Do you think not overeating contributes to the low obesity rate in your country or are there a lot of people on glp1s there as well as USA?

[u/jadonner]

That’s the latest thing here in the us but there’s a lot of skepticism too. Someone at work said it’s because in Europe they don’t overeat but then another said it’s popular there too. Can you shed light on it and your country?

[u/Sea-Ad9057]

Well European countries also tend to be more walkable aswell

[u/gennan → u/Sea-Ad9057]

And don't forget cycling. Not only Dutch people cycle.

[u/Christoffre → u/Sea-Ad9057]

It’s a bit of a myth that more physical exercise burns more calories. It makes you happier and healthier, but not slimmer.

Yes, if you shock your system by suddenly running 4 km one day, you will burn more calories than usual. But keep it up for a few weeks and your body will have adjusted.

For example, a hunter on the African savanna who runs 9 km every day has the same energy needs as a sedentary office worker in Los Angeles.

EDIT: Source https://youtu.be/vSSkDos2hzo?feature=shared&t=128

[u/SA_Swiftie → u/Christoffre]

No, this isn't right. Physical activity burns calories. It just makes you more hungry as well. Someone who runs 9km a day absolutely doesn't have the same energy needs as a sedentary person.

[u/Christoffre → u/SA_Swiftie]

No, it is right.

An active person burn only about 100 extra calories per day (⅓ Snickers bar). They save calories by moving slower and being more sedentary the rest of the day.

It's relatively new science that only was discovered in the last couple of decades.

Here is a 13 minute video about excersice in general, but we're only talking about the 2:08–5:18 part. They will explain it much better than me, plus, they have links to all their sources.

[u/QuizasManana → u/SA_Swiftie]

No, they are actually quite right. Human body adapts to physical activity and apparently starts to minimize the use of energy for other not so important things. The physical activity still requires energy (of course), but it’s not as simple as ”burn 500 cal by exercise, eat the same, lose weight”.

A good popular science take on human metabolism is ”Burn” by Herman Pontzer, he explains pretty well how the body seems to work when it comes to physical activity.

[u/RoombaArmy]

It's not popular at all here in Italy. The reason why we are leaner compared to the US (30% of the population is overweight, 10% obese in my area compared to 31% overweight and 42% obese in the US) is smaller portions, a better diet (better quality food, less soda, cooking at home, less processed foods, etc) and more movement. Drinking fucks it up tho. Man, we love to drink up here.

[u/Bluebearder]

Here in the Netherlands, I have often heard US Americans complain about the small portion sizes and things like no free soda refills. A Dutch friend of mine lived in California for a while, and she was amazed by the portions there, like really low-quality food and LOTS of it, tons of sugar and fat, and how many people just don't eat fruit or vegetables. It's a completely different culture in that sense.

I think it is because here in the Netherlands we see eating a lot (too much) not as a sign of wealth, but as lack of discipline and good taste, and a gateway to heart and other health problems. Many people that are obese here have a foreign background, for them eating a lot still equates to being wealthy.

[u/Over-Stop8694 → u/Bluebearder]

From what I've seen, the portion sizes in European restaurants are quite similar to the US. There is a huge difference in the quality of food, however. American food is loaded with sugar and salt, and has fewer healthy options in restaurant menus. Order barbecue or pasta, for example, and you can taste how sweet the sauces are at American restaurants. At most American restaurants, you can order a soft drink and get as many free refills as you want. It's not uncommon to eat out with friends and see one of them get a 32 oz (about 1 liter) Coke and have it completely refilled twice!

[u/TukkerWolf → u/Over-Stop8694]

I can't even imagine drinking half a liter of coke during dinner. That's just insane.

[u/Over-Stop8694 → u/TukkerWolf]

About half of it is ice, so that lowers the amount of drink a bit.

[u/FishFeet500 → u/Bluebearder]

Im slightly overweight as a former canadian but im far more active and losing weight for living here. Healthier food, cheaper, less takeout, more stairs, biking, swimming.

I’ve travelled the USA a lot, in past, and if you have money, you can eat healthy but by and large portion sizes are horrendously over sized.

Though most of the time i lose weight there on trips since everything is so over sweet/over process and im no health nut but blech. I wind up skipping meals.

[u/elevenblade]

It’s multi factorial in Sweden. People naturally walk and bicycle a lot more as part of daily life. Highly processed foods are not as common and the Nordic diet includes a lot of root vegetables and fish. There’s not as much sugar in foods and even desserts and pastries are not as sweet as in the US. I’m sure smaller portions also play a role.

[u/CreepyOctopus → u/elevenblade]

even desserts and pastries are not as sweet as in the US

Sometimes barely sweeter than non-dessert foods in the US. When I visited America, I knew about sweet desserts and the habit of drinking sugary drinks with food, but I was absolutely not expecting "normal" foods to be sweet, which they are.

[u/Vanhaydin]

Lots of places in Europe have something called "the gym of life". Yesterday I walked 10km to a place and back just because I wanted to see it. I walk over an hour every day just getting to work and back. It's a natural pace of life. Also, the portions are better and the ingredients have less additives in them. Absolutely nothing to do with weight loss drugs, that shit isn't at all popular here.

[u/DryCloud9903]

Given I've got no clue what glp1 is, it's probably more eating-culture related. First - let's acknowledge that there's a growing weight problem in Europe as well. That's likely tied to easy access to food & sedentary lifestyle.

But there's key differences: 1) food quality. Many of the additives that increase people's appetites (that make you want more crisps, cola etc) are banned in Europe (internet is full of label comparisons amongst different products. That includes how meat is processed (like hormone treated meat etc), access to reasonably priced healthy products (veggies etc) 2) more "cook at home" culture, getting together for a meal. Especially in Southern European cultures with long lunch breaks when people get to eat better/longer meals and enjoy them (as opposed to 20min to find & stuff a sandwich in yourself like elsewhere - including in other European countries) 3) Overeating can happen (widely speaking, obviously anyone can fall into this) particularly in countries that were quite poor (quite common for past-soviet controlled countries). The psychology of "it can go away at any time" or "finish your plate/don't waste food" is strong - and you end up treating yourself like a rubbish bin. I had to work hard to unlearn that (used to bounce between overeating and dieting/fasting as a teen).

[u/Brickie78 → u/DryCloud9903]

I've got no clue what glp1 is

It's stuff like Ozempic and Mounjaro

[u/luala]

Obesogenic environments contribute to a heavier population. I’m in our capital city and it’s highly Supportive of active travel (we bike and walk rather than Own a car). I notice people are heavier when I go outside the city to smaller towns where lifestyles are more car-dependent.

There’s a great graph somewhere showing that the more time a population spends in the kitchen, the lower the rates of obesity. When people have good food skills and prepare their own food (ie they have visibility of how much fat or sugar goes into it) they tend to be less obese. I think the USA has a strong culture of eating out for everyday meals, whilst in Europe theres less of a fast food culture and it’s more sociable when you do eat out.

[u/nevenoe]

We walk to places and have a food culture. So yeah it helps.

[u/InterestingTank5345]

There are obesity, by 2050 33% are expected to be obese. The big difference is culture and consumption. Here in Europe it's normal to walk to school or bike around town, heck here in Denmark it's the norm to bike round town. In America you use cars and busses, just by God pls don't have to walk or bike 2 miles to school or the local grocery store.

And then there's consumption, American food is basically considered dangerous, toxic and illegal, due to some of the things you put in your food, like how you bleach your eggs.

[u/bephana]

There's never just one factor that causes people to be overweight, it's always multifactorial. It's wrong to believe it's only about overeating. There are overweight people in Europe, and there are people who overeats occasionally or regularly as well, whatever the reason is (pretending that none does is frankly ridiculous - also I want to point out that overeating is not a moral failure). There has been tons of studies on this topic, and what contributes to a lower rate in Europe as opposed to the US are, among other things, a better access to quality food, a better access to healthcare (important !) and to some extent the walkability of the place you live.

[u/Prasiatko]

For what i've seen travelling in the USA it's your portion sizes especially at restaurants are almost double what i see in the UK. And the UK is one of the podgier parts of Europe.

I'm sceptical of the walk ability argument since walking burns very few calories but there may be something to it. The fattest parts of the USA are where it's so hot an hulmid you might not want to be outside most of the year. Not really the same correlation in Europe though. 

[u/ahoyhoy2022]

I am in Europe and there are loads of overweight people and lots and lots of overweight kids.

[u/nevenoe → u/ahoyhoy2022]

Congrats on being in 30 countries at the same time. Malta or the UK (high obesity rates) are not France or Portugal.

[u/Jagarvem → u/nevenoe]

And France and Portugal beat the EU average in obesity, they're not Italy.

But the comment didn't even mention obesity, just overweight. Half of the people in the EU are overweight. The differences aren't that ginormous.

[u/nevenoe → u/Jagarvem]

Surprised about France but there most be massive differences between regions.

Yeah indeed overweigh not obese.

[u/OllieV_nl → u/nevenoe]

Why does Malta not surprise me?

[u/nevenoe → u/OllieV_nl]

British colony. You don't recover from that.

[u/OllieV_nl → u/nevenoe]

Incredibly car-brained, not walkable, and little to no fresh grown produce.

[u/nevenoe → u/OllieV_nl]

Well yes for the first 2, but I live in Malta and eatin healthy is perfectly possible. All is imported from Italy but it's there.

Their snack / junk food culture is insane though. 10 yo kids are already damaged for life.

[u/RancorGrove]

Portion size, food quality, and less soda in general. There are obese people in Europe though, its just not as common. I think a shrinking middle class is causing people to eat less healthy food that is cheaper and full of preservatives.

[u/blbd]

People walk and take transit a lot more because the cities are older and the layout is better. Work hours are also a bit lower so people aren't stuck behind desks as long per day. 

[u/Bierzgal]

I mean, we most definitely have overweight people. But not to the extreme the US has. I think it mostly boils down to the quality of food. Simply less chemicals in them. Cooking with fresh produce instead of shit you just heat up in the microwave. The portion sizes in the US vs. pretty much all European countries is also massive. So yes, not overeating is a part of that too. We walk much more as well.

The US gets a lot of bashing for being "fat" but I would say it's mostly no your fault. For one, America is big. I live in the country in Poland and I still have like a 5 mintue walk to the nearest market (or a 15 minute drive to the nearest city center). I buy groceries every other day. I know a lot of my american friends buy grocieries for 2 weeks in advance (that's why they have such massive fridges). A lot of it being frozen etc. The distances from their homes to the nearest market is often over an hour drive one way, so doing that often would be very annoying. No point in walking either.

And then there's the sugar. Everything in the US is super sweet, even the bread. No wonder you guys have a harder time keeping shape unless you work out like an olympian. I heard quite a lot of stories from Americans that came here on vacation, thought they ate like pigs and were surprised they lost weight.

[u/chunek]

Why would you overeat? It sounds exhausting. Being fat is no fun as well. Just eat to the point where you satisfy the hunger, don't even have to feel full. Drink more water, wine, beer, less sugary sodas. Move around, walk, hike, ride a bike, swim, whatever you like.