Coworkers baffled me...

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  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    ccsernica wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Zodikosis wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    People just don't know. It's not taught at school.

    Sorry, don't buy this. I don't believe a normally functioning adult doesn't know that eating too much will make one fat.

    They know that, but they probably have a fuzzier notion of what "too much" is. I once had to explain to my brother that he couldn't just burn off a whole family-sized bag of chips with a quick 20 minute run. :/

    I believe it's pretty simple to identify when it's too much.

    Like when your pants don't fit anymore in the waist.

    Lagging indicator. By that time is already happened.

    People aren't simple, they behave in perverse ways. That's why marketing is so effective, and the diet woo industry spend a lot on marketing.

    Marketeers, third up against the wall come the day of the glorious revolution...

    I don't know that I'd call one our near-universal cognitive biases perverse. We evolved for life on the African savanna, where cause and effect are usually connected in fairly immediate ways, and where we couldn't go too wrong by assuming they are even when they were not. It's therefore not so easy to grasp on the most basic level that your expanding waistline was caused by your eating habits of the past 2 or 3 decades. (Hell, during the Paleolithic we were lucky to even live that long.)

    Since the long term is hard to see, we instinctively look for something more immediate instead. It's this or that specific food or nutrient -- or it's not us; it's our clothes or other people are wrong or something like that.

    This is why, until we hit on a means to consistently correct for our cognitive biases (that is, science) human knowledge advanced very slowly, and we believed in magic, astrology, and all kinds of other nonsense.

    I think I'm the last 50000 years we've made a few advances, particularly around how we deal with delayed gratification.

    Essentially we all understand, in principle, cause and effect, but culturally it's easier to outsource responsibility. Supported by the volume of woo marketing, and limited critical abilities when faced with authority then it's too easy to find a complex approach that fails. We see it repeatedly in here, the number of special snowflakes for whom the laws of thermodynamics don't apply.

    The long term is not that hard to see, but taking responsibility for that long term can be more of a challenge.
  • Fitnessmom82
    Fitnessmom82 Posts: 376 Member
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    Also, getting comments like "I know about calories but what is your SECRET?!" or "but you must be doing something else (other then calorie counting)". They just can't get around the fact that it IS that simple.

    So much of this!! I volunteer with a very sweet, well meaning woman. But every single week we have this conversation:
    Her: you're so thin now. I admire you
    Me: thanks!
    Her: so what's the secret?
    Me: like I said before, eat less, move more. You should check out My fitness Pal. It's really helpful
    Her: but what's the secret? Apple cider vinegar (insert new woo every week). I know you're hiding the tricks
    Me: no secrets. Hard work and dedication. I would be happy to set you up on the app or go to the gym with one day
    Her: oh no. I like food too much and hate the gym...

    Every. Single. Week. For 8 months now!

    Man, if I discovered a trick, I wouldn't hide it - I'd write a book and make a billion dollars.

    Right?! If I had a magical solution I would be more than happy to sell it to you haha!
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
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    Momepro wrote: »
    kkimpel wrote: »
    100_PROOF_ wrote: »
    People just don't know. It's not taught at school.

    It's definitely taught in school. My kids did it in 6th and 7th grade health class.
    They where given a pad of paper and told to write down their foods for the weekend and look up the USDA nutrition values associated with the food choices.
    Then they where shown how many calories most people need in a day verse what most people consume.
    My children go to a American public school and I could easily go ask for the lesson plan to prove that kids are taught this in school.

    As a former principal of an American public elementary school, I can tell you that it is very hard to penetrate the culture of cupcakes and doughnuts for birthdays, even HALF birthdays. The few allowed parties were full of cookies to decorate .. cupcakes, candy, even soda! Luckily, the feds outlawed soda, so that was an easy fix.

    We decided as a staff to cut it out. We had a huge push, with lessons and posters and healthy choice examples for recess and "special day" snacks. We had "Garden Parties" in our school garden with tasty treats from the vegetable garden to test taste. Then we put our foot down and said, "NO" to birthday treats (you can't imagine how many birthdays and half birthdays 32 students could have) Then our few parties became "Kindness Activities" and instead of decorating huge cookies, where the main purpose of the party was to scarf down snacks while creating a giant cookie snack, the purpose became whatever project the kids had chosen. .. like making dog blankets or letters to soldiers.

    While it is great for students "learn about" healthy eating, but then if the school participates in regular opportunities to celebrate based on poor food choices, that is all pretty hollow. I did earn the title of "Cupcake Nazi" Of course, we still had treats, we just made them more about regular food and not desserts only. Small desert choice, large vegetable, and protein choices. I even changed the chocolate jar for the teachers to in-season lunchbox size fruits and once a week a little chocolate treat.

    At the same time, we increased active lifestyle choices at recess, free time and after school .. but that is another side of the "Fit for Life" coin and a discussion for another day. :)

    What the hell is a half birthday? And why would they celebrate it?

    I think it's only for the kids whose birthdays are in summer?

    My sister and I got half-birthdays too, maybe because we have the same birthday so only got one normal party between the two of us? I dunno - it was usually just a cupcake after dinner. We definitely didn't bring stuff to school for it.
  • ccsernica
    ccsernica Posts: 1,040 Member
    edited March 2018
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    ccsernica wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Zodikosis wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    People just don't know. It's not taught at school.

    Sorry, don't buy this. I don't believe a normally functioning adult doesn't know that eating too much will make one fat.

    They know that, but they probably have a fuzzier notion of what "too much" is. I once had to explain to my brother that he couldn't just burn off a whole family-sized bag of chips with a quick 20 minute run. :/

    I believe it's pretty simple to identify when it's too much.

    Like when your pants don't fit anymore in the waist.

    Lagging indicator. By that time is already happened.

    People aren't simple, they behave in perverse ways. That's why marketing is so effective, and the diet woo industry spend a lot on marketing.

    Marketeers, third up against the wall come the day of the glorious revolution...

    I don't know that I'd call one our near-universal cognitive biases perverse. We evolved for life on the African savanna, where cause and effect are usually connected in fairly immediate ways, and where we couldn't go too wrong by assuming they are even when they were not. It's therefore not so easy to grasp on the most basic level that your expanding waistline was caused by your eating habits of the past 2 or 3 decades. (Hell, during the Paleolithic we were lucky to even live that long.)

    Since the long term is hard to see, we instinctively look for something more immediate instead. It's this or that specific food or nutrient -- or it's not us; it's our clothes or other people are wrong or something like that.

    This is why, until we hit on a means to consistently correct for our cognitive biases (that is, science) human knowledge advanced very slowly, and we believed in magic, astrology, and all kinds of other nonsense.

    I think I'm the last 50000 years we've made a few advances, particularly around how we deal with delayed gratification.

    Essentially we all understand, in principle, cause and effect, but culturally it's easier to outsource responsibility. Supported by the volume of woo marketing, and limited critical abilities when faced with authority then it's too easy to find a complex approach that fails. We see it repeatedly in here, the number of special snowflakes for whom the laws of thermodynamics don't apply.

    The long term is not that hard to see, but taking responsibility for that long term can be more of a challenge.

    We have made fewer advances than you think. Mostly, we've become very good at rationalizing things we believe for irrational reasons. That's why the thermodynamics-immune special snowflakes, quite aside from the responsibility issue.

    There are any number of good resources on the subject, but have a look at "On Being Certain" by Robert Burton.
  • clicketykeys
    clicketykeys Posts: 6,568 Member
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    Zodikosis wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    People just don't know. It's not taught at school.

    Sorry, don't buy this. I don't believe a normally functioning adult doesn't know that eating too much will make one fat.

    They know that, but they probably have a fuzzier notion of what "too much" is. I once had to explain to my brother that he couldn't just burn off a whole family-sized bag of chips with a quick 20 minute run. :/

    ^^This.

    I know because I thought the same way. Hey I worked hard (no I didn't) for this Big Mac, Fries and a coke. There is a big difference between understanding the concept and putting even reasonable numbers to it. I think it's the UK that is putting calories and equivalent exercise on menus now for just this reason.

    You DID work hard for that Big Mac etc. You just... didn't work hard ENOUGH. ;)