Since I’ve lost weight and successfully kept it off for decades, articles about the current obesity problem capture my attention. Most of the experts seem to say that all we need to do is get everyone to move and make healthy food choices, and that will address the problem.

Far from it.

I’m not saying it’s not important to exercise. I believe exercise is important to good health. However, I don’t think exercise is a major factor in weight loss, and I don’t think too many people are going to lose much weight through exercise alone. Some experts agree that exercise is not a major factor in weight loss.

Should people be taught healthy food choices? Yes. Study after study shows that weight loss is directly dependent on the number of calories ingested. Healthy food choices have fewer calories and are more nutritious. When I was a teenager, trying to lose weight by counting calories, I unwisely tried to pack all the junk food I could into those limited number of calories. Better weight loss comes from having the majority of calories from nutritious foods, and a smaller percentage of calories from entertainment foods.

But that’s not the entire picture.

Anyone who says that all one has to do to lose weight is eat less and exercise is, at best, naive. Losing weight requires a multitude of skills. Unless those skills are taught, the exercise and food information will be wasted.

The most important skill to teach is how to deal with emotions and stress without turning to food, since the most common reason for being overweight is emotional eating. This skill is not learned overnight or with one twenty-minute lecture. It is learned over a long period of time, and takes constant reinforcement.

The next important skill is how to manage social situations. Many, many people will give in to eating unwisely if everyone else is doing it. A number of people do not have a clue as to how to refuse food that is offered, particularly if they don’t want to offend or insult the friend or relative who is offering it. They don’t know how to handle ordering at a restaurant, particularly on a social outing with friends. And it doesn’t occur to some people that one can actually attend a movie or sporting event without eating! Again, these things will not happen by only giving a gentle word of advice. These things have to be learned, and it takes time and practice to learn them.

There are other skills to learn, too, from awareness of food situations, to keeping one’s surroundings free of unnecessary food, to dealing with others who cannot or will not understand the challenges inherent in weight management.

In addition, societal attitudes need to change toward food, realizing that food does not need to be served at every and any occasion.

By the time all of these skills and knowledge are accumulated, successful individuals will need to have the equivalent of a Ph.D. in weight loss. Unfortunately, too many individuals think that all anyone needs to know about weight loss can be learned in kindergarten.