The gist of the article is that the "small changes add up" campaign of first lady Michelle Obama is a misleading message. The "small changes add up" message basically says if you just cut or burn 100 extra calories a day, it leads to significant changes over time- 1 pound in 35 days, 10 pounds in a year.
The reality is, according to an article in The Journal of the American Medical Association, that the body's adaptive mechanisms almost always shift to compensate one way or the other for a small change like 100 calories; and unfortunately, our bodies are a bit better and more prone to help us keep weight on when we cut or burn 100 calories more a day.
Small changes in calorie consumption are not completely a waste of time. Those changes can help people from gaining weight.
The conclusion of the article is that obesity is not something that most individuals can tackle on their own. Quoting Dr. Ludwig, it suggests that a large scale shift in policy and education needs to happen. The last quote is interesting because while I sort of of agree with the premise that it is not a matter of self-will- it positions the poor as somehow more helpless than other groups (this is true to some extents but very troubling).
“If we just expect that inner-city child to exercise self-control and walk a little bit more, then I think we’re in for a big disappointment.”
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