Why is losing weight more difficult now?

[meridian]

There's some evidence that it's not as simple as calories in - calories out, and that there are genetic and hormonal effects that make it easier to put on weight. This is compounded by not all calories being equal, we eat far more carbohydrates in a simple form than our parents and grandparents did - their carbs were nearly all vegetables (ie accompanied by fibre).

There's also a marked increase in allergies and intolerances compared to pre-80's, nobody I knew as a kid had allergies to peanuts, gluten, lactose.

Compared to our parents, we eat more crap, exercise less, consume more antibiotics and prescription drugs, and use more chemicals in our homes and foods. Is it any wonder that our bodies are reacting adversely?

[xoggoth]

Lifestyle and environment also influence weight, including factors like ... stress

To much arguing on CUK? Reading the Daily Express?

I do wonder about that thing that one in 4 is obese. Sure it isn't anything like that round here.

[TykeMerc]

It's quite simple really, Zeity has been tinkering and either changed the mass of the planet or altered the gravitational constant of the Universe, voila weight increase across the board.

That or as a race of fat knacka's we're too lazy, personally I reckon it's Zeity's work.

[d000hg]

If you remove the effects of more calories then the only variable I can see is activity level and it's generally accepted that people are less active now, for a variety of reasons some of which have already been mentioned above.

If you're suggesting that some genetic factors are making people more prone to becoming obese given the same level of activity and calorie intake, then I've yet to see any credible evidence that this is the case.

Well the article was suggesting they might be finding things of that nature, suggesting it's in the early stages of research.

However genetics is only one possibility. I mean, that genetics has an impact is known but that our genes are changing that rapidly seems unlikely (although given the spike in autism it can't be ruled out).
Pollution/pesticides/additives/ingredients being different could be an avenue of research. You could run similar experiments in countries with very clean and very dirty air for instance.

[SurfQueen]

Coincidentally around the time that the health organisations around the world started advocating carbs as the base of the food pyramid. Amazing how weight and health issues (eg type 2 diabetes) started increasing around then!

BTW the recommendation that we need to eat 250-400 grams of carbs a day is from the US Dept of Agriculture (wonder why??)- I did find the reference on the US FDA website once but don't have the link to hand at the moment.

[cojak]

Don't eat three huge meals a day and stop snacking.

My family started gaining weight when my Mum bought steak plates to eat off. They all thought me odd when I refused to use them and stayed with my normal plate.

Then they thought I was getting ill because I wasn't expanding at the same rate they were.

[unixman]

Hear what you are saying, but eating 3 proper meals a day is one of those pre-1980 good habits. If you don't eat between meals, the meals themselves can be pretty hefty and calorie intake will still be moderate, ie. less than 2k. Guess i am stating the obvious here.

[Sysman]

Another possible reason is that there's more central heating these days and more people keep their gaffs as hot as greenhouses, whereas a cooler house possibly increases the metabolic rate simply to keep warm.

That could well be a contributory factor. Unheated bedrooms were pretty much the norm when I were a lad, and as this chap found, a lot of weight loss happens during your sleep.

Why your bathroom scales are lying to you and how to find your true weight

But OTOH many more people drink skimmed milk today, which I suppose is a contributory factor against weight gain...

I've never liked skimmed milk so seek out stuff that's more like the genuine article. I don't consume nearly as much of the stuff as I used to, so it's it's no longer a significant part of my diet, but when the so-called "low fat" milk costs more and is 7% rather than 9% fat, nuts to that - I'll go for the "full fat" variety instead.

I'm probably misremebering the actual percentages there, but the actual difference didn't seem to be very much and you'd probably achieve more by having fruit instead of cornflakes for your breakfast, for example.

[gables]

Coincidentally around the time that the health organisations around the world started advocating carbs as the base of the food pyramid. Amazing how weight and health issues (eg type 2 diabetes) started increasing around then!

BTW the recommendation that we need to eat 250-400 grams of carbs a day is from the US Dept of Agriculture (wonder why??)- I did find the reference on the US FDA website once but don't have the link to hand at the moment.

And double coincidentally, my observation is that obesity\weight gain seemed to properly start with adoption of low fat food\diets, because that is obviously healthier

[BrilloPad]

Don't eat three huge meals a day and stop snacking.

My family started gaining weight when my Mum bought steak plates to eat off. They all thought me odd when I refused to use them and stayed with my normal plate.

Then they thought I was getting ill because I wasn't expanding at the same rate they were.

I have heard it said that if you want to be really healthy then turn the plate the other way up to eat off.

I don't think that works for cereal.