To think that biscuits don’t make you obese?

[covidtired]

I’m 20 stone 7 . I’m not that weight because I ate too many biscuits - if biscuits weren’t there I would ate anything I could find, and a lot of it !! I’m slowly losing now (was 22 stone 13 on NYD) but I’m still eating biscuits, cake, etc - just in moderation and without a side order of guilt .

Surely the answer is to support mental health more, especially in children and adolescents - I ate for comfort because I wasn’t getting it from anything else - and promote exercise - I was removed from PE due to dyspraxia and bullying, and told not to bother trying ... hence I’m now an adult that finds exercising awful !

Surely fixing these things is the answer, not banning cheap biscuits ?!!

It's quite startling to think 6 custard creams etc a day could lead to 50 lb weight gain a year!

@SauvignonBlanketyBlank yes it’s taken me some time to accept that my metabolism has slowed right down. In my 20s I could eat a whole pack of biscuits and I remained 8 stone.

One or two no apack or two yes

I couldn’t eat more than one apple, one steak, two eggs at a sitting unless really hungry. A packet of biscuits, loaf of bread or whole box of cereal - yes absolutely, whether properly hungry or not!. I am not sure it’s true that you can be addicted to or binge on literally anything - it’s sugary carbs that affect most people I think?

Yanbu

This is all a massive ploy to distract from the systemic issues with COVID stats and make it about individuals

I'm overweight, and I can't remember the last time I ate a biscuit! I just like food and cooking - I cook everything from scratch, eat fast food about twice a year - if that, don't like chocolate, haven't had sugar in hot drinks since I was about 10, rarely eat bread, have given up alcohol - and yet, here I am, podgy!

Quite honestly, I don't mind being a bit fat - I'd rather that than change my eating habits - I spent many, many years trying to be a 'normal' size (I'm 61 now), tried every diet going, from Scarsdale to Atkins, via cabbage soup, meal replacements, calorie counting and other miseries, and I can't face doing it again. I'm not gewtting any fatter, I hover around the 13 stone mark - so that's it for me - I'm just going to carry on eating what I enjoy, and buying clothes with elasticated waists :)

In my view, things will only change when it becomes socially unacceptable to be obese (like smoking or drink driving) but that is such a taboo, as we stand now and would take a huge public information campaign which would not be well received by the public (voters) so is therefore unlikely to happen.

This is a terrible idea. Make actions unacceptable, not body shapes. It's bloody hard to lose weight if you're obese, adding even more social stigma is not going to help.

@DollyDoneMore

I eat a fuckton of biscuits and they make me fat so YABU.

Me too! I cut out biscuits and all sugary foods a few years ago and lost loads of weight. I eat them now (and my weight has crept up). Biscuits are my biggest craving. I love them.

Foresight obesity systems map for an indication of the factors that are already known to influence obesity - and it's as varied and complex as you'd expect:

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/296290/obesity-map-full-hi-res.pdf

Any solutions will meet the needs of different sectors and populations.

It's hard tongive up smoking too and only happens when people decide to "just do it".

Maling it socially unacceptable 20 years ago is one (the?) reason so few young people do it now. It will be the same with obesity, the current generation are doomed to their addiction but we can do something to prevent it continuing in the next one.

I think it must something to do with chewing. I find if I eat something like an apple, or meat, that takes quite a bit of chewing, then by the time I have eaten it I feel fairly full, regardless of the calorie content. But if its its something I can eat really quickly then I am still hungry and will eat more. I mean you can eat a custard cream in 2 bites so it seems like nothing and doesn't fill you you up, so its no wonder most of us don't stop at one is it?

It's all the sugar. Glucose is in a lot of foods that you don't immediately think of. Too much glucose and you store the extra as fat.

Here are some sources of glucose - how many are you eating daily?
Biscuits (obviously)
Sugar (more obviously)
Honey
Squash (the liquid ones)
Cereal
Bread
Pasta
Potatoes
Doughnuts
Pizza
Muffins
Pancakes
Chocolate
Crisps
Popcorn

These are obvious. The not so obvious:

Fruit
Root vegetables (carrots, parsnips etc.)
Onions (carby bastards)
Rice and rice cakes
Corn
Oats
Porridge
Crackers
Muesli
Quinoa
Couscous
Raisins
Date sweetened "health" bars
Practically everything from Starbucks except black tea and coffee
Milk (also a carby bastard)

True nobody got overweight eating carrots but if you're eating them as well as the other things it gets out of hand really quickly. Add up how many of these you're having every day and that explains why you're overweight. I know because I've been there. Cut the carbs and you'll lose weight.

Obviously eating too many biscuits can make you gain weight and if you eat enough you will end up obese.

But I entirely agree that the Government should be looking at WHY people eat too much of the wrong foods, not simply making junk food more expensive/cutting advertising. I am currently overweight and making junk food more expensive will not make me eat less of it- that will take will power.

I don't know anyone who is overweight because they don't care or want to be fat (and I know a lot of overweight people). Adding to the stigma of being overweight (as one pp suggested) won't help either- many people eat as a comfort and don't want to be bigger anyway so this will just make matters worse.
I agree with you about exercise too- I was always hopeless at PE etc at school and laughed at/called names (including by the PE teacher at one school). Like the OP, this has just meant that I am terrified of trying exercise as an adult. I have school age DC and it sounds like things are a bit better now, but there still seems to be a focus in PE etc on the most able students- no differential teaching/additional support for the weaker students (as their are for other subjects) and all clubs etc seem to be competitive (so the best players picked for teams) with no 'exercise for fun' options. I think a programme of free, non competitive, fun exercise for pupils and parents would be more useful for improving the health and fitness of the population than an extra 25% on a packet of biscuits.

Maybe do an experiment. Weigh yourself in waking. Then for 48 hours don’t eat biscuits or cake. Then weigh yourself. You will be surprised.

@honeygirlz Same here. The first thing I did was just to cut out trigger foods - the ones that I can't stop eating regardless of hunger. That was the only thing I did for about six months. I've started counting calories and it is a million times easier for me now that I'm not constantly trying to work out how I can shoehorn in a chocolate bar or a restaurant pudding. I don't think it would have worked if I'd tried to do both at the same time, though - I needed to really get into the habit of just saying no first.

I do agree with OP that it's the reason why you can't stop eating the biscuits that makes you fat, not the biscuits (and I've certainly spent a lot of time learning about why I feel the need to compulsive eat certain foods). But for me it's a meaningless distinction at this stage. I can't apply moderation to those foods. For me it is a million times easier not to eat them in the first place. I think when I first started I was hoping that I'd be able to re-introduce them in moderate amounts later on, but as time's gone by and I've got used to not eating them I now would rather just keep going as I am. Otherwise, I eat a good varied diet and keep an eye on my macros and the weight has started coming off nice and steadily for the first time in the best part of ten years.

I mean you can eat a custard cream in 2 bites so it seems like nothing and doesn't fill you you up, so its no wonder most of us don't stop at one is it?

That's part of it, but I think the other part is that all the sugar in these foods hits reward centres in our brains and makes us want more for reasons that aren't connected with hunger. So you feel as if you want more when actually you don't from a nutritional standpoint.

A lot to read

I think you are all quite right yes - I’m definitely looking at it too personally and a bit bitter about the whole thing .

Juno yes parent’s responsibility but both had/have disabilities, mental illness of their own sadly ... to be honest I question more the other adults in my life at the time - social workers, teachers, carers - but that’s by the by and twenty five years ago now ... I think/I hope nowadays similar things are handled very differently .

It’s such a complex issue, but the absolute worst thing is to stigmatise it as someone has suggested . The best thing is showing you that you can be happy, confident and somewhat attractive even if fat; if you feel happy, confident and pretty you’re so much more inclined to eat correctly and exercise than if you feel ‘othered’, fat, ugly, lazy and useless to society .

Jonoula will give that a go ! It’s my birthday tomorrow so probably a good day to start on - last year in my twenties and would like to go into my thirties a big bit slimmer and a lot more confident !!

Sorry but it is slightly your fault that you're overweight. Too many biscuits, cake, snacks, food of any kind, will make you fat. If you eat more calories in a day than you exercise, you gain weight. If you exercise more than you intake, you lose weight. I was eating far too much at the start of lockdown, baking lots of chocolate treats, barely exercising. I gained about a stone. It was my own fault.

That doesn't mean you can have 3 bits of cake and exercise all day. You won't be healthy. You might be slim, but you won't be healthy. You're still not getting the right nutrients.

You'd lose weight quicker if you cut out all snacks, had one only once a week, and a small portion at that. Continuing to have them won't help you.

You weren't supported though as a child and were picked on for it, so that didnt help. But you are an adult now, you can ask for help, and if you don't want to, there's loads of free advice online, loads of free exercise videos, but even just walking once a day will help. 30 mins a day and build from there.

@honeygirlz

My own tuppence is I can’t eat in moderation. If I have a pack of biscuits, I’ll eat the whole pack, so I just don’t buy any. The same goes for sweets, chocolate, crisps etc.

So yes, for me, I have banned all of those things. Ive banned those things for a few months now and am now starting my weight loss journey (need to lose 3 stone).

That’s me! No moderation 😔 If there is a pack of anything, that will be gone in either one go, or the same day (depending on the size of package!) I don’t feel full. Regardless how much cake, pastry I eat... I just don’t feel full. I have no willpower to stop once I started. So, for me it is not buying and going to the gym. However I track my calories so I know how much I ate and then I need to burn off with exercise.

But it is my fault. I am a comfort eater. 😔
This day and age I believe, noone has an excuse for not knowing obesity is wrong and do something about it.

@Alloverthegrapevine

It's hard tongive up smoking too and only happens when people decide to "just do it".

Maling it socially unacceptable 20 years ago is one (the?) reason so few young people do it now. It will be the same with obesity, the current generation are doomed to their addiction but we can do something to prevent it continuing in the next one.

I agree with this though I know it's not a popular view on mumsnet. Of course it has to be done in a subtle and positive manner, certainly never to abuse overweight people.

I’m not fat because of biscuits or advertising of processed foods - I cook from scratch. I don’t drink alcohol.

The problem is I cook really nice food from scratch and I have portions that are too big. I connect social pleasure with food. I also don’t do any exercise.

Increasing the price of biscuits and taking adverts off the tv isn’t going to affect me. Access to gyms where people don’t make comments about the January influx or personal trainers who can set you up with a programme when you don’t have a clue might help me. Some amazing counselling or some kind of support to get the to bottom of why I cannot stick to anything even when I know it works (WW I’m looking at you!) would definitely help me!

I'm in the "no moderation" pack. I'm 5 foot 8 and 9 stone but if I had biscuits in the house (I don't buy them) I would eat the whole packet if I had a craving for one, because one wouldn't be enough. In the same way (I've been sober for 12 years), I don't have one drink because one is too many and a thousand is not enough, as the saying goes. I believe that some people are predisposed to lack the "stop button", through no fault of their own. It can be controlled but it's tough. It's easier for an alcoholic not to drink than for someone not to eat without moderation, in my view, and I have many friends in OA as well as AA.

The only biscuits that don’t make you gain weight are the Mumsnet .

Tbh it doesn’t matter to me any more why I have a tendency to over eat - I know where it started (my parents also had issues with food), I know it’s for comfort etc etc.

The best thing for me is to accept I will always have these feelings but I don’t have to act on them every time. And every time I manage to distract myself or make a choice not to listen to a craving for “empty” food, it’s a victory for me, it helps me feel better about myself and it makes it more likely I will stop myself eating too much next time.

I know not everyone agrees with food addiction as a concept but to me it makes sense.

There are foods I know I can have occasionally as a treat no problem and there are foods I just will not buy ever and that’s good enough for me!

One biscuit won't make you fat, but lots will, and do you honestly stop at one, or is it one entire packet.?