Why Did America Start Gaining Weight — And What Can We Do About It Today?

I want to share something important with you — not just a headline, but a big-picture truth about your health, your body, and the environment you’ve been navigating.

A recent New York Times piece by Dr. David Kessler, former FDA commissioner, along with insights from Dr. Mark Hyman, helps explain something many of you have asked me: Why is managing weight so much harder today than it was decades ago?

Let’s walk through this together.

What happened in the 1980s?
For decades, obesity rates in the U.S. were relatively stable. But something shifted dramatically in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Suddenly, across ages and backgrounds, Americans started gaining more weight.

What changed? It wasn’t our biology — it was our food environment.

• In 1977, U.S. dietary guidelines urged Americans to cut fat and increase carbohydrates, especially grains.
  
  
• A few years later, the infamous Food Pyramid arrived, putting bread, pasta, and cereals at the foundation of a “healthy” diet.
  
  
• Meanwhile, Big Tobacco companies, facing regulation, pivoted into food — buying brands like Kraft and Nabisco. As Dr. Hyman points out, they used the same addiction science they honed selling cigarettes to engineer hyper-palatable, ultra-processed foods designed to hijack taste buds and override fullness signals.
  
  
• Food companies told us to fear fat, but they replaced it with sugar, starch, and industrial oils — setting off a storm of rising obesity, type 2 diabetes, and chronic disease.
  
  

What’s happening now?
Today, medications like GLP-1s (Ozempic, Wegovy) offer new hope. Dr. Kessler explains how they work on biology, not willpower — helping people feel fuller, reduce cravings, and reset their relationship with food.

But here’s the key:
✅ Medications aren’t magic. They work best as part of a bigger plan: real food, movement, mindset, and compassionate medical guidance.
✅ You can reclaim control. Whole, nutrient-dense foods — like clean proteins, healthy fats (avocado, olive oil), colorful vegetables, and slow-burning carbs like sweet potatoes — help break free from the engineered food trap.
✅ You are the CEO of your own health. Their blueprint for profit does not have to be the blueprint for your body. With the right tools, you can rewrite your story.

Why should you trust this?
Dr. Kessler brings decades of national health leadership — as FDA commissioner, Yale and UCSF dean, and public health advocate — and his article is deeply informed by both science and personal experience. Dr. Hyman, a respected voice in functional medicine, has also been sounding the alarm on how our food system was hijacked by corporate interests. Together, they offer a powerful, evidence-based perspective.

If you’ve been struggling, please know: you are not weak, and you are not alone. You’re navigating a landscape designed to challenge your health — but with the right support, you can move toward strength, vitality, and sustainable wellness.

References:

• David A. Kessler, MD. In a World of Addictive Foods, We Need New Weight-Loss Drugs. The New York Times, May 7, 2025. Read the full article here.
  
  

Mark Hyman, MD. What Happened in the 1980s Where Everyone Started Gaining Weight? LinkedIn post. Read the original post here.