
Bacteria from slim people could help treat obesity, study finds - cromulent
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/sep/05/bacteria-slim-treat-obesity-study
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entropyneur
Meta: from the comments here it looks like many HNers share reddit's smug
attitude towards obesity. I wonder how many of the people looking down on the
fat are only slim because that's simply what their body is predisposed to. I
and pretty much every slim person I know certainly aren't making a slightest
effort to stay slim and I seriously doubt that I'd have will power to eat less
and exercise frequently if I was less lucky.

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rickdale
I agree about the smug attitude, not necessary. As someone that was big and
now has no belly, I believe calling someone fat is actually in accurate. More
accurate to say the person has a lot of fat, or doesn't.

Also, eat less and exercise more is NOT the solution. I cannot stress enough
how hard it is for people to lose weight because they surrounded by a system
that just wants them to buy shit to consume. That goes for the food industry,
as well as the fitness supplement industry. The answer is eating the right
foods and to be on some sort of food plan.

I read at the end of 2011 a comment here on HN about the 4hb and how it
changed some dudes life. So I read and applied and it changed my life, as well
as some of my family members. So I am going to recommend to the people that
want to lose their body fat, The Four Hour Body.

Obesity is a big problem in this country. At my local grocery store there is
an entire section cut out for scooters and I kid you not 20-30 people in a
scooter when its busy. And these aren't old people scooters. I saw scooter
traffic jam the other day, made me feel like I was in South Park. But not even
sure where these people would start, its almost like they committed suicide
with food and now are just being. Life is not easy and eating shit is a legal
way to cope. We all have our crutches.

~~~
mseebach
> surrounded by a system that just wants them to buy shit to consume

> Life is not easy and eating shit is a legal way to cope

Smug or not smug, this is an epic cop-out. There might well be complex
physiological factors that are difficult if not impossible to get out in front
of, I get that, I really do (and I'm not exactly rail-thin myself, FWIW) - but
"the system, man" is NOT one of them. You're an adult, you're endowed with
fairly rare skills (by virtue alone of being on HN you're way ahead of the
curve), man up and deal with it (which, by the way, you did, and kudos for
that - obviously "the system" wasn't that much in your way, after all).

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barking
You're attitude seems to be to tell them to 'pull themselves together'.
Companies advertise because it works on humans. We're not machines and don't
have unlimited amounts of willpower.

~~~
mseebach
And your attitude seems to be that because advertising exists free will
doesn't.

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GFischer
Everybody has a limited amount of willpower (search for willpower depletion).

If someone's spending all his willpower just enduring an awful workplace or
otherwise going through an awful day, it's a lot more likely s/he will be an
alcoholic or overeat.

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user123898
Or you could, you know , exercise and eat less.

It seem to me that the proper solution is in psyche of the afflicted, not in
the drugs.

~~~
pjscott
If the goal is to increase the average level of health in the world, an easy
way of decreasing obesity would be a godsend. Does this bother you? If so,
why?

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alan_cx
Because it's a lazy get out for lazy people.

Perhaps if the face stuffers ate less and exercised more, there might be more
food to go round. But no, carry on being greedy, cost money and resources,
then use more money and resources for some sort of lazy, likely over priced,
medical solution. Such a scheme is a disgusting indictment of modern humanity.
Too damn lazy to do the obvious, while many people cant get enough food to
survive, and pop a pill, or whatever.

Bothered? No, it makes me very damn angry.

Que the usual excuses..........

~~~
rtb
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_attribution_error](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_attribution_error)

People generally make the choices that their circumstances dictate. If many
people are falling into obesity because it is easy to do so, writing them off
as "lazy" doesn't help anyone; it just makes you sound like an asshole.

~~~
pjscott
Agreed -- but even if someone _is_ lazy, why would I want them to suffer
needlessly?

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spurgu
So, for humans, you would need to eat slim peoples poo and then refrain from
eating fat peoples poo?

~~~
chatman
Obese people have a large carbon footprint, perhaps like a Yeti. They should
be sent on a one-way space expedition!

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emmelaich
I'm getting to think we're more like symbiotes every day.

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antonioevans
So how long till this drug/supplement is on the market?

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cwilson
There are so many misconceptions in this thread. It's really not that hard
folks.

Would you like to be in good shape and live a long, healthy life?

Lift/move heavy things around 2 - 3 times per week, exercise the muscle that
is your heart, and eat a balanced diet composed of veggies, protein, and non-
processed carbs.

Seriously, that's it.

