why were people so skinny in the 70s?

grillnchill

There were probably less effing fast food restaurants per square mileage! There was no such thing as super size anything back then. And as others have said, no smart phones/computers...people actually got dressed up, left their house and went out and socialized.

If we all danced like they did in Saturday Night Fever we'd all be some fancy-step-sexy-tight-bell-bottom-wearing people! :glasses:

Bry_Fitness70

I was born in 1961 and I can tell you there certainly was junk food and sugary treats. We ate them all the time.
We also worked hard outside and were always walking and running everywhere.
Activity level is the key.

I have to agree (born in 1970)! There was plenty of bad nutrition in the 70s. Lunch boxes full of Little Debbie (Swiss Cake Rolls, Oatmeal Pies, Pecan Pies) and Hostess. Sandwiches were made from bleached white Wonder Bread, processed meat, with a glob of Miracle Whip. Dinner was often something cooked in Crisco, my dad used to make us fried bologna sandwiches and tater tots for dinner, or greasy Shake and Bake pork chops.

But it was all in reasonable portions, we didn't super size everything or stuff our faces until we couldn't move. And we were constantly in motion, our parents chased us out of the house, no video games on the couch all day.

mruntidy

70s bush, its deadlifting 100kg of pubes all day every day

Francl27

Why do I have that image of Wall-E popping in my head when I read this thread LOL

elsyoommen

I agree with many of the comments here about more home cooked meals, less eating of fast food etc. Many people on this string are commenting that kids spent much more time outside, but what you fail to point out is that in the 70's parental supervision of the kids was much less. Yes. in the 70's I walked to and from school every day from the at of 6 or so. But no adult walked with me and this was normal (I lived in a big city). Also after school we had a snack, then our mom (who was at home full time) would tell us to go play outside until dinner time. We went off, usually on bikes (no helmet) and had no contact with an adult until dinner time. During summer holidays we could play outside until the street lights came on. Now if I let my kids be without adult supervision for more than 5 minutes I'm sure that I would be accused of being a negligent parent. This is part of why I drive them to school on my way to work (I would be late for work if I walked with them) and they only play outside our property if myself or another adult can be available to keep an eye on them. I'm pretty lucky in that we usually do have enough supervision for a good amount of outdoor time and we have also set them up in a few organized activities. But it's nowhere near the average of 4 hours of unsupervised outdoor time I used to get on a daily basis when I was a kid.

ekz13

agree with everything previous posters have said,

PLUS if you look at it too, materials are different as well. so you are not getting the SAME workout/activity that you would have from doing the same thing.

e.g - a lawnmower then isn't the same as the self driven, pressed aluminum frame, hollow wheels that we have today. A hammer isn't the same as it is now with a composite fiberglass, kevlar handle vs solid wood or iron.

things are made lighter, smaller and doing the same thing back then vs today doesn't yield the same results. (industrial vs tech ages)

paleojoe

But it was all in reasonable portions, we didn't super size everything or stuff our faces until we couldn't move. And we were constantly in motion, our parents chased us out of the house, no video games on the couch all day.

This^^^^

bcf7683

Drugs.....and Disco.

bcf7683

If we all danced like they did in Saturday Night Fever we'd all be some fancy-step-sexy-tight-bell-bottom-wearing people! :glasses:

I want this in my life.

Patzycakes

I guess it's what people ate and how much. I mean that's what we're all here for right? Calories in vs. Calories out. The maths don't change. A pound is still a pound ya know? So that would just mean that people back then ate = to what they burned or ate less than they burned. Better food, better portions, more home cooked meals. Less eating while away from home.

My mom cooked all of our meals, from scratch, practically every night and still does to this day for her and my dad. We used to eat breakfast before leaving the house. And the activity level? As was mentioned several times here, when the last day of school hit you would see me from the morning until the street lights came on. No shoes, always had my bike. Climbing trees. Playing. Running. In the winter? Sleigh riding, snowmen, shoveling the driveway... in the fall raking leaves and jumping in the piles. Work that most people pay a lawn care service these days to do. Our mowers now have seats and beer holders.

/

Fullsterkur_woman

I have to agree (born in 1970)! There was plenty of bad nutrition in the 70s. Lunch boxes full of Little Debbie (Swiss Cake Rolls, Oatmeal Pies, Pecan Pies) and Hostess. Sandwiches were made from bleached white Wonder Bread, processed meat, with a glob of Miracle Whip. Dinner was often something cooked in Crisco, my dad used to make us fried bologna sandwiches and tater tots for dinner, or greasy Shake and Bake pork chops.

But it was all in reasonable portions, we didn't super size everything or stuff our faces until we couldn't move. And we were constantly in motion, our parents chased us out of the house, no video games on the couch all day.

I agree with the confirmation bias statement. We drank Kool-Aid all the time at meals, and one side of my family drank tons of diet soda (there were hypoglycemics). Lots of my relatives were fat and are fat now. I was a little bit chunky as a kid, but really I would say just sturdily built and on the high side of normal. I also think there was less emphasis on nutrition beyond fruits and vegetables and "balanced meals". What I mean is, there was a lot less emphasis (for me anyway) on protein, and probably all I got was the milk in my cereal, one or two slices of thin lunch meat and a slice of processed cheese food in my lunch sandwich, and a piece of fried chicken or ham patty at dinner (horrendous!). So I think people were probably skinny-fat, because there's no way they could support much muscle mass on that. So if people were of an "acceptable" size to fit their clothes, they probably didn't worry about what they were eating beyond that. Weightlifting was really a fringe thing, so you didn't have tons of people feeling the need to fuel their workouts (which was mostly jogging if anybody made a conscious effort to "exercise"). There was a demand for a bit more physical labor in daily life, though, so as the convenience way of life took hold, the women who were no longer getting that weight-bearing exercise started to have problems with osteoporosis, so awareness of that came to the forefront, along with the advice to get enough calcium (since most didn't get much dairy after adulthood) and add in weight-bearing exercise over the last 15-20 years.

brraanndi

My mom was a cute, chubby 70's mom. Apparently the wee 5 footers have always struggled with weight issues regardless of whether or not high fructose corn syrup was present.

Soloflyergirl2

Other reasons why people were thinner in the 70s.:
a).... less television channels to choose and watch.
b) ... Therapy was encouraged...... to work out relationships face to face instead of online.
c).....Mary Tyler Moore was thin.
d).. ...We danced more....
e)........Moms were still home cooking dinners from scratch, so less sodium, no tv dinners, less processed food was consumed.
f),...... birth control pill, women's lib.... and burning bras...... more sexual activity... burned off calories.
g.).......we were younger then.....'
h)........ many people were raised on the four food groups like it was bible.
i.).... ... less fast food places......
j).....people read books, magazines... and believed everything they read..... They didn't spend time on the internet , facebook, twitter, instagram.... There were believable sources of information.

More as I think about it.......

kyleekay10

As a 90's kid this was an interesting read. It's crazy how times have changed. I thought I played outside a lot as a kid, but compared to some of the people here, that was nothing.

mrslcoop

Portions were smaller.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=129685&page=1

skullshank

they were still fat, but all that hair made em look thinner.

costahobo

As as 80s kid (born in late 70s), I'd say that many of these applied to my family as well. Except for my dad, we were all toothpicks. We ate a high-carb diet (as carbs were incredibly cheap). Tons of beans, soups, chile, pasta, casseroles, etc. Ground beef was a staple, but other forms of protein were out. We always had plenty of milk, but cheese was a luxury. We drank sweet tea and koolaid loaded with sugar. Sodas were a luxury item for us kids.

There were no fast food places in the small town I grew up in, but we did have a Pizza Hut. We got to eat at Pizza a few times a year, mainly for our birthday.

My siblings and I played all the time. We rode our bikes everywhere. If the sun was shining, we had to go outside and play. I stayed as thin as a rail until college, when I suddenly had all the food I could possibly want, and my activity levels plummeted.

Hauntinglyfit

White stuff.....that went up a certain cavity.......and roller-disco?

You mean sugar, right?

jonnythan

You couldn't get 1000 calories worth of delicious food handed to you 30 seconds after ordering it, or 2 minutes after microwaving it, for two dollars.

That's really the long and short of it. Calories are significantly cheaper and more accessible now than they were in the 70s. Calories are also tastier than they were in the 70s. Combined with increased car ownership and decreased overall physical activity you have a recipe for obesity.

contingencyplan

Cocaine.