Two thirds of adults in England are obese or overweight. It would make as much sense to ask what is different about the other one third.

[H0TK]

This was a comment I read elsewhere. I thought it was an interesting comment.

Rather than wondering what is wrong with overweight people and why they eat like they do. What is different about the people who are not overweight?

I have two kids, both raised the same. Both weaned onto food cooked from scratch, not given sugar for as long as possible. We tend to eat relatively healthily as a family, eat home-cooked meals together etc. I'm a healthy weight and exercise a lot. One of my kids is overweight, the other isn't. Not really sure what can be learned from that!

An environment of high-calorie, constantly-available, very attractive food isn't "natural" for humans, and it's not good for us. The ultra-processed stuff is an interesting take - like the evidence of companies doing research in the 1970s and 80s on which combinations of fat and sugar lit up pleasure sensors most in brain scans. A lot of modern food is designed to make us over-eat, that's the point of it.

I have to remind myself not to eat crap, not to eat much of non-crap, and to keep moving. If I don't, my default is that I like eating too much and don't move enough. For me it does take self-discipline. There's been a big culture change that we've not noticed, if you read fiction written in the 1950s, for example, it's clear from everyday references that normal conversation involved women (in particular) saying they weren't eating X. There's a reference I remember from Secret Water, written in the 1930s, where one of the children refers to "the cream buns, you know, the ones adults won't eat because of their figures". There was less "high reward" food available, but also people were aware of a need to restrict it.

There are people who do have a different feedback mechanism, I think - DS1 and DH are both like this. They both struggle to put on weight - DH lost quite a lot on a long trip to India, and it took him 3 years to regain it. Both of them vary how much they eat far more than most people, depending on exercise, etc. Both are capable of eating a dinner normally intended for 3 adults, both sometimes eat very little. They seem to have bodies which are more self-regulating.

Same here!

I’m slim and always have been. I need quite a lot of calories per day for my size and needs watch out that I eat enough in stressful times because if I miss a few meals, or just eat something small, the weight will drop off me.

Why am I slim? I think partly it’s genetic/build. I’m quite muscly and don’t have much fat so I burn more calories. I’m also active. Not ‘going to the gym’ active, but constantly on the go. I also walk a lot.

I limit the amount of crap I buy because it’s addictive and if I had cupboards full of large bags of crisps, biscuits, chocolate, I’d eat it. I just don’t buy it or limit my purchases. I rarely have takeaways and dislike popular ones like pizza and burgers (I go for Indian, Chinese, Thai, etc) so I reckon they have less fat.

I think another part of the issue is the balance of foods on the plate. I love veg and always have plenty of veg with a meal - around half the plate. My (very) obese friend rarely has veg and doesn’t seem to think of it. A small thing but I think it makes a difference.

Losing weight is a lot harder than putting it on! Also, obese people usually have a fair bit of insulin resistance that hinders weight loss. I don’t think it’s easy.

In brief, limit takeaways and crappy snacks by not buying them; eat lots of green veg; don’t drink your calories(ie fizzy drinks, juice, beer, etc); keep active - walk, go up and down the stairs, keep busy. Be aware of what you’re eating too. If you eat watching the TV, it’s so easy to mechanically shovel in food and nibbles in a mindless way.

Look at the portion sizes on things like cereal and pasta. Weigh them out and see their size, then stick to that portion size. People’s judgement has gone out the window.

I have always found my weight to be exactly what I'd expect it to be based on the calories I consume versus the energy I expend. I am the poster woman for CICO and eat less move more. I'm 55. My BMI is 21. It's not genetic (my mum was morbidly obese) its not age related (im at the weight gaining age) its nothing to do with avoiding carbs (i dont) or how much water i drink or my 'eating window'. Its because I only eat the (small) amount of calories a woman my age, height and lifestyle needs, which is around 1600, a few more if I do a brisk 30 minute walk a day. I'm not saying it's that straightforward for everyone, but I can only speak from my experience.

I’m overweight but I do at least 3 hours exercise a week. I wonder how much exercise all non-overweight people do.

Because I want to be slim more than I want to eat something nice this is the big taboo that a lot of overweight people refuse to acknowledge!

For me it translates as:

• Never buying from the food vans when visiting an event (Christmas lights trail, fun fair, ice cream vans etc). The food is very tempting but often a disappointment anyway -> not worth the calories.
• Learning how to cook fakeways (Gousto was a great help): same taste but less calories and less UPF.
• Desert not at every meal.
• Not a lot of alcohol (not worth the calories for me)
• No snacks.

Written like this it sounds sad but it is really a matter of habits, and a key is to make a conscious choice to indulge, not just do it out of boredom / because someone offers, etc

I did almost none till I crossed 45 and was a size 6 to 8. Then peri kicked in.

They weren't shipped off to Weight Watchers as a teen by their mothers?

So it’s stopped while they’re taking the hormones and chemicals…

@DustyLee123 I know plenty of underweight & normal weight people who do very little exercise at all. It’s the overweight who religiously get the steps in in my circle.

Also big portions are so normal in cheaper eating places. Even Wasabi just popped into at lunch time thinking I might get some "healthier" hot food.

There are so many places that may appear healthy but are not, I'm by no means singling out Wasabi for criticism. The meals had the calories on and most things were about 1200 calories. I'd only eat that much in one meal maybe for my takeaway on a Friday night or when we eat out. My calories per day is about 1677 to lose 1lb a week, I can't afford to eat 1200 for an average weekday lunch- not even looking at the macros but I think it would be quite high in carbs.

I went to a small chain fried chicken and burger type place the other day (DD2's choice- not KFC actually which I do like every now and then) - I thought it's good at least to give myself a diet challenge sometimes. I got like four chicken tenders which was ok on calories and protein, and quite filling, but the only side available was chips - no salad anything green remotely available - I mean even in McDonalds you can get a salad! So I didn't get anything. But in so many places like this you struggle to get so much as a vegetable- you can't have a balanced meal out.

I used to be about 5-10lbs overweight. I got the flu a few years ago and barely ate for a month. Obviously I lost quite a lot of weight during that time, but I also seemed to reset my tastebuds. Now everything sugary and fatty tastes nasty, it's honestly like bathroom chemicals! I used to love chocolate, cakes and sweets, always wanting more even when I was stuffed.

Nothing mumsnet loves more than a fat-bashing thread

All I can say is that I was underweight all my life until I hit perimenopause and then I rapidly gained within two years. Now I'm overweight but not massively so.

I eat the same amount as I've always done.

Genetics and hormones.

Full honesty: I do very little exercise. I walk quite a lot though, for ex will walk the 20min to school and 20min back instead of driving. Or when meeting with a friend we will walk 10k at a good speed (ie sweaty afterwards) instead of sitting down for a coffee.
Most of the difference is what you eat and how much. At least it is how my body works!
BMI 19.

Our local Tesco is terrible for crap food. I'd say 50% of shop floor space is dedicated to chocolate, crisps, biscuits and ready meals. Absolutely horrendous. No wonder so many people in my town are overweight or obese.

I don't get pleasure from eating.

I don't look forward to eating unless it is a social event.

I eat when I'm feel hungry or feel dizzy.

It's not exactly a healthy relationship with food.

I rarely eat after 7pm.

Echoing pp, whenever I am emotionally off balance, my appetite will disappear.

Always been under 8 stone.

I've always done at least that whether overweight or slim.

I see exercise as essential whatever but food is the thing that controls my weight.

I think that's a really interesting question. My DH now finally (at 62) has a BMI of 22 but most of his life he has been very slim/thin. He's never been overweight and eats like a horse.

However he is on the go ALL the time. He can't relax or switch off. For example, on a grey, cold Sunday afternoon I will be snuggled in front of the fire with a good book. He'll be in the garden weeding, digging etc. If it's too cold/wet for that he will be cleaning or ironing.

He burns up calories as a result. Also, he went to boarding school where snacking between meals wasn't possible, so he got used to not raiding the fridge/cupboards when bored.

I'm basically much more sedentary/lazy. And as a result I'm overweight.

I’m not overweight or skinny - probably the top half of healthy bmi. I try to eat healthily and have an active job, but also have a sweet tooth and am prone to emotional eating. I roughly do 16/8 but not that strictly most of the time, but I do have a sense of when I’m heavier for me (clothes feel tighter etc) and can then step up my efforts to regulate back down. So there is a bit of a range that I keep within, but I don’t have the will power or commitment to be a size 8 either

The nurses thing is a very interesting change, though. My grandmother and all her four (older) sisters were nurses. I remember her showing me a photo of her in uniform with her group of probationer nurses, and saying, "nurses were always slim, they didn't get a chance to gain an ounce!". Nursing from, say, 1920 to 1960 was an appallingly physical job, with incredibly long hours, and exhausting. Nurses' feet, ankles and lower legs were often very sore and swollen. And their diet was very carb-heavy and stodgy (the odd shred of boiled-to-death cabbage or carrot was about the only veg). But they had access to large meals, and mostly not any other food, so snacks etc weren't a thing.

Shift work definitely has a significant impact on weight (among other things which also do) but the food environment has changed significantly, so eating patterns have also changed a lot.

There’s evidence to show exercise doesn’t equal weight loss (unless you’re an ultra marathon runner). Apart from day to day life I don’t do any separate exercise.

There is a link between being obesity and poverty. Cheap ready meals and junk food are often cheaper than freshly made meals. The rising cost of living and higher taxes isn’t exactly going to help the situation. If I buy ingredients to make a meal from scratch I am often shocked at the cost of the ingredients once I have scanned it all through the pay terminal.

I’ve heard this too.