I have been overweight my entire life, and I am a boomer from a lower middle class family in the midwest. The country used to be thinner on average, it's true.

I have been overweight my entire life, and I am a boomer from a lower middle class family in the midwest. The country used to be thinner on average, it's true. I remember. I was the oddball in my crowd of friends. So what happened? I know from experience that the following things have happened over the past 50 years that may have contributed to our current situation: 1. Portion sizes used to be 1/2 to 1/4 the size that they are now. For example, a typical trip to McDonald's was a small hamburger (no cheese) and a very small bag of fries. Coke machines dispensed tiny 6-8 oz. bottles. A school lunch was a pbj sandwich, a cup of milk and an apple. People just didn't eat as much. It was the norm. 2. Smoking was HUGE. It was everywhere, and all of the time: workplaces, public transit, school lounges, shopping, etc. It was an appetite suppressant and a replacement for snacking. 3. Many more jobs required physical activity all day long. Even desk jobs required more activity: connectivity was minimal and you needed to stand up and walk around to different offices for communication, delivering documents, discussions, etc. 4. Foods were not as processed or flavor enhanced as they are now. Meals were cooked and eaten at home for the most part, and the ingredients were whole foods. And you knew what was in your meal--it wasn't a stick of butter because who could afford that?Also, it was rare for my family or any of my friends' families to go to a restaurant. That was saved for weekends or special days. Our culture has shifted way too far in the direction of overconsumption in food and just about everything else. We could all survive and most likely thrive on a lot less of everything.