To have come back from Lanzarote feeling geuinely shocked at how fat the British tourists were?

[Illgetmycoat]

I'm not talking slightly plump, I mean seriously, morbidly obese. A whole different race to the German, French and Spanish tourists.

What is going on? When did our country become like this? Whenever you heard a british accent, it would be accompanied by a 3ft wide backside. And whole families, too, all swollen to gargantuan size, with the poor kids unable to put their feet together because of the rolls of fat on their legs.

How has this happened? What the heck are the Brits feeding their children to get them so large? How can you feed an eight year old you love so much food that they become morbidly obese?

It can't just be blamed on poverty, because it's not cheap going to Lanzarote.

I was shocked.

[catsmother]

What, all the Brits you saw in Lanzarote were "morbidly obese" ??

[Illgetmycoat]

About 70% at the hotel we stayed in. I'm not exaggerating.

[Anniegetyourgun]

YABU, and sizeist.

[hellsbellsmelons]

It shocks me too how this country has gone, weight wise.
It's horrid to see.
I honestly believe that over feeding your children is child cruelty.
With the knowledge we have now, the health implications and continued obesity into adulthood are just overwhelming.
Why would you choose to put your child through this is absolutely beyond me.
Our nation now has 1 if 4 adults with obesity - and I'm sure a big % overweight.
Don't get me wrong. I was overweight too (not bad but a bit) but got to grips with it and haven't looked back since.
I do also realise that you can have good addictions just like people have alcohol and smoking addictions and as a nation we need to get to grips with it all.
I don't know what the answer is though!

[WorraLiberty]

Weird considering Spanish children are something like the 3rd most obese in the world.

[hellsbellsmelons]

That's FOOD addiction - got GOOD!!

[Trills]

Either you are massively exaggerating or you went to a very unusual resort.

[Arthurfowlersallotment]

Maybe they were having a convention..

[catsmother]

Of course obesity is a massive problem (pun not really intended) and yes, it upsets me to see very overweight young kids as in most cases that will be due to being fed too much and/or given fatty/sugary food too often but I'm still finding it hard to believe that so many obese people chose to congregate in Lanzarote all at the same time!

[Illgetmycoat]

It was an all inclusive hotel, with limitless trips to the food bar, so maybe it attracted people who eat more.

[Rhianna1980]

Def agree with you. You aren't being unreasonable . It is something you can't help but notice on holiday. Few of other friends have said the same thing. Surely it is not a coincidence.
Don't be surprised if you get lots of angry replies btw.

[redrobin]

sizeist! Wow. If the OP is sizeist, then the human race is in trouble. If we can't discuss obesity for fear of being branded sizeist, these problems are only going to increase.

[landofsoapandglory]

I went to Lanzarote in the Summer and I never saw masses of fat British families TBH.

I think you must be exaggerating.

[ethelb]

No yanbu. Whenever I go on holiday to southern or eastern europe I feel like a bit of a porker and I am a size 10/12. I think we need to remind ourselves what normal looks like. I you should be able to see a childs ribs and should be able to see the bottom two of an adults etc.

[ethelb]

@lifeofpo the south of france is particuarly bad.

[Jins]

When we were in Paris last year we were walking behind a very obese family with three teenage girls in very eye catching clothes. I didn't think anything of it until we heard the men in the bar we passed laughing about 'les anglaises'. They were too :(

Haven't spotted any significant trend otherwise though

[ICBINEG]

Hooooorray Another fat bashing thread...

I would be saddened and shocked too. But I wouldn't incite a hate/pearl gripping worry fest on MN about it. That serves no useful purpose except for making people with low self-esteem eat even more.

[Kendodd]

I went on an "all inclusive" ie. all you can eat, holiday once to Spain. Some people were very fat there, all British. the fat people always seemed to have the biggest helpings at mealtimes, plates piled up again and again, I did feel ashamed to be British.

Years before that I went to Ibiza and also felt ashamed to be British seeing all the young Brits drunk in the street, even in the middle of the day.

I'm ashamed (again) that I might be turning into Mary Whitehouse

[ethelb]

tbf I think its anorexia, misogyny and cigarettes that keeps them so thin.

sweeping statement alert*

[LucilleBluth]

We lived abroad for five years, we came home last year.

One of the first things that I noticed is how large people had become in the five years we were away. I used to be walking down the high street and it seemed like every other person was busting out of a pair of leggings or jeans......now this is obviously just my personal observation and in no way intended to offend.

[Trills]

I went to an all-inclusive resort in Lanzarote in September and most people were of "normal" size, with no particular distinction between people from different countries.