AIBU - With this new data on obesity and the NHS is it time to have some honest and difficult conversations?

[IAmADancer]

New data from a ‘landmark study’ has show that obesity costs the NHS around 14billion a year and that 2 out of 3 adults are obese.

I know this is a difficult subject but the numbers are pretty clear. With the cost of living crisis and a general requirement for both parents to work now to support themselves how do we support people to make the right choices and tackle a growing problem?

Im really interested to hear people’s opinions on what we can do with such stark figures laid bare.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/17/cost-of-obesity-twice-those-who-are-healthy-nhs/

I had a similar thread back in March asking if obesity was the responsibility of the NHS. It was eye opening and I recognise a few posters from there.

I think once someone is obese it is almost impossible for them to lose weight because obesity changes their physiology so the key is to stop people especially the younger generations from becoming obese in the first place.

There are a few, very few, people who have medical conditions and treatments that prevent them from losing weight ie make them gain it to start with. They are the exception.

It's complex but most people have the power to change. If they want to.

I was obese 2 years ago. I have since reached a normal weight but it wasn't cheap. I don't calorie count but eat a very healthy diet with loads of fruit/veg/pulses/eggs and small amounts of high quality meat and fish. It's not cheap. A lot of people on low incomes couldn't afford to eat like that - ultra processed foods are much cheaper and fill you up quicker.

People need to take responsibility for the food they eat. And having a job/children isn’t an excuse, as the OP seems to suggest.

However, I agree some change needs to come from the top:

• Advertising and packaging of UPF needs to be more strictly regulated, especially towards children - cereal, cereal bars, flavoured yoghurts etc
• Ban artificial sweeteners
• Introduce limits on the quantities of certain ingredients in processed food eg seed oils, fructose-glucose syrup, hydrogenated vegetable fats

However, I think smoking only really reduced when it was banned in public places, so I think the only real solution would be to ban certain foods/ingredients. But obviously that’s not feasible.

I agree with this.

Marketing aimed at children is AWFUL. Some parents genuinely don’t realise that e.g Cheerios are bad for you because they’re marketed as healthy.

It's not excuses though as such
My weight doesn't stop me doing anything
The fact I am sat at a desk from 7.30 - 5pm each day does, the working FT with chronic illnesses, the medication that makes me even sicker, not wanting to cook because I'm exhausted
If I could afford it I would do gousto or a meal prep delivered but I can't so..
I do cook from scratch and I also fast 16/8 and try to exercise 6 days a week (usually achieve 4 days a week)

They're not excuses, it's just how my life is but being a size 16 isn't a barrier to anything for me including exercise

And we need to call bullshit on this idea that a good diet is expensive/requires loads of time.

Bull.Shit.

If you know a slim person, study what they do. Staying slim in today’s society is no mean feat. So, we need to ask slim people how come they aren’t fat?

Also, most people were slim in the 70s and 80s. Having a beer belly was something for your old uncle. Now it’s seen on 6 year olds. What’s changed? Think about this and try to live a bit more 1970s.

Well much lower costing heathly food and higher costing junk food might help but I'm no expert.

I think it’s the ultra processed food that has changed everything. There was some study done recently where they took two groups of people to live in isolation together. One group were given only natural products but plenty choices and the other group given only ultra processed foods. They were both told to just eat what they want. The group eating the ultra processed food ate I think around 400
more calories per day

I’ve never been fat. Not even overweight. You know why? I don’t eat too much. I have 2 slices of toast for breakfast, something like a tuna sandwich and Greek yogurt for lunch, then for dinner something like a vegetable curry which I make (takes maybe 10 minutes to prep, then sits on the hob for half an hour) Maybe have a small bar or chocolate or a couple of biscuits afterwards. I have a busy life, a full time job, 2 teenagers, not an endless food budget - spend about £100 a week on our food. Unless you have a medical reason for it (& most people DO NOT) it really isn't that hard. Most people just make excuses and eat way too much.
I hate the whole 'treat yourself' mentality. It's really damaging. My mum does it - 'oh life's too short to deny yourself' and she's fat, with the associated health problems. My view is yes indeed life is short, so why make it shorter by being unhealthy? Also i never have to worry about clothes fitting/not fitting, not being able to do stuff because i'm too fat etc.
None of this is to be smug, it's just common sense. Just don't overeat or eat shit food - it's a CHOICE for most of us. Stop making lazy excuses.

I’m a single parent, work full time, 3 DCs.

I manage to cook healthy food from scratch every night.

Im not asking for a medal, just to show that this is a myth. It’s about priorities. Healthy meals can take 15 minutes - quicker than putting chicken nuggets in the oven.

@PtarmisanCheese

What kind of investigations do you think would find the answers to questions you have ?

I’m astonished that the NHS isn’t all over the benefits of semaglutide for weight loss. It’s effective and cheap (not to buy privately but to produce). Seems a no brainer

With the best will intentions and health warnings in the universe no one is going to be able to stop obesity, not me not you nor the NHS.
If people want to eat a chippy or McDonalds tea 5 nights a week they're going to do it.

Capitalism provides the environment that causes obesity. So, you’re gonna want to deal with that one first.

We processed food for maximum profit.
We made sure that people are as sedentary and time-poor as possible by choices made about the nature of work, again, profit.
Cheaper and quicker calories rose to the top. Someone extracts the profit at every stage of processing. More stages = more profit.
People put on weight.

Now it’s their choice to be fat and the whole issue could be solved if only they would make better choices? Very simplistic view of the world.

Sure.

Why have you become almost vegetarian? What's the point? You've just cut out pure protein and instead having extra carbs. If you're not exercising you won't burn those carbs off.

For breakfast ditch the bread! Have eggs.

Ditch the vegetarian diet and eat lean meat with every meal as the main part of your meal along with some veggies. So chicken breast and broccoli or steak, rocket and asparagus.

Stop snacking on fruit.. have a bit but not loads. Have a handful of pecan nuts instead.

It’s even more problematic when those responsible for health - for instance nurses and doctors - are all too often obese or overweight themselves.

I’m slim.

I eat three good meals a day with protein and loads of veg, few snacks, not much sugar, hardly any UPF.

I don’t see food as anything to do with my self-worth so I don’t feel the need to ‘treat myself’ with food, but if I really want a piece of cake or an ice cream I will have it.

I don’t constantly graze.

I think it’s as simple as that.

How are you going to call bull shit on peoples personal experiences.
If someone says they find something too expensive then they find it too expensive. Its not your place to validate, it is.

I’m not suggesting they buy steak and monkfish every night. Just vegetables, some meat, potatoes. It is NOT more expensive than UPF.

All the high Street shops near me have shut down, yet more and more cafés and restaurants and fast food places keep opening. In an area of less than 1sq mile, I can visit Tim Hortons, two mcdonalds, a kfc, a burger King, 3 Costa coffees, a Starbucks, plus maybe 10 other chain restaurants like Ask. All the drive-thrus have a constant steady queue of customers. You can easily use a day's calorie allowance in one meal, or even in a snack. My SIL gained a stone when Starbucks opened in her town - took her a while to figure out her new weekday Starbucks habit was working out at about 500 calories on just coffee.

Our culture has changed. I think back to my childhood, the idea of my mum going out to meet friends for coffee or brunch was unheard of. You had your cup of instant nescafe and talked to your mates in your own kitchen, saving yourself money and calories. You were more likely to walk places as it was uncommon to have more than one car per household (in my area), everyone walked to school, not drove.

I look back at my childhood diet and it was largely processed shite with minimal fruit or veg. The reason why we weren't all fat then is because we were habitually more active, and didn't eat out at restaurants/cafés as much.

The OP is a bit confused. In fact, 26% of adults are obese and a further 38% are overweight but not obese. Not good, but 2/3 UK adult population are not obese.

There are a lot of confounders. For example, people who are middle-aged are likely to weigh a bit more than teenagers & people in their early 20s. More is spent on the health of these overweight middle-aged people - but how much is that a function of increased age rather than increased weight?

Also, there is some evidence of decreased mortality, at least for some conditions, in the 25-30 BMI category. e.g. there is apparently a reduced risk of death from pneumonia.

I would make an interesting case study - I have been overweight as an adult, then became obese. I lost over half my body weight then became severely underweight and now I am a "normal" weight but very close to that magic 25 bmi.

I have chronic illness. I actually lost all the weight whilst on a medication notorious for weight gain. It was as simple as eating less and less very gradually so I got used to eating less calories to the point I lost my appetite completely and went to far the wrong way. Intermittant fasting was helpful at times.
I do over 10 hours of cardio a week despite being ill. However, I am that exhausted that I reach for bad food. When I'm too tired I just eat an apple or a tin of soup for dinner but snacks are the downfall.
What would make the most difference in my case, would be the type of lifestyles changes I can't afford to make. I need to sleep a lot more. I need to rest more. I need more time to be aware of food and to exercise more. I always lose weight in the holidays - I get plenty of sleep and then exercise am and pm and am very active. A stressful desk job doesn't help.

I heard an interesting programme talking about how processed foods affect a hormone which leaves you feeling hungry. I think more education would help me. I love sweet things, buy ready cooked meals sometimes and get really bored with whole foods. It is a difficult problem

What about insulin resistance or people with excess cortisol which alot of people dont know they have ..
It makes you store fat like crazy and leads to diabetes