To wonder what exactly middle class and upper class Mums do to be skinny

[Humpy84]

I am a Mum of a two year old turning three July. Not an age that he can be packed up for long walks in buggy.

I have gained weight and feeling overwhelmed by everything.

I have noticed and I think it is obvious that middle and upper class Mums tend to be slimmer.

I want to know if you identify this and if so what is your weekly shopping routine, meal plan, how do you exercise with or without toddler/s, tips and tricks etc, diet plans, etc etc.

" for the most part you will have to be hungry in order to be skinny or even thin. There are some people who don't have to, but they're a (vocal) minority"

I don't think this is true. You shouldn't be hungry if you're within the healthy BMI. Maybe in the transition stage as you get used to eating less, but not all the time.

Exercise is good though. My 45 minute run burns just under 500 calories (more than that when I was heavier). I can easily have a meal for that. I can burn 300 calls walking to and around town and back.it is good for the circulatory system (important to me after lots of intravenous chemo) and mental health too.

Eg: 287 calorie meal:

57g chicken breast with Cajun spice
Portion of green salad
Tsp of mayonnaise
One sweet potato wedge
Glass rose wine
Coffee with cream

So poor people eat cabs because its cheap? Eating carrots and potatoes every day is boring but eating pasta isn't?

And as it is cabs are rarely the problem, it's what we put in it that is. Butter IS expensive and most jars of bolognaise are not much cheaper than two avocadoes at Asda (which are more fattening anyway.

Come on people, let's stop the excuses, you can healthily on a low budget, millions do. They just don't add chocolates, cakes and crisps and beer in their trolley and if they do, they have the willpower to stop after one portion.

I haven't watched this yet, but it looks interesting, doc about obesity and poverty

Exercise means you can have larger portions or enjoy a few more treats than you would of not exercising.

"Eating carrots and potatoes every day is boring but eating pasta isn't?"

Pasta and cheese is much nicer than carrots and potatoes for me.

" you can healthily on a low budget, millions do. "

You can, but it's harder.
People on a lower income in developed countries are more likely to be overweight. That's FACT, not OP's opinion.
Of course, it doesn't mean people shouldn't make an effort to lose weight, but it's important to recognise the challenges.

@swingofthings

Gosh, you just don't get it.

Can't you see that if you're stuck in a tower block on benefits with nothing to look forward to, that a bar of chocolate or bag of chips is a cheap way to cheer yourself up...
Whereas if you're a wealthy woman with a gorgeous house, cleaner, posh gym membership and nice car to pop to Waitrose to buy a lovely ready made salad...and you're looking forward to two weeks in the Caribbean on a beach...you are in a much easier place to stay in shape.

Delayed gratification. Food tastes good. Instant reward.

Agree with formerbabe
Being fat has very little to do with really enjoying everything you eat

Can't you see that if you're stuck in a tower block on benefits with nothing to look forward to, that a bar of chocolate or bag of chips is a cheap way to cheer yourself up...

I see that. However people do get a high from running (pretty cheap) or HiiT (can be done from Youtube). It is good for mental health too. Also cheap thrills could be gained from reading (books from library) or watching TV.

Yes but what's the incentive? I can see the incentive in maintaining your figure and looking good if all your friends look great, if you don't want your rich husband to have an affair, if you're off on holiday, if you have lots of nights out planned at expensive places. Where's the incentive if the highlight of your week is a night down the pub with your equally overweight friends, if you don't have any nice clothes anyway, if you don't have any glittering social occasions to attend etc

Cheap thrills????
What a load of rubbish

Can't you see that if you're stuck in a tower block on benefits with nothing to look forward to, that a bar of chocolate or bag of chips is a cheap way to cheer yourself up
No that I can totally see and that is indeed a very likely reason why poorer people are more overweight.

But that is about motivation, or lack of, understandably, NOT because they can't afford to eat healthily.

There have been so many posts here debating tge costs of healthy food as an excuse for buying unhealthy, yet someone mentions cheese, which is much more expensive than a bag of berries (since these seem to have come up as evidence).

As it is I totally agree with your comments @formerbabe

It’s not hard to understand why weight increases with deprivation and being thinner in richer areas is the norm. Of course there will be exceptions but talking about going for runs - no babysitter so running is harder with little children - is always going to be easier if you have the capacity for it.

And reaching for cheap sugary food is going to have a stronger pull If you feel stressed, a bit depressed, not as much to look forward to.

The huge inequality in the UK doesn’t help. Yes some will live off carrot soup but it’s not hugely satiating and harder to maintain.

Bird flying high... If you are not already fit that is delayed gratification because the 'hit' is not instant. It can take a while to build fitness to actively enjoy and look forward to working out. Even then some people hate the process and just like the feeling after.
And yes it applies to food if it tastes great or not and can be applied to what formerbabe said about food and holidays etc.

I think we probably all agree. If cost nothing to eat many ewer meals and just drink tap water, but that if you are not surrounded by thinner people and then orm of where you live is people who are over weight and you want that chocolate bar to cheer you up then you are more likely to get fatter..... (and even if you are middle class and use Waitrose as I do I have certanly driven off to Waitrose to buy junk food before now - the working class have no monopoly on it)

I suppose tose of us good at delayed gratification tend to earn more (thinking my years of effort to be in my comfortable position now - graduated a teetotal virgin aged 20 etc).... so may be we are similarly able to resist the immediate junk foods [ not that I am saying I'm perfect at this - i want to lose a stone or half before we go on holiday]

Re class, income etc, plenty of studies show that peer groups are a big influence on weight, so if your friends and colleagues (who are generally a similar class and income level) are overweight you are more likely to be overweight too as you perceive it as normal, and the same goes for choices of what to eat. It's not as simple as saying, well you can eat healthily on a low budget.

There have been so many posts here debating tge costs of healthy food as an excuse for buying unhealthy, yet someone mentions cheese, which is much more expensive than a bag of berries (since these seem to have come up as evidence)

Cheese in Aldi is fairly cheap, a block of cheese can make several meals, a bag of berries makes one possibly two. If you don't have much money, you're in benefits and feel generally demotivated and down, which's the better option to buy?

You don't need to tell me how difficult it can be don't. I started running after completing chemo and following on from suffering with sciatica for a number of years. I was certainly not fir and pretty overweight. Yet every little achievement can be celebrated. I felt I'd been given a gift when I discovered a form of running I could do. YouTube clip of Niko Niko running linked to upthread. I was grinning from the first run because I previously though I just couldn't run,

Eating less = weight loss. When my dad was dying I lost my appetite and didn’t have time to be snacking. I dropped 8lbs although it wasn’t intentional and I didn’t need to lose it.

Cheese in Aldi is fairly cheap.
A big bag of brown pasta is too and will last even longer.

As said, it's nothing to do with the cost but motivation. Statistically, the more disastfied you are with life, the more likely you are to seek pleasure from various sources, alcohol, cigarettes, food.

I also agree about delayed gratification and studies have evidenced that upbringing and even genes will influence our likelihood to seek immediate pleasure vs investing in resisting temptation in faith that doing so will pay off.

Yes there is a clear difference in classes but it is not just because of being in one class as opposed to another by a multitude of factors that mean you are more likely to be/become one class rather than another.

Cheese in Aldi is fairly cheap
A big bag of brown pasta is too and will last even longer

Cheese and pasta...yes that's affordable food that isn't junk ..won't keep you thin though!

"However people do get a high from running (pretty cheap) "

Once you're already fit I suppose. I've been jogging since September and still don't get a high from it. At the beginning it's actually really, really hard.