I think synthetic hormones, especially oestrogen may account for it but I also think we do less exercise these days than in the past. 

Perhaps we used to eat healthier foods back in the 80's.

A lot had their own vegie garden and a few chooks in the back yard which beside being healthier provided exercise for people tending them.

A lot of labor saving devices have been introduced, replaced by sedentary TV and computers.

Meats contain growth hormones and antibiotics.

Beside even when people think they are eating healthy foods because they have healthy heart ticks on them ... the ticks are are purchased by the companies and are loaded with sugar ?

I walk 40 mins a day on my treadmill and weigh staying exactly the same.  Sit on 66kg..up and down about half a kilo every few days.

I think bread is my problem...too many carbs.   I am not going on a diet at my age as I think this is the weight I am meant to be now.  I love cheese and the occasional wine...cut back from having every night.  

As you say Abby it is the sugar in lots of foods that is one of the main factors in people not losing weight.

Lesh

The 1980s, that’s only about 35 years ago and not much has changed about our physiology or what we consumed back then. Technology has of course taken over and more and more people think it’s the way to go. Shame that because many are falling into the trap thinking devices like Fitbits and similar  will do the trick for them. Well, they don’t. A simple pedometer is all you need and a lot of will power and positive thinking.

The reason I say this is because weight loss is more art than science. Yep if you want a masterpiece you have to create it yourself. Losing weight is not just burning calories, there are too many variables, everyone is different. Some people get too fixated on the number of calories they are getting each day, there are good calories and bad calories. Jump on the internet and see what the difference is. Another thing, if you have to have a sweet treat, best to have it immediately after your meal, that way it won’t drive up your insulin and store the fat as much as if you have the piece of cake in between meals.

Guess I’m one of the lucky ones, always been slim, but for what it’s worth, my advice for anyone wanting to lose weight, do it the old fashioned way.

Decide what sort of fitness exercise you are going to do for the next 30 days, boring to do the same thing every day, vary it. 

Decide what you are going to eat for the week and stick to it as much as possible.

Buy a diary and use it and plan as much of your daily routine ahead of time as you can, so you have the time for exercise, which I might add does not mean sweating it for an hour, 30 minutes is all you need wiith the right exercise. Worthwhile paying for a couple of visits with a trainer.

Ladies, you don’t even need a gym, remember the lady who lost a bundle just walking around the hills hoist? My wife walks around our house at breakneck speed, since I created a paved track for her.

Keep your schedule on the fridge. When you’ve reached more than the halfway mark and your goal is in sight, then by all means buy a Fitbit (if you still wish), to keep you on track. Personal opinion, I wouldn’t, I prefer to rely on my will power, more dependable.

All the above just my opinion, not preaching to anyone!!

Well said Ray, however,  there are some shocking additives in food nowadays too that we all need to watch out for. 

I recently went for a heart checkup as we have known heart disease in the family. I knew I had to lose weight so,  I asked my doctor.  He recommended the South Beach Diet by Dr Arthur Agatston.  It is s heart healthy diet but,  not really a diet,  more a lifestyle easy of eating. I do not believe in diets but,  this one was awesome for me. I lost all the weight got lots of walking and other exercise in and never felt better.

I stick to the south beach way of eating as much as I can and wrote would absolutely recommend it to anyone with our without heat condition. You can get the south beach app and have a look.  The books actually have sample menus and exercise plans etc,  well worth the look. 

A lot has changed from what we consumed in the 1980's! Even the junk food back then was relatively benign. On processed foods an ingredients list would extend to may be 5 staples.

In the 1990's I subscribed weekly to a major weight loss program for 3.5 years & eventually I became a life member of that program but ONLY after I rejected their own brand products noting that they contained more chemicals & artificial sweeteners than real food.

I still maintain a good weight eating real & whole foods.

Science has replaced natural food with chemical substitutes. It means that, in the case of most processed food, we are eating something that more closely resembles plastic than food. The body knows how to process real food calories but chemical calories; "just put it over there (fat) & figure it out later. Then, of course, we still feel hungry (starved of real food) so we top up a lot of our meals with chips cooked in chemically derived artifically oils that have been marketed to sound healthy but are full of transfats.

Hmm, do we really need to wonder why consuming the same calories today we are getting fatter? I would think it is obvious!

Science is not that smart (or it has another agenda). We didn't eat milk solids, canola oil, palm oil, emulsifiers (471, 322 from soy) in the 1980's; we simply ate CHEESE; but these were amongst 24 ingredients used to make spreadable "cheese" served up to a group of school kids on a trip to Canberra.

I will not go into the rubbish that was in the biscuits & museli bars!

Hmmmm and friends still ask me why I make my own biscuits and muesli snacks.  Also shock horror when I say my soup is home made. Saying "You don't still make your own soups. they are better in the cans" 

Australians have become lazy, doing their own cooking is becoming a thing of the past.

There is nothing better than your own fresh fruit and vegetables. At least you know exactly what goes into each and every dish you make and far more delicious.

There's no comparison Sandi, nothing beats a bowl of home made soup. The trouble is some people today so used to canned stuff,they can't appreciate the real stuff.

Strange that the emphasis is on losing weight.

I have been trying to gain weight and have had professional assistance.

Maybe there are others in the same boat.

(by the way - I am winning)

Gerry,

I am still about the same weight I was 30 years ago. Some of it appears to have relocated a bit but I still look like a corner post on a five strand fence.

I eat light and healthy but I sure do not work as hard as I used to, why would I now that I don't have to.

We are all built different and one approach does not suit all.

I can lend you some weight if needed. :-)

Take it easy.

SD