Losing weight is getting harder - Sophie Jamieson, The Telegraph
It was easier to lose weight in the 1980s than it is now, according to scientists who found that adults today must eat less and work out more to avoid obesity than their parents had to a generation ago. By doing exactly the same amount of exercise and eating the same number of calories, people in 2006 registered an average BMI (body mass index) of 2.3 points higher than in 1988.
The data led researchers from York University in Toronto to conclude that “factors other than diet and physical activity may be contributing to the increase in BMI over time.” Jane Fonda defies her age with 1980s leotard - but this workout will no longer be enough
“Our study results suggest that if you are 40 years old now, you’d have to eat even less and exercise more than if you were a 40 year old in 1971, to prevent gaining weight,” Professor Jennifer Kuk said.
People who reported eating the same amount of food were about 10 percent heavier in 2008 than 1971, the study found. Those in 2006 who did the same amount of exercise as their counterparts in 1988 weighed five percent more. The findings suggest the simple formula of eating less and moving more can be ineffective for weight loss in the long term. It could help explain why obesity is on the rise.
“Weight management is actually much more complex than just ‘energy in’ versus ‘energy out’,” Professor Kuk said.
