A subtle but important difference

I’ve observed a lot of arguments that stem less from a fundamental difference in claims than from a misunderstanding of what the other side is claiming. Consider two different ways of interpreting a statement that almost no obese people can become and stay non-obese through diet and exercise: There is no level of reduced caloric intake and increased activity which will sustain major long-term weight loss in formerly obese people (with very few exceptions). As a practical matter, the level of r