Why It Was Easier to Be Skinny in the 1980s
 

A new study finds that people today who eat and exercise the same amount as people 20 years ago are still fatter.

To sum it up, they don't know. It isn't carbs. It seems to have something to do with biome, environment, something...

My first guess is that those who were young adults of the 80's were raised in a lower carb, higher fat culture - not LC as such, but they didn't have the fat phobia and carbs pushed on them from the time they were little kids, so if they ended up gaining a lot of weight, they didn't gain it as early in life.

The young adults of today have had low fat and high carb pushed on them from shortly after birth. My theory is that if you start that sort of diet earlier in life, then you're going to suffer the consequences of it earlier in life too.


Since they've been eating a healthy low fat high fiber diet, of course no one can possibly figure out what's causing them to gain weight on less food with more exercise. :rolleyes:

There was a stretch in the 90's when I did lose some weight and stabilize at a certain size, with 1.5 hours of gym time DAILY and under 25 grams of fat most of the time. (Those times I "screwed up" and ate lots of fat might have been good for me.)

However, I was in bed recovering from an operation and the whole thing collapsed. Without constant activity to burn up the carbs, I just gained weight.

But with age and increased stress and inability to keep up with that kind of effort due to life changes it never worked again.

Not just obesity specifically but I was just thinking about this recently, the negative effects on each generation of the foods that were popular at the time but later found harmful. My mom in her 80's expressed surprise that I'm starting to have age-related health problems in my 50s. That in turn surprised me because I had assumed she did then, too and that it was normal. She was raised on a farm with no choice but all natural foods, that was all there was. I in turn grew up with Crisco, margarine trans fats in everything. Now the next generation after me I've been surprised to see serious health problems developing in the 20s that I still don't have. Raised on inflammatory soybean oil, trans fats and carbs because that's what we thought was good for us. Generation after that being fed really well :) because their parents figured out from everyone's not so fun experiences of the past.

All I need to do is look at US photos from the 1950s. War's over, economy booming, most had enough to eat; and very very few are not a healthy weight.

They ate bread and cake and drank soda. They had no gyms or FitBits. But there were key differences.

This was before snacking, six meals a day, gallon sized Big Gulps, a dozen portion of grains as the base of the pyramid and high fructose corn syrup added to everything in the supermarket. Meat was not dangerous and granola was not healthy.

Before industrialized food really got going, and turned food into not-food. And that, I think, is the crux of it all.

Let's not forget genetics. My two parental sets are from immensely different body types, yet raised in the same locale and with similar food sources and work. Both farm families.

Between them there were 18 children, 12 giants and 6 tinys. The giants all went to fat and T2D. None of the tinys did. All the giants are deceased. Four of the tinys are still living, two in their 90s.

I go with the theory of a combination of genetic makeup, what I call "early dietary intervention," and food additives, especially high fructose corn syrup.

I found it easier to be lean in the 80s. I was a teenager. More of a struggle in the 90s.

I'm not sure I buy that we know just how much people eat and exercise today, let alone 20 years ago. Also, whatever other things he might be oblivious to, I'm pretty sure old economy Steve knows that the 80's wasn't 20 years ago.

I can think of so many reasons. But for me, Diet Coke and low fat are the two main culprits. It was fine when I was young because I'd burn it off and I just didn't eat enough to ever let myself get fat. But once I added in the sleep deprivation from babies, I literally needed a Diet Coke to get out of bed in the morning. Little did I know that Diet Coke and carbs were making me hungry. And so I snacked on more Diet Coke and carbs and that made me even more hungry. It's so obvious to me now, I don't know why I couldn't see it before.

Tomorrow is my birthday. My sister sent me a copy of the “Key West Key Lime Pie” cookbook as a gift! Or 150 variations on how to make a key lime pie which she knows is a weakness of mine, and of course LOADED with sugar from sweetened condensed milk. (Though there is one “low sugar” recipe I’m tempted to try - no sweetener or condensed milk, but uses cream cheese and sour cream instead, and adds a little well-minced pineapple to sweeten it a bit).

All of which seems sort of off topic, but scattered throughout the cookbook are old photos, and one was of a group of “bathing beauties” at a key lime festival in the 1950s. And all those girls looked downright porky compared to what you would expect from publicity shots of girls in swimwear today.

Not heavy by my standards of course. I should be so thin! But nevertheless they all looked like, as a friend of my dad’s would have said, “big healthy farm girls”. 😉

To add to the likely possibilities---- estrogens, from plastics. These are fat makers.

Estrogen -like chemicals are in plastics. The amount of plastics in our lives NOW seems to far exceed what I remember of the 70's and 80's. . Household food containers which were once glass have been replaced with plastic designs. Vitamin bottles once of glass, now of plastic. And add on all the electronic devises that didn't exist at all that add plastic to our daily environment: PC's, laptops, monitors, ear buds, cell phones, etc. And plant pots-- the light weight plastic in multi colors and designs have replaced the standard clay pot. Fast food has moved in, and glass has been replaced by plastic

Back then MacDonald's was counting the millions served, and then that number passed the billions and now they no longer run a count on their signage--- well where has all that plastic gone? All those plastic cups, all those styrofoam hamburger containers???While they have tried to change their packaging, thank goodness, what did happen to all that plastic that was used? As with all our plastic waste, Into a landfill to then contaminate the water supply.

I remember all the glass bottles. Shampoos, cooking oils, pasta sauces, etc. Now these are in plastic bottles/ containers. Even canned food has a plastic liner now. Baby food is rarely in a glass jar anymore; many are in tiny plastic containers.

When did meats get packaged on styrofoam and then plastic wrapped? How long does that meat now sit in storage before it is sold to a customer? Apples in 3# plastic bags-- used to be that each fruit and veg was selected and put into a paper bag and weighed by a store employee. All produce leaves the store in a plastic bag.

Drinking glasses-- when I was a kid the only option was drinking from a " glass", now with safety a concern, households with children use a plastic cup from the time they can hold a sippy.

Everything has become plastic that was once metal or glass. And I havent even included cars, refrigerators, siding on houses. You can add to the list.....

The full text must be purchased.

Here is the bit shown at Science Direct link

[That link goes right back to this page at Science Direct.]

Obesity Research & Clinical Practice
Original Article
Secular differences in the association between caloric intake, macronutrient intake, and physical activity with obesity

Author links open overlay panel
Ruth E. Brown, Arya M. Sharmab, Chris I. Arderna. Pedi Mirdamadia, Paul Mirdamadia, Jennifer L. Kuka
...
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orcp.2015.08.007 ...
Summary
Background
To determine whether the relationship between caloric intake, macronutrient intake, and physical activity with obesity has changed over time.

Methods
Dietary data from 36,377 U.S. adults from the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) between 1971 and 2008 was used. Physical activity frequency data was only available in 14,419 adults between 1988 and 2006. Generalised linear models were used to examine if the association between total caloric intake, percent dietary macronutrient intake and physical activity with body mass index (BMI) was different over time.

Results
Between 1971 and 2008, BMI, total caloric intake and carbohydrate intake increased 10–14%, and fat and protein intake decreased 5–9%. Between 1988 and 2006, frequency of leisure time physical activity increased 47–120%. However, for a given amount of caloric intake, macronutrient intake or leisure time physical activity, the predicted BMI was up to 2.3 kg/m2 higher in 2006 that in 1988 in the mutually adjusted model (P < 0.05).

Conclusions
Factors other than diet and physical activity may be contributing to the increase in BMI over time. Further research is necessary to identify these factors and to determine the mechanisms through which they affect body weight.


Science Direct has a pop-up stating it is possible to register for free. But the pdf has a "purchase" icon next to it.

I, too, think there are other factors in addition to calories consumed and calories burned.

There are many, many external endocrine disruptors now. Arielle mentioned the BPAS, and hormone disruptors in plastic. Those hormone disruptors are also in the flame retardants in upholstery.

And there are the massive EMFs. Dr. Samuel Milham published a book called, Dirty Electricity, showing the differences in cases of serious diseases between those who use electricity and those who don't, such as the Old Order Amish.

The way cattle and crops are raised and processed now is drastically different.

To me, this situation points to eating the cleanest food we can manage.

I don't remember snacking being a norm in the 80s. At least not with the people I know. For me, this came after 2000. Now, it seems people just eat whatever they choose, whenever they choose.

Eating regular meals, and not munching on that and that between meals, seems to be swimming upstream. Perhaps it's just who I notice.

WereBear, nice point. Yes, food turned into non-food.

In my family, and with those I know, in the 50s, really thru the 80s, cake was for a special occasion, birthday, or a couple of holidays. We didn't have it as dessert.

Ice cream was a few times in the summer. Same with soda pop.

We didn't even have bread with meals.

Children got something after school. But, otherwise, real food at mealtimes.

And most children walked to school and played outside after school.

Epidemiological data from NHANES is inaccurate and incomplete. It's impossible to reach an accurate conclusion even at the level stated. To state the suspected reasons is to extend pure, unfounded speculation:
- Chemicals that might be "weight inducing"
- Prescription drugs
- Changes in microbiome
- Eating more meat (not borne out by other studies)

Interesting that the changes in types of "food" available weren't part of the reasons cited. The underlying assumption and rationale is based on the CICO model, where one would have to exercise more and eat less today to reach the average weight of people's parents at the same age, is complete folly.

What is not taken into account are the major differences in foods consumed today compared to the foods our parents ate. In addition, when my parents prepared food, they did so at home without fast and/or processed food. I never would have been allowed a soda at the dinner table and rarely any other time.

Genetics has no direct influence on these assumed dynamics, but epigenetics forming the environment in which we live and consume including food types does have a great influence. Recent discoveries show that environmental influences impacting one generation are inherited by subsequent generations at the cellular level, not the genetic level. So, poor health can be passed on to multiple generations. It's just not due to a mutation at the genetic level (that takes too long); rather, it's due to characteristic influencing genetic manifestation at the cellular level. Environmental influences turn genetic characteristics on or off.

The empowering dynamic about this understanding of how food (environment) plays such a large role in health outcomes means that we can reverse the damage. Successful reversal also benefits future generations in the same manner.

We had no soda in the house.

We ate only at meal times except for an after school snack.

Dessert was fruit not cakes, cookies or other sweets. They were reserved for special occasions.

We went out to eat at a restaurant only a very few times a year and it was considered a treat.

There were no vending machines in schools.

All food was homemade. Although we ate boxed cereals we were only allowed the ones without all the sugar.

Eating habits were certainly different when i was growing up in the 50's and 60's. The timing of meals and the types of foods eaten have certainly changed from then to now. It's hard to believe that this hasn't made a difference although other non-food factors could certainly also play a role.