I think people were generally thinner then because they had to walk everywhere, car ownership wasn't like today- also many people did two jobs, pulling pints on the evening etc to top up their money. The food was full of fat! Stews with a huge lump of solid fat on the top of the pan, out of the fridge, etc. Bread or toast and dripping etc. Sausages thrown into the lard in the chip pan to cook them....... you had slim people of 35- 50 dropping dead back then because of unhealthy living.... add in not many houses having central heating ( usually gas fires and paraffin heaters) and most people drank quite heavily as well. It wasn't unusual for men to swig 6 cans of beer each night when in from work. All from memory!
---
I still make pies with a suet pastry