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/

Carbs don't make everyone overweight My BMI is 19 and I eat lots of carbs. High fat everything and I never touch a sweetener or takeaway. But I'm active which probably balances it all out.

Thanks for actually providing the honest reason why 99% of obese people are the way they are. Every single one of my overweight friends acknowledges that they eat too much, vow to eat less, then keep eating too much... How do they think the rest of us stay slim? That we don't work hard for it?

The obesity situation arose around the same time two parents were forced to be employed full time to make ends meet.

Not enough time or energy to cook. Skills lost, high fat and sugar convenience foods have become the go to.

I think change needs to come from the top down too. Walk around the supermarket and really look at the percentage of the food on offer is UPF. A lot. I'd support a hefty tax on UPF food being used to subsidise healthy options.

I went to the zoo the other day. There were literally no non-UPF options in the café.

I agree that towns need to be designed to encourage walking and cycling as much as possible.

I do appreciate that it is difficult in a society where most families have two working parents to cook everything from scratch. I don't know how to encourage that to change.

Do schools still teach Home Ec? I didn't learn anything useful in Home Ec in the 90s but I think it could be really valuable in teaching teenagers about the damage UPFs do and teaching 10 quick and easy healthy meals.

I think obesity isn't the problem, the problem is people reproducing well outside of their means. Or having more than one or two children. It's is putting such a huge strain on health services and the economy and to blame obesity is an ignorant and uneducated way of deterring from the facts that we need to implement tougher laws on those having children on benefits and not able to fully support a single child let alone multiple children.

I’ve never been fat. Not even overweight. You know why? I don’t eat too much.

Well done you. Have a medal 🎖️ 🙄

@Dente timely investigations for women (it’s mostly women who are fobbed off medically) so conditions can be treated before they become disabling. When treating with drugs that can cause weight gain (like steroids, antidepressants and others) they should warn the patient beforehand, instead of the current approach which is akin to “oh you’re fat, that’s why you’re ill, case closed” with medical notes open on the computer in front of them.
I’ve lost count of the number of stories I’ve read - online and in rl - where women’s very real symptoms are ignored, thyroid issues, low iron, hormone imbalances, and other issues, that take months if not years to diagnose - very real things with physiological and/or mental ramifications, including weight gain.

In my experience those who are morbidly obese are not that way because they’re lazy and have no self control, despite so many telling us that. It just doesn’t match up to my lived experience and the number of people I know who are obese.

6 years ago i weighed 10stone after pregnancy i weighed 20 stone i got gestational diabetes which runs in my family which led to t2
Which makes me crave carbs and also makes it so i dont even have energy to do vigourous excercise
Eating a balanced diet with t2 diabetes is actually quite difficult for me
If i eat eat too little im a zombie if i eat carbs i have energy but i will pay for it later when my blood sugar falls back down

I cut out sugar drinks and only drink water and tea
I dont add sugar to things
I dont eat sweet treats
But carbs like potatoes, rice and pasta are hard to give up because they are affordable meals that i make for me and the kids

Part of it is being uneducated about food, i actually really hate myself and i am suicidal
People just see me as a fat slob
I have been eating one meal a day but doing that means i cant take my medication properly
I wish i was dead

And as for that haunted hand puppet Widdicombe in The Guardian yesterday, commodifying a simple cheese sandwich as a luxury item; at least if we chopped her into 80 million pieces & distributed it, we’d all at least have a bit of fruitcake to eat.

I reckon I’ve lost at least 2lb chortling at that. Marina Hyde would be proud of you @CentrifugalBumblePuppy

This is interesting about us actually discovering that a healthy diet may not be what we think it is. For years I thought that my diet was healthy and that I must have physiological reasons for being overweight. The only time I ever lost loads of weight is when I did the 16:8 fasting method, and was strength training, running and doing Pilates daily. It was unsustainable and I'm now back to a somewhat rounded shape.

However I've discovered recently that what I thought was a good diet actually isn't. For example, oats are my nemesis- they're basically starch. I used to have oat milk in my coffee and porridge for breakfast. Now that I've cut that out I'm losing weight. Not only that but I don't feel as tired all day because I'm not getting that sugar high from the starch then crashing in an hour or so.

Turns out those pesky low carb-era wee right all along.

There has only recently been a NICE appraisal (even though approved in 2021)

I recently heard someone point out that bread used to 'go off' by going stale after a few days. Nowadays our sliced packet bread stays 'fresh' for 2 weeks and then goes limp and mouldy! What on earth is going on there?! Since then I have made the effort to always buy freshly baked bread from a bakery - even though it's a lot more effort and expense, as despite living in London I don't have a bakery nearby. I realise of course that I'm very lucky to have the time and financial resources to do this.

This needs government intervention. It's about access to fresh, healthy food and better advice and financial support for those who are struggling with obesity.

Unfortunately the government will never do anything to upset their beloved food industry so we'll continue to be fed all sorts of lies about crap food being fine for us to eat etc.

15 minute cities? Are you joking?
15 minute cities are the evil idea of the WEF/Klaus Schwab - you might want to research who his father was 🤔.

Fresh food is there though

Often it’s just down to how addictive and easy the UPF is

I think it's mostly lack of time, lack of skills/money and putting too much emotional weight on food, food should always be enjoyable etc., and it's not treated simply as fuel or something to keep us full. I grew up in a house like this, with critical mother who trashed anyone who put some effort into health, diet, exercise etc. I think her own insecurities took their toll, because she always wanted to lose, and didn't like it when other people managed to do it by showing some effort. She used to call people orthodox etc., only because they didn't want to eat biscuit or chose salad for lunch. I can see it everywhere, sadly. Calling food "boring, sad" etc. It's only food at the end of day. It's as dangerous as calling piece of chocolate "naughty".

I'm slim. It's a lot of genetic luck. However:

I am tee-total (not difficult for me as I don't like it).

I try to avoid UPFs now but haven't always. There was a time when I was extremely busy and out nearly every evening. My diet was really monotonous but still pretty healthy and was mostly batch cooked:

• Bolognase (with lots of veg, not just mince)
• Curry (veg, chicken, chickpeas with tinned tomatoes and spices)
• Chicken tonight sauce on chicken and veg
• Sausage casserole (basically sausage, veg, and tinned tomatoes)
• Stir fry and noodles
• pesto pasta
• chilli con carne

Basically all these meals are the same! All just chopped veg depending on what I had in the house, some kind of meat/fish or chickpeas, tinned tomatoes/sauce of some kind, cooked on the hob for 20 mins and eaten with rice/pasta/potatoes.

Lunch was always homemade sandwich (wholemeal bread but not homemade), choc biscuit, banana or other fruit, carrot sticks.

Breakfast was always toast and banana. I make my own granola now which is really easy.

I'm really busy so rarely snack.

I cycle a lot. I don't enjoy it, but I do it to get from A to B so it's like doing exercise by stealth. I also have a sport I enjoy for its own sake and do once a week. I hate the gym, I'd never exercise if I had to go to the gym.

@Verbena17

Having stuff like a GP, library, basic shops etc within 15 walk is evil?

Looking at the Sainsbury's "Nectar" prices, all the deals I saw were on UPF style, high fat and sugar foods. None of them were on healthy unprocessed foods.

Preventing supermarkets encouraging the consumption of this type of food by deeply discounting them would be a start.

The sugar tax hasn't worked and the resulting widespread use of artificial sweeteners is going to throw up a whole host of new problems as the evidence now starting to trickle in shows, so additional taxes are probably not the answer.

Genuine question, do you not see any of the blame apportioned to the individual for not exercising enough?

Food is one aspect of weight gain, a sedentary lifestyle will have a huge impact on it. Irrelevant of what one eats.

You could have a diet of fresh, healthy and nutricious food, however, if you are not exercising and eating 'too much' then you will still gain weight.

Me too! After all, I'm not paying gym fees anymore. Thanks @IAmADancer

Reducing this issue down to individuals is pointless.

This is not an issue of individual morality or willpower. It's a systemic issue (primarily) in developed countries with ultra processed food as the main culprit. Sugar is now more dangerous and less regulated than nicotine.

Berating fat people is pointless. We need to address the companies that produce this crap that's killing us.

Hi @truthhurts23 - I’m so sorry you’re feeling so low. You sound like a lovely mum and it really isn’t as easy as everyone makes out - especially if genetics mean someone is more susceptible to diabetes or weight gain for example.
You’ve got to stay strong for your kiddos 🤗

Well it just shows you because I feel loads better since I've started eating porridge for breakfast!

What we eat absolutely is the problem, but making the changes necessary, unless you’re in the right place mentally and physically, can feel impossible. Whoever said capitalism is the problem had it right.

I sorted out my depression and anxiety in the last 18 months, by completely breaking away from the typical MH guidance and limited support available.
I had got to a point where I knew I was getting worse, my limited life was getting more limited by the day, I struggled to leave the house, and something had to give.
If I look back on the changes I made it feels like it was very easy, like everyone should be making the same decisions I made, do the same things that I did to get myself better (I would even go so far as to say I cured myself), but at the same time I’m very aware that if I spoke like that to someone currently struggling with their mental health it would be deeply unhelpful to them and would come across as unbearably smug.
Telling people that it’s easy to not make poor choices with food, when they’re in the pits of despair about it all, is just the same, and it doesn’t help anyone.

Well it just shows you because I feel loads better since I've started eating porridge for breakfast!

Funny how people react differently to different things - if I eat porridge I’m starving half an hour later!