Why is This 500+ lb YouTuber so HUNGRY? | Amberlynn Reid (The Science of Junk Food)
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We're discussing how Amberlynn's typical processed/ junkfood diet makes it difficult to control her intake. The food she chooses makes her want to eat more -...

Content warning: lots of food shown on screen.

Stumbled upon this video in my recommended and while it could have been better, I think it’s a good way as any to remind people of the state of the food industry today.

They know they are making addictive products. That’s the whole point of it. Just keep buying chips and when you realise what’s happened and you want to lose weight, they will sell you the diet. But by then you’ve already fucked up your insulin receptors. You’ve already fucked your brain to associate food with any event in your life. And the best part? Junk food is freely accessible! Anyone, kid or adult, can get a bottle of coke and a burger on the cheap. Perhaps that’s why the junk food industry was not really bothered by covid disruptions and kept improving instead?

Regarding the video itself I disagree with the conclusion that Amberlynn is “not just” a victim; if there had not been this kind of food around her in life she would have never developed the problems she has now. I also think the video doesn’t go far enough. Particularly she doesn’t really offer solutions. I was with the creator up until the conclusion, because the explanations were clear and scientific, but by the end it seemed to me she used Amberlynn as a prop to boost her channel and get people to watch other videos. She even admitted she wasn’t a professional, but gave that impression when she left that important part for the end. But yes, the science was sound and she got everything right about how junk food works.

People are not even taught properly about nutrition, despite the fact that I can explain it in 20 minutes, and I’m not an expert at all nor a professional. So how do we expect Amberlynn to just suddenly start making good choices? She’s fighting a very difficult battle because as we’ve established, she is addicted to junk food that leaves her hungry. Breaking that habit takes more than gumption and a can-do attitude. Does she have the money to pay for experts that can monitor and coach her? Therapist, nutritionist, doctor check-ups, possibly personal trainer for a fitness program. So because she got gangpressed into the train of addiction and junk food, she has to pay tens of thousands of her own money to fix this? Where is the responsibility for the companies that knowingly sell these products? It starts early. You sell Cheetos with an edgy mascot to 8 year old kids and spend millions saying “no don’t worry our products are not dangerous haha, we would never do that” and of course parents believe you, because who would be so cruel as to sell drugs to children? They might restrict it to a once-a-week (or month) thing in moderate amounts, and I think that’s still too much. It’s legitimising them. And once your 8yo is grown up and they get pocket money, where are they gonna go? There is no reason Cheetos or McDonald’s should exist or have a right to exist (but say that to pro-capitalists and watch them implode because you deny the free market or something lmao).

I mean throughout the 90s the food pyramid was saying you need 11 “portions” (a meaningless term) of carbs per day and put bread as more important than vegetables lmao. It was outright paid for by the food industry and that’s what millions of kids that are Amberlynn’s age grew up with. Even today, things like the new food plate in Canada just says “eat plenty of vegetables” and “eat protein”. Like thanks I could have figured that out myself browsing r/fitness for a second. Yet many outlets praised the programme for its “sensible” approach. It makes for a cool instagram picture but this stuff is super easy to math out; why isn’t Canada doing that? It’s not difficult telling people they need 0.6 to 1g of protein per kg of body weight. You know how much you weigh, and you can give some approximations like 200g of turkey meat is 50 grams of protein. And that’s their job done. They don’t care if you actually follow their recommendations, they just want to put them out there. It’s your individual responsibility if you don’t follow their washed-out “advice”.

So you turn to paid programmes like Weight Watchers or V-shred (lmao), because you pay for them so they must be good, right? In capitalism money talks. And they don’t explain any of the science behind food, they just give you “points” that you use up arbitrarily every day. Just count your calories with Lose It or My fitness pal, it’s free and much easier than whatever Weight Watchers is peddling. They don’t even have an interest in helping you, because if it works, you will leave them. Cost of acquisition is very high, it’s much cheaper to get clients coming back after acquiring them, so even with obesity levels going up year after year they’re still better off keeping you on the programme than finding new clients.

This is not limited to the food industry but I’m pretty sure everyone here knows this already lol. The only step is to abolish capitalism. Nothing short of that will stop abusive practices. If you wanted yet one more example that we are literally dying to keep the gears turning, this is one.

If you have similar problems with food, something that has helped me was just not having it in the house. Can’t want it if you don’t have it. Best of luck.

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