I've gotta chime in and express my support for aabajian. It really is this simple. Everyone else that says it isn't and that we aren't accounting for the burn

I've gotta chime in and express my support for aabajian. It really is this simple. Everyone else that says it isn't and that we aren't accounting for the burn rate of different calories (carb vs fat vs protien) are just making excuses. The simple fact is that today's foods are easier to eat and more energy dense. If you don't want to gain weight you have to eat fewer calories. The talk about balance is good for your overall health and maintaining proper bodily function, but there is a direct relationship between calories that your body digests and your weight (coupled with your energy expenditure). The fact is that a man in 2006 burns less energy than the man in 1988, so if they ate the same diet the 2006 man should weigh more (as the study finds). We move less, have more comfortable environments (energy is cheaper so we can afford to keep our homes at a better temp). A man in 1988 had to walk down the hallway to send a fax, now we just send emails. A man in 1988 used to physically move to attend meetings, now we just [video]teleconference. Life was just a little bit harder in 1988, and that means that we burned more energy then. Coupled with the increase in average height (healthy tall people have higher BMIs than short people, and height increase is a trend in humans that has existed for a long time), people in 2006 are clearly going to be bigger. If you want to weigh the same amount you either have to burn more calories to make up for the fact that your life is easier now or you have to eat less. aabajian has pretty much hit the nail on the head. I will point out that as you gain weight your resting metabolic rate increases to support keeping your extra mass alive, so 50 calories extra per year may not exactly turn into 100 lbs of extra weight, your energy expenditure to keep the mass alive and to move it all around may catch up to that extra 50 calories.