All this talk about obesity: when was the last time you were weighed by a medical person?

[Finnwood]

I know I must be missing something but ... we're always being told how fat and disgusting we Brits are. How do they know? How often are people weighed in an environment were these statistics will be passed on to the authorities?

..... er, ever heard of statistics?

you can extrapolate from a representative sample...

I have been seen by a variety of healthcare professionals for ongoing chronic health issues over the last 18 months and have definitely been weighed a couple of times during that timescale. I'm in the 'healthy' range of the BMI index based on my weight and height, but my diet could be a bit healthier - I eat plenty of salad, but have become a bit too reliant on ready meals for the convenience, and have a bit of a sweet tooth. I'm sure there will be some people in the overweight or obese categories on the index who have much healthier eating habits/lifestyle than me, so it's a very flawed tool.

Are you suggesting that there isn’t an obesity epidemic?

Not really. I just wonder how they collect the stats to claim Brits are the 3rd fattest in Europe. If they're only weighing people who go to the doctors with a health concern, are they missing all the slim, fit, healthy people?

When I had my booking in appointment, but not until twelve weeks as I didn't know I was pregnant, but my midwife recorded my 12 week weight as my pre-pregnancy weight (I'd gained about nine pounds in only being able to stomach carbs by this point and getting dizzy when I went to the gym), and then said to me that whilst my BMI was under 25 it was on the higher end of healthy, I said to her slowly that when I'd been weighed by my GP four months previously not pregnant, I was at BMI 20 and I didn't think it was a race to the bottom with these things, resuscitator as generally I'm very active. Yet a friend of mine who knows she is overweight by at least two stone hadn't been weighed in years even though she's been for medical appointments.

When I was 36 weeks pregnant. They gave me my BMI (based on non pregnant women!) as if that was helpful. I have a history of anorexia and was carrying a 10.5lb baby as it turns out. It was pretty poor judgement I think!

@Finnwood

Nope they just look at you and guess your BMI by how fat/not fat you look. I know this because I have joined the online system for my local surgery, so I had a look at my appointment notes. I haven't been weighed for 10 years, but my BMI is written down on every appointment by the nurse, Dr or whoever I have seen. Smear BMi 24, Ear appointment BMI 24, new pill prescription BMi 24.5, etc. I was thinking what the heck? They have literally just looked at me and at every appointment calculated guessed my BMI. I have the last laugh though because I weigh a lot more than I look like I do.

@Finnwood not necessarily at my old GP surgery I went in for a pill check, stand in Dr did my blood pressure, then my regular doc usually would weigh me, the stand in just looked at me and said, you're not overweight and gave me a repeat prescription!

Last time I was pregnant.

All this arguing with statistics. We're mostly all too fat, and/or eat badly and/or don't do enough exercise. I think that's obvious by just looking around walking down the street.

Threads like this remind me of arguing with a stubborn 6 year old.

maybe they are keeping a tally sheet at reception?

I have been weighed twice recently, maybe it's me that's skewing the figures, I am fatter than ever!

Just over 6 months ago when I was admitted to hospital to be induced with DC2, so 39 weeks pregnant. Not exactly accurate!

More than half of British women take a size 16 or larger, so it’s not difficult to see that we as a nation have a serious weight problem.
The U.K. is the third most obese country in Europe, behind Turkey and Malta.
When I worked as an anaesthetist, all patients were weighed and measured pre op. The trend over my 36 years working lifetime was inexorably upward. In the last few years we had to design specialist airway equipment to cope with the life threatening risks of anaesthesia in the morbidly obese, as well as reinforced operating tables, pneumatic lifting gear, and even so called “ jumbulances” - extra wide ambulances that could fit wider trolleys for obese patients who couldn’t be strapped into a standard one. Rates of amputations for diabetes are through the roof - again due to obesity.
If we don’t get control of this soon, life expectancy in Britain will start to drop. The present generation of obese youngsters will not outlive their parents’ generation.

It’s a good point because by default people having operations are an unhealthy sample are they?

I was weighed when pregnant, but that’s confidential, I didn’t consent to it being used for statistics

By the way, who said we were third fattest in Europe? I find that hard to believe

Sorry crossed with Babdoc- last statistic I saw had Greece as the fattest country in Europe ?

@RhymeswithOrange
Threads like this remind me of arguing with a stubborn 6 year old

ODFO - I'm not "arguing with statistics", I'm wondering where they come from.

About 3ish years ago at a contraceptive appointment. I'm due to have an operation under GA soon so I expect it will be then.

Re the obesity epidemic. It's pretty obvious. When you're walking down the road, check how many people are obese. It's scary.

hen she took one look at the scales, looked at me and said "well, you're obese". I'm 5'6" and weigh 13 stone. I'm not underweight by any means and I know I weigh too much for my height but I am DEFINITELY NOT obese

Well, at those numbers you are borderline obese (29.4 BMI, obese is 30) so if you are even 2lbs over the 13 or half an inch smaller than you think she was right.

the medical profession seem to go by BMI which I personally don't agree with

a lot of people don't (particularly the people who don't like hearing they are overweight/obese) but nevertheless it is a blunt but accurate tool.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6156965/Obesity-Britain-Two-thirds-overweight-Turkey-Malta-fatter-study-finds.html

Only Turkey and Malta are fatter than the UK, which is 2 thirds overweight and one third obese. You only have to look around to see it.

But this isn’t about looking around- No one can determine the U.K. is the third fattest nation by “looking around” OP is asking- and I think it’s a very valid point- how they collect the same data to reach that conclusion.

I think anyone who works with statistics knows how they can be misrepresented or incorrect. It’s an interesting conversation

I have a few health conditions so am regularly at the GP for follow ups or hospital for clinics. Always weighed..always different. My GP scales are always placed on carpet so they measure me less than i weigh.. the hospital "chair scales"are rarely calibrated.. however i have reliable scales at home and keep an eye myself

No need for that @Finnwood. I wasn't pointing to your posts specifically. My point is that as a nation we are in denial about how fat we are.

I get weighed at my asthma review, I have no idea why.

I’m not in denial- I mean goodness, maybe we’re the fattest in Europe rather than the third- but we’re asking where the sample data would come from.