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

[Anonymous]

A lot of it is the accessibility of junk food which wasn’t so in past generations. Also foods now are made with way more sugar, including high fructose corn sugar which isn’t processed well by the body. We have waaaay more processed and ready made foods which are loaded with sugar and sodium. We also have more sedentary lifestyles and our cities revolve around cars. In past generations, they were used to being in the depression or wars and not having access to sugar and butter or gas and rubber for tires. The lifestyle was completely different.

[Anonymous]

There was a thread just like this a week or so ago. OP, worry about yourself and stop fat shaming young women.

[Anonymous]

People suck back high calories drinks (Starbucks), eat crazy high calorie salads, and generally just eat whatever. It is still a result of the snowflake parenting from last generation. That no one should ever tell you no. You should eat what you want to eat and weigh what you want to weigh and that is just body acceptance and there is no such thing as health or healthy other than how you define that for yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was a thread just like this a week or so ago. OP, worry about yourself and stop fat shaming young women.

Facts aren't fat shaming. People are obese and growing increasingly so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess this depends on your age- but I’m 40 and when I was that age, we were pretty much all on birth control pills, and smoking was uncommon. I did know a few who were on antidepressants but yes that is more common now...

I have two sisters in this age group (from my dad’s second marriage) and they eat much differently that we did at that age. Lots of Starbucks and more quick service foods- Chipotle etc. I also agree a big piece is the “body acceptance” thing- which is great in so many ways but really reduces the social pressure not to put on extra pounds...

My own group on friends is, on the whole, thinner than either of my sister’s peer groups- and we all put in more effort to stay fit/healthy too. That has to be a big change from previous generations- when I was 20 my friends and I were definitely thinner than our moms!

Rates of smoking have dropped 44% in the Americas from 1980 to 2016, according to the WHO. https://www.statista.com/statistics/827120/rate-of-change-in-cigarette-consumption-by-who-region/

I don't know how that subdivides out for young women in the USA< but I'll keep looking. I doubt it is that different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a thread just like this a week or so ago. OP, worry about yourself and stop fat shaming young women.

Facts aren't fat shaming. People are obese and growing increasingly so.

DP

Sure, just post bare facts -- no opinion, no conclusions, no modifiers like "suck back."

People aren't very likely to criticize you for being shaming. It's just boring, the thread won't be interesting, and it loses its fun for you. Life is harsh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why this is, but I wonder a lot. I'm a professor in my 40s with two kids and walk around campus wondering why I am thinner than these girls in their late teens/early 20s. When I was in high school, my friends and I went to the gym, went running, etc and continued that in college. Is that still common among high school kids?

You would probably be a better candidate for the upcoming 2020 spring break swimsuit contest than most of the girls at your campus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, your "question" reeks of misogyny. You don't ask the same about young men, even though there are similarities. Go troll elsewhere.

and your reaction reeks of misandry. Haven’t you done enough damage to young men without fat shaming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a thread just like this a week or so ago. OP, worry about yourself and stop fat shaming young women.

Facts aren't fat shaming. People are obese and growing increasingly so.

And we need to post multiple threads about it why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why this is, but I wonder a lot. I'm a professor in my 40s with two kids and walk around campus wondering why I am thinner than these girls in their late teens/early 20s. When I was in high school, my friends and I went to the gym, went running, etc and continued that in college. Is that still common among high school kids?

If they are forced to eat dorm food, the food is usually extremely unhealthy hence the term Freshman 15.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your "question" reeks of misogyny. You don't ask the same about young men, even though there are similarities. Go troll elsewhere.

and your reaction reeks of misandry. Haven’t you done enough damage to young men without fat shaming.

Whuh? DP here but holy hell your response is completely nonsensical. It's the grown up version of "well, you're a doo doo head." Come on, Surely you can do better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your "question" reeks of misogyny. You don't ask the same about young men, even though there are similarities. Go troll elsewhere.

and your reaction reeks of misandry. Haven’t you done enough damage to young men without fat shaming.

Whuh? DP here but holy hell your response is completely nonsensical. It's the grown up version of "well, you're a doo doo head." Come on, Surely you can do better.

Not at all. A poster wondered why fat young men were not of concern. I responded that enough damage has been done to young members that fat shaming should not be heaped on them. If you don’t think there is a problem with young men in this country, you “doo doo” have your “head” buried in the sand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why this is, but I wonder a lot. I'm a professor in my 40s with two kids and walk around campus wondering why I am thinner than these girls in their late teens/early 20s. When I was in high school, my friends and I went to the gym, went running, etc and continued that in college. Is that still common among high school kids?

If they are forced to eat dorm food, the food is usually extremely unhealthy hence the term Freshman 15.

Yeah and this isn't exactly new. I went to college in 1995 and the freshman 15 was a phenomenon then too. Add heavy drinking to unlimited dorm food. That doesn't help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your "question" reeks of misogyny. You don't ask the same about young men, even though there are similarities. Go troll elsewhere.

and your reaction reeks of misandry. Haven’t you done enough damage to young men without fat shaming.

Whuh? DP here but holy hell your response is completely nonsensical. It's the grown up version of "well, you're a doo doo head." Come on, Surely you can do better.

Not at all. A poster wondered why fat young men were not of concern. I responded that enough damage has been done to young members that fat shaming should not be heaped on them. If you don’t think there is a problem with young men in this country, you “doo doo” have your “head” buried in the sand.

Please tell me what “damage” has been done to young males recently.

[Anonymous]

I went a school that attracts crunchy outdoorsy types and the student population still looks similarly fit