To think that people pretend not to understand obesity

I do t think they pretend not to, I think they genuinely can't understand it.

I used to be 'naturally' slim (BMI between 19 and 21 my entire life until I was 30). I would say I "worked hard" to maintain my figure but in reality I didn't. I used to think people who were overweight just had to eat less, eat the right things etc. they were greedy or lazy. I couldn't wrap my head around why they ate more, why they couldn't eat less.

Then it was just like bam, this insatiable hunger. I gained weight alarmingly quickly and over the next 10 years, with various diets, lifestyle changes, exercise regimes I ended up with a BMI of 35. And I just kept getting bigger.

Then I took ozempic. And it was like someone had flicked a switch. That insatiable hunger was gone, the constant thinking about food was just gone. And I realised how awful it had been and I also realised I hadn't always felt that way! I started to feel "normal" again.

The only way I can explain it is like when you are cooking and the extractor fan is on, and the oven is on and then you turn it all off and suddenly realise how noisy it had been. It was amazing.

So yeah, I was one of those people. I do think it's really really hard to understand if you haven't experienced it.

@Funnywonder - possibly 'nightmare' was too much slang of a word; just making a point. The reality is that I don't like shopping too much so don't want to try on and compare 15 pairs of jeans before I can find a pair that fits properly.

But since c.2000 consumerism is the driving force and this runs parallel to people becoming fatter as they 'consume' more.

And if the people are 'happy' with that, then fine, but the 'people' don't seem very happy about that to me - hence this thread.

What leads to obesity in the immediate sense is a calorie surplus. What leads different people to accumulate (or not accumulate) a calorie surplus in the first place is driven by genes, environment and biology. Try this as a starting point. I don't know what you think your "gotcha" is here.

The problem is all these diets and fads. Weight watchers and slimming world are quite literally designed for people to fail…stories of “I’ve been to slimming world 6 different times and I’ve always lost the weight” prove that, if it worked you wouldn’t need to keep going back. All they do is make you lose weight, demonise food, worsen your relationships with food (no food is a “sin”) rather than teach you how to maintain a healthy balance, enjoy life and have good relationships with food.

Thanks* *@PinkArt for typing out my thoughts so I don’t have to! 😆

Yeah, picking up a readily available size down must be nightmarish.
I’m not slim now but used to be and picking up a smaller hanger size was no hardship at all 🙃

Still an addiction.

I'm sorry it's not just my opinions on what can lead to obesity.

This 100%.

My problem with all of your comments is that you're looking at the way that you are around food and how your body works, and assuming that everyone else is the same as you and therefore they're just not trying hard enough.

There's no point in engaging with anyone who refuses to entertain the possibility that it might be harder for other people to resist food cravings than it is for them.

I don't want to waste my evening on my phone, so am leaving now!
My opinion really shouldn't matter anyway. I keep it to myself in real life and I'm just some random stranger on the internet!

An actual nightmare? How about ignoring the arbitrary number on the clothes and just picking the one that fits? It might be a 10. It might be a 14. Who cares? It’s not rocket science.

Yeah I hear you. It must be a nightmare shopping the thin, desirable sizes that are easily available in mainstream shops. You poor thing having to buy a size 10, maybe even an 8. A much harder struggle than someone living in a size 20+ body, with the vast array of attractive, well designed, easily accessible options available to them. 🙄

This normalisation of being 'bigger' has also made buying clothes a nightmare now. I'd always be safe with a pair of 10 or 12 jeans, now I'm swamped in a size 12 and it's hit or miss with a size 10; not helped by me not liking skinny-fit because I prefer not to wear suction clothes filled with lycra.

10-12 were fine up to the end of the 90s and I can assure you I haven't lost weight or size since then.

👍

It’s all about the body trying to maintain a set weight and it is very hard to override those biological signals. UPFs have pushed that set weight up for some of us. It’s like being thirsty when we are dehydrated or sweating when we are hot. Yes we have conscious control of what we eat but fighting strong hunger signals 24/7 is hard and the metabolism slows down to make the weight loss even harder. The more weight you lose the harder it is as the body’s homeostasis mechanisms get stronger.

WLIs dampen down some of this but when you stop taking them it all comes back with avengeance. It’s not a case of using the time to train yourself to eat smaller portions and resetting your life style. It’s just so much easier to do those things that we know anyway when the medication is in your system.

You said you think you can understand what it feels like to be a normal person. You say you can eat a sensible meal and not feel hungry. Sorry that's not necessarily the reality for a lot of 'normal' people.

Yes because it's not as simple as that one thing.

I don’t think that’s what I said …

But just because someone is a normal weight doesnt mean they dont feel hungry after eating, doesnt crave food, doesnt feel hungry after exercise. The struggle is there for a lot of people.

I come back to the same point over and over: after listening to pretty much every obesity scientist I can talk about obesity, one message clearly links them all: not a single person who has studied obesity in a scientific capacity has answerd the question on the cause(s) of obesity with "yeah, it's because people choose to eat to much".

Not one.

Ok 2/3 of the population are overweight instead of obese. My point very much still stands.

Absolutely. All very true. My concern over obesity is the rising levels amongst both adults and children and there is a strong correlation between the food we eat now, the availability of food and our more inactive lifestyles. Not just in terms of obesity but general health. And of course those three things do not apply to everyone who struggles with weight gain!

Can only speak personally, but I was obese. If I ate to any form of satisfaction, I remained obese. If I dieted, I felt starving constantly. And I mean all day, all night. Sometimes a meal would make me more hungry somehow. any exercise made the hunger so much worse.

I couldn’t understand being constantly starving and constantly thinking about food but yet somehow massively overweight. It made no sense.

ive been on Mounjaro now and I think I understand what it’s like to be a normal person! I get a little hungry before a meal. Then I eat a sensible meal and I’m not hungry any more.

If you’ve lived your whole life like this then I get that you wouldn’t get why people are obese and can’t just stop eating.

You can control healthy stuff at home but eating out there is less choice especially for fussy eaters. Once they start birthday parties too (particularly once they start primary school) you get invites every other weekend sometimes, we’ve had several with 2 parties over a weekend and you get the usual kids buffet, with the finger foods, pizza, crisps and those fruit shoot drinks (which taste like neat undiluted squash, crazy sweet!) then sweets and chocolates given in party bags. Then there’s drop off play dates and they tend to have a mixture of healthy and junky foods. Also visits from well meaning rellies, esp grandparents who like to give chocolate or other treat, Easter eggs. It just goes on and on.

Unfortunately it just seems unavoidable. We try our best to get the balance right at home.

Re: genetics - I have the same genetics as my siblings - they actually do choose to overeat (as well as smoke and drink, though not to excess) they also are a bit lazy and always happy for someone else to carry the 'load'. One actually admits to eating loads and proud of it, the other just thinks a smile and makeup will get her through. I smoke to excess.

We're in our 60s and probably all dysfunctional yet functioning adults. Funnily enough my siblings are far more judgemental than me.

But if there was a shot like MJ to cure my smoking addiction then I'd be first in line. But that ain't gonna happen as smoking addicts like me add far more to the public purse in taxation than the obese food addicts do.