Why are so many women in their early to mid 20s already so heavy? Is this mainly a USA phenomenon?

[Anonymous]

Anorexia and bulimia is no longer in fashion.

[Anonymous]

Hah. A lot of the assumptions on this thread seem to be that women in my age range 45 plus or our parents which is better people. More disciplined had to healthier options available to him. That is not quite right.

Most everyone in my mother's generation smoked. A lot. Diet pills were also huge back then. Snack and junk food was awesome in abundance but hopped up on caffeine smoking and diet pills, and jazzercise, my mother and her friends didn't eat a lot of it.

All we have done is trade one set of issues for another..

I also think there's a possibility that a lot of different medications and hormone disruptors in our food May contribute. But I need to look more into the science of that

[Anonymous]

Ahhh, yeah, the good ole days. Starvation crash diets. Smoking instead of eating. Rubbing baby oil on our skin and laying out in the sun in our bikinis....

[Anonymous]

But we looked Gooood!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anorexia and bulimia is no longer in fashion.

I thought this too. But studies show the rates are about the same. Maybe It's just never been prevalent enough to make a large scale difference.

[Anonymous]

Cheap, quick calories are plentiful in this country.

It takes time and/or money (or advanced planning) to eat right, whereas you can feed your family a drive-thru diet quickly and easily.

Kids don’t really actively play outside anymore. Most of them are on devices.

Also, with regard to HS sports, in a lot of cases, you need to have prior experience to make the HS team. It costs money (and parental time) to get this experience in the younger grades.

Very few people adopt a healthier lifestyle in college.

[Anonymous]

Healthy weight is a range. It doesn't mean stick skinny.

For example at 5'6". a healthy weight is considered to be between 120ish and 160ish lbs.


If you are fit and healthy and not carrying excess % body fat, you are good to go.

[Anonymous]

I don’t even understand how this is a question. People just eat way more than they did in the past. Simple as that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anorexia and bulimia is no longer in fashion.

I thought this too. But studies show the rates are about the same. Maybe It's just never been prevalent enough to make a large scale difference.

Those of us who did the crash diet thing and smoked to keep the weight off would not have identified as being anorexic or bulimic. We did not look anorexic nor were we binging and throwing up. But we absolutely did engage in some serious calorie restriction. I remember eating next to nothing all week and then indulging in pizza on Friday nights. And, of course, there was beer at bars and parties, too.

I tended to keep myself at the very low end of my "healthy weight" range and maybe dipped a little below that at that times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Healthy weight is a range. It doesn't mean stick skinny.

For example at 5'6". a healthy weight is considered to be between 120ish and 160ish lbs.


If you are fit and healthy and not carrying excess % body fat, you are good to go.

Yes, when we say that 60% of adults (18+) are overweight or obese, we are talking about people who weigh more than that. The stats for children are almost as bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t even understand how this is a question. People just eat way more than they did in the past. Simple as that.

Well, it’s not that simple. They aren’t just eating more broccoli. They are eating more sugar, so they are fat. It’s that simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t even understand how this is a question. People just eat way more than they did in the past. Simple as that.

Well, it’s not that simple. They aren’t just eating more broccoli. They are eating more sugar, so they are fat. It’s that simple.

They are eating more of everything. And not exercising.

This has been pointed out by the wiser people on this thread but it's amazing how many people still want to believe the pathetic excuses, blaming it on GMOs or not smoking any more or HFCS. It can't ever be their own fault, namely that they eat too much and don't offset it with exercise.

I'm old enough to remember when a large soda at a fast food place was the equivalent of today's medium. And you can no longer get a small size drink at many fast food places, last I checked. Portions at restaurant meals have ballooned. Even the size of dinnerware has grown. I have inherited sets of china from the 19th century through the 1950s and the plates and cups are noticeably smaller than today's equivalent because people weren't piling huge quantities on their plates or drinking enormous mugs of sugary sweet drinks at a go. Coke used to be sold in small glass bottles, now it's sold in enormous quantities at a go. Bags of junk food have gotten bigger and bigger.

Americans are fat today because they eat too much. And food is too cheap. And the culture now accepts being fat. This is the answer. There is no avoiding it or blaming it on other things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The answer is always the simple one.

They eat and drink more while living a more sedentary lifestyle.

It's not the decline of smoking. If it were smoking then why are American women fatter than their 19th century equivalents when it was seriously frowned upon for women to smoke. It's just eating more and not exercising while living a sedentary lifestyle. And now a culture has emerged where being fat is acceptable, so people become lazy about their weight. The exception is among the upper middle and upper classes, where there still exists strong cultural pressures not to be overweight and to eat healthily.

I have a 7 figure earning relative (she receives yearly bonuses at her job) who is FAT FAT FAT.

Nothing wrong with that though because she is in her 40s.

And your point is? Just because you know an exception only means that you know an exception. Upper and upper middle class America is still very fit and healthy, far more so compared to the general population. It's bleedin' obvious.

All you need to do is to compare the girls at, say, Holton Arms or NCS or the W schools and compare to middle income schools. Compare the women in Bethesda and Arlington to, say, Carroll County. Compare NW DC to Anacostia. And repeat across the country. Then go to the collegea. Compare young women at the Ivies with the typical regional state universities. Then go to cities like DC or NYC or most popular urban areas and see all the fit young women going to yoga classes from their consulting jobs.

It's very much a class thing these days.

For all the excuses on this thread, women are fatter these days because they eat a lot more and don't exercise enough. Its not the fake chemicals or GMOs some are alleging. It's the big portions, the high calorie Starbucks drinks, the junk food, both fancy and low end. It all comes down to quantity and calories. Its exacerbated by the decline or body shaming and growth in cultural acceptance - with the notable exception of the educated upper middle and upper classes, who still strongly link bodily health with virtues and morals.

This isn't true either. Upper class, well educated girls and boys are larger now than they were in previous decades.

Do you know this?

So how do you know it isn't true? Or are you just trying to avoid the truth.

There's been a lot of studies and reports and they all confirm the same thing. The higher incomes eat more healthily and exercise more than the poor and working Americans. Kids at Ivy league schools are not fat. Kids on community college campuses are fat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trying to figure out how to raise weight gain w my 20 year old DD. She has a roll over her pants at 20! She is a vegan. Bad portion control and improper diet. Did you know presos are vegan?! Advice welcome so that I wont be accused of fat shaming.

It is actually much, much harder to eat healthy when you are vegan. I'm not saying it can't be done but it takes a tremendous amount of planning and work (unless you can afford a private chef and live in someplace like San Francisco).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t even understand how this is a question. People just eat way more than they did in the past. Simple as that.

Well, it’s not that simple. They aren’t just eating more broccoli. They are eating more sugar, so they are fat. It’s that simple.

They are eating more of everything. And not exercising.

This has been pointed out by the wiser people on this thread but it's amazing how many people still want to believe the pathetic excuses, blaming it on GMOs or not smoking any more or HFCS. It can't ever be their own fault, namely that they eat too much and don't offset it with exercise.

I'm old enough to remember when a large soda at a fast food place was the equivalent of today's medium. And you can no longer get a small size drink at many fast food places, last I checked. Portions at restaurant meals have ballooned. Even the size of dinnerware has grown. I have inherited sets of china from the 19th century through the 1950s and the plates and cups are noticeably smaller than today's equivalent because people weren't piling huge quantities on their plates or drinking enormous mugs of sugary sweet drinks at a go. Coke used to be sold in small glass bottles, now it's sold in enormous quantities at a go. Bags of junk food have gotten bigger and bigger.

Americans are fat today because they eat too much. And food is too cheap. And the culture now accepts being fat. This is the answer. There is no avoiding it or blaming it on other things.

THIS.