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.

Diets do not work and studies prove they don't. Not because people don't stick to them but because your body adjusts it's metabolism to accommodate cuts in calories. Bariatric surgery works but it's because of metabolic changes following the surgery. We still do not fully understand the science of nutrition and metabolism.

Berating people for their failure to lose weight when current advice to eat less and move more is outdated and proven to be ineffective is crap. Once you are overweight the chances of losing it and keeping it off are very small.

In the future I expect advice will change. I hope also that more attention will be paid to our environment because it's unsurprising that people are more likely to become obese if they're surrounded by cheap, carbohydrate and fat laden food.

I didn't care when I was younger. I was slim and basically ate crap but crash dieted every few months to stay slim. Of course that's really unhealthy and I'm now making a huge effort to be healthy so I can set a good example to my children and most importantly be healthy and well enough to join in with whatever activities they ever want to do if I l want to.

all of you who are smugly posting how superior you are to the subhumans who dare eat 'junk' etc, handing out advice and claiming concern at 'the effect on society', take a look at yourselves.

all of you who are smugly posting how superior you are to the subhumans who dare eat 'junk' etc, handing out advice and claiming concern at 'the effect on society', take a look at yourselves.

A colleague at work was moaning about not losing weight today, but then described drinking two pints of beer while mowing the lawn, a lunch of fried chicken breast and two hard boiled eggs (which is protein so that’s ok).
And his horror at the thought of eating veg or salad.

I think people want to eat healthily, but either don’t understand what is healthy or don’t have the will power. And the shops are full of easy, convenient rubbish.

All my friends and family under 50 care.

I would not necessarily choose to be friends with people who abused their bodies. It seems so nihilistic to grimly eat yourself into ill health, diabetes, cancer, immobility, etc. Hard to watch people you care about harming themselves.

We have a few elderly obese family members left (most have died a bit too young) and their quality of life, sadly, is very poor.

I don’t think it’s that people don’t care, I think it’s lack of education in many cases mixed with lack of money and so the vicious circle of poverty and poor eating choices continues through generations.

I care. I'm ovese and struggling with so many different areas of life at the moment.

If someone would tell me what to eat and/or make it for me I would so do it.

I really struggle with exexutive function and planning and organising meals. I also struggle with all the different messages wit what is healthy. Would love any links to suggested actually healthy (not diets) meals or what people actually eat....

And yes stress, low income, Neurodiverse, stress, lack of family support, overwhelm all contribute.

I kind of thought our diet was okay but it probably isnt. Im the only obese one in the family ..

I dont know if I should read all this thread! Rivers would you ve friends with someone who self harmed in other ways? With anorexics? With those with depression? Autism?

I have an eating disorder and mental health ussues. Im sorry that rules me out as being someone you'd associate with. Im also v well educated, professional and interesting - but yes it affects my quality of life. Great to know that you'd react with avoidance rather than compassion.

People like me struggle enough with low self esteem and self worth without having more criticism loaded on.

I dont know if I should read all this thread! Rivers would you ve friends with someone who self harmed in other ways? With anorexics? With those with depression? Autism?

I have an eating disorder and mental health ussues. Im sorry that rules me out as being someone you'd associate with. Im also v well educated, professional and interesting - but yes it affects my quality of life. Great to know that you'd react with avoidance rather than compassion.

People like me struggle enough with low self esteem and self worth without having more criticism loaded on.

I think part of the problem is dividing food into good food and bad food. Food is energy, delicious and nutritious energy. I got fat when I ate too much of it it and I lost the fat when I started paying attention to what I was eating.

The CICO equation made a big difference to how I thought about food. I agree with OP that most people don’t care about “healthy eating” although ironically most people would also like to lose some weight.

But I’ve done my bit by making myself unfat. I’m not going to go around telling other people what to do or telling them what to eat.

I live in the "fattest state of Australia" and I'm English so I am used to seeing fat people ....BUT...here it's just got beyond the pale.

I'm a size 12 UK...so pretty "average" and I am usually the slimmest person in the supermarket and I'm not exaggerating. In certain suburbs it's not as bad but in low income areas, EVERYONE is overweight. Even the older people...and that's something you never used to see.

It worries me enormously because these people are going to die young...they're going to leave children behind.

As far as I can see it's because here, everyone drives everywhere. The only people on public transport are teens...and the odd elderly person. The footpaths are non-existent....nobody can walk safely if they want to.

I think people do care on the whole, but there are seriously mixed messages out there about what is healthy

Willpower (including for what to buy at Tesco) is a finite thing, and if you’re battling in other ways you may have less of it to devote to food decisions.

If everyone around you is larger, you being larger registers less/is normalised.

Generally cheap food is unhealthy food is tasty food, which catches quite a few demographics.

of you who are smugly posting how superior you are to the subhumans who dare eat 'junk' etc, handing out advice and claiming concern at 'the effect on society', take a look at yourselves.

I don’t see anyone doing this.

Kneel, don't misunderstand, I used to be bulimic myself. I am not saying people with eating disorders are bad people. But I couldn't watch someone I love eating themselves to death. Addicts don't generally want support to get better IME. They want people to tell them they are normal, know how to enjoy themselves, etc.

I have quietly dropped friendships with alkies and a drug addict. Food addiction would theoretically be the same. I have kids and hence limited emotional energy for other people's shit now.

I've read books on cravings and it is all about marketing and how the foods are aimed for this point, a kind of mix of sugar, fat and carbs which is addictive and how the brain releases dopamine and the rest. It is interesting, up a bit scary when you read how this is all done to keep people coming back for more.

And it is hard as people say no bad and good foods, yes i see, but with these they are so addictive...and also marketed at children who may stay customers for life...

These books said about managing your environment..being aware and just aiming for foods which are On nice rather than super yummy (so soup you enjoy for example) and maybe having them out the house...if you think about how this is done and you are basically manipulated into buying all this crap it can help....maybe!

I have quietly dropped friendships with alkies and a drug addict. Food addiction would theoretically be the same. I have kids and hence limited emotional energy for other people's shit now.

I kind of get this, DH's family have disordered eating and it can get to you and influence you as well. Not easy. I felt I was picking up on and it was affecting my self esteem, all the talk of 'being fat' especially MIL, commenting on being 'naughty' 'dieting tomorrow' being 'large', others 'being large' and they can also feed you to make themselves feel better.

I know that might be hard for others to feel, but it's the truth. It does affect others as well, when people do this to you.

The cooking from scratch argument is immaterial really, and just a simplistic way for people to feel good about themselves. Cooking from scratch doesn’t mean you won’t be obese, and it won’t help you lose weight. All that matters is what you’re eating and how much.

Agreed, I think people just put their heads in the sand. I think we also commute/work a lot of hours here, so combined with all the other responsibilies, it's even hard to find the mental space to begin healthy habits. Plus food is expensive.

I really think the government should be doing more: safer cycle routes, protected time during the work week for exercise or even just mental health and work places should provide healthy foods.

Also for those asking why should anyone else care, well I think the overall health of the nation is really important. The NHS is really struggling and diseases related to weight are part of the reason. These funds could be redistributed into other areas of the NHS or other public services.

I'm very concerned about the unhealthy diet in this country. Every time I go out I see so many obese young people holding cans of coke etc. I keep seeing groups of young women and teenagers and they just don't look healthy - it's not just weight but they seem to have grey complexions. When me and my friends were teenagers we had rosy cheeks and a healthy glow (I'm 44 now). I work in a school and the lunchboxes apall me. One kid always has 3 little bags of chocolate biscuits, a chocolate bar and a sugary yogurt. No sandwich or anything. What's happened to this country? My in laws live in a Southern European country and people are so much healthier. There are barely any ready meals in the shops and people eat fresh unprocessed food such as fish, boiled potatoes and salad with olive olive oil. Most people look healthy have good skin, not overweight etc.

There was a post on here recently about teens being allowed to go out for fast food every day at secondary and I was kind of shocked at how many thought this was fine and would not be a problem (every day) along with the cost and social side (it being the thing to do, etc).

The public health issues are complicated, it’s judgmental to emphasise individuals not caring about health, and/or having poor willpower.

i see more people obsessing over diets.wanting to lose weight.being unhappy with how they look.celeb obsessed.guilt laden.always dieting and not setting a good example to their kids at all!
i see more unahppy and body shaming people than people who are eating too much,

I have had treatment at a private hospital near me, on my insurance. One of the nurses was telling me about the large number of people, often young, having bariatric surgery - gastric bands - there - paid for by the NHS.

The obesity epidemic is costing all of us who pay tax a huge amount of money, which means less for important things.

The cost to the NHS is not necessarily straightforward. How do you calculate it? Fat person has cancer, did fat cause the cancer or cancer cause the fat or are they coincidental? Does being fat make us ill in old age or does being fat help us to survive into old age?

It used to be quoted that there were 3 causes of cancer and that it split roughly into thirds: lifestyle/genetics/we dont know.

More recent thinking is that it is 1/3 lifestyle & genetics, 2/3 we dont know.

It is easy to say that XYZ is the cause of NHS financial woes but it is far more complex than that.