To think that people were thinner

[Elfina]

In the past in the UK, up until about the 80s because food was less 'interesting'; less variety, seasoning etc so because it didn't taste that amazing you'd just eat your full and no more?

[BIWI]

Indeed, LaQueen. Look down any average high street and count the number of places where you may go to eat/get a takeaway.

Back in the 70s, we had a local fish and chip shop and a Chinese take-away about 3 miles away. And that was it. Nor did we have the whole coffee shop culture. How often do you go into a coffee shop and only have a cup of coffee?

The fact is, we eat more and on more occasions. We don't have breakfast lunch/dinner and tea/dinner - we have breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch/dinner, an afternoon snack and then tea/dinner - and might also snack after that.

And all those snacks in between our meals tend to be carb-heavy. We expect to eat like this now whereas we simply didn't eat like that back then.

[TeacupDrama]

i was a child in 1970's my mother was a good cook so always had nice food homemade cakes and puddings etc we had either cake or pudding every day after dinner.
we drank squash mainly; fizzy was party food.

when we had crisps we shared one bag between me and my two sisters however we only had snacks occasionally, saturday morning biscuits, sweets twice a week maybe an icecream if out for the day, we played out, we only had 1 car which my father had in the week to commute so everywhere we went monday-friday including school holidays we walked we would get the bus to next town 4 miles away
we walked to school alone from 5.5 ( after first term) infants was about 7 minutes senior school 25 minutes we wore a cost and had an umbrella

I think it is mainly due to more snacking and less movement today not specifically exercise as in heart rate at 70-80% max just normal walking and as children running most adults did not run, jogging the streets was rare, adults that did specific exercise was in form of a sport like tennis football rugby golf not gym, most houses were built with larger gardens so adults had exercise looking after them

[morethanpotatoprints]

Near

if you were a waist 24 now though, a size 10 would be dropping off you, and you'd likely be a size 6.

[NearTheWindmill]

So, having put on 2.5 stone, how come I'm a 14 and not a 10 then?

[LightastheBreeze]

Oh yes the sizing, when I was about 16 I had a 26 inch waist and was about a 14, I now have a 30 inch waist and am still a 14

[AskBasil]

I think it's a mistake to look at what you weigh in regards to dress size.

Muscle weighs more than fat.

Weight is something the diet industry has managed to get us totally fixated on, but actually it's not that reliable an indicator as to health, size etc.

Fat ratio is much more reliable. Chances are, you had a lower fat to muscle ratio when you were younger (like most of us).

[harticus]

When I was fat I wore a size 18 when I was thin I wore a size 10.
Funny that.

[homeanddry]

I am constantly reminding my children that being hungry 15 mins before I serve a meal is a normal thing and no, they don't need a piece of toast to survive til dinner.

Snacking has led to people to forget what proper meals are for.

[AskBasil]

Yes Laqueen, I can only remember my parents ever going to a restaurant when we were on holiday. The next time they did it, was for my graduation. It simply didn't happen ever.

Wherease I ate out about 3 times a week when I was in my mid-twenties.

[grumpyoldbat]

People were thinner on average due to a combination of eating habits developed during rationing and leading more active lives.

[AskBasil]

God yes Homeanddry.

I am scandalised by my DS putting toast in the toaster when he can see the casserole is in the oven.

WTF is that? I never taught him to eat like that, so he's learned it from somewhere.

[bakeroony]

I think waist sizes were definitely smaller decades ago - and the change in clothes sizes have reflected this e.g. a size 10 then was smaller on the waist than a size 10 now.

With my frame, I probably should have a waist that is 23 inches instead of 27 inches (like a lot of the 'bigger' stars used to have - sure I read somewhere that Marilyn Monroe had a smaller waist than me, despite being a larger clothes size) but a lot of young women are more rectangular-shaped now.

[kaumana]

In regards to sizing, if like me you were a teen in the 80s you will have noticed the changes eg what was a 12 then is now an 8. So, I'm now a smaller size than I was though my waist and hips have increasedby a good few inches!

[wowfudge]

There are more very big people these days - I think it is down to the availability of cheap food which is full of fat and sugar. You only have to look at the bakery stands in most supermarkets - for a few quid you can buy thousands of calories. Fresh fruit and veg is expensive in comparison.

Also we are forever 'treating' ourselves. It's gone from once a week to all the time.

[bakeroony]

It is far too easy to buy a calorific, nutritionally-lacking meal than to buy good, fresh ingredients for a satisfying and tasty meal.

Jamie Oliver recipes etc. have helped a bit, but I agree that basic ingredients cost far too much and require a lot of implements in the kitchen which would put off a lot of people (e.g. cost-wise, time and effort to clean etc.)

The temptation to just bang a tray in the microwave as opposed to making from scratch is quite easily overwhelming. Plus, I think cooking has lost some of the prestige it used to have. Before, meals used to be savoured and appreciated as family-time a lot more so they were worth spending time over than it is now, with so many other distractions going on

[wonkylegs]

I have a skinny family (I think it's partially genetic) but to be honest we eat a lot better than we did growing up.
When we were kids my mum couldn't & I mean couldn't cook so we grew up on a lot of frozen & tinned crap. Frozen pizzas, findus crispy pancakes, fray bentos pies, fish fingers and frozen chips.
My dad owned a village shop so we ate either what was going out of date or was cheap Happy Shopper stuff at the Cash & Carry. It was an awful diet & my siblings eat much better as adults - we are actually all good cooks & my baby brother is an amazing chef.
We are still all skinny though & I think this is for 2 reasons we are all pretty active (siblings - big extreme sports enthusiasts & Yoga, I - garden/dance/run/cycle) but also we are good at portion sizes. I don't serve up masses of food & I don't eat if I'm not hungry.
It's second nature to me but I do understand it's hard for others to get used to (DH I'm looking at you)

[ComposHat]

As young people in the 20s and 30s my grandparents were thin. It wasn't because they were healthier, but because they were malnourished. They ate bread and lard, chips, sugary tea and not a lot else, but very little of these things due to poverty.

In fact it was seen as a status symbol to be what we would think of fat. Working-class women took pride in being large as it was a sign their husband's were good providers.

[DietofWorms]

YANBU

There is sugar in almost everything that's not a basic ingredient. I looked at the label on some hummous the other day and it had sugar in it. Sugar just makes you want to eat more and more.

And re Marilyn Monroe - I saw one of her dresses at a V&A exhibition a couple of years ago. The waist was about 25 inches. this one OK she was probably wearing some kind of girdle but that will only take a couple of inches off max.

[TalkinPeace]

Snacking - did not exist before 1971
Fizzy drinks - barely existed before 1970
Portion sizes (compare 1970's wine glasses with today)
Processed food hiding salt and sugar

Exercise hours per week have gone up for most groups, but the calories and lack of gaps between them have made people fatter

vanity sizing : I have a pair of 30 year old jeans.
They are Gap size 12 and I can only just get into them.
Modern gap clothes I am a size 8

my 1970's size 10 FUs (like the Nolans wore) would be size 6/8 nowadays but I split them years back

[persimmon]

Sizing has definitely got way bigger but is also inconsistent from shop to shop. It's now virtually meaningless to describe yourself as a 'size', IMO.

I was born in 1970 and food was certainly very plain in our house. Crisps were a massive treat, as were pop and chocolate. My parents drank at Christmas. Me and my older brother were slim, younger brother was a chubby teen. None of us were sporty but we all played out for long periods - I remember cycling across fens to another village aged 10 or even 9.

[DolomitesDonkey]

Bollocks is it just more in the public eye. As an expat I'm left open-mouthed at the sheer size of people in the UK now. Constant, constant snacking and outrageous portion sizes. We've just shared a chicken wrap (for one) four ways. It would have been pure gluttony to polish it off for one person!

[kaumana]

I personally would like specific sizing ie waist/hips/legs etc as to an extent men have. It would make shopping easier and erase the differences between the sizing at stores.