2.) The scurvy example is idiocy.  Yes, that made me want to punch a hole in the wall. 4.) 90% of diets do not fail. 90% of dieters fail.   This, this, this. And many of these people are failures in other areas of their lives too, or just show poor reasoning ability. The woman he talks about who took up smoking to curb appetite? A former co-worker who had sleeve surgery did the same thing. Like don't swap one unhealthy thing for another if the point is to improve health. How is smoking going to enhance anyone's appearance, we know how bad it is for the skin, lips, etc. 5.) The woman in the picture is a moron.   When I talk to people about weight loss, I advise them to drink a glass of water 15 minutes before eating. Eat fiber like greens even if you don't want to. They will make you feel full and probably make you feel physically better (effing loaded with minerals you haven't been getting at the drive-thru). Go for a walk after dinner, if you want dessert wait 15 minutes. Do you actually want that food, or was it some emotional thing?  No one in our society remembers that for generations, maybe centuries, moderation was viewed as the ideal. Stop worrying about being cool or unicorn hair or whatever. Worry about being a stable adult.