Eat Less, Move More?! If only it was that simple…or is it?

By Jennifer James

Obesity – where to begin – the modern epidemic of our time (…let’s pretend Covid didn’t happen so that this statement works). We all know that ‘when someone has a bigger body, they must be eating a lot’ (relatively speaking), which is close to being true – but not quite.  We know that bigger bodies need more calories (energy), just as bigger cars need more fuel, and bigger houses need the heating on more than smaller ones to keep warm. For people with obesity, they don’t necessarily eat more, but their bigger bodies mean that they need to consume more calories, and these calories come from anything that passes the lips unless it’s calorie-free e.g. water. 

So of course it’s ‘common sense’ that if someone wants to lose weight, all they ‘simply’ need to do is ‘eat less and move more’, because of physics and the laws of thermodynamics. This doesn’t quite match reality. We don’t live in perfect environments where we’re completely in control. Our lives are messy and unpredictable. We have jobs and caring responsibilities. The environments in which we live, work and socialise means that the decisions that we make can be constrained and influenced by circumstances, other people and companies who have targets to meet and profits to make.  The Foresight Report’s Obesity Systems Map beautifully illustrates the complexity of obesity. Have a look, especially if you’re thinking come on Jen, you’re just giving people an excuse [1].

If you are thinking this, then I’m sure you’ll be familiar with the popular discourse that talks about ‘choice’ and people with obesity actively choosing higher calorie foods when they should ‘just’ make better decisions. I’m not a fan of the word choice…