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

@PUGMEISTER21

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.

But the counties I first mentioned where being slim is very much how most are, South Korea and Japan, have a much more pressurised work culture.

South Korea have only fairly recently got rid of the 6 day working week

@julieca

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

I have noticed how a lot of counties abroad don't have children's menus, with different foods on. Just smaller dishes of the exact same adult food

I'm overweight, I blame covid cos I've sat on my arse since Jan 2019. I'm still wfh now, fd up knee means no more running (yes I used to be slim).

I hate it cos its uncomfortable and at 55 I already don't feel attractive anymore, though I'm told I am by loads of people that I am - not that I ask btw.

Anyways, I'm going to try one of those plans where you drink something that makes you feel full and see how I get on. But no point doing it before Christmas, eh?

Why do Brits hate fat people? Cos I don't think we ever really were fat historically...

BTW I'm in top 2% of earners in UK so def not unemployed etc etc....!

Sure it’s linked to your health but so are a lot of things. Strong social bonds are a massive predictor of longevity. Maybe they have a wonderful social life and are always out having meals with their friends

Another predictor of longevity is a sense of purpose. Maybe they are overweight but have a really meaningful job that takes up a lot of time that they adore. Maybe they save lives or run charities- maybe this comes before losing a few pounds.

Exercise is way more predictive of longevity than weight. Maybe they exercise lots but also love baking with their kids and eat a lot of cake. they are a bit overweight but love baking with their kids and eat a lot of cake.

Perhaps they have a rich, lovely life and their value comes from things other than being slim. So maybe they think, I’m a few pounds overweight but I am happy and I am loved and I contribute to the world.

I’m always wary of people and their excessive interest in other peoples bodies.

@hban

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

Better things to do than take care of their own health and fitness?

What's more important?

This is what I mean when I wondered if 70 years of the NHS is partly and inadvertently responsible for this attitude. "My health is the NHS's concern, not mine. I pay my taxes."

@glimpsing

I fit into teen clothing, and wear them. I'm middle aged

@KirstenBlest, ooh where do you shop? I have nicked some jeans my DS has grown out of and bought more from the same range but that's about it.

Me too... at age 54...i wear age 15-16 trousers from M&S. I need the adjustable waist to accommodate hourglass waist.

thing about Japan/SK -- they have tonnes of snack food. Go to any Korean food shop in London to see what I mean. Maybe what they don't have is a culture of over-indulging, drinking to excess publicly & using food emotionally. They also walk "a lot" more than British ppl, which is to say about 25 minutes/day.

It’s not social pressure it’s their way of life, they don’t gorge themselves and eat a good diet, they’ve always been a slim race because of this.

"I try hard to stay away from processed veggie food but feel limited to pulses.

lentils which are big here in the north, but also grains and legumes

lentils and legumes are pulses

"@CrimbleCrumble1 My aunt told my DH that he had lost weight and that is good because he was fat before. This is in Singapore."

I remember a Bulgarian friend telling me her friend (also Bulgarian) had put on weight and she must remember to tell her. I was shocked, but looking back it was the right thing to do. The old MN argument that people know when they're fat really isn't true. For some people the weight goes on gradually and they don't necessarily realise. It's happened to me a couple of times because I still have clothes I can fit into when I put on weight and I just wear the baggiest of the things I already have and gradually buy slightly bigger things.
But I can imagine the shouts on here about someone 'fat shaming' their friend.

I think it’s terrible that obesity has been normalized by soft touch society! Obesity puts a massive strain on the health and welfare system. It’s an adult not taking any responsibility for their health or the health of their children. There’s no excuse nowadays for being fat (v rare to be thyroid!)
Moving too little and eating too much is not rocket science and I cringe when I see fat adults feeding their fat kids McDonald’s or kfc - yet if the child was skin and bones social services would be called!

@Kanaloa

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.

What I wrote was an example of domestic food culture in Japanese families. As you’ve explained it’s an approach that you don’t recognise as being at all prevalent here.

Am curious to know if the “present everything without comment” has actually worked for you?
Personally, I suspect that the mentioned guidance about suppressing excitement is because in so many families it comes out exclusively as a reaction to that shortcrust baked apple pie or equivalent. In other words, the guidance is explaining that your reaction as a parent is powerful but we can’t be trusted to harness our reactions beneficially.

I guess if one can’t bring up some enthusiasm for asparagus at the table and only show contentment eating chips or pudding then serving without comment in an emotionless mask might indeed be the kids’ best hope. I find that rather sad.

Did cooing with genuine delight over fresh fruit work for us? My kid came back from a school trip today where they had been allowed to freely spend their pocket money at a Waitrose. What did she spend her money on? Fresh apples. That’s a part of Japanese food culture I adore - a real love and appreciation for fresh ingredients and the thrill that accompanies their coming into season.

I’m in a position to point out the difference between a Japanese approach and how things are here. Thanks for helping!

@hban

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

It's not about being slim though is it, it's about being healthy and a healthy body weight is related to that. The increase of diseases associated with poor life style choice demonstrates it should be something people worry about. Not just for the benefit to themselves and their families but also from a resource and social perspective.

@glimpsing and @lljkk,
these days mainly charity shops, but supermarkets usually go up to quite large sizes as do stores like M&S, JL, Boden, Zara, JW, Gap, Petit Bateau and similar.

Brands like Nike, North Face etc youth sizes tend to run small but sportshops are pretty good if you want kit and shoes that are not purple or pink

Sizes vary so much in some shops, I go by what fits not the label

I'm about a size 10 top 8 bottom and have things age 13-14 (bottoms) and 15-16 yrs (tops)

I tend to find that with men's jeans (e.g. Levi's), I'd need to get slightly bigger (27"/28") to get a not snug fit

It's because we eat too much processed food in this country, containing large amounts of carbohydrates. It's more healthy to reduce carbohydrates & increase protein, & fat intake.

@glimpsing and @lljkk,, forgot to add, I'm about average height for an adult woman in the UK so not petite

I live in Spain. Obesity is unusual here. The Spanish are generally lean. There is very little frozen or fast food here. Most things are cooked from scratch. They eat a lot of fish.

@HesterShaw1
Lots of things are more important than being slim

As I’ve said in another post.

Being a good mum/dad
Having friends
Contributing to society through work

Etc etc

We are not here just to look nice

Yes there is a small proportion whose health is in danger but for most people, being slightly overweight isn’t an issue

Also at no point was I saying anything about nhs or health. My health is my responsibility but I don’t see how you can judge it based on weight alone. Do you drink? Smoke? Exercise? Manage stress well? Have a job that gives you purpose? All these things contribute to health, why is it always weight singled out?

My health is the NHS's concern, not mine. I pay my taxes."

This is crap. I never said anything like this.

But keeping slim isn’t everyone’s number one priority in life.

Also this ‘the British are fat’ is dangerous ground.

The Japanese Kimono Mom YouTube channel is a delightful example of how sharing a love of food can impart joy and wholesome habits to kids.

@hban, I agree with you but the definition of 'slightly overweight' has been distorted.

Going by the NHS bmi chart, my normal range upper boundary is about a stone more than the sort of weight that would make me look like I was carrying too much weight

I am not of a slight build and am moderately active

@Touty

I live in Spain. Obesity is unusual here. The Spanish are generally lean. There is very little frozen or fast food here. Most things are cooked from scratch. They eat a lot of fish.

¿Qué dices?

Childhood obesity is a huge problem in Spain
www.eldiario.es/sociedad/problema-espana-tenga-40-sobrepeso-obesidad-infantil-mayoria-vida_1_8003466.html

Whilst the link above is in Spanish and covers a range of age groups, the chart below is in English and gives a 2016 snapshot of what is going on around the world with regards to the weight of very young children

ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-who-are-overweight-sdgs

Yeah, because not having the NHS has kept the Americans super slim and fit.

My vanity trumps greed, and I am not keen on cake. Cheese though...

[quote hban]@HesterShaw1
Lots of things are more important than being slim

As I’ve said in another post.

Being a good mum/dad
Having friends
Contributing to society through work

Etc etc

We are not here just to look nice

Yes there is a small proportion whose health is in danger but for most people, being slightly overweight isn’t an issue

Also at no point was I saying anything about nhs or health. My health is my responsibility but I don’t see how you can judge it based on weight alone. Do you drink? Smoke? Exercise? Manage stress well? Have a job that gives you purpose? All these things contribute to health, why is it always weight singled out?

My health is the NHS's concern, not mine. I pay my taxes."

This is crap. I never said anything like this.

But keeping slim isn’t everyone’s number one priority in life.[/quote]
The "I pay my taxes" thing wasn't referring to you. Apologies if it looked like it was. And your point about slim being an aesthetic is a pertinent one, but again I'm not talking about looking nice.

What I was talking about was the large proportion of people who seem completely uninterested in their own health, those who don't seem to see why they should look after themselves. It's not their concern.

Why is this?

It's because a lot of our population have so much junk food, no discipline and have slovenly lifestyles. They cost the NHS an absolute fortune.
It's sickening seeing young children overweight- what kind if an example is that and what will their lives be like if they can't get out of that vicious circle?
So much more needs to be done in the early years to address this epidemic.