Just to give my two cents, soda is probably my biggest vice, next to alcohol. I am in the habit of drinking a glass of it a day with dinner, yet I remain thin. To be fair, I do intentional exercise about three times a week, but I don't think that's the main reason why I keep the weight off, I think it's because I live in a country where walking frequently is an accepted part of life. I get a lot of incidental exercise just walking to the store, or work, or church, or even just going out for an evening stroll.
That was the biggest culture shock to me when I visited America for the first time; everyone drives everywhere, for any reason. Dollar store is 15 minute walk away? Eh, I'll just jump in the car, I can't be bothered. Even my then-fiancée, now-wife remarked when I visited that she was seeing parts of her small town which she had never explored before because we were walking around rather than just driving from place to place.
Portion sizes and snacking are also a big problem in America, but the lack of incidental exercise from walking is a huge contributing factor, I think. I will be moving back with my wife fairly soon and that's something I am going to have to navigate in my own life. How do I incorporate the walking which I used to do when the country is built around driving everywhere? Otherwise, if I continue to eat like I do now, I probably will start putting on weight.
I observed the exact same thing, from the opposite perspective. I visited Japan recently and despite eating out a ton I didn't gain much if any weight at all. I can only assume that was thanks to all the walking we were doing. Japanese food is full of salt and sugar too. Meanwhile in America I have to exercise every day if I want to eat over 1500kcal. Like you said, I hop in the car just to go to the store 5 min away. It's not even particularly safe to walk around in my neighborhood, so more time at the gym will have to do.
Just to give my two cents, soda is probably my biggest vice, next to alcohol. I am in the habit of drinking a glass of it a day with dinner, yet I remain thin. To be fair, I do intentional exercise about three times a week, but I don't think that's the main reason why I keep the weight off, I think it's because I live in a country where walking frequently is an accepted part of life. I get a lot of incidental exercise just walking to the store, or work, or church, or even just going out for an evening stroll.
That was the biggest culture shock to me when I visited America for the first time; everyone drives everywhere, for any reason. Dollar store is 15 minute walk away? Eh, I'll just jump in the car, I can't be bothered. Even my then-fiancée, now-wife remarked when I visited that she was seeing parts of her small town which she had never explored before because we were walking around rather than just driving from place to place.
Portion sizes and snacking are also a big problem in America, but the lack of incidental exercise from walking is a huge contributing factor, I think. I will be moving back with my wife fairly soon and that's something I am going to have to navigate in my own life. How do I incorporate the walking which I used to do when the country is built around driving everywhere? Otherwise, if I continue to eat like I do now, I probably will start putting on weight.
I observed the exact same thing, from the opposite perspective. I visited Japan recently and despite eating out a ton I didn't gain much if any weight at all. I can only assume that was thanks to all the walking we were doing. Japanese food is full of salt and sugar too. Meanwhile in America I have to exercise every day if I want to eat over 1500kcal. Like you said, I hop in the car just to go to the store 5 min away. It's not even particularly safe to walk around in my neighborhood, so more time at the gym will have to do.