Excellent

I've had the same questions that Geek and Bill raised above. I'm wondering if the amount of exercise hasn't been properly factored into the equation. If, for example, the body settles in on a particular metabolic rate rather than an absolute weight, then exercise could explain the differences we see in the US . People just don't work as hard now as they used to. So, less work but the same caloric intake will result in a higher equilibrium weight. My own experience with weight loss was a bit puzzling to me. I am now 35 lbs lighter than I was in the late 90s. At the beginning of my weight loss period I actually dieted for about 6 months. Then, my exercise level increased (now it is 600+ hours per year) and the weight continued to decrease. At that point, I no longer had to watch what I eat. Now I probably consume 4-5000 calories per day and still am losing weight gradually. My target is to exercise 700 hours per year and just take whatever weight that results in. What is puzzling is that my performance in my two main sports (cross-country skiing and swimming) did not improve noticably. As we have all heard, since swimming utilizes flotation, the lack of improvement in swim races may not be a surprise. The lack of change in skiing floored me since skiing with an extra 35 lb pack is certainly noticable. My weight loss also resulted in no change of blood pressure, blood cholesterol or resting heart rate.

I've had the same questions that Geek and Bill raised above. I'm wondering if the amount of exercise hasn't been properly factored into the equation. If, for example, the body settles in on a particular metabolic rate rather than an absolute weight, then exercise could explain the differences we see in the US . People just don't work as hard now as they used to. So, less work but the same caloric intake will result in a higher equilibrium weight. My own experience with weight loss was a bit puzzling to me. I am now 35 lbs lighter than I was in the late 90s. At the beginning of my weight loss period I actually dieted for about 6 months. Then, my exercise level increased (now it is 600+ hours per year) and the weight continued to decrease. At that point, I no longer had to watch what I eat. Now I probably consume 4-5000 calories per day and still am losing weight gradually. My target is to exercise 700 hours per year and just take whatever weight that results in. What is puzzling is that my performance in my two main sports (cross-country skiing and swimming) did not improve noticably. As we have all heard, since swimming utilizes flotation, the lack of improvement in swim races may not be a surprise. The lack of change in skiing floored me since skiing with an extra 35 lb pack is certainly noticable. My weight loss also resulted in no change of blood pressure, blood cholesterol or resting heart rate.