The older I get, the less I understand the notion that getting fat is a natural part of aging

*a pretty unexceptional lifestyle

Like most things it's not just one thing but many, so yes aging plays into it, but so does lifestyle, and other health related issues.

As you age you have more responsibilities that take time away from recreation and leisure. If you are very busy at work, or have family duties, the first thing on the To Do List to get dropped is the work out.

Other health issues can greatly contribute to weight gain. If you have terribly arthritic knees or hips, or back issues that can make every run, every hike, bike ride, etc. into a terribly painful experience. So even if you have the time and the desire, not many people will tolerate that level of discomfort every day. At some point you DO have to enjoy whatever it is that you do for fitness, and constant pain will stop you in your tracks.

I always think back to when we'd run the mile in my high school gym class. There would be a handful or two of people who would put effort in, there would even be some non-drinkers who would give it their best shot, but the majority of the class just walked it.

If you put yourself in these peoples' shoes, you'll see that they don't want to feel uncomfortable. That's when the doubts trickle in as well, when you pushing into the physically uncomfortable unknown. Unlike us, they don't stick with it long enough to see what's on the other side of the doubt and discomfort that occurs whenever you try anything new. What for us is pretty much brushing our teeth would be a big event for a lot of these folks.

It is not natural, but in our society, it is probable for a lot of people. Having time and the ability to exercise is a big issue for a lot of people. Between work, family and a long suburban commute time, there is not much time left in the day to exercise. And a lot of people get out of shape after years of focusing on building a career and caring for little kids. Going into the gym to lift weights will result in some serious DOMs and a few strains here and there. Getting out the door for a run will almost always mean runner's knee or shin splints. A lot of people bail on an exercise program just because it is too hard to get back into it.

Food isn't as much of an excuse as it used to be. There are many more healthy alternatives available either at the grocery store or at "fast fresh" fast food restaurants. Even still, for many people, food is there only time of the day that they get to have something they enjoy. People spend 1 hr to 2 hrs in the car commuting, spend time carting their kids to swim lessons, baseball practice, etc. and really have no time for themselves during the day. Except for meals. Meals have become "me time". People go straight for food that makes them feel good. And having less time for meals (no one gets an hour of paid lunch anymore) means that people eat faster.

Then, add in some booze to self medicate or just have a social lubricant for when the neighbors come over and you have the perfect recipe to put on 5-10 lbs a year. Do that for 5 years and a 150 lb guy who is 5'9" will be obese in 5-10 years. Then, slow down the metabolism with age and the same guy who hits 180 at 40 will be 220 by 50 and pre-diabetic.

Ok, but you DON’T need to work out a ton just to not get fat as long as you don’t stuff your face with booze and junk food. I barely work out anymore, and I’m not fat.

I'm 34 and the fattest I've been in my life was my senior year of college (age 21.) I agree with OP that aging by itself is just an excuse that people use. I think about my parents who are on the tail end of the boomer generation. When I was born in the late 80s they were both well within normal weight ranges. By the time I was old enough to really notice or be mindful of these things in the second half of the 90s, they were both visibly overweight. I've never had much idea what my mom weighs (she's very much of the school that a woman's weight a taboo subject, etc.) but my dad was at one point 6'2" ~230. These days he's probably ~210 (I should ask him lol). My mom is also lighter than she was then. So if aging by itself was a guaranteed harbinger of fatness my parents would both be morbidly obese. So what is it actually? They had 3 young kids, stressful jobs, only dog walking and golf for exercise, and a diet rich in fast food, frozen food, and calorie rich snacks. It's not some big metabolic mystery.

There would even be non-drinkers? In high school? This means despite the effort you put in, you were a drinker in high school?

Why would I listen to a drinker for running advice?

It is the cardio, I am 36 and work in an office, everyone 30+ who is skinny does cardio (bike or run or some group class) . The diffrence is cleary visible.

If you dont have a physical job, staying lean over 30 requires cardio as net calories per day burned is just to low to be fixed by eating clean alone...

I thought that this was already pretty commonly understood among anybody who's not a whale.

guess you're blissfully unaware of other reasons people have a belly, such as diabetes (including type 1 that people can't really help), cortisol/adrenal/hormonal reasons for appearance, genetic predispositions, loosening skin with age, and drug side effects.

i also think you are just young enough to not have started going downhill physically where saying stuff like this is obnoxious. in 5 years you could be a workout maven and you'll be starting to lose muscle tone and some degree of control over your physical appearance. so this is like talking to an 18 year old who think he will live forever.

you conservatives need to pick a lane. if you're going to demand we all "get a job" then you can back the heck up on what it does to our bodies over time, and you can fund health care and retirement accordingly, as though society is based on milking us thoroughly through age 65 and nowadays perhaps beyond that.

I totally agree. The OP is not really old enough to know. Wait till you're about 50 to have an opinion.

You realize this is more activity than like 95% of the US?

At 40 I had aspirations to run a sub 4:10 mile. Wife, young kids and a demanding job shut that dream down. The wheels came off for me in my 50s when I couldn’t run as much with a bad hip. Now my weight fluctuates 10 - 20 pounds over my 40-yr-old self. Finally got a hip replacement in my 60s and slowly getting back into light running, golf and pickleball. Feel better than I did in my 50s.

Physical exercise has been viewed as a punishment for at least the last 30-40 years. In school running is usually used as a threat if kids do not behave a certain way. Many kids also dread going to PE and even in my time many just walked around hoping to do the minimal amount possible. I can't imagine how bad it is now in schools.

Also, our technological "advancements" have only hindered our physical development. Kids grow up with phones and tablets in their faces from an early age. They hardly seem to enjoy the beauties the natural world has to offer and become reliant on the tiny dopamine hit a clip from Bluey or Cocomelon will offer.

As for adults, the same thing applies. Many need their dopamine hit from TV/streaming or endless scrolling videos on their phone. Do I scroll at times...sure. But I am not up until 2AM looking a mindless videos and wasting my life away. Society as a whole has focused on doing the minimal amount of activity required. It takes discipline and self control to continuously improve your physical state and once someone has let themselves go for years it becomes harder to undo the damage.

Other than a major cultural change, I don't know what will fix it here in the US.

I stopped running completely at 23, 6 months before my 24th birthday, post-college where I exhausted my body for 9 years straight.

I was very overweight at around age 30-31. Life hit a downturn and essentially I told myself I better go for a run. I went from couch potato to working out 3 to 5 hours per day again and dieting. The weight came off in about 3-4 months and I didnt stop. I was once again pressing 70-80 miles per week and in a nice routine.

When I see the people I grew up with now huge (including my younger brother) I shake my head. They cant feel good about themselves. It only takes a 6-month commitment for typical obese people to lose a lot of the excess weight. The only thing that separates them is will power.

Anyone who is fat when he or she is 40 is fat because he or she is a lazy glutton. You don't get fat at 40 from aging.

As I see it, OP's young age isn't the only reason he doesn't get it. I suspect his sex is factor too.

OP's stated belief that "people who turn into whales in their 30s" all "must just have really unhealthy lifestyles" totally ignores that a lot of the people who become whales in our 30s do so as a result of pregnancy or several pregnancies.

I was always fit and extremely lean in my teens and 20s. But in the course of my first pregnancy in my 30s I gained an enormous amount of weight - most of it fat - even though I observed all the healthy dietary guidelines and kept exercising. My transformation from lean and lithe into a ginormous whale who walked with a waddle in the last trimester was horrifying - and very humbling.

My only consolation was that I never had twins or triplets, coz the women I knew who had multiples got even bigger during their pregnancies than I did.

But at any rate, whilst "baby weight" goes on easily during pregnancy, many women find it's very difficult to lose all of the weight after giving birth. Many find losing all the weight becomes harder with each successive pregnancy too.

Regardless of childbearing history, going through perimenopause and menopause also make it very hard for a great many women to keep the pounds off and stay thin as the years go on.

"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong."
H. L. Mencken