we as a country are severely overweight

[Monica]

Whatever. Somehow these don't apply to famines

Yes, they do. Starving children often have huge bellies. Why? Why aren't their bellies skinny like the rest of them?

Belly fat is the hardest fat to lose, but it can also be an indication of malnutrition. Obviously, most overweight people aren't starving, so of course they aren't going to look like the starving children. Most overweight people have a combination of malnutrition (from empty calories but very little nutrients) and excess (those same empty calories).

Those overweight people often do lose weight by following 'starvation' (under 1000 calories per day, or maybe even under 500 calorie) diets, but what happens is that the low-calorie diet slows down their metabolism even more, so then when they do start eating 'normally' again, even if it's still healthy and low-cal, guess what, their bodies hang on to every calorie because it thinks it's in famine mode!

Your earlier statement seemed to imply that all overweight people are simply gluttons and lack self-discipline. That is simply not true. I'm just sharing with you what the research says. It really isn't debatable. Obesity is a much more complex issue than just "don't eat so much."

I invite you to consider this next time you see an overweight person. Please don't assume they just eat too much. That may be true in many cases, but certainly not in all cases.