Bariatric ambulances

[mutznutz]

Whilst it's a shocking sign of the times that ambulance bosses are having to spend a fortune on wider ambulances and bigger, stronger stretchers to ferry obese people to hospital...what about the paramedics?

If the obesity rate continues to rise as fast as it is, then surely ambulance crews are going to have to eventually become stronger or risk putting patient's lives at risk by being unable to carry the stretcher or doing themselves an injury?

Where does this leave all the more slightly built trained professionals?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12287880

Surely it's not just about exercise though, but about eating appropriately relative to the level of exercise you are able to do. I don't do much exercise either (dog walking and a bit of gardening is pretty much it at the moment, and little things like using the stairs instead of lift at work), definitely not running and an hour of gym every day (have never done this in my life!). I know how hard it is to find the time and energy to do real exercise. But I'm not overweight because I aim to eat about 1500 calories a day, which is easily enough for me. I have read that people who are very overweight are often eating 4000 or so (though they often believe they are eating much less, we can very easily delude ourselves about these things).

I agree that diets don't work, temporary deprivation at best leads to temporary weight loss then all the weight (plus some extra) going back on after the diet finishes. But adjusting your food intake to match your lifestyle is not a 'diet' IMO, and I know from personal experience it works for maintaining healthy weight and for losing small amounts of excess weight. Whether it works for large amounts of weight is a different question but I don't see why it shouldn't, though it may take a while.

I agree also that fat people get more abuse and ridicule than almost any other group I can think of, it's really horrible and I don't think that should be acceptable at all.

Ephiny 1500 calories a day - wow. That must take some concentration - which was kinda my original point. I cannot devote that much attention to food. I don't gorge. My weight gain happened gradually because of an injury and having a baby. It hasn't fluctuated much since then. I don't want to feel continually deprived and eat different meals to my family and that's how I would feel if I tried to limit my calorie intake to the same level you do.
Some people seem to be able to view food as fuel and nothing else. To me it is so much more and an integral part of my day. I love to cook for my family. I take pride in it and it is a way of expressing my love for them.
If I exercise I can keep a lid on my weight and for me moving is a much more positive way of dealing with it than deprivation.

radiohelen what you do is of course up to you, but to say I don't want to feel continually deprived and eat different meals to my family and that's how I would feel if I tried to limit my calorie intake to the same level you do is a little worrying if you ever decide the time is right to lose weight.

You're always going to have to eat different meals and find time to excercise..even if it means finding someone to look after your child.

But when the time comes, I wish you luck.

It's not really a deprivation to me to eat moderately, really just a question of not eating big portions at mealtimes (which I don't like to do anyway) and (more difficult!) getting out of the habit of nibbling biscuits and chocolate every afternoon.

Obviously it's good to exercise as well, I know I should do more regardless of weight because of the general health benefits. But personally if I was having to do what seems to me such a lot of exercise (running and hour of gym) practically every day just to keep my weight within the normal/healthy range, I'd seriously question whether I might be eating far more than I need and try to do something about that. I'm on a bit of a tight budget at the moment as well, so just eating what I need appeals to me more than paying for excess food to stuff into myself, then having to pay for the gym on top of that to 'burn it off'!

I think if you have a fair bit of weight to lose then it's doable on 1800 calories and you shouldn't feel deprived, neither should you need to eat completely different meals.

Im overweight myself but I blame no-one apart from myself, no-one forces the food into my mouth. And whilst I dont think I have any "issues" that make me turn to food I know others do. My weight has been up and down my entire life, currently I have lost 3 stone since last February and am doing it slowly and healthily with WW because I dont want to die and leave my kids. I think diets do work - when you stick to them and learn new healthy eating habits for life.

I often wonder how people get to the really big amounts like 30 stone plus to, and I dont think there is a 1 answer fits all approach as people can have a complicated relationship with food leading to problems with their weight.

One of my patients was frequently deprived of food as a child by her abusive parents(amongst other things of course) and often ate grass they were so hungry, its now went the opposite way and she is overweight as an adult. Its almost as if she eats as much as she can because she is scared her food supply will suddenly stop. Which its not of course but people emotional actions are not based on rational thoughts all the time.

But I do think others just eat too much. Theres a woman from the USA Ive seen in quite a few magazines now, cant remember exactly what she weighs 40 or 50 stone maybe, but its been reported that she was the heaviest Mum to give birth, and she wants to get to 70 stone. She runs a website and charges men to look at her pics and come and feed her apparantly.

Congratulations OTTMummA on your weight loss to.

radiohelen - I lost lots of weight (about 3 stone) by just eating less but not cutting anything out and walking a bit more, and going to two exercise classes a week (in the evening after put the babies to bed).

I think eating is such a hard thing to control - unlike smoking or drinking or drugs, if you have a problem with food, you can't go cold turkey, give it up and avoid seeing it/ being around it ever again.

Every time you eat or drink you are confronted by those feelings and triggers and habits that got you fat in the first place.