The Connection Between Weight Loss Supplements, The War on Drugs and Hybrid Cars

confusion

We have an Obesity issue in this country – so Weight Loss Supplements are sold as the solution to our weight problems.

We have an issue with drug addiction and crime associated with drug use, so the War on Drugs is our solution to our drug problem.

We have an issue with global warming and oil dependency, so Hybrid Cars are the solution to our energy problems.

Weight loss supplements, The War on Drugs and Hybrid Cars are all connected because they are presented as solutions to real problems, but they are actually flawed and failed solutions!

Why Our Solutions Don’t Address the Problems and Just Treat the Symptoms

We humans, we are a complicated bunch. We often do things that we know are not healthy (smoking, over eating, excessive drinking, drugs, driving too fast, etc) because there are deeper reasons why we are indulging in something we know is not healthy. I don’t think I am breaking any news here, we all know we sometimes act in a way that benefits us short term, but hurts us long term.

The problem is that when we come up with solutions to our problems, we only address that short term issue – and this misses the whole root of the problem. Let’s take a look at our examples again…

The War on Drugs

We have been waging a War on Drugs for over 30 years and addiction rates are still very high. The War on Drugs looks to address the short term issue – make it harder to buy drugs by reducing the supply of drugs on the street. The problem is, the real long term issues – why people turn to drugs, the issues in their lives that force them to want to do drugs (even when they know they are bad) and of course the chemical addiction – are not addressed by this War on Drugs Solution. In the end, the War on Drugs is a failed solution to drug abuse because it fails to address the deeper issues of why we use drugs in the first place.

Oil Dependency and Global Warming

If reducing our Oil Dependency was as simple as making hybrid cars, then we could cure obesity by making only small size clothes. Again, making Hybrid cars is great, but the solution has to lie in figuring out what it is in humans that makes us WANT to drive high powdered, gas guzzling cars. Short term – we know driving a gas guzzler is bad, but many of us still do even as hybrids enter the market. It is hard, but we need to dig deeper and figure out the root of our problems and not just treat the symptoms of our problems.

Weight Loss Supplements

This is a nutrition blog, so let’s look a little deeper at the whole weight loss supplements issue. Let’s assume that weight loss supplements actually were very effective and helped you lose some amount of weight. A major assumption, but let’s run with it. The problem is, dealing with getting our body to burn more calories is only a small part of the problem. The real problem is why we want to eat more than we should, or eat the wrong foods, or not exercise. It may be because we are depressed and food is a comfort to us. A weight loss supplement will not address the real problem – why we are depressed, why we are eating too much and why we are not exercising.

You might argue that it doesn’t matter why we are eating, if a weight loss supplement helps us lose weight, then we have a solution to obesity. I would argue at best we have a very short term solution to obesity. Once we realize we can pop a pill and lose weight, we will eat more – because we can and because we have done nothing to address the issue of why we are overeating. In addition, all the issues that come with overeating – diabetes, heart disease, etc – will still be present.

Obesity is a symptom of a larger problem – we need to address the larger problem.

2010 New Year’s Resolution – Figure Out Why You Eat

I get it – this sounds silly, but it really is more important than just saying you want to lose 10 pounds. We have sold weight loss supplements over the years and some really do help you lose weight – but strangely the results are very temporary. People lose their 10 pounds (treat the symptom), but the larger issue or why they are eating more than they should or why they don’t exercise is not addressed. Eventually their body adapts to the supplement, they don’t continue to see the same weight loss results and since they have not figured out why they eat, the weight goes right back on.

We really are not making light of this, it can be very hard to figure out why you eat more than you should or the “wrong” foods. In addition to mental aspects, there are real biological and chemical reactions at play in the body. However, once you can resolve the real reasons for your weight gain, you will have a much easier time solving the problem.

Let’s make 2010 the year we stop looking for quick fixes and start moving toward real long term solutions.