Feedback Loops and Fat People

Feedback Loops and Fat People

Harnessing the Power of Feedback Loops was an article that got me thinking about fat people. There is no use hiding it, Americans are known for fast-food restaurants and fat people. It is as much a part of our culture as being tall is to the Dutch. Being tall isn't necessarily a bad thing, but being fat is. This is where the article Harnessing the Power of Feedback Loops made me think of ways we use feedback loops to help combat fatness.

Some might argue that being fat is an inherited trait. They might argue it is an unavoidable disorder that many people suffer from without any fault of their own. To a few people this is true. In most cases, however, the culprit is diet and laziness. I realize it might not be politically correct, but it's the obvious truth. People are generally fat because of their diet and/or they are lazy.

Unfortunately, however, there are too many alternative excuses for why we are fat. The most common being that the genetic makeup of certain individuals makes them more prone to obesity. Some people blame it on a sedentary working environment and others blame it on a busy schedule that requires quick lunches and dinners on the road. Another is that there is no time to go to the gym. Type 2 diabetes doesn't care about any of that. Nor does it care about the politically correct sensitivity surrounding the discussion of fat people.

Since we have many known consequences associated with being fat and lazy, and we have to deal with self-esteem issues in discussing issues with fat and lazy people, we have to think of ways to use feedback loops to get the message across without a public discussion that might embarrass fat people. Having others intervene with solutions of such a personal situation tends to be degrading, and establishes shame and guilt on the fat person. Other avenues seem to be met with resistance or complete denial but feedback loops get the message across in a much more private way, without the public shame, and with no embarrassing discussions.

Examples of Feedback Loops in Diet & Exercise

Has anybody noticed many restaurants have updated their menu signage to include a calories section? There is a recent new requirement in California for restaurants to show how many calories are in each menu item. This is a great example of a feedback loop! Before this requirement we had no idea how many calories were in a specific menu item. We could have asked for and possibly been provided with a pamphlet that shows some information. But, now we can look directly at a menu and compare choices of not just the item, but how many calories are in each item. This feedback loop allows us to make an educated choice that wasn't so readily available before. We can now easily shop the menu looking for great taste and healthy choices. In some cases, like the one below, the calorie section actually means more than the price for most health-conscious people.

Subway Menu: Showing