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

[Anonymous]

I think it’s bigger portions and high fructose corn syrup.

[Anonymous]

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

It's not just the candies, it's the constant snacking. You can't take your kids to the park without a snack. They can't go anywhere, do anything, without being prepared with snacks and a juicebox or 3, all the time. Kids (and many adults) don't know what it's like to feel physical hunger, or develop severe anxiety when their stomach is... gasp... empty. The horror.

It's a steady stream of extra calories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

No there have always been fatties. There are just more now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

No there have always been fatties. There are just more now.

But the OP said that people of all ages were so thin during the 60s and 70s. We're asking what that assumption is based on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just this morning in the Metro, I observed a tourist family of 5, parents and 3 kids. And, except for the baby in the arm, all 4 were on the obese side of the scale. The two, what looks like an elementary aged kids, were finishing up a 7up bottle.
It may be a special occasion and the parents allowed it, but in my household, we never drink soda. Its water or tea (unsweetened).
I was thinking, obese really starts from that young age? Pumping so much sugar from that soda cannot be healthy to the kids....

People ate pretty unhealthy back then too. I had a sugar cereal for breakfast, kool aid multiple times a day, hostess snack in my lunch and usually a dessert after dinner -- root beer floats were my favorite. And I was always skinny and still am. my theory is a combo of:

1. Hormones and antibiotics in our food supply is messing up our gut bacteria.

2. More sedentary. I used to play outside running around or on my bike from when I got home around 3:30 to dinner time.

3. More processed meals and eating out.

4. Larger portion sizes.

Btw - we don't buy soda now but I do let my kids have it at a restaurant occasionally. I think making it forbidden fruit is worse. I have family members who were not allowed any sweets as kids that started hoarding and hiding junk food and are now overweight.

[Anonymous]

I remember some obese people in the 70's. I think people are fatter now because of supersized portions.

[Anonymous]

3 meals a day, regular size portions, no snacks that I recall, plenty of junk as others have mentioned - Tang anyone? I remember the rare times we were allowed a soda at a fast food place it was always the kid size that was no more than 6 oz - maybe 4 oz - A&W had mini mugs of root beer for kids. We were super skinny in our family partly due to genetics too.

I agree that portion sizes, snacking, high fructose syrup and lack of activity are all causes. However, even in the 70/80s we were always shocked at how fat Americans were when we returned from Europe so even then Americans were larger than their counterparts elsewhere but certainly nowhere near the size many are today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just this morning in the Metro, I observed a tourist family of 5, parents and 3 kids. And, except for the baby in the arm, all 4 were on the obese side of the scale. The two, what looks like an elementary aged kids, were finishing up a 7up bottle.
It may be a special occasion and the parents allowed it, but in my household, we never drink soda. Its water or tea (unsweetened).
I was thinking, obese really starts from that young age? Pumping so much sugar from that soda cannot be healthy to the kids....

People ate pretty unhealthy back then too. I had a sugar cereal for breakfast, kool aid multiple times a day, hostess snack in my lunch and usually a dessert after dinner -- root beer floats were my favorite. And I was always skinny and still am. my theory is a combo of:

1. Hormones and antibiotics in our food supply is messing up our gut bacteria.

2. More sedentary. I used to play outside running around or on my bike from when I got home around 3:30 to dinner time.

3. More processed meals and eating out.

4. Larger portion sizes.

Btw - we don't buy soda now but I do let my kids have it at a restaurant occasionally. I think making it forbidden fruit is worse. I have family members who were not allowed any sweets as kids that started hoarding and hiding junk food and are now overweight.

Tourist families also come here from all over the country and from areas where a sedentary lifestyle 24/7 is common.

1. Sitting on a porch and chatting with neighbors - COMMON.
2. Driving 30 minutes to Walmart or to pick up groceries - COMMON.
3. Picking up fast food like Wendys on the way home after school - COMMON.
4. Sitting on the bleachers at ball games, IF YOU'RE KIDS EVEN PLAY. - COMMON.
5. Going to work and sitting - COMMON.
6. Staying at home and watching Ellen - COMMON.

D.C. and New York and places like it are probably the most intensive amount of exercise (re: walking) they get all year. Meanwhile I walk 4-5 miles a day just because, walk to groceries and gym, walk to pick-up dry cleaning.

It's a choice but its not easy. At all.

[Anonymous]

I ate junk (marshmallow fluff, white bread, potato chips, cake)...but in the summer on days like today we would definitely spend hours at the pool (granted, this was terrible for our skin, but good for our waistlines). And to get to said pool we would have to walk or bike.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

No there have always been fatties. There are just more now.

But the OP said that people of all ages were so thin during the 60s and 70s. We're asking what that assumption is based on.

It's not an assumption. It's a fact which has been studied for decades. One example of reporting research: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/12/look-at-how-much-weight-weve-gained-since-the-1960s/?utm_term=.49540e50ed9a

[Anonymous]

As far as adults go, people email to get things done around the office. In the past, you would at least have had to walk to the other person's desk. And more and more activities like the bank, groceries, etc. can be done from your phone/computer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just this morning in the Metro, I observed a tourist family of 5, parents and 3 kids. And, except for the baby in the arm, all 4 were on the obese side of the scale. The two, what looks like an elementary aged kids, were finishing up a 7up bottle.
It may be a special occasion and the parents allowed it, but in my household, we never drink soda. Its water or tea (unsweetened).
I was thinking, obese really starts from that young age? Pumping so much sugar from that soda cannot be healthy to the kids....

People ate pretty unhealthy back then too. I had a sugar cereal for breakfast, kool aid multiple times a day, hostess snack in my lunch and usually a dessert after dinner -- root beer floats were my favorite. And I was always skinny and still am. my theory is a combo of:

1. Hormones and antibiotics in our food supply is messing up our gut bacteria.

2. More sedentary. I used to play outside running around or on my bike from when I got home around 3:30 to dinner time.

3. More processed meals and eating out.

4. Larger portion sizes.

Btw - we don't buy soda now but I do let my kids have it at a restaurant occasionally. I think making it forbidden fruit is worse. I have family members who were not allowed any sweets as kids that started hoarding and hiding junk food and are now overweight.

Tourist families also come here from all over the country and from areas where a sedentary lifestyle 24/7 is common.

1. Sitting on a porch and chatting with neighbors - COMMON.
2. Driving 30 minutes to Walmart or to pick up groceries - COMMON.
3. Picking up fast food like Wendys on the way home after school - COMMON.
4. Sitting on the bleachers at ball games, IF YOU'RE KIDS EVEN PLAY. - COMMON.
5. Going to work and sitting - COMMON.
6. Staying at home and watching Ellen - COMMON.

D.C. and New York and places like it are probably the most intensive amount of exercise (re: walking) they get all year. Meanwhile I walk 4-5 miles a day just because, walk to groceries and gym, walk to pick-up dry cleaning.

It's a choice but its not easy. At all.

WOW it's so hard and you deserve a medal for being so much better than those porch-sittin', Ellen-watchin' country folk!

[Anonymous]

Instead of playing outside and walking/biking great distances to school , exploring kids are eating snacks as the most exciting part of the day.

Smacks to the playground , snacks after school programs , snacks at soccer practice, snacks at playgroup.

It is weak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As far as adults go, people email to get things done around the office. In the past, you would at least have had to walk to the other person's desk. And more and more activities like the bank, groceries, etc. can be done from your phone/computer.

Yes! And we outsource housecleaning, mowing the grass, washing the car, and even walking the dog. I remember having to take the throw rugs out on Saturdays and beat them before running the vacuum. Now I have someone else do almost all of my house cleaning.

[Anonymous]

As the population has increased, cities are not that walkable. Everyone drives everywhere. Candy is ubiquitous. Humans have gotten so "successful", life is so cushy, no one wants to work hard (like exercising).