The number overweight people at swimming today

[pingu2209]

I went swimming today with my 3 children. I am not exagerating to say that well over half the children and teenagers were overweight; some were seriously obese.

It really was noticable. Girls as well as boys. Anything from age 4 to 14.

Okay - at least they were exercising but I was really shocked.

Facts are that 2/3 of UK adults are overweight and 1/4 are obese. Much the same for children. However the most worrying trend is the denial - claiming that it's all inevitable or genetic etc. To understand how bizarre this attitude is just go to Scandinavia - you'll struggle to find an obese person.

Must be so rare they all become actors, Argy

I have a fat child and it bothers me daily. I'm so sad about it, not because he's fat but because he's unhealthy. The problem is while we eat really healthily at home he is at Senior school and walks there and back by himself and can't seem to pass a shop without buying sweets. Idontdon't even give him money anymore but he gets it from other sources (Nana's, selling stuff etc etc). The problem is what do I do, he has been know to cry when I bring up his weight and I'm at a loss. He biological father is obese, as is his biological grandfather, uncle etc. I don't know if it's genes or what but I don't want to make him feel bad.about it. Life is hard enough and I've said enough to him so am resolved not to say anything else. I worry about him though. He's so smart and caring but a complete know it all and so doesn't have many friends.... oops bit of a ramble sorry!

I don't think it's 'fatty bashing' to look around you and wonder how and when everybody got to be so overweight. Someone said the same thing to me today. She looked around the park and realised and 80-90% of the people there were fat. She's a very kind, compassionate and-nonjudgmental person. I think she just felt shocked by the realisation of the scale of it.

I think the vitriolic replies are a bit unfair. On Horizon documentary last night they said 60% of adults are overweight. Were you all writing to ofcom to complain?! It's just a statement of fact.

I doubt Pingu meant if you're fat you shouldn't be seen in a bathing suit, it's just an observation on how many of us are now overweight. And frankly the numbers seem to have crept up quickly.

I've had similar moments of shock when I walk into a supermarket and realise that there is sugar stacked up in every direction.

And another thing.. she was referring to kids and teenagers which I'm sorry IS shocking. It's terribly sad when kids are overweight and we as a society are responsible.

I've been BATTLING with the school to try to get them to ban sweet drinks and stop feeding the kids pudding everyday but it's just pissing into the wind.

Apparently I'm the only person who thinks sugary drinks and daily puddings are a bad idea. It's bloody frustrating that no one can see the connection.

I'm also shocked by the number of overweight kids these days. Don't accuse someone of fat bashing when they are concerned that the next generation are being robbed of their health.

Not read all the replies, but maybe they were going because they wanted to exercise? They're wanting to get fit and healthy and so are going swimming to tone up and exercise?
I've always been really slim up until having babies (9st) but now I'm considerably heavier than that as I've not managed to lose any of the weight and put a bit extra on to boot as I admit I've been slack and it's so easy to let yourself go if you're not careful.
I'd be one of the fatties you describe in the pool now. Bit harsh when people can genuinely be trying to lose weight and get fit to judge them all as "fat."
Concentrate on your own issues and your own swimming and let them deal with theirs.

Argh, just clocked you mentioned children as well. (It's late/early depending on your viewpoint and I really should be in bed!)
When it comes to overweight young children at primary school age, I can't help but judge a bit. (Sorry.)
At that age, children are dependent on the food they get given at home, and it's the parents who should be encouraging healthy eating habits and providing nutritious, right sized portions.
When it gets to high school though, so from 11 up, it's harder to "police" as you can't control what they eat as much as they've got freedom to walk past the shops and buy sweets and shit which they wouldn't have had before.
Regardless of how healthy you are at home and give sweets/chocolate as treats, they'll get junk with their new found independence of getting to school even with all your best interests!
Primary school though, nope. No excuse to be grossly overweight.

God I would hope the fat people are all out of the pool by now, after all op saw them in 2013, if they are still in the water they will be awfully wrinkly by now

Didn't realise it was a zombie thread when I posted, but I think it's a relevant topic whatever year you're in. Whether it be 2013, 16, or 20.

Maybe bits of it are relevant but it's still a nasty way of having that conversation. The courage it takes for most overweight people to put on a swimming costume and go to a local pool is massive, judging them isn't going make anyone lose weight

I'm not offended by the OP (I'm not that ridiculous) but I do think making comments about a fat person exercising is ridiculous. If they were on their arse eating pies then you'd have a fair point.

Taking the OP as a non-troll then yes, when I returned to the UK after years abroad I was surprised by the percentage of overweight people.

Perhaps if we had a few more swimming pools (there were load when I was little in the 80s but many now closed/turned into flats/restaurants etc) they would be full of slimmer people? More school playing fields, PE and healthy food costing less than sugary crap.... You are not being unreasonable commenting on a disturbing trend OP and I don't understand the determination to be offended by many posters.

They'll have awful prune fingers by now nancy75

I'm not going to bother reading 9 pages of the inevitable outrage and insults that will be slung at the OP, it is without doubt a goady and insensitively worded post. BUT I think she has a point and I think we need to be prepared to talk about it.

I am very concerned about the rapidly rising levels of obesity in the UK population generally and especially in children. Maybe if you are still relatively young you don't remember a time in the UK when people were on average much MUCH slimmer, but I do. Something insidious and very damaging has happened to us, been done to us, collectively, in that time.

As little as 20 years ago We used to look to Americans in bewilderment and shock at how fat they were (on average) compared to us in Europe. I remember the first time I went to Florida for a holiday and my eyes nearly popped out of my head - not at the size of any one individual necessarily, but at the sheer prevalence and level of obesity all around me, everywhere I looked. Whole families or groups of friends where not one member was not verging on morbidly obese. It started to seem to me that obesity was the rule rather than the exception.

Fast forward 20 years and we have almost reached a stage where that is the case in the UK too. I realise the reasons for it are very complex and without blame or judgement on fat people (I am also too fat) I think that we need to do some serious back pedalling to halt the ticking time bomb.

As a young woman in my late teens and early twenties I always felt like the 'Fat Friend' compared to my mates. Looking back now I realise I was probably a size 10 by today's standards (I am 50 now) and if I could place my 20-25 year old self in a group of similarly aged British women now, I'd be not remotely out of place and probably one of the slimmer ones. Even the size I am now (14/16) I look at some groups of young women and realise that I am still slimmer than many of them. When I was their age I rarely met anyone of that size, never mind whole groups of women.

My DD is classed as overweight. If you saw the other year you'd think she was fed on a daily diet of kebab and chips. She wasn't though. She was a very poorly girl who needed endless rounds of steroids because she was being regularly hospitalised due to her asthma. I became quite strict with her not long after food wise, but I also in spite of my own injuries encouraged play. Days/ walks out to help her shift it.
For any who think the steroid reason is a myth, a grown man is only meant to have one dose every three months because of the risk the side effects carry. My DD was having them weekly some days.
I've also had my own experience now, I was recently in hospital having been quite poorly, I got given three lots of those steroids in one week. My weight has also ballooned and I'm trying to keep my diet under control to counteract it. For both my DD and myself, the doctors main focus was not having us die on them, rather than wondering if the miracle drug would make us put on a bit of weight.

Having said all that though, I don't think op meant to come across as rude, it is human nature for us to judge, I remember waiting outside DDs school and having to stop myself from making a right cats bum face when a young child came up the path and was quite clearly struggling to even walk up the path at a fast place. Out of breathe and couldn't move very nimbly at all.

Lots more education needed around the obesity crisis. Like the fact certain juice drinks were banned in certain shops to curb childhood obesity yet their chocolate and sweet aisle and Krispy Kreme section remained

To the lady that mentioned the daily puddings. I don't think its harmful. Children need to be taught they can still have things in moderation and I think a blanket ban on things that could be healthy could have a reverse effect. But I agree on the sugary drinks front.

To the OP, my old weight watchers lady and a dear old friend waited until they'd lost 3stone each before they'd dare to enter a swimming pool.

I certainly agree that there needs to be discussion on how to curb obesity. But on forums like this one where very few of us could claim to be experts on obesity and its related physical and psychological issues, it always, inevitably, ends up blaming the people for their lack of willpower, education, common sense, etc. And completely ignoring science and social factors as "fat people passing the blame."

I said it before and I'll say it again, when over half the population is fat lack of willpower and education is not the cause. If half the population suddenly came down with cancer or some other disease would we be blaming their "lack of willpower?" If half the population started doing heroin would we be attacking the junkie's lack of willpower or would we be trying to stop the supply?

All of this righteous indignation should be aimed at the companies shoving excess sugar into foods, at governments and businesses that don't give students and employees time or places to exercise, at the multi billion dollar diet industry that thrives on 'failure.'

And yes, we need to encourage scientific research. Evidence is pointing towards genes that influence obesity, and that our gut bacteria has changed.

It is not as cut and dry as "calories in vs calories out" and we need to stop perpetuating that myth and the blame that goes with it.

I'm in my 60s and been very overweight the last 20 years (obese actually) and I agree with OP. My own weight is my fault/problem but parents of an overweight child have a duty of care to do something about it. Better diet and more walking.
BTW I swim regularly and nobody gives me a second glance so my advice to all you ppl who say they wont go swimming cos they might get stared is...get over yourself.

I agree OP.

There are some situations which bring home the scale of the obesity crises.

There are moments where I think of the film Wall-e - the future society where all kids are too fat to walk. It's depressing and frightening for those of us who are hoping for the continued existence and proper functioning of the NHS.

And I say all this as someone who is shocked to find herself overweight in middle age, and as someone with an overweight child.

Really the anger on this thread - get over yourselves.

Too many people are fat - me included - and it's a big big problem for a country with a system of socialised medicine.

Would add, I absolutely agree that it's not about individual lack of will power. Some of the strongest people I know are overweight.

A huge section of our economy is there to sell us food which makes us sick and fat. It's everywhere, all the time.

I don't see righteous indignation against overweight people on this thread. I see concerned parents. Something has gone awry with our nations eating habits because this is so widespread.

I have always been naturally slim but in the last few years weight crept up. I have to work very very hard now to keep my bmi in the normal range. It's just so easy to over eat the wrong foods and be sedentary in our society.

Quite right for all of us to be concerned. WE are all too fat. As a society. That's what we need to be outraged about. And do something about. Human beings (like all other animals) are more healthy and live longer when they are slightly underweight. We should all be aiming to be this way. It's not easy today for all number of reasons. That is a judgment on our society, not on any individuals surely?

Op you are nasty. Do not knock people who are trying to better themselves. Better swimming, than being on the couch with the PlayStation.

Swimming isn't actually that good for fitness. A good run would be much better.

Queenbean

Butterfly will burn off nearly 1,000 per hour. If you're comparing running to swimming then you should be swimming reasonably quickly and not a very slow backstroke.

What did you base your comment on?

Op you are nasty. Do not knock people who are trying to better themselves. Better swimming, than being on the couch with the PlayStation

She wasn't.
She observed there were lots of overweight people. It's a fact.