[DEFCON28]

Exactly. I am a strict calorie counter and I am not overweight. (155# 5’10” 55 year old man). Sometimes I have hostess cupcakes for breakfast. (330 calories). Sometimes I have a Big Mac for lunch (550 calories). It’s hilarious when fat people talk about ‘whole foods’ and ‘mindful eating’. It’s calories.

[AnIdiotOnTheNet]

I wouldn't call it hilarious, but as Mel Brooks once said "Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die".

When you're that obese, food is an addiction in the literal sense. There is a ghrelin/dopamine feedback loop at work and it is not at all fun to break that. People are lured in by these schemes because the addict part of their mind is desperate for excuses not to stop eating. I know how this feels, because I fucking lived it. You wouldn't believe the things you can convince yourself of as an addict. Not to mention that lowered blood sugar is directly correlated with decreased willpower.

It's calories. We know it's calories. We know we shouldn't eat so many calories. That's not the hard part.

[DEFCON28]

But this law is all about calories. And counting calories works. If you’re unable to count calories then of course you need some remedial help. But pretending that it’s about “eating the right foods” is lying to yourself.