So, Why DO We Get Fat?

[annonentity]

I compare what was happening back in the day with the present day, back in the day everybody was reasonably thin, and just about everybody smoked. The general health seemed far better than today. Even Commando cadets  got duty free cigs from the naffi and smoked like a chimney. If you bring up the subject people say but they were dying of lung cancer not that they had actually done any serious study to find out but more parroting a growing meme. I suppose if you smoked a tobacco full of additives to make it tase different and burn better it might go a long way in explaining some of the deleterious effects.
  We do not see overweight Chinese people so diet must have a strong effect as well. The Chinese also smoke heavily. We also have seen one of the most aggressive social manipulation campaigns with regards to smoking. But what cannot be denied is the number of obese people are a gift to the pharmaceutical industry, who was a prime mover in the anti-smoking campaign. I guess it was an easy target as many people just did not like the smell of stale tobacco on clothes and furnishings.
 But it probably is due to a few key things, accepted diet and exercise levels being a couple.

[sahgwa]

I compare what was happening back in the day with the present day, back in the day everybody was reasonably thin, and just about everybody smoked. The general health seemed far better than today. Even Commando cadets  got duty free cigs from the naffi and smoked like a chimney. If you bring up the subject people say but they were dying of lung cancer not that they had actually done any serious study to find out but more parroting a growing meme. I suppose if you smoked a tobacco full of additives to make it tase different and burn better it might go a long way in explaining some of the deleterious effects.
  We do not see overweight Chinese people so diet must have a strong effect as well. The Chinese also smoke heavily. We also have seen one of the most aggressive social manipulation campaigns with regards to smoking. But what cannot be denied is the number of obese people are a gift to the pharmaceutical industry, who was a prime mover in the anti-smoking campaign. I guess it was an easy target as many people just did not like the smell of stale tobacco on clothes and furnishings.
 But it probably is due to a few key things, accepted diet and exercise levels being a couple.

Smoking does keep you thin. But I have seen a lot of people go early or painfully from it due to either lung or cholesterol/heart problems. 
Not recommended.  I used to work in a smoke shop, and smoke, myself.  Even if you get the purest bag of unproduced tobacco, like something for pipes, grown organically, you are still putting in tar and other clogging agents for your blood due to the simple act of combustion.

[Quantum12]

Smoking does keep you thin. But I have seen a lot of people go early or painfully from it due to either lung or cholesterol/heart problems. 
Not recommended.  I used to work in a smoke shop, and smoke, myself.  Even if you get the purest bag of unproduced tobacco, like something for pipes, grown organically, you are still putting in tar and other clogging agents for your blood due to the simple act of combustion.

One cigarette with nicotine has over 4000 chemicals. You are right, smoking keeps you unhealthy.

My addiction to nicotine was so bad a few years ago. I was so addicted. I kept buying Parliment Lights and would smoke one and throw 19 away.

One day I decided to never smoke ever again. At first I replaced food with my physical smoking problem. I gained weight.

As the nicotine was leaving my body around day 10 I started eating less and lost weight.

Have never felt better n my life now that I am nicotine free. In Michigan a pack of my brand was 9.50$ years ago.

I am saving my life and saving over $36,000 a year from not smoking. For six months I was at 2 packs a day! $20 a day for nicotine and death!

[sahgwa]

One cigarette with nicotine has over 4000 chemicals. You are right, smoking keeps you unhealthy.

My addiction to nicotine was so bad a few years ago. I was so addicted. I kept buying Parliment Lights and would smoke one and throw 19 away.

One day I decided to never smoke ever again. At first I replaced food with my physical smoking problem. I gained weight.

As the nicotine was leaving my body around day 10 I started eating less and lost weight.

Have never felt better n my life now that I am nicotine free. In Michigan a pack of my brand was 9.50$ years ago.

I am saving my life and saving over $36,000 a year from not smoking. For six months I was at 2 packs a day! $20 a day for nicotine and death!

congrats on your quitting smoking!
When i quit it took me at least three times to really stick.   i tapered off like half a cig per day or two until it was finally none. i have been about a decade fully quit. 

then recently i used to drink too much and that was not cheap either. the last year or two now i have more money for fun stuff like more books films and music :) grow the library!  not to mention of course more energy.
I still drink socially and on special occasions but its not habitual anymore.  I crave sugar sometimes, so now my new health push is only eating sweets (cookies or breads with spreads) every OTHER day.  I am a perfect weight for my height I just need to watch my cholesterol/fats. 

Any thing that becomes a subconscious pattern at a certain time of day or environment is no bueno.

[Orionthehunter]

Stress, lack of good sleep, and going out to eat every weekend with beer included has caused me to gain weight. I need to reduce stress and possibly go back to intermittent fasting.   Since I didn’t  cause the stress and it came from work, hoping things improve so I feel less stress improving my sleep and helping with weight loss.  I haven’t gone out to eat the last 3 weeks but have been focusing on taxes when not putting in extra hours for work.   I’m skilled at gaining weight.   In the past though I have done intermittent fasting so I know how to lose weight too.  It’s easier to gain.

[Quantum12]

congrats on your quitting smoking!
When i quit it took me at least three times to really stick.   i tapered off like half a cig per day or two until it was finally none. i have been about a decade fully quit. 

then recently i used to drink too much and that was not cheap either. the last year or two now i have more money for fun stuff like more books films and music :) grow the library!  not to mention of course more energy.
I still drink socially and on special occasions but its not habitual anymore.  I crave sugar sometimes, so now my new health push is only eating sweets (cookies or breads with spreads) every OTHER day.  I am a perfect weight for my height I just need to watch my cholesterol/fats. 

Any thing that becomes a subconscious pattern at a certain time of day or environment is no bueno.

Good job on quitting. I quit smoking, adderall and drinking all at once. I had a adderall addiction a nicotine addiction and I am an alcoholic.

I have been free from all three for over 5 years. I don’t miss my addictions!

[sahgwa]

Good job on quitting. I quit smoking, adderall and drinking all at once. I had a adderall addiction a nicotine addiction and I am an alcoholic.

I have been free from all three for over 5 years. I don’t miss my addictions!

Kick ass that is very hardcore, all at once.  I bet you feel great now.
Are you into lesser chemicals like caffeine? How are you with sweets?
I enjoy green tea , and coffee on weekends.

[sahgwa]

 I’m skilled at gaining weight. 

 I like that sentence.
I am sure you can lose weight just by eating more at home.  So much salt and fat out there. And when you have a restaurant and you are cutting costs you buy the cheaper ingredients, like breads with sugars.

[Chiefsmom]

While I have always been thin, I have noticed my eating habits seem to be against the norm.   I eat a lot in the morning, usually lots of protein, but also will eat a lot of raw veggies if I'm at work.  Then I have a decent size lunch, which 90% of the time is brought from home.

Then I don't really eat dinner.   I will cook a good meal, 3 or 4 nights,  but it is for hubby and my lunch the next day.  I'm  just not that hungry in the evenings.
Although in the winter, I snack.  That is mostly out of boredom though and I catch myself and stop.
Now that I'm getting older, I am a lot more conscious about what I eat.
Currently trying to kick the pop habit.   
Drinking a lot more herbal tea's.

[Byrd]

For one thing, we're living longer -- a LOT longer.  Yes, you can point to a number of folks who lived to their 80's and 90's back before 1950, but they tended to be the exception.  (one source out of many: https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Censu...5-1145.pdf)

• As you age, your metabolism slows down, though your level of hunger or ability to eat may NOT slow down.
  
• As you get older, you get more sedentary.  We see this in our pets, too.
  
• The US, a "frontier country", relies on individual transportation to get around.  Other countries are more reliant on public transportation, meaning you have to walk to the bus stop instead of walk to the garage and get the car.
  
• Better food preservation means fewer shopping trips.  Daily or tri-weekly shopping trips provide a lot of exercise that isn't included as "exercise."  Daily/tri-weekly shopping means you're buying fresh (fewer preservatives) food.
  
• Preserved food means you can quickly put together a meal instead of spending a lot of time cooking (and this is important when you are someone working long hours and your spouse works as well and there's nobody to cook but the two of you.
  
• Food is "engineered"/bred/sauced/etc to taste better and to have more satisfying textures.  It also has more variety.  Eating is more pleasurable now (and we don't get things like spam and egg jello. https://www.midcenturymenu.com/mid-centu...atin-mold/ (no kidding.  Real recipe.)
  

By the way, the wealthy in ages past, who could afford tastier food and didn't have to walk (summoned carriages) ALSO had health problems and were overweight but lived longer because of better nutrution.  However, as a rule they didn't live as long as modern people do (better medicine.)