Most horrifying facts about obesity?

[Colourmix]

I’m obese and looking for something to really shock me into losing the weight. I know that it’s unhealthy and it can cause stroke and diabetes, but they all feel like distant far off issues and it just feels like it’s far too much work to lose weight with my mobility issues.

Does anyone know any gruesome, horrifying facts about obesity and the effect that it has on the body? We all know that fat = bad but I don’t think it’s discussed in detail nearly enough. It’s far too easy to just bury my head in the sand and convince myself that I’ve got years and years before it happens to me.

Obesity can be a sign of a lack of self care and low self esteem.

Constantly berating yourself with self hatred can also be a sign of the same.

Instead of all this fat shaming, why not try some self love and acceptance.

I would also look at getting angry. Why are we so fat (yes, we eat too much) but also our highly processed food diets actively drive our appetites and encourage weight gain. That's a food manufacturing and government issue. They want you fat and spending all your money on food.

I'm trying saxenda. Switched off my appetite so I can focus on body acceptance.

@colour I think you would be better tackling the addiction. When I was a smoker, no amount of grizzly scary stuff would convince me to quit. It just made me feel guilty and afraid but no less a smoker. It might help people not to start but nicotine is hugely addictive and when you're addicted you live in the moment of satisfying the need. Sugar and processed food same. Maybe get some addiction counselling? Read some books on the subject? Addiction snowballs but so does freedom from it. Start with one simple rule. For example -no matter what happens you won't eat after 7pm. Stick to that for a month - even if you have to sit on your hands or phone a friend or have a cry, you stick to that rule. Once you've seen success there you'll know you can do more. Even if you relapse, you get back on the horse and crack on the with a fresh day the next. Don't give up on yourself, you are worthy of a longer and healthier life. Let us know how you're getting on?

A bit of positivity- your risk of obesity-related illness starts to reduce as soon as you start losing weight and even 5-10% weight loss makes an appreciable difference (see www.obesityaction.org/resources/benefits-of-5-10-percent-weight-loss/). If you have a lot to lose it can feel a bit hopeless and overwhelming and as if it only counts if you get to your goal. That isn’t true- all weight loss is beneficial if you’re overweight and the first pounds you lose are the most important ones (so going down from 14 to 13 stone will make more difference to your health than going down from 11 to 10, say).

It’s also the case that it will never be so easy to lose the weight as it is now- the younger, the easier. So if you plan to do it at any point, do it now. Good luck, op!

Did your illness which affects joint pain come before or after the weight gain?

Might be worth unravelling that and getting back to basics.

Have you tried hypnosis?

Obesitiy is dangerous and comes with a lot of really horrifiyng health issues.
You already knew that but now you have some even better explanations.
But I am not sure this is enough (for most people) to actually lose weight.

Or why would there be so many people who have obesity?

I could be wrong but based on my personal experiences I truly believe that a purely negative / fear based approach is not enough for longterm changes, especially when they are strongly related to addiction and or mental health issues.

Positive lifestyle changes (especially those improve your quality of life) and compassionate kindness (with ourselves) is crucial IME.

Psychological support could be valuable as well.

This thread is very sobering. I’m overweight, with a BMI of 27, but two years ago I was horrified to discover I was in the obese category. I carry weight well (long body) but facts are facts.

I lost the weight calorie counting, but recently I’ve put a stone back on. I’m not dieting any more, I can’t sustain it, so I’m using Slimpod to try and retrain my brain. It’s NHS endorsed and so far seems to be working.

I wish everybody luck on their journey. It’s so bloody hard when endless fattening shite is pushed at us from every angle.

My late Mum was obese. She had battled her weight for a number of years. She ended up with multiple joint problems and needing replacements. By this stage the doctors felt she was not fit enough to have a general anaesthetic, a local would not last the duration of the surgery. So, surgery couldn’t be done. Her hips eventually gave out and she couldn’t weight bear. She was house and bed bound for a couple of years before she died. She had a permanent catheter in and had to be hoisted from bed to chair. Her last two years of life were grim with no quality of life. I wouldn’t wish that existence on anyone. When she passed away she was about a size 24. If you can make the change do it now.

@Colourmix I'm slightly horrified reading this, you are being so unkind to yourself.

Why not join us on the low carb thread, a new boot camp has just started.

You will find nothing but kindness and support on there.

Surely the title of the thread gives it away?

They exist. I have/had obese relatives who made it to their late eighties.

But they're mostly housebound. The rely on mobility scooters to get around as they can't walk unaided and aren't strong and steady enough to use sticks or a frame.

That's the reality. It's possible to live to a good age with obesity-related complications but it's a pretty miserable existence.

She isn't 'shaming' herself. She's looking for reality. The catalyst for my weight loss was when I was involved in a cleaner air campaign and I suddenly realised that most of the health issues we were worried about due to pollution were also health issues that excess body fat increased the risk of. It hit me that while I couldn't control air quality, I could control my weight. Being honest with myself about the potential problems I was creating for myself gave me the fortitude to change my diet and stick to a healthier lifestyle.

I'm really not convinced that this kind of thing gets many people into the positive, self-caring headspace that's necessary to lose weight.

Apparently obesity was (and might still be) the leading cause of death in the UK. These figures were collated from victims of heart attacks, strokes and diabetes which is all caused by obesity.

Mobility issues shouldn't be an issue when losing weight because the way to lose weight is through your diet, not exercise.

On the other hand plenty of slimmish people still end up in hospital.

This has answered most of a question I was just about to type.
What do people see as 'fat shaming'? I would think, being physically or verbally abusive or discrimination because of someone's size, however for some it appears to be even mentioning the health risks of being obese or suggesting changes?

I was going to say cancer too, also liver cirrhosis. Obesity turns your liver into fois gras.

Good luck.

My in laws are obese. My FIL suffered a heart attack at the beginning of 2018. He survived, promises were made to live a healthier life. Nothing has changed. He is bigger now than he was then. They are both uncomfortable, grumpy, depressed and miserable. MIL suffers from excruciatingly painful hips, knees and feet due to her weight. But, the thing that makes everybody the saddest is that they have no energy to spend any time with their loved ones. Their world has shrunk to the inside of their house and they are missing out on their grandchildren growing up. I asked if MIL wanted to take DD to her first horse riding lesson and she wouldn't because she doesn't have the energy to lead a pony around at a walk for twenty minutes.

Another way I look at it (and what motivates me to stay in shape and healthy)

I have one son & another son on the way.
I want to be able to be involved with their hobbies, I want to join in with activities when we go on holiday etc, I don't want to have any sort of shame or issues hanging over me to stop me.

At the end of your life, you're more likely to sit back and regret the things you didn't do - the memories you didn't make, than you are to regret the things you did do.

I don't want to reach old age wondering why I didn't stay in shape and why I didn't do something to make my life better.

I've grown up with obese family members/close family friends and I've seen how much it can restrict people, being at family party's and seeing them not get up and dance - simply because they would get out of breath fast and couldn't keep up. I have family abroad too and many of them are obese, I used to feel so upset as a child when we would go visit them, all go to a water park together and they wouldn't /couldn't get involved as much as they would have liked, due to their size and the issues that come with.

I think we owe it to ourselves to ensure we have good health & make the most of the time we have, life is super short anyway - why risk making it shorter?

I am bmi 27 too but really do not consider myself obese. It has been reported that those with bmi 25 to 27 get less serious diseases. I eat healthily so don't obsess. You cannot tell anyway apart from my stomach.

Here, here!

You often don't see threads of the problems of losing to much weight to quickly!

I don’t think you can scare yourself into losing weight

i know, sadly, too many slim people with cancer, stroke and health problems as well. Obesity can be a factor, yes, but life can be cruel to anyone really

how old are you OP? Something that keeps me on the straight and narrow is that I am in my 50s but still want to have fun, walking holidays with friends, competing in tennis and badminton, long walks with my husband and dogs

over- eating isn’t as much fun as these things, so I keep fit and slim (ish) so I can be free to do these things.

that motivates me a lot more than scary medical stories.

find something positive that motivates you. Ditch alcohol, junkfood and takeaways (if you eat that sort of food), they are awful depressants imo

Two years ago I was BMI 30. I’m BMI 27 now - overweight.

Also, my mum was obese. It meant that every time she presented to the doctors complaining about stomach issues she was told it was to do with her weight. She just needed to lose the weight and she'd be fine.

Turns out she had advanced ovarian cancer and because she was carrying the extra weight no one ever bothered to check, it was just assumed it was coz she was fat. It was only when it turned into bowel cancer (and as a previous poster said she began vomiting literal shit) did anyone take any notice and by then it was too late. She died a horrible death of starvation and infection.

Honestly, she'd been carrying the weight for years and it was likely the cancer that was causing it because she couldn't shift it, but because obesity is rife, no one thought it was odd a 60 year old woman was overweight so the underlying cause was missed.

i'm currently at a BMI of 32 weight has been coming down slowly over the last year, i was told to move more by the DR.

I don't eat huge amounts but, a lot of meal deal type stuff as work involves travel. I had been taking pre prepped at home food so was working on on it, recently single again so reverted back a little.

Diet is the key to lose weight but you do also need to exercise, mostly moving walking swimming type cardio stuff. I'm booked for a residential boot camp soon where i know i will lose over a stone in around 2 weeks, before you say you will put it straight back on the food is around 1800 cal daily but the brain resets and you (I) will continue.

I have been on the pre diabetic course after one blood test ( over keen DR) as previous and post tests showed.