Your claim is often followed by this meme:



But thermodynamics works best in a closed system which the body is not.

The weight loss equation is actually incredibly complicated. The variables that humans have most control over is calories in, calories out and sleep.

The reason I point this out is that Although it’s true that people who are morbidly obese often are the result of their own dietary choices it’s not ALWAYS true. Weight can be very difficult to control with hormone imbalances and other medical conditions. Certainly more difficult than “calories in, calories out”.

Also we often act like people who are moderately overweight are moral failures and will “die early” when that’s not generally the case. Although there is a higher risk, that isn’t guaranteed.

What’s important is building good behaviors but saying it’s “so simple” winds up discouraging people from those behaviors when limits and walls appear. It’s also used largely as a crutch.

Lastly, the goal should be to get bigger and stronger by building muscle. Someone going from a sedentary life to moving and lifting weight shouldn’t be overly focused on restriction. Build muscle get a healthy relationship with food.