Why were Americans of all ages so thin during the 1960s and 1970s?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Random picture found online.

Only 1 out of the 22 children is heavy.

In my kids fcps school class pictures (upper middle class neighborhood) from 3 kids and 15 class photos, none of the kids are heavy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So here's some random kids from the 2000s. They don't look all that different in size from the kids in the other class picture above.

This looks like a private school pic. Wealthy, white aren't a "random kids" sample.

It looks like a Catholic school. Catholic schools typically have a wide range of families of different economic backgrounds.

Are you saying white peoples tend to be the same weight they were back in the 70s?

No, s/he's saying that WEALTHY people do.

If you can afford private school, you most likely can afford fresh produce for your kids, a focus on non-processed (read: canned) fruits and vegetables, and a stronger emphasis on exercise either through the school's more variable athletic programs and/or skilled athletic professionals hired for classes (my private high school had p.e. credits that included squash, cycling, and tennis) as well as outside help for your family in the form of nutritionists or gym memberships.

[Anonymous]

Smokers

[Anonymous]

Disco dancing was HUGE back then.

Everybody danced from 1973-1983.

Including children.

[Anonymous]

Smoking, drugs, smaller portions, more exercise, higher quality junk (sugar, butter instead of HFCS and hydrogenated oils), less fast food and eating out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So here's some random kids from the 2000s. They don't look all that different in size from the kids in the other class picture above.

This looks like a private school pic. Wealthy, white aren't a "random kids" sample.

It looks like a Catholic school. Catholic schools typically have a wide range of families of different economic backgrounds.

Are you saying white peoples tend to be the same weight they were back in the 70s?

No, s/he's saying that WEALTHY people do.

If you can afford private school, you most likely can afford fresh produce for your kids, a focus on non-processed (read: canned) fruits and vegetables, and a stronger emphasis on exercise either through the school's more variable athletic programs and/or skilled athletic professionals hired for classes (my private high school had p.e. credits that included squash, cycling, and tennis) as well as outside help for your family in the form of nutritionists or gym memberships.

Maybe so, but these kids aren't all necessarily wealthy. Catholic schools aren't typically full of rich kids.

[Anonymous]

Agree that people, especially kids, were far more active.

I was also a kid (born in 1980) that was outside from sunup to sundown with my friends. I wouldn’t even go home for lunch sometimes and that was fine. Riding bikes, swimming, exploring the junk dumped in the woods, LOL. Every single day!

My parents were more active too and their lives didn’t revolve around my siblings and me. My father played softball recreationally but his team played tournaments a few weekends of the summer and it was never the mindset of “Dad’s putting his hobby above the KIDS!!!” It was “Dad had a tournament this weekend and we’re going. Bobby and Sally will also be there and there’s a playground or you can bring a book.” So we’d still be somewhere outside playing. Dad was allowed to indulge in his active “hobby” and it was fine and not Dad being selfish. So he stayed in shape, well, even to this day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, where exactly are you getting your premise that everyone was so thin back then? Are you looking at photos or movies or something? I was alive then and I remember seeing people of all sizes, with plenty who were on the heavy side.

I lived in a pretty international neighborhood, with a lot of immigrants from various countries, so that might have affected the looks of the people I sàw regularly. But even still, we were out and about in many places and I saw a wide range of sizes of people everywhere we went.

OP, are you out there? Can you give some background on what you're basing your ideas about how people looked in the 60s and 70s? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Portion sizes were more on point and not huge amounts of food that we eat now.

[Anonymous]

You could swim in a quarry and nobody threw you out. Who wants to go to a pool... booring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, where exactly are you getting your premise that everyone was so thin back then? Are you looking at photos or movies or something? I was alive then and I remember seeing people of all sizes, with plenty who were on the heavy side.

I lived in a pretty international neighborhood, with a lot of immigrants from various countries, so that might have affected the looks of the people I sàw regularly. But even still, we were out and about in many places and I saw a wide range of sizes of people everywhere we went.

OP, are you out there? Can you give some background on what you're basing your ideas about how people looked in the 60s and 70s? Thanks!

LMAO that you've ignored streams of data of how much fatter we are and asking OP to verify it.

[Anonymous]

Google the topic. A lot of research on the amount of weight gain in the past few decades and potential reasons for it. Which all seem to come down to less exercise and what food is available now.

[Anonymous]

Were people eating candies as snacks back then? That's how these are marketed now

[Anonymous]

Walked a mile to school

Had a paper route and used a bike for it.

Rode a bike to sports practices

Outside all day exploring woods/ building forts / playing with fireworks etc..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, where exactly are you getting your premise that everyone was so thin back then? Are you looking at photos or movies or something? I was alive then and I remember seeing people of all sizes, with plenty who were on the heavy side.

I lived in a pretty international neighborhood, with a lot of immigrants from various countries, so that might have affected the looks of the people I sàw regularly. But even still, we were out and about in many places and I saw a wide range of sizes of people everywhere we went.

OP, are you out there? Can you give some background on what you're basing your ideas about how people looked in the 60s and 70s? Thanks!

LMAO that you've ignored streams of data of how much fatter we are and asking OP to verify it.

This is a totally different point: how much fatter we are. No one is debating that. What is being questioned is the notion that the entire population was very thin in 1970. Do you see the difference in those two points?