HerrKaLeun

Yes they may have had genes that made the fat storage a tiny bit more efficient, which may have been and advantage in a world without our abundance of food. But back then they didn't weigh 400 pounds even with those genes.

Old paintings (and study of old mummies and bones etc. confirmed people's sizes) show rich people being fatter back then (not fat in today's world, but fat compared to the farmers ets. back then). It isn't like the rich (some lords, counts kings etc.) coincidentally had the "fat genes" and the poor didn't. It is they had servants to move them around and a lot of (unhealthy) food. They basically were today's deskjob people with fast food and consequently were "heavier". In fact, back then being heavy was a sign of wealth since only the rich could afford to gain weight. Look at the Rubens naked ladies how heavy women were the ideal back then. Today the poor also have access to lots of unhealthy high-calorie food and nearly effortless movement (bus, car) , which is why obesity isn't a status of wealth anymore.

debade

First, I want to congratulate the OP. I think it is the little changes that can make a difference. You may also want to compare your bank statement. You've saved a lot of money with this one lifestyle choice.

I do not disagree with the actual calorie savings analysis you provided but I do think transporting by a motor vehicle encourages and ultimately leads to adding needless empty calories. The drive by food pick-up lanes seems to support this claim. So, time away from eating temptations which happens during bike commuting, also has a positive impact on calorie consumption.

AlmostTrick

Microbiomes are an interesting topic that my wife and I have just started to learn about. Most people aren't aware that our bodies are inhabited by communities of trillions of bacteria cells... about equal to or even exceeding the amount of human cells we have! It's fascinating what these bacteria do for our health, and how taking antibiotics can mess things up. I recommend everyone interested in good health do some research on this.

Stucky

Oh, believe me, there were no lack of lardbutts in the 70's- but remember, there was no internet or digital cameras or selfies....and unlike today, people tended to be more modest about being photographed, so what ya see in old photos may reflect a different overall demographic.

But things like diet and exercise definitely do play a role. So many people today live on junk food and fast food- and while they are all fat, I believe their genetics determine whether they're just ["just" LOL] 60 lbs. overweight...or 150 lbs overweight.

I know that even with my good genetics, and the fact that I eat extremely "clean" (NO fast food, EVER! Rarely eat meat. Lots of salads and beans...) and riding and everything, I still have to be careful. If I were to eat like most people these days- i.e. drinking sodas and alcohol; and eating 3 meals a day including a big dinner, or ANY fast food, I guarantee you I'd easily be 100 lbs overweight within a year!

But where the genetics come in: My grandparents were from Italy. My grandpa ate pasta EVERY day for a good part of his life....and was skinny. I eat a good deal of pasta too- the carbs don't seem to bother us at all. The Inuits can eat whale blubber; There's a tribe in Mongolia that lives mainly on cheese.... So I do think that staying away from our modern artificial processed chemical-laden diets, and eating within our genetics, is a big factor which is not taken into account by the "researchers".

And no doubt, a big part of the problem is that better than 90% of the "food" in our supermarkets is JUNK.

Another thing is: In places like AMerica, especially, people have come to be such a jumbled hodgepodge of ethnic mixtures, that they have no real traditional cuisine, and or the genetics are such a potpourri, that they're going in 20 directions at once, and don't even know what to do with the food.

FlMTNdude

At age 52, living in the US, I am only 2 kilos more than in high school. That said, nowadays I cannot eat much pizza, have to watch the beer intake, etc. But....there is a lot to say about genetics, possibly more than ones exercise and diet, though they are major contributors. One of my grandfathers was thinner, one was obese.They both were pretty well up until their deaths in their 90s. All said and done, I look and act younger than my younger brothers, and many people my age as well. I have a physical job, run, bike, and would rather keep moving than sit around all the time.
Now, if all this activity could slow down hair loss, then we really have it!

wphamilton

Me too, and pizza well I just keep eating for some reason. I almost never drink Cokes though, and I wonder if a large portion of our incidents of obesity comes from just that. And corn syrup in everything.

kap 7

I've noticed over the years that people that are in decent shape tend to just be more active in general. I worked in retail for a number of years and most of the time people in decent shape could run circles around people way overweight. How often do you hear people 200lbs overweight say "gee a 20 mile bike ride sounds like a fun plan today!" hahaha they would find a 1 mile bike ride to sound like some kind of torture

on a side note though... i've found riding to be a huge stress reliever if i have a lot of stuff going on in my head ..so its super healthy in a lot of ways - its a shame more people don't have our passion to be healthy and have fun doing it

AlmostTrick

Hmmmm... The Clydesdale forum right here on BF is loaded with people over 200 pounds who say "A 20 mile (and more) bike ride sounds like a fun plan today." I'd bet many of them could out ride some of the "lightweights" too.

kap 7

sorry meant no offense to anyone ... I applaud anyone of any weight to ride. However, I meant someone 200lbs overweight .. not someone who weighs over 200lbs

AlmostTrick

Me too! There have been many inspiring stories of people who lost a bunch of weight by cycling and eating healthier.

I've sold or given several bikes to some really overweight people.

kap 7

that's awesome of you - we need more people like you in the world!

Garfield Cat

Just yesterday, I went to the local supermarket (Sprouts), bought hamburger meat (not in paddy form), a package of hamburger buns, and made my own hamburger at home. There was some cheese in fridge and I put that on top at the very end of the frying time.

Ate two hamburgers, missed the raw onions and tomatoes, though. No Coke, just water. All this was after a 45 minute workout. So there!!

one4smoke

I used to drink 3 or 4 Pepsi colas a day, for years and years. After getting back into serious cycling 4 years ago, and giving up the soft drinks, I lost over 100 lbs. in a year. My doc told me even though the cycling contributed a lot to the weight loss, cutting out the Pepsi probably contributed more.

Cyclcist11023131

I’m 5-10 225. Bit of a fire plug. I got back serious with my bike at 49. 57 now with 80,000 under my tail on three bikes. Most of the miles ended up on my SS mountain bike. I’ve done a dozen centuries, and several OC to San Diego overnight runs. Lots of Midnight Ryder rides. 8 years later, 223 lbs this morning. Look completely different but weigh the same.

CliffordK

I must admit that I'm not the most slender person... but I'd say "healthy"

What I've noticed is so many people > 50 walking around on absolutely pencil legs (and in shorts?)

pesty

Wrong place to make those comments. I'm 200+ and 20mi is a short, before breakfast, before work daily ride for me. During the summer when I don't have to drive my kids to school at 7:30am, I generally up it to 30, and that's not counting the 30-60mi rides I try to squeeze in on Saturdays and Sundays, nor is it counting the 60-100mi charity rides/rallies/fondos I try to squeeze in twice a month. I haven't ridden less than 5000 miles/year in three years and I've been over 200lbs the whole time. Maybe you should think about who you're audience is before making comments like that.