to consider my grandma’s theory on why we’re all fatter?

[bagelbreath]

My grandma swears up and down that although food and movement are obviously big factors to the massive weight gain of the country, heating is also very important.

While she lived in a cold house, wore stockings and dresses year round, and spent a lot of time outside, we all sit toasty in our well heated and insulated houses. Her theory is that it took lots of energy to stay warm then vs now.

Is it crazy? I kind of think it makes sense

Ultra processed food. That’s why we are fat.

www.waterstones.com/book/why-we-eat-too-much/dr-andrew-jenkinson/9780241400531

If you’re active enough it all adds up. 758 calories (almost certainly an overestimate if you’re a small woman rather than the mythical average man these estimates are based on) is a generous sensible meal’s worth. Conversely once you get past a certain age, if you’re sedentary it becomes very difficult to keep your calories low enough not to gain weight but your micronutrients high enough to avoid deficiency.

I had a job as a cycle messenger {Teenager} one winter, and 50 miles was the average distance we did each day in all weathers..I was always starving, so much so I wondered if I had a tapeworm..Literally couldn't keep weight on.

God we used to have lamb chops every week.how depressing they were once a cheap meat.and then sat there at the end of the meal all us kids with our plates tilted to get the fatty mince sauce gravy remains! Oh how shocking.😆

Aye the constant chest infections and bronchitis I suffered living in a cold house as a child certainly helped keep me underweight.

Choice helps make us fat. For instance, people will choose 4 a buffet with 5 or 6 things

When I think back to my childhood in the 60s, nobody snacked and we walked everywhere, not many people had cars. Children walked to school , I walked it four times a day as I went home for lunch.

I am in Scotland. We are fatter on average than the rest of the UK, and it’s cold.
🤷🏻‍♀️

I highly recommend getting yourself to a McDonalds! Big Mac and Big Tasty are truly food of the gods IMO.

It's not scientific but I lived for 2 years in a location that was insanely cold in winter. very limited heating as well and regular blackouts. I recall sitting in our kitchen because at 4 degrees it was warmer than the sitting room thanks to being able to turn on the hob. Walked to work which took circa 40 mins in the winter due to being careful on the icy footpaths.

I lost 3 stone the first winter I was there. despite not consciously dieting, loading up on gorgeous lovely nescafe 3 in 1 packets (coffee, dry milk and sugar in a packet) and eating loads of dumpling and meat (plus booze).

Anecdata I will admit but I recall it very well!

Im 64 and remember the dreadful diet available during the 70s after the introduction of freezers to the masses. My Mum loved hers and we were fed a diet of frozen chips, burgers and ice creams in a multitude of colours. Sugar filled fruit squash didn't help. She was also a huge fan Harveys Duo cans, with slimy spaghetti one end and spaghetti sauce the other. Also Vesta packet meals, (I think they still exist) were big favourites.
My sister and I were skinny little waifs despite the calories. We walked everywhere and ice inside the windows every morning during winter was normal.

Definitely been shown that being colder burns fat. I’ll need to look it up unless someone already has. It’s one of the contributing factors including processed food, use of cars, use of tech reducing physical activity.

Lamb chops are quite a treat nowadays! YY to mint-sauced infused gravy and tilted plates!

It's not that crazy - keeping warm does indeed burn a lot of calories. But it's not a good life plan. It's miserable to be cold all the time and unhealthy too. Deaths shoot up in the winter and the main casualties are the elderly because when we get older our bodies get weaker and vulnerable to infections and we often don't realise it.

It is possible to live in a comfortable temperature and also watch your diet and barring disability, be physically active.

Your granny is still alive so I guess she's probably between 70 and 90 give or take. I'd be advising her to turn the heating on when it's cold if she can afford it for her best chance of reaching that telegram from the King.

We should respect the elderly - it's my ambition to be an old lady one day and I'll be trying to achieve it by turning the heating on when necessary and nodding and smiling when people say silly things.

@CheezePleeze

They've always been hot countries but they haven't always had an obesity problem. So I really don't think temperatures make a jot of difference.

It does tough when it's cold indoors and your behaviour is less sedentary as a result. Warm cosy home = lots of chilling, watching TV, gaming. Cold homes = keep moving to keep warm.

Here is some info

Bbc article

I think it makes sense and I've wondered this before too but I think driving is the biggest factor.
Since starting driving three years ago I've put on 2.5 stone and rising and struggle to get motivation to exercise when I wouldn't even notice my walking everywhere before.

If you were to eat just one Mars bar a day (240 cals) and not walk it off you'd put on half a pound a week so in a year you'd put on over 1.5 stone. In two years you'd have put on yet another 1.5 stone and so would be 3 stone overweight.

An hour of brisk walking would burn off the Mars bar and you'd maintain a steady weight.
I'd eat tons of biscuits and chocolate but walk miles if you looked back over the year- shopping, to the station, to work etc as I didn't drive so my weight always seemed to stay within a stone - I'm living proof of the detrimental effects of driving!

YABU for saying “we’re all fatter”. I’m not. Late 50s, grew up without central heating etc etc. I weigh less now than before I had DC. And I put my heating on to a reasonable extent, as I really feel the cold.

If this were the case then you wouldn't see slim people in hot countries surely.
I'm still putting my money on fast food, poor diets and sedentary lifestyle.

I do think there’s some truth. But more down to ultra processed foods, it being normal to snack all the time, lack of activity!

Maybe the cold adds to loss but lifestyle more than that.

We are sedentary. Even my mum’s generation were more active than me, unless I make an effort.
My mum walked us to school and back twice a day, housework took most of the day, cleaning and shining windows, scrubbing floors, the outside step and the garden path. Scrubbing outside her own house.
Even washing, with a twin tub took about 4 hours of standing, hauling wet clothes and bedding from the washer, into the spinner, lifting out again to carry outside to hang out to dry.
The hoover was heavy, no dishwasher or microwave, standing cooking meals, chopping, lifting pans.

Food had to go further. Our Sunday roast, for a family of 4, also made a meal for Monday's tea and something like a curry for Tuesday. Meat, veg, salad, home cooking.

All of that activity, combined with smaller food portions kept her slim.

Yes, but you have central heating. And cars and a very poor diet on a population level to what you had in the past.

Your body uses more energy trying to keep warm, so she has a fair point.

Add to that more processed sugary food, plus people driving everywhere, kids sitting playing computer games instead of playing out etc, there are many factors.

Same here we had a coal fire in the living room. Then a gas fire was installed in the front room but only the middle section was on, me and my brother used to fight to get nearest when we were getting ready for school. Walked to school. Came home for lunch. No snacking between meals. Played out most of the year unless it rained.
Very unusual to see overweight adults and even rarer to see an overweight child

I think processed food is the main reason.

I watched something once where it explained that food is either high in sugar and low in fat, or high in fat and low in sugar.

Processed food tends to have equal levels of sugar and fat, which makes it harder for the body to deal with.

I think she makes a really good point. I was born in 1971 - biscuits, chocolate, crisps etc. were in our house as occasional treats only back then. We ate breakfast, lunch, dinner and definitely walked more. No ready meals. When I look back at old photos, everyone is slim.