep going.
Well I guess he´s doing It Full Time, so its not really that hard and he grew with It over the years. I won´t say its not a hell of a work ethic I´m just saying once you quit netflix and or YT everyone can build his hobbies or business. And jeff is the best example for that
This video is such a breath of fresh compared to the attitude that some other fitness influencers take in this space... thanks for the fantastic, science based videos!
Jeff, thanks for this video. As a physician who frequently has this argument with folks online and in person, it's refreshing to hear a respected fitness influencer hit the nail on the head with this incredibly complex question.
Jeff, I love ya. During last two years I lost about 40kg. Went from morbid obese (124kg) to normal weight (85kg). Your "smartest ways to get lean" video helped A LOT. But I've always strugled to explain why people shouldn't just laugh at fat people. You've just done that for me. You named every single problem overweight people face in their life. I've been there. For 30 years. This is spot on. Also I'd add that vicious cycle when depression leads to comfort eating, that leads to weight gain, that leads to depression.
Good on you for finally choosing to lose weight.
Somehow, i doubt that thinking you're doomed by your genetics and having no choice would lead to any productive outcome in the end.
@@Pedro_Le_Chef Bro you have no idea what you're talking about, that isn't what people mean
@@Pedro_Le_Chef I love how jeff can make a well thought out and nuanced video on a difficult topic and so many people still manage to completely misunderstand it.
I feel like environmental factors are hugely downplayed and always last in these type of videos. In my opinion, it's a greater driving force than biology (as demonstrated by disparity in obesity rates in developed countries, which is not explained solely by genetics since immigrants tend to adopt the same rate of obesity as the host country). Here are some additional considerations in addition to those in the video:
Zip code: Many people of low SES live in food deserts where there are no grocery stores for miles and miles, making it harder to buy nutritionally balanced food.
If you live in a poor neighborhood, many schools severely lack funding to provide proper nutrition physical education programs. How many schools run proper affordable cafeterias with tasty healthy foods, and not just serve up pizza and fries? Can they afford to run sports teams or have equipment for people to exercise? How do you go for a run if you don't have access to a gym or your neighborhood has no parks? Maybe it's dangerous to exercise outside because it's not safe.
Education: With schools no longer teaching home economics, many people don't have the knowledge to interpret nutrition labels and cook healthy foods! Someone could be eating 1900 calories, but if they are severely deficient in a key nutrient, they will end up driving up their hunger response and keep eating. Countries like Japan that teach balanced diets at an early age show drastically lower rates of obesity!
Psychology and conditioning: we are taught to finish our plate and not waste food while combining ridiculous portion sizes. it's been shown that people will tend to just finish their plate not realizing they are eating more. Compound that with astronomical portion size and it's very easy to make people gain weight. Many psychological studies show that hunger suppression depends more on habit and psychological factors than actual physical satiety signals. A study gave people with short term memory loss a meal and then waited for them to forget, and gave them a meal again, over and over. They kept eating and eating until their stomach distension got so uncomfortable they had to stop and that was the only predictor of when the subject would stop eating. So clearly, hormonal signals of satiety aren't strong enough to override psychological conditioning.
Vicious cycle: How do you eat properly if all of the above compounds into parents unable to have time or afford quality food to cook for their children, end up buying bags of chips or a fast food burger to feed their kids? Their kids end up with metabolic issues and the starting point when they can control what they can eat is at obesity. Then they have to learn how to lose weight, while not losing dangerous amounts of protein, and be able to afford proper nutritionists and workout locations. To top it off, there will be a host of medical issues in the family due to poor diet, leading to huge medical bills, and the cycle starts again.
Poverty is extremely expensive and the ability to control what you eat and how much you exercise is a lot harder for some people than just walking to your nearest grocery store and going for a run. If we want to end the obesity epidemic, start with properly funding schools, invest in proper infrastructure in poor neighborhoods and give people the resources to be able to choose without giant hurdles in their way.
Very well said. As someone whose family is of low SES, I can speak to these truths a lot. I was in the midst of gaining weight right after high school but as soon as I left to college, losing weight and being healthy was substantially easier. It is tough to be healthy and make the right decisions when the system is constantly working against you.
Yes, I agree. The only reason I put biological factors first is because they are more in line with the focus of my channel and the interest of my viewers (fitness and science stuff). Also, because the environmental factors carry more political baggage, they are harder to use as an entry point into this topic for viewers who come with heavy pre-existing political bias.
Schools are incredibly "well funded", politicians have been throwing money at schools to solve problems for a long time. That's not really the problem. You could run far better schools for half the price. But you are right to point out that the schools could be run far better.
NEAT is to some extent a matter of choice. Once I learned about the benefits of fidgeting, I made a conscious effort to do more of it when I’m alone.
There’s considerable social pressure from childhood on to suppress fidgeting. I don’t recall much of this, so perhaps my baseline propensity to fidget is below average.
It’s actually kinda fun to fidget and do “chair squats” while sitting, and to pace during phone calls intentionally.
@Grand Slamwich It's very simple, I concern myself with data and critical thinking, not with narratives that are spread and influence people to think certain ways unthinkingly.
Over the last 10 months, I went from 230 pounds to 165 at 6 foot flat. Whenever people ask how I did it I usually find myself saying something along the lines of eat less and move more. 10k steps a day not only increases the amount of calories you can eat in a day, but also offers a plethora of other health benefits. At the end of the day, discipline is key, and it's simply about being good more often than not.
@@cnlevan you consumed more calories than your body needed despite your health status. It’s that simple. If you had eaten less you would’ve lost weight. Respectfully, thermodynamics is not fake.
@@thepowerliftinginvestor8490 yes it is that simple in terms of the mathematics. However, achieving this caloric deficit may be more difficult for some than others due to individual factors that Jeff explained, as well as the two examples right here
so, on the one hand, there were no obese people at auchwitz. not for every long at least. so sure, there are some known easy ways to lose weight. eat less and just do more work. it is a simple, simple math problem. the problem is, it is a very, terrible way to live. no one sticks with that life style because it is a terrible way to live. if you paid someone like nicotrel to live with you, and forced you to lose weight (eating almost 0 food, and attacked you so you kept moving), you would lose weight. it would just be a terrible way to live though.
so it's not really that we need more science to prove "eat less move more" per say (unless we just want more creative ways to accomplish this). i think the value add is to figure out why "it's so hard for obese people" to try and live that way.
so, is eating less harder for obese people, or do they just complain more? do they suffer more?
@@cnlevan the difficult way i've learned to say it in my life, :there were no fat people in the concentration camps. if you are doing work, and eating a reasonable amount of food, then you can always work more and eat less, and then you will lose weight". it will not be enjoyable, but it will work. and i say this as someone who badly, badly, badly needs to take this advice.
it sounds like a simple math problem, but it s a terrible, psychological problem. failing and eating more food just covers up the psychological problem.
@@cnlevan that's scientifically impossible..you were eating more than you were burning
I've lost 60 pounds and I really wish people understood everything in this video. I was depressed my whole adult life; calculating every bite I took wasn't a priority. I could hardly get out of bed let alone excersize and cook a healthy meal. I have finally began to recover and am very close to my goal weight. It took over a year to get this far and it was not easy. I have the utmost sympathy for people like me who struggle to lose weight. People who've never been overweight don't seem to understand that it's not fixable overnight. Just because I'm overweight right now does not mean I'm not doing everything right to fix it.
@@TB-dz6zl If nobody thinks that, then it's weird how many people will say "why don't you just lose weight" in response to any weight related problem. Yeah, I am losing weight, but that doesn't make it easier to find clothing in the meantime.
@TB-dz6zl The average dress size in the US is 14. At my biggest I was a 16. I'm a 10 now. Any brand refusing to make clothes for people my size or larger is ignoring over half of their potential customers just because they don't like how their clothes would look on us. It's elitism, not concern for our health or justified punishment for gluttony. They are leaving money on the table just to tell the average person to stay home until they're thin enough for clothes. If every overweight person started losing weight tomorrow, there would still be a need for clothing beyond XS,S, and M
@TB-dz6zl nothing you're is contrary to anything I'm saying. You're right we shouldn't have such a high average but that's the reality and it's not gonna change overnight no matter how often companies and brands try to shame people out of their products. That is the point you're not getting. Failing to make clothing for overweight people doesn't prevent obesity it just leaves obese people uncomfortable living their lives. Which does not help the obesity issue. Any time it's suggested that any sort of accommodation be made for obese people, everyone jumps out of the woodwork to say that people shouldn't be obese enough to need it. Yeah you caught me. I shouldn't need size 10 jeans and I shouldn't have needed size 16 jeans but being unable to buy jeans didn't help me lose weight any faster it just annoyed me in the meantime. No need to kick obese people while we're down and make our lives harder when we're just trying to get by.
@TB-dz6zl ah so you genuinely believe fat people should wear nothing but sweatpants and oversized T shirts until they are "thin enough". You should have just said you don't see fat people as human at the beginning.
@@aryssamansfield9735 respect bro. But it is a choice at the end of the day eventhough its hard
Another thing to consider is how much energy you expend at your job. Yesterday I found out about apple health tracking my steps and you can definitely see a huge difference in my steps for different periods in my life. As a college student, I had an average of around 7,000 steps a day, during the start of the pandemic I had around 2,000, and now, since I work at a grocery store, I take an average of 14,000 steps daily. I also have to lift heavy things frequently for my job. Since we all spend a lot of time at work, I think it’s definitely something to be considered.
For me, if I decided “let me try to get 10,000 steps a day” I would have to make literally no lifestyle changes. Meanwhile, for maybe an office worker, they would have to allocate more of their free time.
Yes, and there other elements to it, like how far you communite to work. I had time for exercise in the morning before I started this job an hour and a half away. I am not saying it's impossible to wake up half an hour earlier 2-3 times a week, and maybe do some more in the weekend but it's way more inconvenient.
@@MsMinoula and then you'd be cutting into your necessary sleep, or cutting into time for your hobbies, and neither of these make it easy to make better choices about food.
@@user_.b yup, thsts exactly how it goes
I’ve always loved how positive, real, and empathetic your videos are
He's just catering to the fat masses. An obese person can still lose weight, if they choose to put the fork down and put in the work, regardless of all the factors mentioned in the video.
It's hard for anybody to lose weight? Yes. Is it harder for some individuals to lose weight? Yes, but it's still possible for them to be and stay in a caloric deficit IF THEY HAVE THE WILLPOWER AND DISCIPLINE TO WORKOUT AND EAT LESS.
@@MedAb8 he literally said it’s possible for some but much harder for others. There are many factors that go into weight loss and that’s what the whole video is about. It’s much more complex than just willpower. For instance, to stay in a calorie deficit and feel “full” it’s helpful to eat a lot of nutrient dense foods that are more filling. These foods are more expensive. He is not catering to the obese population, he is helping others realize that fat loss is a long journey and some people have more obstacles than others.
@@MedAb8 he made sure to emphasize that is both hard to do but possible for anyone
@@laurenelias6763 since it is possible (although hard) for anyone, as you've just said, and since there are still too many obese people in the world despite the fact it was possible for them to stay in shape (although hard). We can safely assume they lacked the knowledge, the willpower, and the discipline to stick to a healthy lifestyle to keep fit.
Yes, it could be harder for some individuals and LESS HARD for others. But if they CHOSE to fight their desires and urges and STUCK to a healthy diet and regular exercise, they wouldn't have become that fat.
@@MedAb8 correct
Lots and lots of choices. Some have much more difficult choices than others for factors based on hunger response and natural tendencies to move more. But it should be encouraging that everyone can empower themselves to change if they want to.
The same is true for very thin people wanting to change
I'm so thankful that you took the time to put this together. In our world the total disregard and shame obese people have to endure as their own exclusive shortcomings is nothing short than cruelty. I've personally experienced that pressure beginning at the earliest memories of my childhood where I was given celery at birthday parties instead of the celebration cake piece, the daily constant bullying from the obnoxious comments to the straightup physical and sexual abuse by my school frenemies and the constant medical shaming and trips to the nutritionist office depriving my siblings of every food related pleasures thus marginalizing me in my own home. Now, a full decade into therapy I know and accept that I'll always be in remission and at risk for an eating disorder and body dysmorphia. Just like we wouldn't shame a schizophrenic patient for taking medication for their condition, obesity should absolutely be addressed thru this multiaxial analytical lense including some pharmaceutical help. The trouble is most obviously to treat the underlying issues first like the psychological trauma then to re-educate and reframe the cognitive frameset towards self-compassionate discourse to enable stable healthy holistic approach to lifestyle rather than full on shame driven radical diets followed by binge sessions.
This is an incredibly well put-together video that really highlights the multiple factors leading to obesity. The fitness community can be quite toxic occasionally through relentlessly blaming and shaming people who are overweight without a fundamental understanding of metabolic activity. As a doctor, it's important to attempt to underline all of the issues a person may be experiencing when it comes to gaining/losing weight.
In addition to your point about differences in hunger/satiety - this is mediated hormonally by a number of compounds, mainly ghrelin and leptin. When your body moves away from homeostasis (or your base weight), your body will do whatever it can to get back to 'normal', i.e. decreasing your leptin levels, making you generally hungrier all the time. Unless you are able to resist the urge to eat calorie-dense foods forever, you're more than likely to regain your calorie surplus and gain weight. This is one of the reasons that so many people who lose a lot of weight initially tend to return back to where they started.
Bullshit. You can eat calorie dense foods and not be fat even with a slow metabolism.(which I do and I have) People who are obese have an over eating and bad food choice addiction. I know all about addiction because I used to have both of those and several other addictions. The day you stop blaming everything else and take responsibility for your own decisions is the day you make long term progress. And to debunk the other dumb shit you said about people's homeostasis weight(I can't believe YOU'RE a doctor and don't know this) That doesn't last very long. If you lose the weight then stay at maintenance calories for about 3 months, all of that goes away. I know because I've done it from 235 all fat no muscle, to 215 some fat some muscle, to 195 low fat mostly muscle. The thing is you can't diet off 100lbs then eat whatever you want anytime you're "hungry" and then expect it to stay off. Yes you will be hungry but if you stay at maintenance that will go away.
@@Mikaeel84 It's wild to me how people like you don't seem to understand the difference between an explanation and an excuse, and then use you personal anecdotal experience to try and undermine well observed and scientifically documented facts. The way people like you take personal offense at the idea that someone else might struggle to repeat your success, it says a lot more about you than the people you're criticizing.
@@jeffjeff376 I struggled like crazy to reach my success and I still am but it all comes down to what you want more. Would you rather look good and be healthy but not eat what you want when you want or the other way around. Both are hard in different ways.
@@Mikaeel84 The fact that you struggled for your success doesn't give you the right to be weirdly resentful and judgmental of other people who are struggling and may find comfort in understanding the explanations for *why* they're struggling. Beyond comfort, explanations like those provided by Nippard and the MD you were insulting, also help to identify solutions and to remove shame from the whole process.
Shame is psychological poison, more likely to cause people to fall into counter-productive self hatred than to create positive change. When you paint a simplistic and non-scientific view that dismisses all these explanations for why some people struggle more than others, when you imply that it only comes down to willpower and self control, you are judging and shaming those people who may be struggling for reasons that most people don't.
@@jeffjeff376 it does come down to will power and self control. Some just need to try harder than others. In my experience people make excuses for why they are fat because somebody told them they are a special snow flake instead of doing what needs to be done. Positive change usually comes from necessity not coddling. You feel bad so therefore you do what you need to feel good. When someone doesn't feel bad for being fat they think it's ok and that people aren't disgusted by them when they really are. It's called enabling. Like people who are addicted to pain pills then they are told they have a genetic predisposition to being an addict. I've known multiple drug addicts and all that does is enable them. They use it as an excuse for why they aren't clean instead of admitting they just aren't willing to go through the pain of detox and resisting drugs so they can feel better. We haven't survived thousands of years by coddling. It was the strongest survive. 1000 years ago your bitch ass would be dead. Unfortunately that's not the case anymore.
As always, amazingly put together. I do fitness for 5 years. Now in late 30's. Try to implement scientific approach. Live in Ukraine. With the beginning of war and kicking in depression, I jacked up my training routine to counterbalance negative factors. However found myself struggling to loose any fat while reducing overall calories consumption (just saying, not the biggest problem people have here).
Sleep quality is also often an overlooked factor. Overall health (and wealth) is always an underlining condition for any sport or fitness. On the other hand none should ever wait environment to improve to start doing fitness. Even when you are not reaching your goals difference between sincere attempt and accepting defeat is massive.
Be safe
I pray to your folks and you ofc. Slava Ukraini.
The internet loves over-simplification, & it's great that you're researching such a nuanced topic. Thank you Jeff! 👌👍
I think it has something to do with ego, too. If i'm lean and they're fat, i'm doing something right and they're doing something wrong,and so i'm better than them at something in some way, in an area that's important to me.
@@herculesbrofister265 "i'm better than them at something" this but unironically
@@herculesbrofister265 they are at health risk because of their obesity while you are not because you are no obese, you are objectively doing better than them in that case
every topic can be broken down into simplicity. Einstein famously said "if it can't be explained in simple terms, it's false"
@@Simon-talks that's not what he said, and tbf he probably didn't even say the correct phrase either, which is: "if you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough". But Einstein gets credited with saying a ton of phrases all the time, and I doubt he said ALL of them, he was a physicist, not a philosopher.
1:11 They were not in 1000 calories surplus if their metabolism burned more. That's not how this works. 1000 caloric surplus means that one person might have to eat 3200 calories while another 4000 calories. If your resting metabolism burns more then you need more calories its simple as that. Is that huge difference a genetics component or rather a difference between muscularity?
I've been working really hard on my weight loss by making better choices and exercising more, I did lose all the weight about ten years ago (kept it off for about 6 months) and then I packed it all back on. Thankyou for making a video that doesn't enable bad choices, but also shows compassion. I go to the gym at like 2am in the morning as people are so judgemental and rude towards me when I'm at the gym, lifting weights and doing my cardio days. I carry all my weight around my gut and I'm quite slim everywhere else so i get I look odd, but considering how hard I work and try everyday it's quite hurtful.
I've been addressing so many different things about food and it's incredibly difficult, so for a super fit person like yourself to encourage people to not right someone off as a fat greedy pig and look at all the factors, was honestly super healing to read for me. My mother is a sloth, overeats and doesn't try to lose weight ever, and I try to eat less, and work out and we're both judged for being 'fat pigs', I'm going to keep working at all my issues with food and self control and I've made massive strides for my own personal journey, even if nobody else can see it yet.
The first time I lost all the weight, it was due to a wonderful PT who would literally kick people out of the gym if they were rude to anyone overweight/ out of shape in his gym. He treated me like a human being, and he was kind to me, and it was almost a familial relationship like a kind older brother. That was the first time I was ever treated properly despite being big and I will forever be thankful to him as he really inspired change, and this dude was JACKED. Yes I packed it all back on over time, but I started to address my issues and make small incremental changes for the better more and more. I no longer eat a stupid amount daily, and I work out 2- 3 times a week now, and I'm adding more effort as my body adjusts to the routine. I don't want obesity to be enabled like it is currently, I just want the human being to be seen and those of us 'fatties' that are actively trying to change be treated with dignity and respect even though we might look like the 'lazy fat pig' ones still, for now.
I'll send you some progress photos down the line bro, but seriously thankyou for this video.
scuse the grammar/ spelling errors g.
Fuck yeah dude. Keep up the hard work!
Remember that health and weight loss are not synonymous. If you aren't losing weight how you want, you're still improving.
That is so sad reading what you saying. No people deserve being hated for they bodyfat, especially those one who wanna change. It's shame that those people were shaming you like you are something bad, while their behavior to the other people should be ashamed by itself.
I hope you will continue this path to become more healthy and beautiful person and will not allow these dark days darken your heart.
No one should be judged for being overweight in a gym. Sounds like a bad gym. There are lots of overweight people at my gym and I always admire and respect their efforts and so does everyone else. What caused you to gain all the weight back? I would push myself harder if I was you. 2-3 days is fuck all. Try 5 days a week, weights and 30 mins cardio. Thats what I do and eat lots of meat, veggies and eggs and ive lost 5.5kg in 6 weeks. Sorry you've been treated that way but if you grind harder you will lose weight. Youve done it before
As an Obese lifer about 2 years ago I chose to believe it was a “Switch” and decided to hit it. This worked for me and today I am 104 pounds lighter and very very active. I have to keep an eye on my macs and stay disciplined with activity but I’m in Obese Recovery. I cheat about 2 or 3 treats a week but with the rest of my days of lean proteins and veggies it doesn’t affect me. So as the ex over 300 pounder I agree so much with all this. But for me I turned it into a switch that I was ready to flip. If your watching this video to make a change in your life keep it up. You can do it.
I really believe that we tend to avoid talking about the spiritual because it's so hard to quantify, or it makes a certain portion of the population uncomfortable, but that is what has been giving me the most power to flip that switch to transform my life from fear of the impossible (or improbable) to becoming anything if I put my mind and body to it. This has nothing to do with God or religion, but everything to do with understanding that in essence our bodies are just slabs of meat on the table without the lifeforce or energy to not only guide, but create and carve out our lives with it. Even recently I learned that no matter our age, we can still find ways to heal and regenerate ourselves without being reliant on meds.
I, myself, have lost 90 pounds and have gone from non-athletic all my life to a more athletic lifestyle and build. And it only happened because I was ready to make the change. And throughout all obstacles, setbacks, injuries, and life stresses of loved ones suffering, I was still able to change over time.
Kudos to you for making that change!
Congrats @Tatted 1969 . The same happened to me, I am still obese but lost a 100 lbs. If someone else is reading this and you are obese, maybe you are looking at all these factors in the video and thinking yeah I cant stop obesity, maybe you cant completely get to low bmi or bodyfat % but even 5-10 lb reduction just feels better and life gets easier.
@@mnikhk Absolutely, keep the fight going.
Why calling it a cheat? Its just part of your 'diët' , but i would like to call it your lifestyle. I eat chocolate everyday because I LOVE it, doesnt mean im cheating. Just eat the 'bad' foods in moderation.You can fit everything in your diet♥️
Thank you for your considerate take! I have recently lost nearly 25 pounds and am hoping to lose about 55 more, but I've been struggling with weight management for over 20 years due to PCOS, stress, and depression. I developed an eating disorder in my early 20's and have yo-yo'd between extremely restrictive diets and binge eating, in addition to overly strenuous workout regimines that caused me to iniure myself, halting my weight loss entirely. Only after I managed to maintain a healthy diet WITHOUT being overly restrictive of my calories (while still struggling with the impulse to restrict further or using exercise as punishment for eating) have I FINALLY been able to start getting in shape. It's easier now that I've been working at it for months, but it's nowhere near as simple as "eat fewer calories" like so many people on the internet who have never struggled with their weight make it out to be.
Quite simply, there is something so refreshing about your vids and I can't put my finger on it yet. Perhaps it's that lack of hubris or whatever. Easy to listen to, easy to watch, because you have done all the hard work. Although you'd think the topics have been done to death, you revive them with a calm, rational approach that is quite appealing. I was going to comment on your 'few more thoughts' post below, but it looks like you have plenty already. Suffice to say, I think we are born with a hand of cards, learning how to play them (or not) is the only choice. Keep the vids coming. Great stuff.
Love this video. As someone who struggles with weight gain who has successfully lost weight (most of my adult life at 225-245 lbs, lowest at 185 with energy issues and less strength, and currently at 200 feeling my best in terms of cardio, strength and general health), I can say that fat shaming and blaming the individual was wrecked my self esteem and made it harder to lose weight. This is all anecdotal but I think another genetic thing is possibly susceptibility to addiction, as my weight problems were directly correlated to my issues with alcohol. Great video, doesn’t shy away from the fact that obesity can cause issues but we shouldn’t make moral judgements of a person for being overweight.
Some medication approved in the YS and Canada, does address addictive cravings, while the newest ones work on hormones that regulate appetite. It can be worth discussing addicive behaviour a long with medical options and counselling with CBT.
Lol. Maybe we were separated at birth. I fluctuated between 235 and 180 - extremes of either full blown anxiety eating or unhealthy deprivation - until I went to recovery for alcoholism earlier this year. Never realized that I was just bouncing between being addicted to food and being addicted to losing weight as fast as possible until I went to recovery. Now I'm 205 but this time it feels sustainable - Recovery helped me see how I previously didn't consider moderation anywhere - it was completely insane as a concept to my old mindset. Had no clue addiction was driving every facet of my weight battle. And yea - the shame and 'its just a choice' mentality just dug me deeper into a hole. I didn't even know what choice I was or wasn't making because it was buried under so many layers. I bet we aren't the only ones - Thanks for sharing this Kyle!
@@seanbrennan5691 it is your choice. Think of it like this. If genetics is the gun then your lifestyle pulls the trigger.
It's like any addiction. Yes you may be more susceptible due to genetics but YES it's always your choice. Unless you're being forced to eat
TBH the weigh scale is the worse propaganda indoctrinated to us to measure physical (and in part mental) health. 2nd worse only to parents who tell us about genetic dispositions to certain conditions (diabetes/high blood pressure) but have the wackest solutions to remedy the problem. I'm floating around 220 which puts me on the slight obese by loose medical standards. Have been weight lifting for the past 8 months while in a body recomp so I've been under a slight caloric deficit for awhile. I have made progress pics and have seen my body fat slowly go away in key areas (also different per person where that hits). I've controlled my cortisol levels as well too as I had left a very stressful job that just compounded my mental health. Things just changed when I reframed what being healthy was from a binary 'fat' equation to addressing all the little issues in my life.
I’m glad you addressed this with poise and honesty, although I would say your analysis still determines it is a series of choices, but some choices may be harder for some than others. Most importantly though, it isn’t something to bully people for but rather guide them in the right direction and encourage them to make the choices they can that will impact their lives positively.
1:51 I don‘t like the fact that you keep saying „this lucky person“ or „these blessed individuals“ burn so much more calories while resting… There are underweight people who need to force themselves to eat 5000 calories a day in order to gain weight. IMO these „lucky“ individuals have it even harder since eating so much is more time consuming and forcing yourself to do sth is harder than simply forgoing something.
but still a great video
Exactly what I thought as well, especially as a skiny kid trying to gain muscle that hates eating and feels full after 2500 kcals a day
Being too skinny beats being too fat, I don't think that's very controversial.
having been skinny and having been fat i know which one id like to be stuck as. also, he was referring to someone whose metabolism allowed them a couple hundred more calories per day, which i actually would consider such a person lucky. of course someone who literally cant eat enough to maintain a healthy body weight isnt lucky, but guess what? he wasnt talking about such a person.
I love that you take a very empathetic and scientific approach in your videos. I personally know a lot of fit people and fitness influencers who have little to no understanding of the factors that play a role on anyone's weight and judge people and make assumptions about them without knowing anything about the people they ridicule (sometimes publicly). Your videos are informative, sensitive, and filled with passion for knowledge and growth. You've earned yourself every sub on this channel. Congrats, and keep up the good work bro :)
Over a decade being overweight, battling obesity, begging everyone from doctors to strangers on the internet for help, going to every single source I could find to get more information, this is literally the first time I've heard of "NEAT". Thank you.
Keep searching and digging! The helpful advice is out there!! You can do it but it’s true, we aren’t taught this stuff and given what we need to succeed, we have to go out and find the information for ourselves, and wade through all the ignorant people in the process. You’ve got this! I believe in you
Try interval fasting and low carb, your body can adjust to those in a few weeks and it can bring very good results
The problem is there is only one solution calories in, calories out, but how you get there is a choose your own adventure that depends on your unique situation. You need to find what works for you, which means whatever you can maintain as a new lifestyle. I am a perimenopausal (read hormonal as a 13 year old) woman and I was starting to have joint issues. I chose to increase activity as that was easier than being super restrictive with food because I knew that I could increase activity but I’d never stick with it if I couldn’t eat what I wanted within reason. (My husband jokes that I exercise so I can eat dessert). Educate yourself on portions, nutrients, and how your unique body system works. Recognize that you can tweak along the way and it doesn’t have to be perfect from the start. Find the one thing you can do right now, that would be so easy to add in (10k steps per day for me). Focus on only doing that for a month. Each month add another thing, increase intensity, start a food log, focus on getting more protein, whatever seems right for your goals. Almost 2 years later, I hit the gym almost every day and have cut back some to protect my knees but also know about how to set my food for the best nutrient diversity and based on activity because I started with one habit and grew it. Don’t expect to do it all at once. It’s too much. Focus on doing a little at a time.
Literally just eat less calories than you burn, and you will lose weight. It's not fun, but it's the truth. Eat less. Exercise more. Lose weight. Done.
Great consciousness-raising work, Jeff. Those in public health know this as a socio-ecological approach to a public health crisis. Inviting compassion is hugely encouraging to see given your platform, regardless of whether there are many takers out there.
I had a very draining job in the past years , I took around 30 kg , that put me in the obese category.
I stopped it 2 month ago for another job, I'm already 5 kg down without changing my habits. I just have a better sleep and less stress.
Thanks for pointing other factors. The "motivational stuff" you can find in the fitness sphere that "it's your choice you fat trash".
keep going hard dude, i hope it only gets better
The impact of switching from a high stress job to a low stress one cannot be overstated. I couldn't lose weight until I got my current job, where I have a good boss, a manageable workload, and I'm treated with respect. (Decent salary and good health insurance are also very helpful.) The office culture also highly encouraged us to get up and move around instead of being bound to our desks all day, and that change helped snowball into more overall physical activity. I was in a good enough space mentally to pick up lifting, and got a trainer to make sure I didn't hurt myself. Then I started working from home during the pandemic, and the temptation of office treats was gone, and I had plenty of extra time to cook nutritious meals and squeeze in more exercise throughout the day. The person I am today, 100 lbs lighter, would not be here if I hadn't quit the stressful job that was keeping me obese.
I've been fit all my life, but it's largely down to genetic and environmental factors. I would argue that it's rarely been an active 'choice' of mine (aside from some key factors that you could argue are down to my environment) to be fit, and I can recognise that if I was born under different circumstances, maybe I would be obese rn. I'm glad this video can approach the topic with some nuance.
Thank god! an acutal comment with brain cells amongst all these simpletons "iT's A cHoIcE bRo!", I can tell you from someone who grew up pretty chubby/unathletic most of my childhood. I was never tproperly taught impulse control with eating habits and what not, but around my late teens I started getting into intermittent fasting and bodybuilding and eventually got pretty jacked
Very well done, as usual. Very important topic that deserves to be addressed in this way. Glad you're still doing what you do (including the never-ending and consistent improvement). Respect, homie.
Thumbail got me confused for a few seconds
Why?
@@brucemohamed5316because this video is 2 years old and the video shown in the thumbnail is 2 months old
Smart thumbnail change but also, this is the best video on the subject i've seen that actually addresses nuance unlike coach greg. If you've the genes, and built good habits from childhood onward, of course you wont understand why others are obese. A good chunk of the damage IMO happens in people's formative years. Through well meaning ignorance or full on negligence, adults fail kids and dont set good eating and discipline habits. This snowballs down the line and then when you're an adult with other responsibilities and want to make a change, you dont have the tools to do it effectively. Its 100x more impressive for an obese person to hit the gym lightly for a week and cut back on soda than it is for these fitness influencers to break PRs and micromanage their diets. It doesnt absolve personal responsibility but lets not act like its a simple "just eat less" situation.
@JeffNippard
Thank you for this video. It's the most balanced and informative video I've seen on the subject, and it hits SO close to home. A follow up video where you go through what steps to take to level the playing field would be very welcome.
I am a rarity, being an overweight (BMI of 30) marathon and ultramarathon runner. I struggle every day with trying to stay in a caloric deficit, even when running 20-30 miles a week. Meanwhile, many of my friends do almost no training, eat what they want, including snacks and sugar, binge drink every weekend, and still maintain their slimmer looks. It's insanely annoying.
That thumbnail change confused tf out of me but that worked 😂 I was like how is this the thumbnail but the video came out two years ago 😂
Same😂😂😂
It’s still relevant too
With few exceptions, It’s years of daily lifestyle decisions that lead us to where we are at. Years of good decisions can lead you to a good place, even if genetics makes it tougher.
Skinny people aren't skinny because of a lifetime of good decisions.
“Is obesity a choice?” is a fundamentally different question than, “Do your choices contribute meaningfully to your obesity?”
How are depression and being poor choices?
@@AustinWeber17 eating healthier is cheaper than eating unhealthy if you chose the right foods. Eating unhealthy is bad for mental health
@@AustinWeber17 You're missing the point, those who are affected by depression or poverty have a higher risk of becoming obese but neither of those factors lead to obesity on their own, so altough the margin for error is much smaller for them, they could still avoid obesity through their choices.
How is it fundamentally different?
@@falschgedenkt9086 One is saying that you consciously choose to do while the other is an unconscious decision based on series of conscious decisions.
I have always had to eat less than others and work out hard to maintain a good physique. As I am approaching age 34, I am grateful that I had to work hard when I was younger, because it set me up for a good habits that keep me in great shape to this day. Meanwhile, I watch all those that were naturally skinny in high school struggle with slowed metabolisms from aging. Trying to look at the glass half full!
I really liked this video and I’d like to see more on the environmental factors that incentivize people to gain weight.
Having lived for a year in the US, and having become overweight in that period- but lost it back when I got back to Europe, I know for sure the environment does a lot. This environment is also structured by government policies, which play a big role in people’s lives.
The difference in policies between, for instance, the US and the Netherlands, where I live, are massive. The normal portions sold are half the size as in the US here. Everything is smaller, starting from supermarkets. Big supermarket chains like Carrefour (a big one in Europe, kinda like Walmart), are prohibited. There are many small supermarkets in cities so that people don’t have to travel to get food- as it is reachable by walking or biking distance. Public transportation is present everywhere and bike paths are incredible. This results in the average person probably biking or walking at least half an hour a day.
Urban planning and nutrition policies affect people’s lives a lot.
It would be interesting to see a video of yours looking at faulty policies that contribute to keep people overweight or obese - going against scientific recommendations found in academic papers.
And btw, thanks for the high quality content, I really like how you make academic results accessible to everyone!
What you say is super interesting. Why those big supermarkets are prohibited? Is it because they would force people to go far their home using more public transport or cars?
Hup Holland hup
@@juliocesarsalazargarcia6872 I would assume it is to maintain the walkable nature of the Netherlands, the government there is very progressive in terms of city planning (at least compared to north america).
>Goes to the US
>Becomes Fat
>Goes to Europe
>loses weight
I agree! Additionally I think weather needs to be taken into consideration. Having lived in many places I've noticed higher fitness levels in people living in more temperate climates compared to places with lengthy, dark winters. That being said the temperate places I lived in also had wealthier people overall than the places with harsh winters.
I can tell ya, during my years of depression and stress, that stuff sneaks up on ya. I didn't even notice I was fat until a year after getting there. It was weird, but when I noticed, I became more sad. Haha. Thankfully, I'm no longer, but it's been an experience. Took me 7 years to make an actual attempt for consistency and learning before finally just starting. Lol. But I chose it, unwittingly or not.
you go brother, well done 🤝🏼💪🏼
@Vanessa well its a choice then,and an easy choice since you are having mental problem,but still a conscious choice (not a drunk choice),so all the blame is still on you,almost no one in this video comment section use their brain,telling facts doesnt mean telling anything that sounds "emphatic",people are too emotional,im a fat guy who is depressed for years,i was beaten up by a bunch of people in high school (probably 10 or even more),but i admitted its still a choice for me,no matter how depressed you are, depression doesnt make you eat something automatically,you make the choice because that is what is easy for you,depression is not the same thing as alcohol addiction,its not the same thing as men looking at women who use immodest clothing,we have almost no control over that,but obesity is there because its an easy choice,no evidence depression makes you eat things automatically,you want to eat food,and then you search food and did it
I was over 300lbs and it’s was a choice and it was also a choice to lose weight. I wasn’t taking care of myself.
Naturally skinny people aren't naturally skinny because they are taking care of themselves. They are just naturally skinny.
I know I'm years late but thanks for this, Jeff. I try and be an empathetic, morally conscious, non-judgmental person but had noticed myself becoming noticeably more judgmental towards obese people since getting into shape. I recognized it as rude and something I needed to work on but didn't have a good lens to attack those biases through. This was the fact-based, empathetic, conscientious explanation I needed to have the tools to really start tackling those judgments so I can be kinder to the people around me. Truly, for everything but especially for this, thanks man
I love how jeff changed the thumbnail smart move😂😂😂
I was thinking the same thing😂
"CICO is not that simple"
*Greg Doucette screams in distance*
I've finally started losing weight after I worked through my childhood trauma and complex PTSD(even tho I was a professional athlete and exercised).
Now as I am in EMDR therapy my weight is going down, my apetite is not messed up anymore, I am not binge eating, very reduced hunger.
It is very important to start healing you mind and soul before body.
Agree, great point. And good job, you have my respect.
As a bigger person going through body recomp, this is the best, most sympathetic and science backed video I've ever seen on the subject. Thank you.
I’ve went from 166 pounds to 138 pounds at 5’7 this year starting at the end of January. I figured I wanted to be leaner than I went into college as (The freshman 15 is no joke ) and at first I made no changes other than omad . That became unsustainable after I hit 155 then I realized the benefits of walking. I live in the south so it’s always hot so I decided to just walk indoors whenever I had the chance. Days where I stayed in my dorm all day I decided to walk back and forth while watching tv to get my steps in averaging about 16k steps a day sometimes more. I still do get my steps in and I can eat way more than I previously did and maintain my new weight easily. Though I did start paying more attention to macros and doing resistance training around the 155 mark I still could’ve did it with steps alone
That’s commendable, but this video is about OBESITY.
@@AislingDonohoe Rix Zin wanted to share their weightloss journey from a BMI of 26 (tecnically slightly overweight) to a lean build with an estimated 21,6 BMI, and they are free to do so.
No one asked for your input !
BTW great work Rix Zin! :)
@@Trixu thank you , I didn’t lose as much as a long of people but it felt real hard at times so I understand and feel for people suffering from obesity
Jeff, this is fantastic. I have lost 100lbs from educating myself and watching your's and other's videos on here (also doing your PPL program). I've been trying to find the words to explain to my fit friends why it was always so hard to lose weight, but this is so perfect. Thank you.
So it was a choice
It's still a choice. Just like how if you're born into a poor family, it's much harder to become rich vs. being born into a rich family. But that doesn't mean if you're born into a poor family, you can't study, work hard, and become rich also. That is literally the American Dream.
@@-Smashbrother- crazy how some people that dont live in america literally cant do anything to change their economic status 🤯
@@slee2695 It was a choice to get healthy, yes. Not choosing to care about my health was also a choice, so in a way it was my choice to gain weight as well.
Fantastic breakdown of a really complex subject. Knowing all the potential pitfalls can help a lot in managing your weight, and knowing the reason behind why you shouldn't always be comparing your progress directly to someone elses. We all get dealt different cards in life and have to play what we got in the best way we can.
Been watching quite a few of your videos since I begun exercising earlier this year and getting this video recommended terrified me. I see you as very reliable and diligent with your research, but was afraid you would have a similar approach to this subject as a lot of gym bros, and just write obese people off as lazy. That would make me heavily question the rest of you content, but luckily you didn't and brought up all the points I hoped you would. Amazing video! Concise, intelligent and understanding! I find you even more reliable now than I already did. Keep up the great work :D
As someone who had to lose 180lbs; I've tried to explain this shit to people over a decade as I became mode educated in the matter. You're an amazing creator and I feel blessed to have someone like you make this video. It definitely flys in the face of the machismo factor people want to believe in so badly in a cultural sense but does a lot to reveal the complex truth of the matter.
Some people are born on third base and think they've hit a triple. This applies to anything from intelligence to financial success to physique.
Everything we accomplish is due to factors inside and outside our control, and not all the factors inside our control are as easy for one person as another.
For example, I don't have any addictive tendencies. I can stop at one drink. When my pain killers expire, I have no desire to take any more. It's easier for me to not be a drug addict than other people. I'm making choices, but they are easy choices for me to make.
I can say this while also saying that being a drug addict isn't good or healthy, that drug addicts should try to make better choices and seek help when they struggle. But it'd also be wrong of me to think their choices are as easy to make as mine and it really wouldn't be very helpful to reduce all those complex factors of addiction down to "just choose not to do drugs."
I don't see this as an argument against accountability. Rather, I see understanding the complexity behind detrimental behaviors as incredibly important to working with and addressing them. But some people put more focus on laying blame and moralizing behavior than they do on fixing problems. So, they think that if you're saying it's complex, that you're excuse making or normalizing something they think is bad. That kind of reasoning doesn't get us anywhere. Yelling at fat people doesn't get them anywhere, either.
This was amazingly said. Thank you.
This should definitely be the top comment but i think a lot of people get drawn in by the divisive title and watch 15 seconds in and comment "its all your fault!!!"
You just said a lot of circle reasoning that leads to no conclusion. Great job you are causing more confusion. Nobody is asking if a choice is hard. The question is if it’s a choice. The answer is yes. Food doesn’t threaten you to eat it.
@@Witcherworks Hey, I don't know if you understand what circular reasoning is.
The video is not about what a choice strictly is. Hell, if food could put a gun to your head, you'd still technically have a choice to eat or die.
It's about how there are numerous choices and non-choices. Also, how some choices are incredibly difficult, which does actually impact your likelihood of success.
@@abcw114 You are just giving an opinion with no conclusion except whatever works for the person. I understand what circle reasoning means. I was being sarcastic because you are circle jerking people to think whatever they wish.
Great video. This is a difficult topic and you covered everything perfectly. Definitely saving this to share in the future! Thanks and keep up the great work Jeff.
Bro you're so thorough great job 👍
Bro really went back and updated his thumbnail
Lol I was trying to figure out why that was there
Smooooort
Made me watch so it worked lol
That's called strategy. Tons of people do it
@@alexanderholmes9481 yea, I know
I felt ashamed every day for being morbidly obese, even though I was raised in an extremely overweight family, I still felt that the choice to not change was purely my own, especially into my adult years. But the choice of being obese aside, there did come a time when I felt like I truly had an option. And the result from that lead me to lose over 140lbs, mostly thanks to your videos for giving me an in depth and scientifically oriented mindset to make small incremental changes: eat less, work harder, make better choices. I even started helping my friends lose weight, it truly changed my life.
Sadly... Over the course of a year I got a job in construction that all but killed the healthy diet I was on... And then followed by a desk job that killed my exercise routine... I gained a lot of weight back... But I'm out of that environment now, and I feel as though I have that choice again. So starting back from square one, I'm dieting again, I'm exercising just like it used too, and I'm slowly making progress again using what your channel taught me.
I'll make you proud Jeff! I did it once and I can do it again!
You can do this! Self knowledge is half the battle.
How does a job in construction or sitting at a desk stop you from eating healthy? Have you tried intermittent fast and bring a healthy lunch? Don't drink any sugars, only water and caffeine pills instead of coffee if you think you need cream and sugar. Drink a dull glass of water before eating anything... each meal and any snack. Literally quadrouple your water intake. If ur working hard in construction, you'll swest it out instead of having to pee all the time. Eat/drink everything cold - choke it down if you have to. I have worked in both construction (residential and commercial) in the past. No microwave? So what?
I now work a desk job where I stand and move while working and in meetings (turn off the video and mic), take the steps multiple times a day, eat at my desk while working and then walk during lunch and workout after my son is asleep.
You can totally do it, just make it you priority over comfort. Comfort makes us weak
@@brentmchenry9273 it was a very complicated situation, not sure what you want me to say really. I don't really have excuses, It was just a new and very harsh/fast paced environment, I was desperate for more income and I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. I would work a 12-14 hour shift and not get home until late, drive the hour home then pass out and do it all over again the next day. The foreman would bring food sometimes and it was usually junk food, naturally. I lost the time I had to prep meals from shear lack of time and physical exhaustion. It was a hard job of trench digging I took out of desperation to pay rent and while it didn't kill my diet instantly, over the course of several months of the same routine, my eating habits just slowly deteriorated until I was back to eating junk because it was readily available, cheap, easy, and on occasion my only real option. Everybody on the crew ate garbage and I was asked maybe 50+ time if I was a vegetarian from the occasional salad I would bring as a last ditch effort to stay healthy. I was making an effort, it just didn't last sadly.
Then, after a work injury, they sat me behind a desk where I was working the same hours but with mountains of paperwork, data entry, and accounting that left me confined to my desk where I watched my weight snowball. It was far from ideal and over time my focus shifted from my health to my work/career. It didn't exactly happen overnight but just slowly through accumulation and deteriorating physical and mental well being. I'm happy for you that you were able to find a way to balance your job with your health, that's fantastic, but it wasn't from a lack of effort that led me to my downward trend.
Believe me, I saw what was happening to myself, and I hated it but my priorities were just elsewhere with a mountain of responsibility on top of it. I'm sure I might have had options like you said, but the stress killed my motivation to keep up. Maybe it'll be different should I find myself in that situation again but for now I'm just kinda glad to be set free from that company with the motivation to start over.
I don't mind starting over, I'm just happy I'm starting again at all. I did it once and il do it again, and keep doing it however many times it takes, however many times I screw up, so long as I keep going
@Vanessa this! I agree
Poverty, depression and obesity are all things society is happy to tell others is their fault, because every single one of them are systemic issues that we don't want to address because they are huge beasts of world problems.
All 3 can happen to anyone. It's a trifecta of "your fault" because all 3 conditions can kill you (usually slowly) and they run together as bed fellows. People are TERRIFIED of things out of their control. So telling themselves that all three are "choices" is a way to buffer that intense fear. Which also leads to phobia, hate and vitriol and you see this in spades in all of human history. Conditions in which aren't a persons fault were often thought of as brought upon the self. People would tell themselves (and in many ways still do) that they are virtuous, of good blood, of good breeding, worthy, deserving of the luck they get. And here's the kicker, I'm not saying it's someone fault that they have privilege or good luck. That aim doesn't serve anyone to make people feel bad yet again for things they didn't choose.
They also interplay on each other to cause each other. Usually root cause is poverty. Poverty leads to a plethora of things including stress and survival response and mindset Remember the marshmallow experiment on kids? Consider for a moment that maybe some if not all the kids who took the one marshmallow was not because of impatience, but rather a guarantee that they would get something nice. Anything from untrustworthy adults in their lives to moments of promise being broken influences behavior where you think "it's better to have a bird in the hand than two in the bush" mentality. This has been proven scientifically with living in poverty. Not only are you almost always spending more than you have through sheer necessity (there are some fantastic documentaries showing how being homeless is unintuitively expensive - Bulk buy is not something people in poverty can do, especially if they can't store the food properly.)
Depression can happen for a variety of reasons. Genetics, environment, stress, hormone imbalance. It can be a co-morbid to other issues, like untreated/undiagnosed ADHD, Autism, OCD, anxiety, Bi-polar, BPD etc. Depression is also more common in people with worse health and higher stress. It's also genetic, so if it runs in the family, you have the switches to possibly have it turned on by environment, which can be caused by simply being around people who suffer it and don't have the tools to cope.
Obesity is so multi-faceted it's not even funny. At base level, you have genetics, your DNA blue print. If you have PCOS, Thyroid etc. you will struggle more than average. Next you have epigenetics, the modification of switches already present in your DNA based on your environment during gestation (See Dutch Hunger Winter study) in which if the person who carried you didn't get in enough nutrients (not just calories) your body will be primed to think that the environment outside the womb has starvation/lean periods and adjust your metabolism accordingly. This can also happen and does happen (See biggest loser study) if you lower your caloric intake to a point that sets off whatever level your bodies alarms systems go off. This is not starvation mode, it is prevention for starvation mode. Your hunger signals ramp up, your metabolism goes down.
Notice how we already have two interplays. Poverty has a famous decrease in nutrients, whether it's literal starvation or nutrient devoid easy to eat, cook and often cheap foods.
Now the person who already suffered some things at the hands of epigenetics gets to deal with environment.
Whatever your care takers who raise you have under their belt is what you have. So any education in cooking, nutrition, what you eat etc. is dictated by this, including any coping mechanisms
I hate the fallacy of "If I can do it, so can you". I don't think people know how demotivating that can actually be when they try and they fail; "I mean, if this poor sod as self-decreed by the implicit self-deprecation implication could do it and I can't ... what does that make me?"
I also hate the assumption of "one day, I just woke up and decided enough is enough." Our brains are NOT good at recalling where things start. Usually getting out of any terrible situation, habit, environment is a far far longer process than we give credit for. It's taken me 15 years to eventually find something that worked for me to lose weight and it took me 20 years to get out of an abusive situation and another 10 to really accept that it happened and I'm still dealing with trauma from it. These things take time. They take many many small often unnoticed instances of things being wrong, off or enough for change to happen.
If change was so easy and "just do it" was at all legitimate advice, are people really so deluded to think that some people just want to be miserable? To die early? To suffer? What kind of comfort do people get in thinking that, to brush off people who need help?
It irks me. And it irks me that my fellows who have lost weight also forget that journey, what it really took to get there and how many things just lined up with out realizing it. We only see bad luck and good luck is a privilege. We only remember the breaking or tipping point, not all the weight added to the scale that actually tipped it.
I will never tell someone "I did it, you can too." They aren't me. And I will never judge someone after learning all that I've learned for having depression, making bad choices or causing their own suffering. No one in their right mind wants to suffer and that's the part that sticks with me when ever I see someone "fall short of their potential. Make things worse for themselves. Continue to make the wrong decision." Something is wrong. A cow that would intentionally walk to the slaughter house full well knowing exactly what will happen if it goes there isn't told "Haha, what a dumb cow." no, most people think "TF is wrong with the cow?!"
Thank you for this soft and gentler approach to this question.. the jubliee video felt a little harsh
Thank you for the incredibly thoughtful video. I'm not obese, nor do I have a tendency toward obesity, but this video is important for helping us understand the difficulties others may be having trying to manage their weight.
Other people being overweight is not my business therefore I don’t judge.
Not being obbese is a hard concious decision for some, but it is still an active choice. Most things worthwhile are not easy but they are rewarding and you as the individual will never know what you are missing from overcoming these hard choices if you never push yourself past that realm of absolute comfort. Take things one step at a time big or small as your steps may be make the active choice to walk, youll start feeling better all around when you do
Yeah the small personal choices can have a strong ripple effect. In my diet I used to focus managing my carb intake/carb types and that led me to overeat more often. In the last 8 months returning to weight lifting I focused more on managing protein intake and I have always felt satiated doing so. For some focusing their diets on the fats intake helps them too. There are some extreme external factors we can't help change or can't immediately address. But in the quest to be physically/mentally healthy, it is possible to modify details that leave a huge impact.
As a former fat dude, I don’t think it’s a choice they made. We simply just uneducated in the nutritional side of things. We just eating foods you don’t realized that’ll made you fat overtime.
Thats still a choice
You have the power of the world all the education all the books and information at the palm of your hands
@@chrisrendon461 I think if one isn't aware on the fact they have been given wrong information, or just that they hold lies as truth it isn't a choice to uphold that if you have no reason to think that what you believe is false. It isn't a choice to remain uneducated on certain matters if you don't know that you're uneducated on them
Thanks for making this. People like to think it's easy, but it's more complicated.
My wife has PCOS, and it makes it very hard to lose weight. When I met her, she was strength training 6 to 7 days a week and eating a more Mediterranean diet, and cutting calories. She did lose weight, but not by much. It wrecked her mental health.
She's now focused on eating better foods and working out 3 to 4 days a week. She eats more fruits and veggies, leaner foods. She never overeats. She eats less than I do, yet she's bigger than I am despite me being mostly sedentary, and I typically eat more and worse. She is much happier now and her blood levels come back healthy.
I really appreciate this. I've done a fairly disciplined exercise regimen for almost two years (a set of 25lb/30lb/40lb dumbbells for resistance balanced with yoga for core/flexibility), with a high protein calorie restriction diet (I'm down to about 250lb and target about 1000-1200cal). A fair amount of weight came off in the first few months, but I have since struggled to lose 1.1 pounds/week on average (I have an excel doc I track everything in). I am constantly, distractingly hungry, and chew an insane amount of gum every day to trick my brain into ignoring that hunger.
And it's not just age (I'm 39). When I was younger I lived in a hilly city and walked 2 or 3 miles a day (no car), I did pushups and body weight squats almost every day, I was poor as hell and barely ate, and I was still fat. The only time my BMI got under 25 (I know BMI isn't a great measure) was the year I was literally starving because I couldn't afford to eat more than a few hundred calories a day.
I'm losing weight and gaining strength for my health and not for aesthetics, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me to know people make moralistic judgements about me without knowing the effort and discipline I've put into this. So again, I appreciate spreading this kind of nuanced information that tries to take the shame and judgement out of this.
you're not eating enough calories at all and slowed your metabolism down
Good job on taking care of your health regardless bro
@@gemininy1211 I appreciate the advice. I do follow the guidance of folks like Nippard to do a "refeed" of around 2000-2500 cal/day for one week every two months.
I believe I've always had a low "resting metabolic rate", and little if any "neat". Aside from potentially dangerous medications/supplements, and driving myself crazy trying to force myself to pace and fidget all day, I have to accept that those things are outside of my control.
This is the most concise presentation of the nuance around obesity that I've seen. Thanks for this, Jeff.
There's no nuance.
What nuance lmao
Bro people just beed to control what theyre putting in their bodies, you dont need 3 pizzas for dinner
@@mrdobalina8006 literally no one eats 3 pizzas for dinner
As someone who is 265 pound I can confidently say that depression and stress play a huge part in my weight but I do also take full responsibility for my weight so there for I’m going to break this depressing cycle that I’m in and I’m going to improve my life from where I’m out just give me 6 months and I’ll be back so someone like this when I get to the 6 month mark so I can remember
You can do it!! I totally understand what you are going through, it’s not easy. If I could offer one piece of advice…. Give yourself a bit more time than 6 months. I’m 2 years into my weight loss journey and I still have a ways to go. Slow steady progress is more sustainable in the long run. Focus on the big picture and this will help you to pick yourself back up and keep moving forward when you make small mistakes.
hey man 3 month reminder ding ding. how's the progress?
Thanks for handling this in its proper scientific context, loads of people especially on TH-cam are still young and have active metabolisms and seem to have no idea how your body varies based on genetics, brain chemistry and age
I see what you did there with the thumbnail Jeff 😏
Still an excellent video
At the end of the day, it’s still a choice. It’s harder for some people, but saying it’s not a choice and that you’re a victim of circumstance is taking away personal accountability. Calories in/calories out. Simple, not easy. If you’re NEAT is lower, or any of these other factors that lower your metabolism, then you just have to consume even less calories than others your size. Plus most of what you’re saying applies to outliers, not the entire 70% of the population in the US that is overweight.
Ive been doing alot of research on this cant wait to hear Jeff’s opinion on this.
Wow... You have many videos with many millions of views but man this was such a comprehensive video on at the least the number of factors that affect Obesity.
Anyone new to their fitness journey will get such a comprehensive but basic understanding of various factors. This video probably deserves many times more views.