Being fat is a trap

Addiction, Emotion, and the “Fat Trap”

• Many commenters agree with the article’s framing that overeating often functions like an addiction: food regulates emotion, dampens stress, and fills psychological gaps.
• Several note that if you just change shopping habits or “avoid bad aisles” without addressing underlying emotional needs, you tend to relapse into takeout, snacking, or binges.
• Others push back, saying for them excess weight was mostly unexamined habit and sedentary life, not “food obsession” or addiction.

CICO vs Biology, GLP‑1s, and “Willpower”

• One camp insists weight loss is fundamentally calories-in/calories-out (CICO): all diets are just disguised restriction; “stop drinking calories,” “eat less, mostly whole food.”
• Another emphasizes that biology defends body weight: post‑diet hunger, metabolic slowdown, and lifelong “food noise” make maintenance extremely hard for many.
• GLP‑1 drugs (Ozempic, semaglutide, etc.) are repeatedly cited as game‑changers because they quiet intrusive thoughts about food and ease compulsive behavior; multiple people report large, sustained losses after “a lifetime of being hungry.”
• Some argue “willpower” is the wrong frame; success comes from restructuring environments and using pharmacology or therapy, not just trying harder. Others still see willpower and discipline as central.

Diet, Exercise, and Concrete Tactics

• Broad agreement that diet matters far more than exercise for weight loss; exercise is framed as vital for health, identity, mood, and keeping weight off, not as the main calorie burner.
• Strategies mentioned: no snacks / no late eating; high‑volume, low‑calorie foods; cutting liquid calories; fasting regimes; removing trigger foods from the house; cooking in bulk; simple home bodyweight routines.
• There’s disagreement over “all‑or‑nothing” versus moderation. Some find abstaining from certain foods easier; others say absolutism backfires and resembles other addictions.

Environment, Time, and Capitalism

• Many stress structural barriers: long commutes, shift work, food deserts, high prices for fresh food, and an environment saturated with ultra‑processed, heavily marketed products.
• Others counter that these can become excuses: you can cook cheaply, do calisthenics at home, and walk early or late; blaming corporations is seen by some as surrendering agency.
• US portion sizes, sugar, and fast‑food culture are contrasted with many Asian/European norms; some explicitly blame capitalism and food industry incentives.

Genetics, Inequality, and Variability

• Multiple anecdotes highlight large differences in appetite, satiety, and response to exercise: some remain lean on junk food, others stay obese despite heavy training.
• Commenters debate how much is genetics versus misreported intake, but there’s broad recognition that people vary widely in hunger signals and “default” weight.

Stigma, Body Positivity, and Mental Health

• Many echo the article’s view that shame is counterproductive: most fat people already know they’re fat and feel bad about it.
• Others criticize framing fatness itself as a “trap,” arguing health should be decoupled from size and focus on metabolic markers and mental well‑being.
• Several tie obesity to broader “class” problems (like poverty or social media addiction), where individual responsibility is real but overwhelmed by systemic forces and cultural norms.