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> We don't know that obesity is caused mostly by over-eating.

No, that part is obvious and we do know that more calories results in more weight. There's no debate. The only debate is in what causes over-eating.

> Many basic questions about diet are unsolved, including the reason(s) that some people gain weight while others don't and the reasons that the vast majority of people can't lose weight. We just do not know to what extent do genetics, gut flora, lifestyle, and diet affect weight. We also don't know what makes for a "good" diet, or whether the same diet is good for everyone.

Also flat out not true. You're creating some ridiculous standard for "knowledge" when in reality, you only have to have "good enough" knowledge in order to be healthy and not obese. Most people can easily adhere to, but for whatever reason, don't.

> This is not obscure knowledge. Literally if you google "what causes obesity?" you'll get pages like this: https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-conditions/healthy-li....

Yes, and? The answers are not equally weighted. Just because there are 3 answers, doesn't mean each answer is equally responsible in the cause of obesity.

> I am not claiming to be an expert, but I am claiming to be somewhat informed, yes.

I am claiming the same. My parents are biomolecular scientists and for them it is not contentious that overeating causes obesity. If we're giving weight to anecdotal evidence, I'm entitled to at least give my own evidence the same weight as you do yours.

> I am claiming that the scientific evidence is not there for obesity.

And there are people claiming that anthropogenic global warming is a myth, despite scientific evidence otherwise. However, I'll take claims that are true (overeating causes obesity - replicated many times), over claims that may or may not be true.

Please realize that you're in the minority on this, but the science is already settled. It's ok to admit that you're wrong.




>> Many basic questions about diet are unsolved, including the reason(s) that some people gain weight while others don't and the reasons that the vast majority of people can't lose weight. We just do not know to what extent do genetics, gut flora, lifestyle, and diet affect weight. We also don't know what makes for a "good" diet, or whether the same diet is good for everyone. > > Also flat out not true. You're creating some ridiculous standard for "knowledge" when in reality, you only have to have "good enough" knowledge in order to be healthy and not obese. Most people can easily adhere to, but for whatever reason, don't.

OK, this is a concrete claim that we can test: "most people can easily adhere to a 'good enough' diet/lifestyle to avoid being obese".

If this were true, then there would exist a protocol that "easily" results in lasting weight loss for most people, right?

Does such a protocol exist?




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