People were sizable in the 70s and 80s if they didn't smoke. They just weren't SUPER sized. That was too shameful, so people didn't get to that level, or if they did, they stayed inside or were given "nicknames" that shamed them.

And I agree about people not sitting at desks for as long as we do now, not eating out as much, certainly much less fast food.

Overall, I think people were more socially interacting -- IN PERSON -- so you went to the chuch ladies meeting or the Elks club or the social card games and you saw other people who were size 8-12 (for women) and that was where you set your expectations. Some of the influence was passive (not actually shaming), just the expectations women and men gleaned from being around other people... because people actually WERE AROUND OTHER PEOPLE socially.

I think a large part of why people are overweight now is that they are using food to comfort themselves when they are bored (at work, often) or they are stressed by the job or the hours -- and people need something to boost their mood -- so it's a cookie or a latte to push through the day. And that adds up day after day and week after week.

And then we see a lot more people getting portly -- and that becomes our normal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our lifestyle didn't so closely resemble Wall-E characters. Suburban living with a desk job is basically this, it's disturbing AF.

People in the 70s and 80s lived in the suburbs and had desk jobs

But not to the extent people do now. I grew up in an industrial city that most of you would sneer at. Most dads I knew worked in factories, mostly doing manual work, or sometimes working their way up to a desk job. Most moms I knew were nurses or teachers. Plenty of moms were waitresses, child care workers, etc. We were middle class (and, per other posts, ate mostly real food with takeout pizza OR McDonald's maybe once a month). You can't really be middle class with one spouse making minimum wage in child care today.

Anonymous wrote:I think chemicals (hormones, preservatives, etc.) play a big part. I’ve lived for 6 months to 2 years in other countries in Europe, Africa and Asia and I always lost 10lbs within the first few months and it stayed off until I move back to the US (and I’m already thin). I ate more food but just lost weight effortlessly without exercising (although I walked a little more, not much since I’m in Dc and take public transportation). In the US, I have to diet and exercise to see any change but it’s hard to maintain and I’m hungry. I know there are other reasons but that’s something I believe based off personal experience and friends.

Same. Every time I live abroad, I drop about 10-20 lbs without effort. And what is even weirder, my appetite is naturally depressed. I am hungrier when I am in the US.

I think it is antibiotics in the food supply. We have killed off our healthy gut bacteria that co-evolved with us for thousands of years. What's left craves and feeds on sugars, and drives appetite.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our lifestyle didn't so closely resemble Wall-E characters. Suburban living with a desk job is basically this, it's disturbing AF.

People in the 70s and 80s lived in the suburbs and had desk jobs

But we didn't spend all our free time on our iphones. Kids played outside ALL DAY and that kind of activity sets the stage for a healthy weight adult. And adults would get up from their desk to talk to colleagues instead of sitting on email all day long. I'm sure there were still plenty of sedentary people back then, but it's far less than now. That and portion sizes are huge contributing factors.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People ate less.
Breakfast was black coffee and lunch was a small container of yogurt.

god, I so wish that smoking wasn't bad for you. My thinnest time was when I smoked, drank, and never worked out. Skinny fat and out of breath.

That’s how David Souter ate. Plain yogurt and an occasional apple for lunch. Sotomayor made fun of him for it, but he was old fashioned slim. And she’s fat.

Were people also shorter?

Anonymous wrote:People ate less.
Breakfast was black coffee and lunch was a small container of yogurt.

god, I so wish that smoking wasn't bad for you. My thinnest time was when I smoked, drank, and never worked out. Skinny fat and out of breath.

That’s how David Souter ate. Plain yogurt and an occasional apple for lunch. Sotomayor made fun of him for it, but he was old fashioned slim. And she’s fat.

Anonymous wrote:Our lifestyle didn't so closely resemble Wall-E characters. Suburban living with a desk job is basically this, it's disturbing AF.

People in the 70s and 80s lived in the suburbs and had desk jobs

Some of these answers are funny. Okay, depending on where you lived, it might just be clean eating, etc. But I know among the groups my parents hung out with, weigh loss drugs were all the rage. And I mean the stuff that works but is probably bad for your body. That and smoking. The ladies ate like birds because they knew that how they looked was where their power came from.

Our lifestyle didn't so closely resemble Wall-E characters. Suburban living with a desk job is basically this, it's disturbing AF.

Anonymous wrote:Running and working out wasn't a thing back then. My parents were skinny as heck. They played sports but weren't going to the gyn especially as they got older. Both had desk jobs. We lived in a city so not a ton of walking (it wasn't safe). Anyone feel like it's strange?

Running was definitely a thing back then. Tennis and racquetball also very popular.

People ate less.
Breakfast was black coffee and lunch was a small container of yogurt.

god, I so wish that smoking wasn't bad for you. My thinnest time was when I smoked, drank, and never worked out. Skinny fat and out of breath.

Anonymous wrote:Running and working out wasn't a thing back then. My parents were skinny as heck. They played sports but weren't going to the gyn especially as they got older. Both had desk jobs. We lived in a city so not a ton of walking (it wasn't safe). Anyone feel like it's strange?

I haven't read the comments yet, but where do we begin?

1.) Smaller portion sizes
2.) Less processed food
3.) People didn't snack all the time
4.) People took care of their own homes (yard work, cleaning, washing their cars, etc.)
5.) Kids played outside all day long
6.) Higher rates of smoking = appetite suppressant
7.) Since no one "worked out," the muscular aesthetic wasn't idealized. While muscle is great, it also gives you a bigger build
8.) No fancy coffee drinks
9.) Eating disorders were definitely a thing, mostly undiagnosed
10.) Eating was less obsessed about ... few celebrity chefs, food magazines, etc.
11.) Few fast-casual restaurants
12.) Uppers/appetite suppressants were also definitely a thing.

So, some of these factors are good and some are bad. They all add up.

Anonymous wrote:I mean, my grandmother was very rich and outsourced everything. When her son died, drank like a fish and smoked until she had a stroke. She was under 100 pounds her whole life.

On the same note my Grandfather was so stressed out, unhealthy, smoker and he had a massive stroke at age 50. But he was skinny...

I think it's so many things. Portion sizes, walking/biking vs. driving, levels of sugar and saturated fats in food, more time to cook at home (SAHM/lower productivity/expectations at work) vs. relying on takeout, phthalates that interfere with our hormones/metabolisms.

In many ways I think UMC people eat a lot healthier now than they did in the 70s/80s. Growing up in the 80s I had tons of processed foods and pretty minimal fresh veggies, and that was normal. We thought Gatorade was healthy. But it's not enough to overcome the factors listed above.

I mean, my grandmother was very rich and outsourced everything. When her son died, drank like a fish and smoked until she had a stroke. She was under 100 pounds her whole life.