About one in five adults wore a fitness tracker, either as a band or smartwatch, in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center.
I'm sure it's higher now and yet obesity rates keep going up. Shows how ineffective these solutions are. People are more active and tracking their calories yet weight gain is unstoppable.
I think it's mainly that food is just more abundant. It's literally everywhere now. You can't go out and do something without passing easy to acquire, relatively cheap and high calorie food to tempt you, or to satisfy every passing snacking impulse. That just wasn't the case for most of human history, even most of the 20the century.
That's a very generalised take with a big assumption.
I don't think wearing a smartwatch will immediately shed you weight. You actually need to actively put in the work both through exercise and a proper diet.
A watch is just a tool that supports the rest of it.
More people might be consuming diet beverages as well and yet weights might be going up, that may not necessarily be the failing of the diet beverage.
I think that at this point of the obesity epidemics, we should entertain the idea that there are non-behavioral factors in play as well. Not just "putting in the work", but a more complex metabolic picture.
As we are talking about smartwatches, let me chime in with my personal, N == 1 observation.
I bought a smartwatch on the day that Russia invaded Ukraine (the timing was an accident, though). So, two years by now. I set up 10 thousand steps to be the goal and since then, I met that goal 98 % of the time, missing only 13 days. I loved walking before, but I stayed home when it was too hot, too cold or too rainy; now I go out anyway, so my daily amount of steps has significantly increased. By how much? Not sure, but 30 per cent at least, possibly up to 40 per cent. My daily average now is just slightly under 13 thousand a day.
Now, there are visible and sometimes measurable improvements to my health:
* lower blood pressure (by some 8/4)
* lower resting heart rate (around 48-49, used to be more like 60),
* better immunity, I am no longer particularly sensitive to wind, rain etc.; I believe that this comes from constant exposure to all sorts of weather when walking outside,
* my knees have improved so much that I feel like being 20 again. I no longer remember which one gave me so much trouble that I almost ended up in surgery in 2017. They are both just fine.
But one parameter hasn't budged even the tiniest bit: my weight oscillates around the same base level. Something inside defends the set point, much like something else defends my body temperature.
You can understand my point above was more so reflecting that a watch alone won't help you lose weight, as you say, you actually need to do the work regardless of whether its too hot, too cold or too rainy.
When we say "this point in the obesity epidemics", something occurring in our society so fast that it is now an epidemic makes me think it's more environmental that internal. However, I do think there is a chunk of evidence coming out in support of other metabolic measures being at play during weight loss, but we have to be careful simply assuming we fall into this category because its too hard or we're not seeing results.
There is an overwhelming abundance of convenient food around us which is super high in calories. I have friends who have travelled to the US and they could not believe how big portion sizes were, the types of foods being serviced and (supposedly) how hard it was to find quality vegetables with food.
It's excellent that you were able to improve your health so much through just upping your step count.
There are other factors too:
* What were the types of foods you were eating?
* Did you increase your calorie intake proportionally to the additional steps? It doesn't take much
Our bodies HATE losing weight (fat) and they make it difficult for us.
> * my knees have improved so much that I feel like being 20 again. I no longer remember which one gave me so much trouble that I almost ended up in surgery in 2017. They are both just fine.
I had shit knees when I was around 30. I started physiotherapy and going to the gym. This sort of worked a little bit, but what really eradicated all my knee problems was large volumes or running, jogging and walking. My plan was to start running, but since I couldn't really run properly for extended periods of time without pain, most of my "runs" were actually just fast walking. Now, about two years later, I can't really remember the last time I had problems with my knees.
Yes, that was my experience as well. Five miles a day, every day, and my knees are just as good as they were in my youth. Eradication of the problem, as you say.
I had a gf that joined a female dance/pilates type gym and went religiously, yet actually gained weight over the year. When I told her that the two scoops of protein powder she was taking at lunch were probably causing weight gain because no girl needs an additional 60 grams of protein on top of a well balanced diet we already had, she got mad. Eventually we broke up because I can't deal with someone that can't have a logical discussion. She's now even heavier, yet still going to that gym years later.
Wearing a fitness tracking device gives you this illusion of working on your health and fitness without actually doing so.
I know many people who wear Whoop bands and swear by it but month after month their clothing gets just a little tighter and their double chins just a little bigger.
I'm sure it's higher now and yet obesity rates keep going up. Shows how ineffective these solutions are. People are more active and tracking their calories yet weight gain is unstoppable.