To not be surprised the NHS is in trouble…

[Itmakesnosensetome]

We’re on holiday in Tenerife. We’re in a pretty nice hotel, fairly pricey so quite a lot of wealthy retired people . Pretty much every single person is very overweight or obese. I don’t mean a bit of a tum and hips- I’m talking huge, hard bellies on the men and massive women. there has always been overweight people but this feels unbelievable. There are some Spanish, Norwegian and Swedish people and none of them are fat - how can the NHS cope with this problem?

A large proportion of cancers are caused by obesity.

Overweight and obesity is the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK – causing more than 1 in 20 cancer cases.

The risk is higher the more overweight you are and the longer you are overweight for.

Keeping a healthy weight reduces the risk of 13 different types of cancer.

www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/bodyweight-and-cancer/how-does-obesity-cause-cancer

Of course it is. Obesity didn't exist in our grandparents/great grandparents era, simply because they didn't have access to the vast amount of crap we can pile into ourselves now. They couldn't order a triple cheeseburger off Deliveroo every night if they wished. They were also more physically active. I'm not sure why this is a shocking revelation for some. You'll get some people making every excuse under the sun for obesity, of course.

You win today’s Golden Shoehorn award.

I think one thing that could be done is cracking down on Deliveroo/Just Eat adverts. There must be a direct correlation between weight gain and ease of getting junk food actually placed in your hand without having to physically go and get it.

Of course some takeaways/pizza have long delivered, but McDonald’s or Burger King?

I was slim and fit until I developed a rare neurological auto immune condition. I am now huge as a result of the heavy steroids to manage the condition. But judge away. I realise that doesn't apply to all people but when you judge larger people just try and remember that.

I still eat healthily. Still exercise whenever I can (sometimes my nerves just won't send a signal to my muscles).

I agree.

And I also agree that there are a lot of obese, reasonably well to do, people over the age of about 50. I was away a couple of weekends ago and you'd have fitted about four of me into some of the women in the hotel. The blokes weren't a whole lot better. You only had to see what they ate at breakfast to see that it was overconsumption-related.

But what can you do? Yes you can eat less. Some people need to eat a lot less. But our whole society is based around the car and people simply don't get enough exercise. Also, we build too many houses without suitable green space so people are squeezed into smaller and smaller areas for recreation. It all needs a fundamental rethink - which ain't going to come from the current government.

Sorry @Supernova23 - crossposted

I hear you but the obesity epidemic was in full swing before deliveroo etc Walking to the takeaway place wouldn't burn the calories your average takeaway meal contains.

Yes I agree with this. I am less convinced about banning ads for "junk food" generally - a child isn't going to start eating carrots because you've stopped ads for chocolate.

But the likes of Deliveroo are awful. Even if you get in the car to go and get your takeaway you are at least getting out of the car and walking into the restaurant to get it. I'd do away with drive-thrus as well.

This.

As a country we need to eat less, drink less and do more physical exercise.

However the other big stress on the NHS is that it can do so much more than ever before. People who are staying alive with complex conditions wouldn't have some years ago. This is clearly a good thing.

The point is that obesity and obesity related diabetes is largely preventable but we (collectively) aren't doing enough about it.

Brexiter detected. You guys cost the country 40 billion a year in lost revenue. The 6.5 million obese people cost the NHS pales into insignificance against that! Shame we can't have a brexit voter tax!

Obesity can be a factor in some cancers

IMO we need to be tougher on all lifestyle diseases. Part of the reason people don't take responsibility for their health is because they know the NHS is there to "fix" them for free. People like to kid themselves that they can't loose weight, or that they're healthy anyway, but it's just not true.

You would be baffled by me, Op. I am a slim ( ish) pre-diabetic, and my entire family are slim Type 2 diabetics. We eat zero processed food or junk, don;t smoke or drink. Still going to be costing the NHS.

Not defensive, but it's such a narrow minded thinking that every fat person lives in docs offices and leeches off NHS. 🙄🙄🙄🙄

Whilst obesity IS a problem, so are the hypochondriacs.

TBF my clinics of diabetic and hypertensive patients are all full of overweight people.
Diabetics also get free prescriptions in all countries in the U.K. Hypochondriacs are no where near as costly in terms of appointment costs, investigations and treatments so no, they are not the problem.

It's much cheaper to holiday in February (apart from half term week) than in the summer. Apologies if I am the 15th person to point this out.

But when the dcs were little (10 years ago about) it was all healthy eating/five a day etc etc and now that seems to be a dirty message and now it’s “celebrate your curves”.

No one should have to aspire to being size 8 and resemble a lean marathon runner, but it seems the pendulum has swung towards not acceptance of lumps and bumps but portraying extreme excess weight as normal and even desirable.

Fatphobic
Noun. Also known as anti-fat, is the implicit and explicit bias of overweight individuals that is rooted in a sense of blame and presumed moral failing

this is what you’re op

are you telling me slim people don’t get Ill? Elderlies ? Kids ? Maybe you should consider getting a new hobbie instead of blaming at those that are obese for the lack of investment and the actual status of the nhs

One of my Dcs got a letter from the NHS saying he was clinically vulnerable and eligible for a 3rd covid jab.

I was somewhat surprised. I tried to book it and could not.

I rang the GP. they said they knew nothing. They said he has no vulnerabilities they could point to.

he then got a second letter saying to urgently book due to his vulnerabilities.

I rang the NHS covid hotline and was told that 'millions' of these letters were sent out accidentally and in error.

Now that sort of sheer incompetence is where the waste is.

So many people in the UK are so big that normal size kids actually look skinny. I have 2 kids and have been paranoid about their weight in the past because you can see their ribs a bit. But apparently that's how young children SHOULD look. It's just that almost none of their classmates are a similar size.
Also I know a lot of adults who are clearly very obese but are in complete denial. Thinking they're just a little bit overweight. But it's because they look around and so many other people are the same size that's it just been normalised. But it's not normal. It's bloody unhealthy.

Just to correct you, the government have been warning for years that obesity is causing a crisis in the nhs, as have the nhs itself. Are you arguing with the people running the nhs?

Its a pity the government haven’t done more of a ‘Covid Style’ campaign and shown the general public the true effects of obesity. We know for example, that one of the causes of Cancer is obesity, therefore more people who are obese = more people getting cancer, aswell as all the many other health conditions obesity causes - diabetes to name a horrible one.

You may not personally be using the nhs much, but there is a higher chance alot of obese people are compared to someone who eats healthy/regularly exercises to maintain a healthy body weight (not in any way suggesting people should strive for perfection, but we know what a healthy body weight is - we can google it).

There is going to come a point where the nhs cant cope (nearly there) and maybe then people will sit up and take note. I actually thought Covid would be a turning point as we know (for a fact) obese people were far more likely to be affected more seriously by it and still are. The facts are all out there, even if you have been lucky so far.

So yes, more people obese = more strain on the nhs which is already battling horrendous waiting lists, Cancer backlogs, Covid, flu etc.

Funny, I was dismissed as a hypochondriac for 5 years by doctors while my symptoms got worse.and worse.

Now I am on strong steroids that may cause diabetes.

Prior to that I was fit and well.

It's shit to be dismissed as a hypochondriac. And it is also shit to know that if I do get diabetes it will somehow be seen as my fault.

Let's stop being so judgy.

Agree with this, the ice skater advert is a prime example but their are so many fat models in adverts now and not just for ‘simply be’ clothing or whatever it’s called, it’s a disastrous health message that being obese is perfectly normal and desirable.

Oh please, not this bollocks again.

If actual adipose fat was so dangerous, why is liposuction not offered as a treatment?