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?

There isn't anything new to be said.
Genes, diet, portion size, exercise ( for some) hormones, insulin resistance.

What would you like people to say?

Same here - and having been overweight, and having felt the hunger you feel, with the hunger I feel now I have lost the weight and retrained myself not to panic at any hunger response, I believe that these types of hunger are different. I understand completely that there is a hesitation to say 'you need to learn to be hungry' because of how easily people can slip into restrictive eating disorders, but habitual 'hunger' can be just as strong, if not stronger, than real actual hunger and I just wish it was talked about more because it's changed the game for me and I would say it's at least 75% of the reason I've been able to keep the weight off. It's been life changing to understand that its not real hunger. And when I was overweight, I would have swore blind it was real hunger. I would have told you I had food noise. I recognise my old self in every description of food noise. I NEVER would have been able to envision not obsessing over food 24/7.
I've trained myself out of it with a combination of luck and privilege - i came across comments talking about sugar addiction, retraining your hunger cues - i wfh and have time energy and resources to learn to cook and an environment where I could control my meals myself - i don't spent a lot of time or money cooking now, but that's because I've learnt to add in, experimented with reducing carbs, adding in veg, protein, etc etc. But what you eat is so individual and it takes time and trial and effort to find something that works for you and be able to stick to it long enough for it to be a new lifestyle. People don't have that luxury.
And I do, as someone who was overweight, unfortunately do have to make the observation that every overweight person that I know well enough to have any kind of idea about their diet, eats too much. That was the biggest thing to accept when learning about hunger. It all adds up, it just does. I ate too much. That's why I was overweight. I know there are people out there, like some on this thread, who are low calorie due to medical reasons and still struggle to lose weight, and I just feel absolutely awful for them to have another barrier in their way. Because it's so fucking hard anyway, without additional blockers in your way.

Leptin resistance also accounts for "food noise" and is crucial in the workings of weight-loss meds (GLP-1 and leptin feed back to each other).

The implications are far-reaching. Leptin, GLP-1 and their little pals influence blood clotting, atherosclerosis, inflammatory response as well as a bunch of other stuff. The CV health benefits of the injections are not all due to the weight loss although the whole thing is a complex feedback mechanism.

In a living body, chemistry wins over physics every time.

I don’t eat sugar, when I eat any I crave it badly so I just don’t eat it. Most food cooked from scratch. Rarely drink alcohol. When I didn’t do the above I was a stone heavier.

i think genetics plays a huge role…I have 8 year old non identical twin boys. They eat the same food and do football 4 times a week, one is overweight and the other is skinny as a rake.

Daft comment. He didn't name her or take a photograph, so patient confidentiality was most definitely maintained.

I think its often socially conditioned.

Biologically speaking we've evolved to seek out easy calories, fat & carbs, because food has not always been in good supply and having extra weight in reserve helps you through a famine etc.

The people i know who stay very slim mostly all share one thing in common - being raised to think its very important that you look slim, thinking being even a little overweight is disgusting. Having grown up constantly told its lazy and shameful to be anything other than slim. They tend to think its absolutely normal and necessary for women in particular to refrain from eating sweet or fatty food, even if they enjoy it.

There are also another subset i know who genuinely love intense exercise, those people who really do get an endorphin rush from things like running, who maintain a slim physique for this reason. Some people just don't get this feeling.

I used to run a lot, did half marathons etc, and never got to a stage where it really felt good. Even after years of regular running, i had to force myself to go for every single run and it was hard and felt it.

Is it a case of time and opportunity?
Opportunity meaning the junk food is easily available and you choose to buy it (sugary food and drinks, chocolate, crumb coated nuggets or fish, chips, etc), so it's there in the house calling your name; and time meaning you have hours of leisure or boredom to raid the kitchen a few times during the day or evening and eat.

I don't like the taste of a lot of ready made food anymore, including a lot of chocolates and crisps now. They've ruined the taste and made them taste weird, so there's no chance of me getting fat.

I avoid UPF, don't drink sweet drinks and cook at home. Home bake if i want something sweet

I’m slim. It’s genetics for sure. All those in my family who are slim, just don’t really care that much about food. Yes I enjoy chocolate and cake but I’d never eat more than a little bit at a time or I feel sick.
I couldn’t eat more than two biscuits for example.
Portion sizes are tiny and we eat little and often. I think nothing of skipping lunch and often get dizzy and then realise I’ve forgotten to eat. Just not all that bothered or fixated on food.

@SilenceInside I have to forcibly tell myself no. It's not just a case of not wanting to eat it, it's telling myself no and why and the desired outcome of not eating it being greater than the outcome of eating it. I don't want to feel like I've eaten too much and feel physically uncomfortable and I don't want to get fat so those two factors are the drivers to not eating something I probably shouldn't. I don't have good or bad foods. Nothing is forbidden or deemed "naughty" 🙄 because it's just food and has no moral value. I eat whatever I want but I don't eat too much of it and I try to aim for balance throughout the week. Is that willpower? I don't know.

If you compare a few UK population pyramids from 1970 to today, you'll see a bulge (no pun intended) developing in the over 50 cohort. Since this is traditionally the time for people to pack on a few pounds for various reasons, and since this cohort is growing, it's inevitable that the proportion of the population that can be classified as obese is also growing.

More informative would be figures on childhood or teen obesity or obesity in young men.

It's also worth noting that the definition of obesity (based on BMI) has come under fire lately, with more nuanced assessment of problematic weight proposed.

I was a healthy weight as a kid, then underweight and anorexic for about 6 or 7 years, now I am a healthy weight (bmi 21) and have been for 20+ years, but I think it's mainly luck. I eat chocolate every day, and carbs.
I deliberately don't read "what do you eat in a day" because I know I would feel guilty and greedy. I'm.sure I eat a lot more than the average MN, from what I glean from any thread mentioning food.

The thing is health wise there is a huge difference between being a bit overweight, and being obese. Being just a little overweight often doesn't actually have impact on your health, it's the risk of obesity coming later that's the worry.
I don't think it's particularly rational to lump overweight and obese together in one category when they are very different things with very different health outcomes.

Having previously been grossly overweight for most of my life, I finally turned things around approx 15 years ago and have so far lost over 10 stones. I was in denial and blamed "big bones", "metabolism", etc.

But the reality of it is that I ate too much and moved too little.

"Eat less and move more" really can help the vast majority of overweight people.

But it takes time, as I say, in my case, 15 years and counting.

I make sure I am active, most of the day, every day. That may mean using a standing desk if I know I'm going to be stuck in my office most of the day (bad weather etc), or making sure I go for 2 or 3 walks a day if I can, or using a treadmill for walking in my garage when I'm home on wet weekends etc.

Alongside that, being realistic about the type and quantity of food I eat, i.e. being aware of what contains sugars, fats, carbs, etc., and reducing the quantity of those, whilst increasing quantities of fruit and veg and lean meats. I can, and do, eat the occasional chocolate bar, bag of crisps, even the occasional McDonalds, but it's all in moderation and balanced - if I have something high in calories, then I balance it out at a different meal that day with something very low in calories. I'd never have McDonalds for lunch and fish & chips for tea, for example. A bit of advance planning goes a long way, i.e. if you know you're having McDonalds for lunch, then have a light breakfast beforehand and a light evening meal afterwards.

I've also got into the habit of avoiding buying larger portions or multi-buys "just because" they seem cheaper, i.e. a bigger bag of crisps in a meal deal or a 4 pack of kit kats - I just ended up eating more, and at the height of my food addiction, rather than a single kit kat, I'd buy a 4-pack multipack and eat them all in one go. Now I buy a single kit kat and eat it on it's own!

I've managed to reverse T2 diabetes, which is something I'd been diagnosed with over 30 years ago! Cutting out excess carbs and sugar from my diet caused my blood sugar levels to come back within normal ranges, even after decades of abuse.

I agree it's the food noise. Looking at my mum who has always been overweight, taking my kids out for example. Buying sugary snacks for the car trip as a priority. Eat while at the destination. Food on the way home. Being confused why she's overweight but it's like she doesn't take the snack calories into consideration at all?
For me the priority is the destination. We eat if we are hungry, not just because we can. We often eat something healthy before we go out and nothing while there- which is something she would never do.
I don't have that food noise like she does.

Excellent post. YYY to poor sleep and stress as contributors to weight gain.

My mum was overweight (and probably obese at some points) as long as I can remember. She was born in the late 1940s I don't know if rationing was still a thing. From photos (I do not remember my GPs) both her parents were overweight and in old pictures of her she was overweight as a child. Her sibling was also overweight. They grew up without fast food, without upfs, without ready meals, they didn't have a car. My mum never learnt to drive so she walked and cycled a lot of places when we were kids.....but she was always overweight. So I think for her mostly genetic. That's why I think its mainly luck that I am not overweight

@Garlicworth That’s an interesting article. I’ve only skim read it, but it sounds as if researchers are still figuring exactly what causes leptin resistance. Environmental factors might be responsible, given that the article states that ”Leptin resistance can be inherited, albeit not commonly.”

So something triggers it?

This is a really interesting thread and something I'm spending a lot of time focusing on learning to be a "thin person"
I was obese (bmi 31) and lost weight with mounjaro. I stopped the drug in October and was determined not to regain. My bmi is 21.5 currently and I have maintained that for 4 months.

I've spent a lot of time chatting and watching my slim friends and family. This is what I've learned and its worked for me to maintain...

No "mindless" eating. Ie passing a biscuit and eating it without barely noticing. All food is now an event that I sit down and savour.

Smaller portions.
Home cooked food
Prioritising protein

Being hungry before mealtimes

Moving (a lot) more. Rather that do 4k steps a day at working from home, then watching tv in the evening. I now cycle to the office and I run 1-2 times a week. I always make sure I hit 10k+ steps a day and prioritise this.

If there is a meal out, I will cut back in the day to compensate for the calorific meal.in the evening and perhaps do a run the next day too.

I think it's a mindset and the reversal of the small habits I had built up before. My blood sugar seems more stable now and I don't "crave" sweet stuff like I did before. If I do, I'll have some frozen fruits and plain yogurt with some peanut butter powder for added protein.

I'm learning all this by tracking my calories and only eating what I burn each day.

I've noticed from various threads here and in real life that a lot of people just don't move very much. There's people wanting to lose weight who manage 5000 steps at most. The hallowed goal of 10,000 was arbitrary I seem to remember reading and just to give people something to aim for but the scientists or doctors who wrote whatever article I was said that this was nowhere near enough activity for an adult but it encouraged people to move more. People get on their cars to go to the shops 5 minutes walk up the road saying it's too far and that they can't possibly carry a small amount of shopping home if it contains a bottle of milk. Convenience is king and people don't want to make an effort to be active.

Environmental factors can affect the expression of genes, as shown by a lot of twin studies.

Definitely believe that genetics and hormones play a massive part in this, but food intake and physical activity as well.

I am 5ft 4 and currently 9 st 5. I have always been slim- I take after my mums side of the family.

When I was married, I didn't cook because that wasn't my job, and we didnt eat until late at night- gone 8/9 some nights. I drank alcohol most days because it was around me all the time (exH was an alcoholic). I put on loads of weight in the latter few years.

I left exH and I lost 2 stone because I:
Stopped drinking because I don't have it in the house
Ate with the kids at 5/6pm rather than 9pm- so food fully "gone down" before I go to bed
Walk alot for work
Generally more active around the house because I am on my own with DC and the load falls on me.
Cook healthy meals with alot of beans/pulses/veg to "bulk it up". Cook once eat twice etc. Always eat leftovers for meals in following days.

But I don't have food chatter I suppose. I think about food alot more now because I have to I guess, in terms of what's for tea because the DC aren't old enough to cook full meals yet. When I'm stressed/anxious/sad I don't get hungry so I don't eat. When I'm busy I forget to eat (so quite often!) So often find it's 3pm and all I've had is a cup of tea.

I also think there is alot to be said for mistaking hunger for thirst and quite often a pint of water is what you need rather than food. (But I never drink enough water 😆)

I agree with this.

I went down to a normal size 10-12 by eating less. Lots less. It was actually a shock to find out you could be full, not tired or hungry on 3 small meals and no snacks.
I had always just eaten what I fancied when I fancied it before.

I'm overweight but don't look it (yet) as I'm tall.I love carbs and comfort food so I've gone low carb as this eliminates the foods I crave.