It's Getting Harder to Be Skinny

A study done by York University and funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in late 2015 just came to my attention. This study analyzed date from 36,400 American adults and concluded that people in the 1970s and 80s could eat more and exercise less, while still avoiding obesity, than we can today.

Scientists are trying to pinpoint the different factors contributing to the rise in obesity beyond just diet and exercise. The depressing fact of the matter is that although eating less and exercising more may result in weight loss, more studies are showing that these methods are ineffective at sustaining weight loss in the long term.

According to the study, "weight management is actually much more complex than just 'energy in' versus 'energy out. That's similar to saying your investment account balance is simply your deposits subtracting your withdrawals and not accounting for all the other things that affect your balance like stock market fluctuations, bank fees, or currency exchange rates.

"Our body weight is impacted by our lifestyle and environment, such as medication use, environmental pollutants, genetics, timing of food intake, stress, gut bacteria, and even nighttime light exposure."

Maintaining a healthy bodyweight is now more challenging than ever, apparently.

I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have radically altered my diet in an effort to lose weight. I am on Day 15 of the "no sugar, no flour" plan. I don't plan to give up on that any time soon, but I have to wonder if it's worth it. Will I ever be able to reach a healthy weight, where I can feel good about how I look, and be able to stay there long term?