It IS _natural_ sugar in stuff, not HFCS. You are right about that. So that is one difference. But let's look at the other differences between W. Europe (this

It IS _natural_ sugar in stuff, not HFCS. You are right about that. So that is one difference. But let's look at the other differences between W. Europe (this is the Europe I am thinking of at least). 1.There are ZERO local national restaurant chains in this country. Zero Chipotles, zero In-n-outs. The only national food chains are McDonald's and Burger King. 2. There are zero drive-thru restaurants. Not even starbucks. So food is not as easy to get. 3. There are fewer restaurants in general. 4. When you do go out to a restaurant the portions are smaller. I haven't weighed two things, but my best estimate is about 1/3 less. For instance, where I live, the local burrito "chain" of two locations, the burritos are about one-third smaller while the portion of chips that come with it is 60-70% smaller. 5. The food here costs more when going to a restaurant. There is no way to get a full meal for less than $10. A Mcdonald's combo meal is $15-$19. So food costs twice as much. Mcdonald's portions are not way smaller than the US, but every other restaurant's are. Because a meal is 50-100% more expensive and you get smaller portions, food is actually 3x the cost. This, obviously, has the effect of people eating less. 6. A greater percentage of people live and work in cities in Europe than the States [citation needed; would love to know the actual number]. So they probably burning 100-200 more calories a day because of this. 7. There are also zero billboards for any industry. So way less food advertising to go along with that. These are the differences I think that make the biggest difference. There is simply less of an emphasis on food too. But portion size, which is culture, and amount of physical activity are what I personally believe make the biggest difference.