Is it just me or are Londoners freakishly slim?

[manicinsomniac]

Not all of them obviously. And I don't mean that individuals are unusually thin. More than the population as a whole seems to be much thinner than the UK population in general.

I went in to London yesterday evening to meet a friend who was very late so I had lots of time to indulge my nosy, people watching habit (usually I just rush from A to B and don't look at anyone). And after a while it really struck me that almost everyone was slim.

So, now I'm wondering if it was a coincidental thing or not. And if not, then why is this?
Because so many people don't have or don't use a car?
Because, on average, the population of London is perhaps younger than the UK average?
Because, on average, Londoners are wealthier than the UK average?
Because so many artsy people whose weight/looks affect their jobs in some way live in London?
Because London is more multicultural than anywhere else and some ethnicities are genetically smaller and some cultures eat a different (better?) diet?

Or something else I haven't thought of.

I just thought it was interesting. Apologies if it really isn't!

it's because it's so expensive to eat

I am a Londoner and a proper lard arse! :)

I remember going into Cyber Dog and being properly at the size zero clothes.

So maybe.

They can't afford food after paying the rent/mortgages!

I'd guess wealth? Richer people tend to have better diets. And London can be a very image-conscious place so probably lots of people are more careful about weight. It's also probably younger on average than a lot of places although I'm guessing on that one!

I see you said all of this in your OP though so in summary: yes.

You ain't been down my road!

I am a size 16 14, but my elegant, classy, beautiful 76yo neighbour is a size 10

She is loaded and I am as poor as a mouse...link?

I have two kids and a full time job. I get in my car on average twice a month. Everything else is done on foot. Even when I get the tube, 9 times out of 10 I stand for the entire journey. My office is split over two locations and I walk between them every day. That said, there are still plenty of fatties!

Interesting table split by local authority [[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10617126/Revealed-the-fattest-towns-and-cities-in-England.html]].

I believe that obesity rates in women are strongly linked to income/socioeconomic group; men less so.

Sorry, appalling link!

www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10617126/Revealed-the-fattest-towns-and-cities-in-England.html

I think that what you're talking about is not "freakishly thin", but just not being overweight.

I wonder if cities tend to have a higher number of thinner people in general. New York. Paris, London.

In a cafe in Knightsbridge the other day I couldn't help but notice the very thin 40+ women.

I think we walk a lot more than other areas of the UK...any time I have friends visit they always moan about the amount I make them walk. None of my London friends would ever consider getting taxis, and driving is much less of an option than other areas.

Agree with the wealth thing as well.

haha, good point about not being able to afford to eat

Thanks for the link Jess - very interesting.

Yes, Goodarvo, I didn't word that well. I don't mean I thought most people were underweight/skinny. More that very few were overweight making the view as a whole 'freakishly thin'.

I was skinnier when I lived in London and lived on wine, but walked everywhere. I walked a mile to the station everyday and back and thought nothing of it. Moved out to the countryside and now drive door to door instead. I drink less, but got fatter.

I was struck by how slim everyone was in the Apple store last week (in a suburban london shopping centre).

YABU, they're not freakishly slim, just less likely to be obese.
According to The Poverty Site the proportion of working-age people who are obese is lowest in London.

That's Knightsbridge though! (Though K&C was bottom of the table in that article.)

The stats show a link to wealth. But in London it's pretty easy to rack up a decent amount of moderate activity in a day.

I'm in an outer borough and work in central London. 15 min brisk walk to station, 20-25 to DS's nursery depending on the day. 10 mins nursery to station. Usually stand on train for 20 mins (not activity but better than sitting?) 15 min walk from station to office. Ditto at the other end of the day.

Oh yes, but there's something about wealth and thinness - re Knightsbridge. It was interesting to see.

And in London you get high pockets of wealth. And even then where there is lower wealth I imagine the levels of obesity are lower.

but you also get these in the brittle thin blonde county women - you know kids at private school drive an unnecessary 4 by 4 and husband wears a naffo signet ring
they are always teeny. and look slightly cross

I'm a Londoner and can only wish I was rakishly thin.

i notice blackpool is on that list - WOW yes, and they all seem to smoke too

Thinking back to when I lived in London 10+ years it was definitely related to wealth & image. I worked in PR with loads of friends in PR, advertising, media, marketing etc and can't think of a single one that was over a size 14 and most we're more like a size 8-10.
Long working hours, lots of booze (& drugs) not much food unless you count canapés or a salad/sushi for lunch and all the women were very very image conscious.

They aren't ridiculously thin just that on average people in London are less likely to be overweight and so people from other parts will notice the difference in size.

not unusual in a capital city

Yes I have noticed this. When I lived in East Anglia I felt average, in north wales and North east I felt thin and in London I felt fat. My weight was the same in all these places but the median size noticeably different. Particularly in the part of London I worked in but in my office I was a bit of a freak for a) eating lunch and b) not avoiding fruit as it's 'too sugary'.

I'm slap-bang normal bmi btw.