Surprised at numbers of overweight adults - surely more needs to be done?

[OrangeSunset]

Fully prepared for this to be fairly controversial but here goes.

We’re on holiday in the South West. I am honestly shocked at the numbers of overweight adults on the beach today. I’d say at least 50% were overweight, across all age ranges. Really it was more like 70%. DH and I are ok but being harsh I’d say we could/should each lose 5kg and be more lean. It’s just miserable and I was shocked - even more so when you see overweight kids too as we all know that sets them up for a lifetime of weight issues.

I’m not sure what my point is, other than to say that Boris cutting some adverts just isn’t good enough. The prevalence of shit food is condemning people to an unhealthy life with medical issues and challenges that us as humans just shouldn’t be subjecting ourselves to.

How do we break this cycle? Anyone who points it is out is seen as judgemental but it’s gone beyond the point of individual choice surely - it doesn’t work and is ruining people’s lives and perpetuating the cycle.

@Booksandwine80 that's exactly what has just been described by me and the posters I quoted below.

I noticed this when I went to Blackpool. Way worse than down south. Not sure why!

Sports injuries - actually I think over 18s should pay for self inflicted sports injuries and many do

But would that not just make the lower incomed overweight even LESS inclined to exercise? If they thought that a fall - a broken leg, stitches, muscle damage - could result in a big medical bill, it's going to make them even less inclined to run or cycle to help reduce their weight.

Good point about sports injuries. I was thinking of runners knee etc which used to get a lot of nhs ops - my pal could have easily paid for his op (and some better stretching and physio would have helped avoid it).

The main health issues that cost the NHS are obesity and alcohol issues and we can’t afford to continue like this.

On a thread about reducing obesity, people are seriously suggesting that the NHS should charge for treating sports injuries? Seriously?!

What exactly is the aim there - to discourage people from exercise? How exactly would that improve public health or the economy? The idiocy of some of the comments is astounding.

Car use is actually one of the causes of obesity, and cars are a major cause of injury - should all those injured in car accidents be made to pay for treatment too?

Those talking about making certain people pay for NHS treatment - they're not saying it out of concern for people's health or the NHS, it's about wanting to penalise people who they see as unworthy/inferior, for whatever reason. It'd be refreshing if they at least owned it.

@Greydove28- Blackpool has pockets of great deprivation.

I run a lot. Eat a lot, but mainly healthy food (aside from cake, and I don't drink).

Since starting running, seriously, I dropped from a size 12/14 to an 8/10 and kept it off for four years. Giving up the booze then led to the final half stone coming off, and I've maintained a steady size 8 for almost 2 years now.

You don't put the weight back on if you change your lifestyle permanently.

I agree, fellrunner85, but the trouble with basing your lifestyle changes on exercise is - what happens if you can't exercise?

I also run a lot and it keeps me down to a size 10 (despite a quite tragic addiction to chocolate). But I am aware that at my age (nearly 60) I am only one illness or injury away from having to give up the quite intensive running schedule. Without weaning myself away from eating what I do, I will very quickly gain weight.

So you can't always base your life around exercise as a way to keep weight down.

@Ihaventgottimeforthis I'm not sure. It's very compulsive. There are other little minor self harmy things I do like picking the skin on my fingers that I can mostly control but do crop up again when I'm stressed.

It seems to be a bit like a framework for me. When I'm exercising AND eating well I feel like my willpower is better, but as soon as one of them slides for whatever reason the house of cards tumbles and I can be slow to get started again. I largely maintain my weight (pregnancy weight aside) but it's losing it in a sustained way that I struggle with. I'm a top end size 14 at the moment and I'd like to be a small 12.

Receptacle - what’s your suggestion for the uks obesity problems or are you a troll?

Thinking that making people pay for NHS treatment for sports injuries is a ridiculous idea does not make someone a troll!

I simply engaged my critical faculties, and strongly disagreed with your suggestion that the government should introduce a policy that would discourage a large number of people from taking exercise.

Personally I agree with some PP that the aggressive marketing of food that has no nutritional value is a big part of the problem. We don't allow shops to place alcohol and cigarettes right by the till as a temptation to children and to addicts, so why do we allow it for junk food? (And it is always junk food placed in those positions.)

Read the comments - the nhs already doesn’t pay for some treatments. You might not like the idea - I don’t either - but the nhs wasn’t designed to pay for the damage we do to ourselves. If you want that we all need to pay a lot more. Or stop voting Tory.

@Newgirls

Read the comments - the nhs already doesn’t pay for some treatments. You might not like the idea - I don’t either - but the nhs wasn’t designed to pay for the damage we do to ourselves. If you want that we all need to pay a lot more. Or stop voting Tory.

You don't like the idea, but you also "think over 18s should pay for self inflicted sports injuries"

There are many treatments which the NHS does not provide. Usually this is based on a cost / benefit analysis, clinical judgement or similar evidence. What it's not based on is judgement about whether an injury is 'self inflicted' or whether the recipient deserves treatment.

Car accidents, STIs, DIY accidents, general accidents around the home, many cancers etc... could all be considered to be 'self inflicted'. No-one ever proposes denying those people treatment, do they? And it would be a rare person heartless enough to claim we should deny treatment where there has been a suicide attempt or mental illness resulting in self-harm.

Like I said above - those talking about making certain people pay for NHS treatment are not saying it out of genuine concern for people's health or the NHS, it's about wanting to penalise people who they see as unworthy/inferior, for whatever reason.

Car drivers and DIYers aren't seen as inferior, so their injuries should be treated of course. But fatties and reckless sports players on the other hand!

And I definitely don't vote tory!

The other thing that pisses me off about the whole "make fat people and alcoholics pay for treatment" thing is that it would essentially result in a poverty tax.

Obviously there are individuals who are exceptions to this, but at a population level you are overwhelmingly more likely to self-medicate with junk food, fags, booze or drugs if you are poor. Whenever there is a recession, levels of alcoholism, obesity etc. increase.

It's not because junk food is cheaper (just like alcoholism isn't because alcohol is cheaper than water!). It's because when people are ground down and unhappy, they will look for small comforts and pleasures where they can find them. If you can't afford much in the way of nice things, why not treat yourself to doughnuts? They probably cost about the same as the fruit you could buy instead, but they'll give you a dopamine hit which the fruit won't.

We need to address the things in society that cause this, not demonise the individuals and tax those in society who can least afford it.

I'm slim - I exercise a lot and try to eat healthily. But I'm also in the fortunate position of having a pretty happy and comfortable life, with free time to go running. If I were a skint single mother working a knackering minimum wage job, I would probably be buying easy to prepare (i.e. heavily processed) food too.

@QueenCT - I have delayed pressure urticaria and it was very bad, especially when it appears on soles of feet so you have my sympathies! I take daily 10mg Montelukast and at same time Ranitidine 75mg after doing some research. The urticaria no longer occurs unless I go a few weeks without these tablets!

I also have type 2 diabetes but have managed to put that into remission or ‘resolved’ as my GP describes it. My Hba1c was 103 (so pretty conclusively diabetic). It’s now down to 36!
I’m 5’ 7” - when diagnosed diabetic I was 12 stone. I’m now 10st 4lbs

So while I’m here, can I just point out that being fat, obese even, does not cause diabetes. It’s the other way round!!

So what does make a person diabetic then? Insulin resistance! The problem is that insulin resistance is not routinely checked in the UK and can slowly build up over the years causing gradual weight gain along the way and a host of other problems. It interferes with metabolism and ‘hunger hormones’ and instead of allowing the body to use the fuel it consumes for energy, it maximises the storage of everything as fat!

What causes insulin resistance then? Over consumption of sugars and carbohydrates over the years! Also the snacking / nibbling culture as this causes insulin production to spike many times a day - more than the body is designed to - we haven’t yet evolved enough to cope with the levels of sugars and carbs that many times a day! In the end many people’s bodies become resistant to insulin and this can be years before diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure etc etc are detected.

How did I recover? Low carbs. Less than 50g of carbs a day. Moderate protein and enough fat to feel satiated. No calorie restriction and next to no exercise. Very sustainable and no hunger! Now a couple of years later I have maintained the weight loss and find that I can now tolerate more like 50 - 100g of carbs a day although I now drink no alcohol and practice intermittent fasting during the week. Weekends and holidays I eat and drink ‘normally’.

I now describe myself not as diabetic in remission but as someone who is ‘carbohydrate intolerant’ - much like someone with dairy intolerance.

Many fat people have insulin resistance and no amount of healthy plate / slimming world / limiting calories* is going to help them long term.

*disclaimer - yes, extreme calorie limitation will also help insulin resistance due to not actually being able to consume many carbs in the daily allowance.

I didn’t intend to go into all this detail but I hope it helps someone!

Receptacle - wow judgey! So all ‘fattys’ are single mothers etc? You don’t know a single wealthy overweight person? Charming.

[quote FlankerMum]@QueenCT - I have delayed pressure urticaria and it was very bad, especially when it appears on soles of feet so you have my sympathies! I take daily 10mg Montelukast and at same time Ranitidine 75mg after doing some research. The urticaria no longer occurs unless I go a few weeks without these tablets!

I also have type 2 diabetes but have managed to put that into remission or ‘resolved’ as my GP describes it. My Hba1c was 103 (so pretty conclusively diabetic). It’s now down to 36!
I’m 5’ 7” - when diagnosed diabetic I was 12 stone. I’m now 10st 4lbs

So while I’m here, can I just point out that being fat, obese even, does not cause diabetes. It’s the other way round!!

So what does make a person diabetic then? Insulin resistance! The problem is that insulin resistance is not routinely checked in the UK and can slowly build up over the years causing gradual weight gain along the way and a host of other problems. It interferes with metabolism and ‘hunger hormones’ and instead of allowing the body to use the fuel it consumes for energy, it maximises the storage of everything as fat!

What causes insulin resistance then? Over consumption of sugars and carbohydrates over the years! Also the snacking / nibbling culture as this causes insulin production to spike many times a day - more than the body is designed to - we haven’t yet evolved enough to cope with the levels of sugars and carbs that many times a day! In the end many people’s bodies become resistant to insulin and this can be years before diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure etc etc are detected.

How did I recover? Low carbs. Less than 50g of carbs a day. Moderate protein and enough fat to feel satiated. No calorie restriction and next to no exercise. Very sustainable and no hunger! Now a couple of years later I have maintained the weight loss and find that I can now tolerate more like 50 - 100g of carbs a day although I now drink no alcohol and practice intermittent fasting during the week. Weekends and holidays I eat and drink ‘normally’.

I now describe myself not as diabetic in remission but as someone who is ‘carbohydrate intolerant’ - much like someone with dairy intolerance.

Many fat people have insulin resistance and no amount of healthy plate / slimming world / limiting calories* is going to help them long term.

*disclaimer - yes, extreme calorie limitation will also help insulin resistance due to not actually being able to consume many carbs in the daily allowance.

I didn’t intend to go into all this detail but I hope it helps someone![/quote]
There’s tons of scientific evidence to suggest that being overweight does cause type 2 diabetes.

Going low carb will have resulted in you eating less calories and losing weight and therefore reversing the diabetes.

Some of the healthiest people in the world eat carbs as the basis of their diet (Blue zone diets).

@Newgirls- that’s what you took from receptacle’s post?

@Newgirls

Receptacle - wow judgey! So all ‘fattys’ are single mothers etc? You don’t know a single wealthy overweight person? Charming.

And you accuse me of being a troll?

Anyone with basic comprehension skills can see that I didn't say that. I very specifically said:

"Obviously there are individuals who are exceptions to this, but at a population level..."

[quote Imissmoominmama]@Newgirls- that’s what you took from receptacle’s post? [/quote]
I don't think Newgirls is being particularly genuine tbh...! That last post made it very obvious.

Not all carbs are equal though. You could eat green veg and a limited amount of fruit (although berries are low ish carb). Or you could eat cake and chips. Both groups are carb but obviously green veg and strawberries won't make you fat.
I think it's okay to eat potatoes and other higher carb veg but for me I can't do that everyday and still lose weight. Maybe people who didn't mess up their way of eating in the first place, can.

Not surprised at all. Processed food in the supermarkets. Meat and fish pumped with hormones to make it bigger. Organic and free range meat more expensive for the consumer. Bread full of additives.
Adverts advertising the likes of macdonalds and other fast food outlets.
In some areas of the country, families have not been taught basic cookery skills and find it easier and sometimes cheaper to get a bag of nuggets and chips.
I saw heard last year they were planning to launch a vegetable advertisement promotion aimed at children but not sure what happened to that.

@ReceptacleForTheRespectable your post was interesting and insightful, ignore that ridiculous stretch for offence.

Queen CT. I like the fact that you have renamed yourself carb intolerant however If you were carb intolerant they would make you ill and the fact you have been having them for a long time before you were diagnosed suggests you are not intolerant. That could be the same with anyone.
You are in fact a person with type 2 diabetes which is currently in remission and once you are diagnosed that will forever be on your medical records.
Should you revert to eating what you were doing before or should the pancreas start to fail and stop producing insulin, you may need medication again or insulin.
If you have family history or diabetes this will also have increased your risk of developing diabetes.