You can overcome the starvation response caused by the lipostat with willpower if that's your point. Not many do. In fact, there's a registry of such people http://www.nwcr.ws/ . They report having to be diligent every day. They work out every day. They watch their calories. They can't relax about it. That's why it's so hard to succeed in the long run.
You don't seem persuadable, nor too interested in the science of the lipostat, so I'll just let you have the last word here.
Thanks, I think you’re ignoring the forest fir the trees here. We are not lipostat monitors attached to stomachs, we’re thinking, reasoning creatures who are not slaves to our impulses.
Many, many people, billions of people, overcome their animal instincts every single day in favor of reason. Fat people can do this too.
>”we’re thinking, reasoning creatures who are not slaves to our impulses.”
I’m not so sure about that.
We haven’t evolved past our animal instincts and it seems like our conscious mind is only an additional layer on top of the “reptilian brain” - for lack of a better term. It has not replaced our base urges and our intrinsic motivational systems.
We are only sometimes able to shut down our unconscious urges. Even so, we may only be able to do that temporarily, as people fall off the wagon all the time. In fact going “cold turkey” seems like one of the most counterproductive things someone can do.
I feel like much of our ability to succeed via “mind over matter” has to do with our biochemistry rather than rational thoughts. Our motivational systems are ultimately controlled by neurochemistry. So there seems to be a lot more to this than just conscious mindset.
Okay then, present your citations. And don’t just copy paste a bunch of studies saying willpower can be practiced. I’m saying there’s a chemical basis for motivation and willpower, which is also backed up by science.
You don't seem persuadable, nor too interested in the science of the lipostat, so I'll just let you have the last word here.