To think most people don’t care about healthy eating, exercise, etc

[Notcontent]

We keep hearing about rising obesity levels, diabetes, and how sugary/processed good is responsible for a lot of it, etc.

But it seems to me that most people are completely ignoring those messages - either because they think it’s all nonsense or because they think “oh well, I want to enjoy my food and drink and I don’t really care what happens when I get to 50”.

I completely agree that we need to have treats and enjoy food because that’s what life is all about. But a lot of it is just simple stuff, like having water instead or sugary drinks. Why is that? Yes, I know some people can’t afford healthy food, but most of us do have some choice about what we feed ourselves and our families.

Exercise at school is obviously good but it's the parent's responsibility to see their kids get enough of it and that can take many forms...not just sports.

elsabadogigante if the thread annoys you/upsets you so much, would it not me more adult to simply read another one, rather than trying to close the discussion on this one down?

For example, the subject of Brexit bores the shit out of me.

I simply avoid the threads rather than jump on and try to police them.

Telling people to mind their own business isn't trying to close anything down, not that any of the gobsmacks on here would take heed of it anyhow. If it makes you feel morally superior to try to scold others and virtue signal about how 'adult' you are on a huge internet board, but all means do .

Oh and the major issue with obesity is that children born to 2 obese parents, are 10 - 12 times more likely to be obese themselves.

That's if being born to an obese mother hasn't already damaged their health, in much the same way smoking in pregnancy can damage a baby's health.

But I guess you're too bored to want to take that information in.

Also, weight is NOT an indication of health

Well .....it is. One of many, granted: but one nevertheless

elsabadogigante all you've done so far is try to close the discussion down.

If you've added anything to the actual debate, I apologise for missing it.

Then go bore people away with it, Worra. I'm not fat or overweight, am 50. It's not my business to police other peoples' habits than it is anyone else. And the major issue with smoking is that second hand and third hand/passive smoking is dangerous to others.

But WL isn't boring anyone, nor policing anyone's life; she's merely contributing to the debate which is kinda the purpose of this whole Mumsnet thing isn't it? .....

We're all entitled to our opinions, Worra. Mine differs from yours but you're obviously getting something out of pulling the moral superiority card (as usual) so by all means, carry on, it costs me nothing and I don't take it personally since you do it often enough on here.

The assumption that I'm bored, for example. I'm actually keeping an ear out for my son as he has awful allergies just now and is still awake and struggling with postnasal drip.

I think people do care but for many, it’s an addiction to sugar/carbs that is hard to deal with.
The craving for the pizza or chips is difficult to ignore. That’s why it’s not so easy for them to ditch those goods and eat something healthy instead.

What utter Bollocks OP have a

NiceLegsShameAboutTheFace Yes I'm clearly under the misapprehension that this is why Mumsnet exists...to discuss things. Who knew that's not the case?

elsabadogigante my 'assumption' you were bored came from your words..."bore off Worra".

Anyway, I can see this subject is not for you so I won't keep you chatting on it...

I think a lot of people are just struggling to get through life, so way in the future is unimportant. They are too worried about the here and now.

It’s a complex issue and not one that can be summarised by “people just don’t care” - I suspect the simplistic nature of that statement is what made people defensive in the first instance - that should’ve been quite obvious?

Anyway there is good news. Obesity in the U.K. is higher than it was when I was a child, for example, but it has remained at steady levels for nearly 10 years, rather than being a “growing” problem. Childhood obesity is decreasing. This does leave a sort of “bulge” generation who are more obese than the generation below them and likely will be until they die out, but it’s more positive than presented overall.

I do care a lot, because I don’t want my minor health problems to become major ones. We eat home cooked food, healthy meals, have cut right down on alcohol and exercise regularly. Working against this is the fact of working long hours and frequent business travel, it’s easy just to order a pizza, but I don’t like to do it often. Meal planning and shopping take time and energy. Shops aren’t open on Sunday where we live. We’re not well off but doing okay. If it’s a challenge for us in this situation then I can see how it’s ten times harder for others.

Research evidence shows that obesity is a complex medical condition with complex psychological aspects. There are many reasons why people end up very overweight. Obesity is a result of genetic (something like nearly 80% of variance in weight is attributed to genes), biological (evolution shaped mechanisms, physical health problems, common medication such as steroids and psychiatric medications), psychological (different levels/kinds of mental health problems, personality, etc.) and societal/environmental (poverty, stress, location, lack of time, education, societal narrative/shaming, feeling of powerlessness/vulnerability/dependence, isolation, etc.) influences.

The government now acknowledges that education or shaming and vilification of overweight people does not bring results, and is thus moving towards controlling societal influences, such as implementing the sugar tax and tackling school menus, etc. It's not enough, and too late, though. Bariatric surgery is the most effective (in terms of weight loss and cost of healthcare) way to help very obese people, but due to the vilification of overweight people, they are seen as "needing to suffer" for weight loss.

The truth is that for the vast majority (something like 90% of people regain the weight within the next 5 years, even if they manage to lose some) diets do not work and only cause further weight gain due to well established factors. Exercise does not help in weight loss, it can only help maintain weight. However, it is very beneficial for health in other ways. Shaming oversight people is very counterproductive, as well.

Eating disorders are rife, in all weight categories. From anorexia and orthorexia to bulimia, nocturnal eating and BED. The situation needs to change, but only radical structural/societal and medical measures will help. All people deserve the respect, basic human kindness, support (structural, psychological, etc.) and empathy, stability (e.g. financial, housing, work), resources (e.g. financial, education), health care (including medication and bariatric surgery) and opportunities needed to keep as healthy and happy as possible, because those two go hand in hand.

It is misguided, moralistic, and simplistic to brand overweight people as greedy and lazy. Plus, weight in not an indicator for individual health. Many obese people are healthy, many thin people are unhealthy.

There might be some outliers, but on the whole, research shows, that on the whole it's not the correct judgement. And judgemental it is. Even the language echoes the language of protestant Christianity, e.g. greed, sinful foods. It's time to move on from this. With wholesale change we'd reduce the rates of health problems related to obesity, but improve the rates of other health conditions, physical and mental, as well as promote equality and inclusion.

Apologies for repetition and disjointed sentences - am a little bit distracted!

Also you have to think obesity is common in older people, particularly as they start to approach retirement age, and they are not eating any differently to the way they did at 30 (although they probably should be) middle age spread is common in all countries and all cultures, even the healthiest eating ones (particularly an issue in the Mediterranean - healthiest diet in the world!) post war, and with people living longer, there are simply more people of this age group in the population.

“Bariatric surgery is the most effective (in terms of weight loss and cost of healthcare) way to help very obese people, but due to the vilification of overweight people, they are seen as "needing to suffer" for weight loss.”

Completely agree with this. For the very overweight, more bariatric surgery is needed

People could eat healthy food if they wanted to. It's just that people get waylaid into eating crap ,Crap seems like good and tasty,but is doing you no good at all.. Food ads on the telly. all the shops selling fast and crap food,all contribute to today's lifestyle of some people eating far too much crap food,,

I care, I'm about 4 stone overweight, and I do care. I know how to cook healthy meals, I know where to find those foods, and I do batch cook and freeze on days off. DD gets a far healthier diet than me.
I work permanent nights and never understood why obesity was a risk of long term night working. I do now I'm older. For example I'm having 10 mins now because I've just hit a wall of tiredness, I'm on my 5th night, and usually there's a dip around 4am, it's earlier tonight. I don't have long, too much to do, so I've grabbed some toast with jam and a coffee with sugar - I need to be awake and alert for the next 6 hours, and my job is physical too, I need the energy. I know that the sugar and caffeine rush will wear off in a couple of hours, and I'll probably have another hit then, a cereal bar and coffee probably. Then when I get home in about 7 hours, I'll be knackered and hungry. Toast again, just to kill the hunger so I can sleep really. It's a cycle I fall into as I get to about the 3rd night.
I'm usually too tired to do exercise around my nights, I've still got a house to run and a child to sort out, and like yesterday, I often need to stay awake/wake up early to deal with things like school and such, when they're open. As I can earn more on nights than days it's not feasible to change to days.
Keeping the money coming in and the house and DC in a reasonable state come first, at points like this I'm just needing a sugar rush and something to stop the hunger because it's uncomfortable.
On my days off I eat better and exercise a lot more, but I dread to think what size I would be if I didn't have a physical job.
It's about priorities really for me, rather than not caring.

How can you say with any authority 'people are ignoring the message'?

^^

Without looking at the statistics, it's because people look fat, sick and unhealthy.

I think Grumpymug sums it up. People just don't have time to cook from scratch. There's been a change in Government policy, I think, so that both parents are expected to go back to work full-time and send their children to nurseries. SAHMs are the exception. This has a knock-on effect on diets. I'm not advocating a return to the 50s - it's just an observation.

But nice to see it is so easy for others to eat healthy. Please don't take it for granted, you are very lucky.

^^

OK: it has NOTHING to do with luck in many cases.

It's about re-educating people. I was brought up in a finish-your-plate household, typical British diet, which is fine if you're working on a farm for 16 hours per day, but not so much if you're sitting on your arse for ten hours a day messing around on Excel.

I was pre - diabetic, sleep apnea, bad joints, looked ten years older than I was etc etc. I was only 3 stone overweight! That's not even that much.

So I changed my diet. What they all say. More veg more protein, less junk. Less sugar.

Yes, eating lentil soup, salads, roasted veg, scrambled eggs is not as fun as eating burger and chips, brownies and ice cream. But after a while it gets easier.

Especially when you see the results. Especially when you're not diabetic and can run around after your kids.

It's not luck : it's a conscious decision to take charge of my own health.

People are so fucking quick to call me sanctimonious, health nut etc ad nauseum but I really don't give a shit.

This is my body, my temple and I'm not damaging it by eating shit food.

I do agree to an extent, tavannach.

I think people would rather watch TV or doss around on their phones than cook from scratch. Or watch cookery programs, oohh and ahh then order a takeaway.

I'm sure we had the same thing in the 50's, people have different priorities, but no takeaway / ready meal alternatives were available, so people just had bread and cheese or whatever. Not everyone was having a home cooked meat and two veg meal every night.

I care, but also work 50+ hour weeks and have to make choices of how time is spent- clean clothes and tidy(ish) house and sleep are the winners. Food prep and arsing around with recipients is low on the list