Now I’m not sure what you are saying? Are you referring to Europe?
Well, they’re catching up to the US. That’s all I was saying 
I guess I am referring to my attempts to learn about how living in the US is different from living in Europe. To that end I remind myself that I am here to learn and not to teach.
My experience of living in Northern California seems worlds away from my living in Brooklyn, D C., Alabama, but I am often reminded those differences are irrelevant when compared to the difference between countries in the UK.
I hope I am getting that right this time; what countries make up the UK.
EU 
And the US is still pretty homogenous in terms of food supply, and obviously laws and regulations.
I think I mean UK. For example, the countries I think of as within the UK seem to have more in common than say Germany and Turkey.
This rarely goes well, so I hope I can stop here;
I know we are talking about more than obesity here, but to me, this is an intriguing graphic about obesity rates across the US .
ETA My son , who lives sometimes in Turkey, just stopped by with his friend from Hanover, Germany, who lives in Orlando Florida.Said friend says Turkey and Germany share food like döner.
Maybe @Harters can/will correct me, but I doubt that there are huge differences between Wales, Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland. Certainly fewer than within the US — being such a massive country, and likely even fewer than the EU.
Your graphic is indeed interesting. Obesity rates tend to be higher in poorer states with poorer education, food deserts, and other factors that combine to create an obesogenic environment.
Let’s keep in mind that we (as in HOs) are, for the most part, a distinctly privileged sub-set of a vast population, who not only have the time and luxury to post on a food board ad nauseam, but have access to fresh produce, CSAs, farmers markets, gourmet websites, and more often than not the financial means to travel to destinations specifically to eat there, seek out restaurants that strike our fancy, etc. etc.
This is simply not true for the majority of folks just trying to feed themselves and their families on a budget and within their limited options.
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I think they will need a very long time to catch up on the US - this article is a well done summary (and yes, there were many discussions about BMI on this board which I don’t think is always helpful when looking at individual’s data but is very helpful when looking at epidemiological data)
There was also portion control, when I did eat my dinner I didn’t overload my plate. I was a little more diligent to watch how much I spooned onto my plate, as well.
But yes… through careful eating and increased exercise I was able to drop that pesky 15 pounds.
I (also) like the peace and quiet of a morning bicycle ride. I’ve caught myself smiling for no reason, I guess I’m happy when I ride.
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I do think men and women are different when it comes to weight loss, but I do think it is possible for a woman to lose weight through diet and exercise. I will concede that it appears to be more difficult for women, but it is possible.
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It’s also very much related to age, and hormonal changes that make it harder for women.
Congratulations on your success, in any event. It’s tough to lose weight and keep it off.
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I’m 60.
It is quite typical in all men for our testosterone level to start to diminish after age 30, which also makes it harder to lose weight.
Losing weight requires discipline and hard work.
Not true
Very true
Ok. You might want to not head down this particular path because I am living in this world right now.
Calorie deficit is not the one size fits all that everyone says it is, and doubly when you are a female of a certain age.
Visceral fat appears with a vengeance and it doesn’t respond to diets that weve relied on all our lives.
Hormones cause no end of physical changes that diet and exercise will help but will not resolve.
Please purchase a copy of The New Menopause by Dr. Mary Clare Haver for the lady(ies) in your life, and make sure you read it so you understand what she/they are going through.
My doctor looked at the result of my blood panel and said, “well no wonder you’re struggling with your weight”…it’s not a lack of effort.
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I don’t know that specific book but I know Haver was criticized by a number of colleagues at different occasions to promote pseudoscience not backed by actual scientific facts like certain comments she made in the film “The M Factor” - I would take recommendations by her with a significant grain of salt
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this is a good book on the topic of Menopause
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Yes, low testosterone can make it harder for men to lose weight because it slows metabolism, increases fat storage (especially around the abdomen), reduces muscle mass, and can decrease motivation to exercise.
A simple google search will confirm I am correct.
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@Harters is certainly more of an expert on life in the UK, but I’ve lived here for nearly 25 years now and have worked in healthcare the entire time, so have closely observed people’s eating habits across the socioeconomic spectrum. There isn’t a huge difference between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Overall, the UK is quite different to Europe in its habits, probably more aligned to the US, apart from portion sizes. The portion sizes in the US are unreal.
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I’m afraid I have confused things as I try to make sense of what I have learned here.
I feel like I am often reminded that the US differences across states or cities shouldn’t be spoken of like differences in European countries.
So maybe as different as my experience of living in Brooklyn New York might be from mine 2000 miles away in Salt Lake City Utah, it is not as different as Whales is from England, because Whales and England are different countries.
I realize these are extreme examples.
Generally I am thinking of discussions of cultural differences and not health.
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I’m commenting in the context of the topic of this particular discussion - there are of course very substantial differences between the different nations of the UK on many different fronts.
I hope it’s your phone autocorrect, but the nation you refer to is Wales, not Whales!
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While that may be true, men gain muscle and lose weight much faster than women.
15lbs in 4-5 weeks is Ozempic level weight loss, and unlikely to stay off… especially if one loves food, which is why most of us are here
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