I’m a fairly slim guy, so why do I keep reading diet books? I honestly don’t care what other people weigh. I’m not disgusted by obese people or think they’re less human in any way. I don’t make fun of people with weight problems. Some people’s unconscious brains think that obese individuals are infected with pathogens, but that’s a evolutionary relic. A person’s weight doesn’t matter nearly as much as their level of kindness and intelligence. I was a former fat kid myself and have no conscious stigma towards overweight or obese people.
I write about this material to help people like my former self. I used to be overweight and nearly obese as a child and adolescent. That led to physical problems, mood problems, and social problems. After reading about nutrition, I can clearly see that the weight gain resulted from sugar, fruit juice, grains, high fructose corn syrup, and trans fats. Knowing what I know now about nutrition could have helped me avoid the problems I experienced growing up. I’m also interested in researching nearly all areas of medicine as a hobby, and bariatric (weight loss) medicine is particularly interesting.
Many people also want useful information about nutrition and health. The obesity rate and incidence of diabetes continue to rise in many countries. Both obesity and diabetes can lead to severe health problems. Many people have an interest in evidence-based weight loss and I want to provide them with useful information. Interestingly, people aren’t really responsible for whether they’re slim or obese, since free will probably doesn’t exist (see my post The End of Free Will). Genetic and environmental influences determine an individual’s weight. Trying to shame people into losing weight via tough love won’t work, since the principle of psychological reactance will then lead people to overeat as a way of exerting their independence. A better strategy is to inform people in a non-confrontational way that provides them with science-based tips and tricks for weight loss that readers can easily follow. Exposure to this information will help with the environment side of the gene-environment interactions that determine human behavior.
