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The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe - Podcast 264 - 8/4/2010
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The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is produced by SGU Productions, LLC - dedicated to promoting critical thinking, reason, and the public understanding of science through online and other media. The first episode of the SGU podcast went online on May 4th, 2005. It soon became a popular science/skeptical podcast, and remains one of the most popular science podcasts on iTunes.
SGU Podcasting Awards: SGU on XM: You can listen to the SGU on America's Talk XM 166 every Saturday night from 8-9pm Eastern.
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Podcast
264
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August 04, 2010
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News Items: DIY Genetic Testing, Coronal Mass Ejection, More Evidence for Warming, Analyzing the Future, Misfortune Teller
Who's That Noisy
Your Questions and E-mails: More on Dieting
Science or Fiction
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Segment: News Items
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Segment: Who's That Noisy
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Who's That Noisy
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Answer to last week:
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Segment: Questions and E-mails
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Question #1 - More on Dieting
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In Skeptic's Guide 261, you talked about how difficult it is to lose weight and keep it off. You pointed out how less than 5% of people can successfully keep off lost weight for more than a couple of years. And yet you kept talking about how we need to figure out the "right formula" to let everyone lose weight and keep it off.
Please look at that again with your skeptical eyes. I know this sounds scandalous in today's weight-loss and dieting obsessed age, but if 95% of people who try - let me repeat that, 95% OF PEOPLE, which is EVERYONE - are unable to successfully lose weight through any combination of diet, exercise, surgery, or medication -- then doesn't it make more sense to say that losing weight is not a reasonable goal? That obesity is NOT an epidemic* but that some people are naturally thin and some people are naturally fat?
*Which it isn't, and nor are there significantly more fat people than there were 20 years ago. As a country we did gain maybe 10 pounds on average, but 10 pounds does not a fat person make and the real issue is that medical establishment lowered the BMI cut-off points (BMI being a useless tool anyway).
And you were talking about children! Children should never be on diets or exercise programs beyond "go out and play". Never. We don't need another generation growing up obsessed with their weight, especially since - as you plainly stated - it's not something they can change.
I like the podcast. But hearing views like that from people I usually respect is disheartening.
Anna
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Segment: Science or Fiction [ Click Here to Show the Answers ]
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Segment: Quote of the Week
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Quote of the Week
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"For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert." - anon
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Segment: Announcements
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