To not know whether people are getting fatter or thinner?

[giantwaterbottle]

I am trying to lose weight (again!) and I can't figure out whether people (in the developed world) are getting thinner or fatter. I keep reading that the population is obese/getting fat but then it seems like their are so many gym bunnies and slim people around (although I will say this is mainly on social media/TikTok) but there seems to be such a weight loss/health kick about where everyone looks tiny and fit, and is wearing corsets and amazing cosmetics and just generally looks amazing, but is the opposite the reality? And if so how do people feel about this!? Does it make you want to just give up before you even begin? I don't know..I can't figure it all out. I do think when I go out I see quite a lot of larger people but also loads of young very slim and fit people.

But people won't take accountability. I was reading a thread the other day where someone had done very well in losing weight and wanted to learn how to maintain it. The thread was jumped on by people saying it was pro ana and fat-shaming. Yet, the stats show that people struggle with maintenance.

Food was largely rubbish in England when I was growing up in the 1970s and 1980s. No wonder people were thin and smoked instead.

Since then the food industry has really stepped it up and has invented many, many delicious ways to consume carbs, fat and salt in ever more inventive and calorific ways and without even realising you are full.

THe stats all show that as a nation (U.K.) we are getting more and more fat/obese. And yes I agree with the PP there is a definite divide by age/class.

I'm in my 50's and definitely not a gym bunny but I walk the dog and swim regularly. I'm a size 12/14, fairly typical 50ish year old British woman I would say.
When I go to the "posh" town for coffee with friends, I feel very chunky compared to the skinny rich ladies in their size tiny designer clothes. I eat the cake and have a latte, they have black coffee only.

When I go to the "working class" area 20 miles in the other direction I feel positively svelte compared to the average there which looks like size 18/20 for my age group. Poverty definitely has a huge impact on the nutrition people can manage. That's wrong, everyone should be able to buy their kids fresh, good food. But a packet of fresh farm strawberries here is now £3. If you're on a budget and get a lot more beige in Iceland for that to fill them up, what are you going to choose?

I feel like average/ normal people are getting bigger. I'm a curvy 12/14 and feel huge among the fit people at running club races but in the gap in the middle at parkrun - I'm regularly behind one pack and ahead of another...

So things are polarising while the mean moves somewhat upwards.

There was One thread where someone said a health professional had a complaint against them for suggesting that a morbidly obese patient could reduce their symptoms by losing weight . What the actual duck?!

it’s the He who must not be named.

Park outside the local chip chop/McDonalds one evening and evaluate the clientele.

Or go to a poorer area and look at the abundance of fried chicken takeaways.

Our local primary has almost no obese reception age children but by year 6 about 2 thirds are obese.

Britain is getting fatter.

I work in healthcare and recently moved jobs from a less affluent to a more affluent area - the difference in people's health and size at all ages is staggering.

For anyone saying people need to take accountability, that's a small part of it, but actually we live in an obesogenic society. Cheap ultra processed foods are consumed too often because they are so easily available, on special offer, people are working long hours in minimum wage jobs and don't have time to cook properly. Look at the proliferation of chicken shops in poorer areas. Government need to regulate industry, stop advertising junk to kids, ban BOGOF on multipacks of crisps etc. It's not as simple as people taking personal responsibility.

When I was a teenager in the 70s / 80s lycra was not often used - clothes became tight if you gained weight so you cut back a bit till they were comfortable - cheap fast fashion replacements were not available.

If you were bigger than a 14 (about a 10 nowadays) you could not easily buy clothes unless you went to an "outsize" shop.

"Snacking" was not a thing - you waited till your next meal.

Being fat has become normalised - fat people look around and often see even fatter people, which is reassuring and no incentive to lose weight.

Junk food is cheap and addictive and far too widely available.

People are getting fatter and I agree it's socio economic, that's clear. Where I live there are very few fat people. My kids don't have any friends who are overweight and none of my friends are, late 40's / 50's. Certainly none are over a 12/14 and the majority are an 8-10 It's very much reflective of a more affluent community.

People have a lot more things to worry about than their health or appearance and don't do anything about it until they have to. I also think loads of people are depressed and self-medicate with food and alcohol.

I know I've turned to comfort eating when stressed in the past.

People had three meals a day and didn't snack as much. And lunch was two ham and cheese sandwiches, not calory dense wraps with calory dense fillings with crisps and a chocolate bar.

I agree with this too. There are many people who can take accountability. But UPF is actually really scary, and cheap. As a society, there needs to be a massive overhaul, and this is one of the reasons why I am a WFH advocate for those who are able to and have the space. It can have a massive impact on people's time and health because it frees up time to cook and exercise. Yes, it's only a small portion of society but it is a start.

I’m part of a group - exercise based - where women and men in their 50s saved 60 are strong and lean. No way am I letting the middle aged spread take over, they show me what’s possible.

@giantwaterbottle @Fairyliz my mum is always saying that about the 70's!
So it's just food types and less activity that's making people fatter?
But then people are also living longer than ever before!?

I grew up in 70s, there was no such thing as food or take away deliveries so if it wasn't in the house you didn't have it, shops usually closed at 5 so no popping out for crisps/sweets etc. We didn't eat snacks either, you had your meals and maybe some toast for supper. Sweets were a treat maybe at the weekend. It's so much easier to overeat, food can be almost instantly available! Less appealing if you fancied a curry but had to spend an hour making it and had to have the ingredients in the house. I didn't have a take away meal until I was around 15. People rarely had more than one car (we didn't have a car at all) therefore people used public transport more often which involved walking to catch it, or walking all the way. Obviously, computer games etc also play a part in the lack of informal exercise people do, even small things like artificial grass and paving over gardens - mowing a lawn weekly is hard work! Many many reasons I could go on with....

I recently bought some sewing patterns and it was interesting to see the measurements on the sizes at the back were the same as in the 80s when I used to sew, a 14 on the pattern is the same as a modern day size 10 measurements

Please don't diet two weeks after giving birth 🤦‍♀️ that is not healthy.

I think there has to be an acceptance that there is no one size fits all to what constitutes a healthy weight. For some women it will be a size 10 but for others it will be a size 12/14/16.

Health isn't just what size you are there are lots of other factors as well including activity levels.

People are living longer because health care has improved a lot. More than 50% of people diagnosed with cancer survive nowadays, in the 70s that was mostly a death sentence. People with heart murmers get medication to orevent a heart attack. In the 70s you just had a heart attack and then found out something was wrong (IF you survived). We now to regular screening for different types of cancer.

That's why we live longer.

People are getting fatter. But you can't mention it else you are "fat shaming"

Obesity is being normalised and it's not a good thing.

And no I don't mean people who have health conditions etc - just normal, eat too much, don't move enough people.

Sorry I meant to "quote" the first paragraph in my previous post

Definitely fatter (and that includes me!)
Back in the 1970's we walked virtually everywhere, snacks were eaten as treats and most food was cooked from scratch. Takeaways were unaffordable to the average family. Alcohol certainly wasn't consumed the way it is now. I don't remember anyone being fat when I was at school.
Now people jump in the car to go 1/4 mile down the road to buy unhealthy snacks and get takeaways delivered on a regular basis. They hardly have to move off the sofa if they don't want to.
Food is used to celebrate, to reward, to cheer you up rather than just as nutrition. It's not sustainable as people's health is suffering massively.

But then people are also living longer than ever before!?
Advances in medicine and treatment. Even from birth people are surviving who wouldn't have done 20-30 years ago, and definitely wouldn't have done in our parents generation.

The average UK dress size is currently a size 16. Now I know dress sizes vary across different stores but I don't think anyone wearing a size 16 is going to be in the healthy BMI range.
And yes, I know that BMI isn't always accurate if you're particularly tall or carry a lot of muscle blah blah blah but most women don't have anything like enough muscle to skew the results of it!

People are living longer but that is because the current 80 & 90 somethings have better health care than perhaps previous generations. But they were also fairly fit in their younger years.

A higher percentage walked, they tended to have one family car if they had a car. Telly was 4 boring channels that you needed to physically change, not sit on your bum with "the buttons".
They also cooked from scratch, using the butcher and fishmongers very little in the way of processed food.

No guarantee that younger people will be blessed with the same longevity especially if they don't look after themselves.