We're probably pretty fortunate that humans have at least some degree of self control over when we stop eating.
We're probably pretty fortunate that humans have at least some degree of self control over when we stop eating.
Like, I just was thinking about how lots of pet species will just eat as much food as you give them to the point of making themselves sick, and keeping them at a healthy weight requires not giving them access to too much food. Obviously some humans have problems with this, but imagine how bad things would be if everyone were basically psychologically incapable of not eating food when we had access to it even when we'd had enough, given our dramatically higher access to food due to agriculture.
My dog is almost two. She decided one day when she was about 6 months old that she was going to be a free feeder. Was such a quick change. One day, she is excited as could be to get food and scarf it all down. The next, she'd only eat about half of her helping and then the rest later in the day. As I type this, I hear her eating a bit now.
It wasn't a huge deal since my previous dogs had been free feeders. I wasn't planning to do that with her, but it works.
This becomes a problem when you have more than one though
I'd free feed then, most likely. I have had multiple dogs before and free fed. Never had an issue other than sometimes you introduce a new puppy to it and that first day or two they overeat before realizing hey this stuff is always here.
This current dog, I told the vet she did that and he just shrugged and said some prefer to eat small amounts throughout the day rather than the twice a day I was adjusting to after three times a day.
I'm still convinced that fat people just don't have this feeling. Like when I eat too much, I legitimately feel sick. Stomach aches, neck and chest pain, nausea, lethargy, it's awful. I'm on the borderline between healthy and overweight (even though I have basically no fat on my body). I have no idea how anyone functions while eating enough to gain and maintain all this weight. It's completely insane to me
Recovering fat guy here. Was 335 last year, down to 188 now. This is exactly it. I don't have that feeling at all. When I eat the only thing that tells me to stop is when I'm physically incapable of eating any more. Realizing that some people have that switch was a big part of what helped me figure out what I needed to do to lose weight. I have to count the calories of every single thing I eat and make sure it doesn't add up to more than I need in energy for the day. If I don't, I'll end up right back where I started.
I hate to say this but this is part of why Wegovy is working for me. It gave me the sense of being hungry, not hungry, and full. Also no sugar crashes when I go too long without eating.
I'm not pimping for semaglutide but some of us clearly don't have this important switch and I'm happy to get it however I can.
I don't have that sense either. Food, no matter how much I've already eaten, still tastes so incredibly awesome that I just want to continue eating. I only stop once there's nothing left, which is why I cook every meal myself to be able to control portion sizes.
I mean a lot of fat people are old. Gain three pounds a year for thirty years and that's sixty pounds of excess before you're even sixty.
I get a firm "stop eating" signal and just can't put any more food in my mouth when I'm full. It took me a long time to realize a lot of other people don't have that built-in feature.
Strangest thing is 23 & me said that I am pre-disposed to weigh more than avegage.
I do not
I'm one of those people that's can't stop eating. I wish I had the same thing as you.
My husband is like that, too. Something I tell him is to not have seconds (as in, a second plate of food) for 10 minutes. If he's still hungry, then he can eat. (I say the same thing about sleep. I tell him to just lay there for 10 minutes and see if he can sleep) usually works. Sometimes it doesnt. You could give it a try if you like
This would probably have prevented civilization from forming, can’t have specialized labor if the ones making the food will eat as much as they can and die, every time without fail. Society stuck in hunter gatherer mode
This is just on the top of my head, but since obesity is one of the leading causes of death, coupled with the stigma of getting into relationships with obese people, in the far future the genes somehow responsible for obesity would be gone. Those who would survive and pass on their genes are the normal or at most, overweight ones.
Natural selection like that only occurs if you die before you get a chance to reproduce, a lot of the diseases affecting the obese kill you a bit later than that. And of course it’s not just a genetic thing either.
But to be fair, obesity does affect your chances of finding a mate.
Obesity is also linked to an increased chance of infertility in both men and women.
Never thought about that. Can you imagine how fat we would become?
