Why are the British so comfortable being overweight?

[lookforthespace]

When it seems there is a lot of chit chat about now 'oh, you've lost weight!' People obviously want to be slim. But they can't do it?

Yet so many people, including myself,
seem to fluctuate and remain overweight

Is there a psychological difference between us and Japan/South Korea? It is it just because those countries will outright tell you 'You are fat'. And it isn't seen as rude or impolite to say so

Eggs

@immersivereader

There's a real attitude that food= treat in the UK. It's not the same abroad.

That's a myth. I live in a Mediterranean country where the diet is supposed to be healthy but the locals love their fatty treats from the bakery (we have 24 hour bakeries here ) Middle aged men have such huge guts they struggle to get out of their cars, older women can't walk more than 20 metres without getting out of breath and many young teenagers waddle. It's not a British thing.

1. Too much alcohol
2. Too much snacking. The constant need to graze starts in childhood.
3. The NHS isn't particularly helpful for educating people about food and nutrition. The health visitor gave me a NHS booklet about toddlers and the sample menus for 2 year olds were dire. There were barely any vegetables on the menu. There was also toast for breakfast, snack and dinner in the one day. I don't think bread is bad but eating between 3-6 slices of bread a day every day isn't a varied diet for a toddler.

I don't feel comfortable being fat. But I don't feel great shame in it either (and perhaps some people in other countries/different cultures would?)

It's a flaw and something I need to fix. But I don't feel like it defines me or takes away from other areas of my life I am proud of.

@OatALot you could try using one of the meal services like Gousto to get some ideas of different proteins to use and how to move away from processed veggie food, we don't eat any except fake chicken which is delicious! The kind of things we use as protein are: red, green, brown lentils (all cook differently), chickpeas, nuts (in rice, in pesto), eggs, cheese (so Greek cheese on salads and Italian type food, not always fatty; other cheeses just to add a tiny bit of taste), paneer (Indian cheese), tofu. There's tonnes!

My mum used to say to us that food was no less wasted in our stomachs if we didn’t need it than it was in the bin. She had some other, slightly less helpful and flirting with disordered, opinions about weight and diet, but this one stuck. I haven’t ever really dieted but have remained a relatively constant mid-BMI weight through my adult life so far. I think she was a bit of an outlier in teaching us the importance of eating to appetite.

@De88

For me personally my vanity does not outweigh my greed

Beautifully put! I quite agree.

Yes me too.

I had "clear your plate" parents which I think distorted my natural sensation of being full from a young age. I was never huge but quite a solid child.

@ElftonWednesday

Yes me too.

I had "clear your plate" parents which I think distorted my natural sensation of being full from a young age. I was never huge but quite a solid child.

My parents were the same, for many years my sense of full was distorted enough to mean over full or almost uncomfortably full. I was chubby for a good chunk of my childhood, until mid-teens when I got more of a decision as to how much I actually ate.

I think it's partly the lack of censure in the UK.
Other countries still have a religion in the main part of the population which will influence behaviour, we used to worry about what people thought of us, feel embarrassed or shamed. Keeping up appearances etc - many flaws in this but to have nothing has it's repercussions.
Many say they feel shame at their weight etc but it isn't enough for them to fi x the problem. Crazy really.

@YourenutsmiLord

I think it's partly the lack of censure in the UK. Other countries still have a religion in the main part of the population which will influence behaviour, we used to worry about what people thought of us, feel embarrassed or shamed. Keeping up appearances etc - many flaws in this but to have nothing has it's repercussions. Many say they feel shame at their weight etc but it isn't enough for them to fi x the problem. Crazy really.

Congenital Europe is on average less religious than the UK (with some exceptions), the USA is the most religious advanced nation and also the most overweight and obese.

Also junk food is crazy addictive and hunger inducing.

This is one of the major issues we have in the UK. There are ingredients the food companies can put into food to make them moreish so that we buy more and they make more money. Dextrose is a good example.

I've banned dextrose from my house because it has the ability to override any good intentions I might have. I've eaten nearly a whole box of cereal in one go that had dextrose in it, and it's the same with some of the flavoured crisps. If they have dextrose in them, I'll eat the whole packet. It's really grim. I just inhale dextrose-containing foods almost without thinking.

When I first came to the uk in the 90s from overseas everyone said oh you’ll get fat because of “Heathrow injection” I think they called it. Arriving with all the pubs and restaurants within walking distance and living off pub food. That was the general concern but I was aware of it and walked a lot and didn’t succumb to it. I actually think living in the UK and the big cities it’s easier to stay slim and fit because of the walking to public transport and on and off that. I have found it easier to put on weight in the car based society of north America. No one walks. You can even drive thru for the pharmacy so yeah.

Part of the problem is the work culture we have. People have more and more piled on them so don't have time to go to the gym or cook healthy food. For me this is the root cause. The government talks about the high level of obesity and mental health but this is being driven by many peoples job expectations. Let's be honest, nobody wants to get home, finish work at 730, spend an hour cooking a meal, put children in bed and head to the gym at 9pm.

I am sure there are also genetics at play here

Maybe they have better things to do than worry about keeping slim

I agree

Well if true, and I genuinely hope it is, it will be in spite of media pressure, advertisements from the plethora of dietary fads/products and of course 'peer' pressure irl & online.

I'd people spent zero time wanting to be someone else it would be a massive first step towards self acceptance and happiness.
BMI = Bullsxxt Medical Initiative

Rant over, have a nice dayyyyy

. What IS the British diet nowadays, when you think about it?

Good question. Probably too much processed food and booze for many of us

correction "I'd" NOPE sorry
I meant "if"
If!

Same with fruit, we’d get the very best we could afford and make a huge fuss of it and treat it like a luxury item, cooing with pleasure at each mouthful as we ate it together.

Realistically I don’t think most people are ‘cooing with pleasure’ at every mouthful of apple they eat together as a family.

Most advice now suggests that the best way to encourage a rounded and varied diet in children is to present everything without comment. So no ‘oooh yummy yummy broccoli I can’t wait to eat this yum, Amelia can you eat vegetables.’ And also no ‘if you eat carrots you can have cake.’

Just ‘it’s stir fry for dinner. Apple pie for pudding.’ And then present it and have normal conversation and eat in a normal way, making no dramatic comments on what they’ve eaten, no ‘one more bite’ begging, just food with no emotion attached to it.

@Mummadeze

I am sure there are also genetics at play here

Possibly, but more likely to be more a case of the next generation picking up bad eating habits from their parents

My DS learned in nursery and at school you get pudding (usually it's not fruit) after a meal (school lunch is regularly pizza and wedges) and then expects pudding again after dinner. I didn't have this growing up.

I was given a leaflet from the health visitor about childhood obesity and was told portion sizes are the problem. It wouldn't be all the takeaways built near the school.

@hban

Maybe they have better things to do than worry about keeping slim

Better things to do? Your weight is directly linked to your health!

Children's diets in this country tend to be very poor.