myth that any fat person could simply choose to become thin
I agree that not every fat person can do this (lots of health reasons that can make you gain weight) but most fat people can absolutely become thinner.
It's complicated. A lot of people have sedentary lifestyles not exactly by choice. Commuting for hours by car to work, then spending lots of time at work, coming back home exhausted and still having to do chores and take care of kids can really make physical activity out of reach for people. It's definitely possible to cut down on weight by reducing snacking and eating healthier, but our urban spaces are often designed to maximize snack and drink consumption.
For example, in my university (which pretends to be very progressive and conscious), you can get all sorts of unhealthy snacks and highly sugary/caffeinated drinks throughout the campus. It's very convenient and much easier than getting water (for which you have to bring your own cups or bottles) and healthy food (which is expensive, only served at particular times and limited in portion so it doesn't make you feel full). Really, the way some urban spaces are designed to squeeze profits out of people without any concern for their health is insidious. It's possible to have a much healthier diet and lifestyle, but the environment is designed specifically to discourage it.
There's also the part I don't think gets talked about enough in the whole thing of being overweight, which is being generally healthy. Although not being overweight is overall healthier than being overweight (though what constitutes overweight isn't the same for every person anyway), it's not as if being thin automatically means you are "healthy" now. There is still the question of what you are consuming; some people can eat more junk than others and still be thin, whether it's because of metabolism or because their overall calorie intake is still lower. And like you touched on with sedentary lifestyle, being thin doesn't mean you are fit. You can be thin from calorie intake and still be getting a poor amount of exercise, not stretching, having poor posture, etc. And then of course some people take being thin too far as well, to an unhealthy weight in the other direction.
So it's not just a problem of the design of things working against being a healthy weight. There's also an overemphasis on weight alone as some kind of intrinsic badge of health.
You have the nail on the head. It's a little better for me in this regard, because even thought I am mildly overweight on my bmi, I at least get a significant amount of physical activity because European urban spaces accommodate walking and biking more.
I've probably fucked myself with my addiction to sugary drinks though. Everytime I try to stop, I go back to my uni and pass like 5 vending machines on the way to class.
I know the feeling. Chocolate is the tough one for me. Very easy for me to lean into it as a vice, even though I have managed to get to a healthier weight than I have been in years.
For example, in my university (which pretends to be very progressive and conscious), you can get all sorts of unhealthy snacks and highly sugary/caffeinated drinks throughout the campus. It’s very convenient and much easier than getting water (for which you have to bring your own cups or bottles) and healthy food (which is expensive, only served at particular times and limited in portion so it doesn’t make you feel full).
Calorie counting, mate. Since I began doing that I have achieved the ability to cut 2 kg of weight per month at will, even when spending most of my life at a campus like the one you describe.
