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/

Ptarmisancheese - yes I thought breast feeding was a factor for preventing obesity as well

People were stopped from taking responsibility for themselves when they shut all the gyms. It apparently only takes 23 days to break a habit And that works BOTH ways. So it takes 23 days to break a habit of eating crap But also only takes 23 days to break the habit of going to the gym. People were called granny killers when they broke the law to try!!! On Peston on Wednesday night they noted that alchohol use had gone up during lockdowns but has not come down again. Well no shit Sherlock Its HABIT FORMING. On Stephs Packed Lunch today the amount of kids not attending school has increased from 60,000 pre lockdowns to 125,000 post lockdowns. Well no shit when they gave the message to kids that school wasnt important At the same time giving the message that excersising wasnt important Eating healthily wasnt important. These things are all HABIT FORMING. We told you so lockdown lovers!!!

@Sheruns yeah that’s just the data that my Fitbit gives me. From tracking my food intake through MFP and the data gleaned through my Fitbit it tells me I’m consistently consuming less calories than I’m burning so for those who are obsessed with the Cals in vs cals out argument, clearly there’s something bizarre going on in my body

Exactly. And the American parameters were changed overnight in 1997 (I think it was then), making millions of people ‘overweight’ literally overnight. Nothing to do with being able to charge more for health insurance at all. 😏

There are still court cases going through NOW with regards to the above.

Lol. You lot get everywhere. Breastfeeding in itself has little effect. The only kid in our NCT group some 11 years ago who was breastfed is the only overweight one. The formula fed kids are all quite thin. Prob no correlation at all

1998, sorry!

I don’t think that your case is one that is targeted in this discussion.

your reason for being overweight is extremely rare.

Good god no! Obviously this would never happen. And what about all the thin people who eat shit, don’t exercise etc? Eat ready meals etc.

We have an insurance based, privately funded system in place. It’s called National Insurance, deducted at source. Problem is this Gov spending it on non healthcare projects and defunding healthcare, especially mental health which is essential to managing obesity.

Research shows otherwise.
https://bmcpediatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12887-022-03394-z#:~:text=Breastfeeding%20can%20significantly%20reduce%20the,ages%20of%209%20and%2011.

”You lot”? We’re on a discussion about obesity, bottle feeding has been known for years to be a factor in obesity on a societal level, and artificial baby milk is a UPF.

That is incorrect

Citations?

So try the 12 weeks, it might just make the difference. I don't understand why you would not want 12 weeks of support - especially free support.

Not sure if anyone else has said this but our obese children should be our biggest concern, they’re growing up in an obesogenic environment where processes fast food and travel by car even to primary school is the norm. Fast food everywhere and being overweight is the norm not the exception in the adults they see around them. Not apportioning any blame on people they are simply ‘adapting’ to this environment. It’s a ticking time bomb. It makes me really sad when I see teenage girls who car barely walk as they’re overweight by 12 and they’re shuffling to school

I thought all this obesity talk was rubbish and a DM story made up! I looked around the lovely leafy middle class area I live in where it is affluent and couldn’t see anything other than a few people who could lose a few pounds.

HOWEVER! I’ve recently come back from a cruise (first one ever ) and holy moly we have an obesity problem . Sea lion Cove (aka the pool) was awash with morbidly obese people who spent the day stuffing their faces and eating rubbish. Many of them unable to walk because they were fat. Legs rubbing together , arms covered in cellulite , double chins and bingo wings, back fat. I am not talking a little bit … I am talking dangerous levels .

I really hate it when people who have never struggled with weight issues think it’s just a case of eating less and exercising more and it’s just people not trying hard enough to lose weight. Unless you have been overweight for the majority of your life and struggled with food you will never know what it’s really like. I am obese and yes I hate it. I exercise regularly but massively over eat/eat the wrong things. I know what I should do and I can and have lost weight in the past but gain it again. For me it habits I have had since a child which I find almost impossible to get out of. Other psychological reasons that cause massive issues with me around food/diet etc. it scares me so much that I could develop health conditions in the future that I am looking into the gastric band route as I honestly see this as my only way. I am also very worried I will project my issues onto my children but I hope that I am bringing them up with healthy food habits and try to make sure we are active as a family. I don’t ban sweets/treats but these are after dinner only. I don’t however make them eat everything on their plate as again this has led to massive issues for me as I grew up.
I think what I’m trying to say is don’t judge or think a sugar tax is magically going to help people. Obese people tend to be that way because of habit ingrained in them from a young age. Continuously being overweight isn’t the same as gaining baby weight etc. for me it has been a battle all my life. It’s like saying we will make heroine more expensive and that was stop all the addicts. I think the key is trying to help the next generation and teach healthy food habits to children. I am a very different eater in front of my children to when they are not around as I want to show them good eating habits.

I was born in the North West and really interested in that, do you have a source.

A different take on this problem but I am sceptic that all of this times well with the Ozempic hype. We will soon have people on Ozempic for life. Just like statins.

Bollocks. I've been classed as obese all my life. I'm 50. My recent full medical assessment (I have a long term medical condition that required a full review but is not weight related and I'm on no medication) showed that I was in fine medical health. Very low chlorestrol, eat less than 1200 calories a day.

This! it’s not an individual problem. It’s systemic
I’m no expert but examples off the top of my head

• it starts with babies - implementing the who code on baby food advertising would a good first step. and breastfeeding support
• then schools and nurseries - daily p.e? Better lunches
• what NHS recommends as a healthy diet needs updated
• general food advertising needs more restrictions
• what is allowed in food
• Making systems easier so people can cook and eat healthier food (difficult to cook and eat well when everyone works all hours)

• Making systems easier so people can cook and eat healthier food (difficult to cook and eat well when everyone works all hours)

Including the ones who work for the NHS

Still nobody seems to understand that for a lot of people it’s an emotional issue.

What the fuck?

why would you think I’m not accessing all the help available via NHS and privately?