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/

Ok, I saw someone say this on TikTok last week. Take 100 obese people who say they cannot lose weight. Put them in a forest for 4 weeks with only 3 basic, calorie controlled, properly portioned, nutritious meals per day and water. You would not have 100 obese people coming back. Like when people go into the jungle and drop weight because they are only on beans and rice.

There is a huge mental problem with obesity. Food is addiction like any other except it is harder to control because you have to eat....it's not like ditching the booze and not picking up, you have to eat daily. There is comfort eating due to numerous mental health issues. There are medications that will cause you to gain weight...sometimes a little from inflammation but not stones and stones, that will be because the medication fucks up your appetite and you find it harder to feel full so you eat more. Then we have the parents who allow their kids to get fat, that one is on them, totally their fault. The majority of fat kids grow up to be fat teenagers and fat adults and the cycle repeats itself.

It's an epidemic. People are delusional, in denial and totally oblivious and then call the fat shaming card when the doc addresses their weight. And so it goes on and on and on...

It’s interesting to see the word ‘easy’ popping up so often on this thread.

It is not easy to stay fit and healthy, it is very easy to be fat and unfit. It takes effort to get off the sofa, to exercise, to think about the quality of the food that is being eaten. There is no quick fix but I think most people are waiting for one.

I’m sorry but fat shaming does not work. It make people even more depressed and withdrawn from society.

I cant believe some people on this thread are seriously suggesting bullying and name calling as a solution. If that worked all fat people would now be thin as believe me we’ve heard it all!

I’ve been fat since I was 11, I was put on diet after diet after diet - including being restricted to lighter life 400kcal a day diet during my GCSEs. My metabolism was screwed over and I developed IBS alongside an entire host of anxiety around food and binge eating.

Im now 38 and trying not to pass food issues onto my kids and a big part of that is not fat shaming myself! So great if you wonderful morally superior thin people want to shout at me in the street and bitch about how fat I am crack on. It won’t help me or anyone, in fact it makes me not want to leave the house as I don’t want to be called a ‘whale’ or ‘heifer’ in front of my kids again. I don’t want people imitating me eating at restaurants or taking photos of me on the beach to laugh at in front of my children, again.

So I’ll stay at home and eat, and you continue bullying people out of society and frightening their children.

The evidence all around suggests that calorie counting doesn’t work. It’s the only advice given and yet obesity rates are rising. It’s based on what happens to food when it’s burnt. Burn nuts and they release x calories of heat. Eat nuts and they sustain and give energy and most of them pass through the body. Our bodies convert energy from food very differently from burning it.

I put on 9 stone due to Steroid medication and mertazapine . Actually the drugs don't make you fat - they make you hungry for all the wrong stuff.

I qualified for NHS Bariatric operation 7 years ago. Changed my life. Lost 7 stone and kept it off. Still needed the same steroids but stopped the anxiety meds - because I wasn't actually anxious just depressed at being so fat.

Medication itself doesn't make people fat. It stimulates their appetites. They then make food choices that make them fat. Change the food choices, portion size and increase activity (even if it's only mental activity ) to place less focus on food as a reward rather than an essential fuel.

The NHS Bariatric and dietitian service taught me so much. My OP cost them about 8k - but the savings are double that. I am no longer type2 diabetic. No more drugs for that. No more drugs for high blood pressure. No more physio for knee joint pain. Or cortisone injections .. the 'cost' of being obese to the NHS when I weighed 21st one is doublle to what it is now.

Yes OP. It needs a conversation.. but everyone will blame everyone and everything for being fat except 'I ate too much' and I need to stop.

@bringmelaughter this is next on my reading list!

Drink water, not sugar-free flavoured water. And just because it's sugar-free, it does not mean it is free from artificial sugar.

Water should not have an ingredients label on it, but as your one does, do have a look on it and see if any of these are mentioned.

Much of the NHS' nutritional advice is garbage, not to mention out-dated. The fact they're advising you to eat low-fat spread which is highly processed is part of the reason you're not making progress.

I am just at the borderline of a healthy weight with a 24 BMI. Some days I tip over 25 BMI. I am in a good phase. History suggests I will gain again.

I spend 60% of my mental energy not being fat. Not being fat in today's society is a part time job. I eat in a 6 hour window. I seriously restrict carbs and UPF. I lift weights with a trainer, I ride a peloton, I do park run, I complete spring triathlons. It is consuming. I have a PhD and a professional job. My kids are healthy and neuro-typical. My marriage is good. I have every advantage and AM JUST ABOUT HANGING ON.

We need to massively change our food culture. It is the only solution. UPF needs to be heavily taxed and whole food needs to be subsidised.

Oh give over. My BMI hovers around 27/28, do a lot of exercise and I'm fit and healthy and eat a very good, healthy diet. I just don't want to consistently eat less and keep eating small amounts to keep the weight off and get to under BMI 25 as I really enjoy my food. I don't stuff my face but it's not enough to just eat until I'm full and the weight falls off. My height to waist measurement is healthy, my cholesterol and blood sugar are great, My BP is on the low side, my resting HR is 53, I don't smoke, I'm 47 and any risk of illness is due to age and sex rather than lifestyle.

As I've said. I'm going to follow the advice from the dietician at the hospital.

I do drink water too - today is a treat day so it's flavoured water.

Exactly, the demand is there. Supply and demand just like everything else. Just because there's more KFCs etc doesn't mean that you must eat that food.

If you are worried that it's bad for you or that it will make you put weight on - avoid it. That's all that you can really do.

What the fuck

Exactly this. The government is very good at laying the blame and therefore the solution on the individual. This needs to be tackled centrally.

• Ultra-processed food needs to be banned for children and heavily taxed for adults (other countries have already done this).
• Healthy food needs to be made cheaper and more readily available.
• People need the time to be able to cook healthy food from scratch. This is so difficult in families where both parents have to work full time due to the cost of living.
• Children need to be encouraged to be more active - subsidised sports clubs and swimming lessons, better provision of sports, girls-only sports provision
• as above for adults

As seen on this thread, you can't have this conversation on Mumsnet without being accused of being a "teeny-tiny" or fat shaming.

My issue is really with the "normalisation" of being overweight. Vanity sizing. The mantra that the average woman in the UK is a size 16. That doesn't mean that a size 18 is healthy.

How is it possible that Zara thinks I'm a 18 but Next thinks I'm an 8? (True story)

The last McDonald's I had was during lockdown after an appointment at the hospital where it was the only place open to her something to eat. I dont eat fast food and I don't remember the last take away I had. Maybe coming up to Christmas?

I think we need to ban food items that don't hit a certain nutritional level. No need to eat empty calories and I say this as an obese person. Make healthy food cheaper and high fat high sugar foods more expensive and spend more on research on appetite suppressants.

It's not all about you Dumple

@dumple maybe starting your own thread if you want to discuss your individual situation might be more useful for you?

It might take a little longer than 4 weeks

I think being overweight is quite rightly normalised because when so many people are obese it is normal.

But I'm the obese example. I'm doing as much as I can and I'm doing exactly what the hospital tell me to.

What more can I do? I'm a statistic. Except. All of the statistics are actual people and this sort of thread comes up on here regularly and it's really upsetting. Fat lazy and eat fast food and guzzle coke. Except I don't.

What's with all this patronising 'bless her' rubbish?

Face it, you look down on her because she is a fat woman who doesn't move enough, are shocked and appalled she can sit down all day without getting restless and are annoyed by her slowness. At least own your opinions rather than try and cover them up with these ridiculous and idiotic 'bless her' comments added in.

Cutting out sugar and processed carbohydrates has resulted in a 5stone loss for my brother.
Bread( of any type) and most fruit are not healthy options.
Sugar is everywhere.
He eats full fat everything.
That's all. He's done no extra exercise at all - it made him hungry.

You’re one person with a very specific case. Or are you saying everyone obese is because of the medication you’re taking?

I think there are a few issues:

1. Changes in our society and in the cost of living which means both parents have to work. We’re rushed, stressed and exhausted - hardly conducive for intelligent food-shopping and meal prep, or for having time to go to the gym or for a walk. Once you get worn down and tired, it’s hard to climb back up.
2. Ultra-processed crap and far too much of it! I’d ban most of it and encourage real food, with a limited range of treat items of much better quality. I’d also incentivise buying better food.
3. The influence of others around us. People simply don’t recognise how overweight they are. A friend thinks she could do with losing 7-10lbs but she’s at least 4 stone overweight. She can’t see it because she works with people who are similarly sized. We go out to takeaways and are given portions that are too large and so we gradually see those portions as normal.
4. The loss of local shops and food producers. I used to be able to walk out of my front door and be at a greengrocers in 2 or 3 minutes. There was also a butcher just a bit further on. I could pop out and pick up fresh veg when I wanted. Now there’s nothing within walking distance and smaller shops have closed. People shop less frequently so things like veg go off, so they buy processed or frozen foods. Veg has become a pain rather than a pleasure.

I think the best solution would be to attack the major source of crap food - legislate on takeaways; reduce UPFs in supermarkets drastically; have some local veg schemes or finance small shops to provide real food; and educate people about a healthy diet, meal planning and cooking.

Just to add - some people are overweight through no fault of their own and it’s important to remember this, amongst all the ideas.