Since we know that calories are not the real problem, we can start to focus on what is really the cause of obesity (the etiology of obesity). You can review the calorie series here for an in-depth discussion of why calories are not relevant. The entire obsession with calories was a 50-year dead end. We can only start to address the problem of weight loss and gain by understanding the real causes. So what is the real cause of obesity? Let’s go back in time and see what people thought about obesity in the past.
William Banting, 1796–1878, is considered to have written the first diet book. He started off at a normal weight in his teens and 20s. However, as he went through his 30s, 40s, and 50s, he started to gain some weight. Not much, but a few pounds per year. Before long, he was age 62 and weighed 202 pounds. Not bad by modern standards, but a real chunky monkey by the standards of that time. So on the advice of his physicians, he tried to eat less. But then, he felt tired and hungry, and he wasn’t really losing any weight. Then, he tried to exercise more. He rowed the Thames and became quite physically fit. However, he was still not able to keep the weight off.
