Page 14 | Overweight Brits abroad

Violinist64 · 01/08/2023 11:45

Unfortunately, many Western European nations are climbing the obesity ladder. Some of the most overweight children are in Southern Europe - Italy and Greece, for example. I don’t know what the answer is, unfortunately.

Polis · 01/08/2023 11:46

On the continent

The whole continent, or the places on the continent you have visited/lived?

Tahitiansummer · 01/08/2023 11:46

The ones that make me laugh are people with very high powered jobs, children and spend hours on the gym but still inexplicably spend hours and hours on MN.

Those people have cleverly found a high paying job that requires them to do very little while enjoying a stress free lifestyle with lots of time to relax and enjoy family time. Good for them.

RattleRattle · 01/08/2023 11:47

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MysteryPop · 01/08/2023 11:48

Trulywonderfulworld · 01/08/2023 11:20

Laziness and lack of self control.

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But why has that increased? Why would people all across the world all get lazier and less self-controlled all at once? Why have poor people got lazier and less disciplined faster than wealthier people? Why are Brits lazier and less disciplined than other nations and what's making them lazier and losing self control too?

KimberleyClark · 01/08/2023 11:48

I have a friend from a southern European country who has just moved here. She cooked us a lovely meal of traditional dishes. from her country. Her son sat out the meal because “he won’t eat this sort of thing”.

WomblingTree86 · 01/08/2023 11:49

Medsy · 01/08/2023 11:43

One of the things that struck me about moving back to the UK is how you're constantly surrounded by food all the time. A lot of the wet pubs I used to go to now dont just do food as in a ploughman's board or sandwiches pr something, but proper intense menus, or Thai kitchens or whatever. Nowadays if you plan on going out for a drink instead of the old school small pack of peanuts or the crisps you used to rip open and share with the table, you're likely to have the choice of nachos, beer battered onion rings, jalapeño bites etc just to "snack on".

On the continent, a pharmacy is a pharmacy, the post office is a post office. Here you go into Boots and are hit with meal deals and crisps, my local PO basically doubles as a snack shop.

Supermarkets don't just give you one option. For example say you want to buy chipolatas for the BBQ. Where I was living on the mainland, even in a big city supermarket, you go to the sausage section and choose between cheap chipolatas or high quality chipolatas, end of. Here, its like how about cheese stuffed chipolatas or paprika glazed chipolatas or honey roasted chipolatas.

Finally it's about opening times too. Again even in big cities in many continental countries, past a certain hour and on Sundays if you get a craving that's too bad for you, you're just going to not eat or have a piece of bread or cheese or whatever is in your fridge.
But here, if its 11pm on a Sunday and u get a craving for Wotsists and Dr pepper and a Crunchie, I have literally 3 corner shops less than a 30 sec walk away in either direction that WILL be open and where I can satisfy every passing whim.

So you think obesity has something to do with more choice of food and the shops being open for longer hours? If that was the case people would be fatter and less fit in London than elsewhere in the UK whereas it is actually the other way round.

ivykaty44 · 01/08/2023 11:49

Nowadays if you plan on going out for a drink instead of the old school small pack of peanuts or the crisps you used to rip open and share with the table, you're likely to have the choice of nachos, beer battered onion rings, jalapeño bites etc just to "snack on".

have you been to northern Spain where every time you get a beer they put food snack in front of you?

Supermarkets don't just give you one option. For example say you want to buy chipolatas for the BBQ. Where I was living on the mainland, even in a big city supermarket, you go to the sausage section and choose between cheap chipolatas or high quality chipolatas, end of. Here, its like how about cheese stuffed chipolatas or paprika glazed chipolatas or honey roasted chipolatas.

Try a Spanish or French supermarket - all the fast food you could possibly want with an array of cakes - not dissimilar to the uk supermarket

KimberleyClark · 01/08/2023 11:49

Sorry this was in response to @Violinist64’spost above.

Moonsun88 · 01/08/2023 11:49

Artyfart · 01/08/2023 08:57

I know this will upset people but it’s time to face facts and I’m talking about myself here too. Just got back from second holiday abroad this year when once again it was painfully noticeable how overweight British people are compared to our European neighbours. We stand out a mile! Every time I saw someone fat I’d wait for it and…. British accent. We look a state and it’s time to do something about it. No wonder the NHS is on its knees. I came back more determined than ever to lose weight.

Very judgemental. I would go on holiday to enjoy myself not judge which nationality is fat.

ivykaty44 · 01/08/2023 11:51

Why would people all across the world all get lazier and less self-controlled all at once?

all across the world or all across the western world or countries that eat western world food stuffs?

RattleRattle · 01/08/2023 11:51

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ivykaty44 · 01/08/2023 11:52

Violinist64 · 01/08/2023 11:45

Unfortunately, many Western European nations are climbing the obesity ladder. Some of the most overweight children are in Southern Europe - Italy and Greece, for example. I don’t know what the answer is, unfortunately.

thats factually incorrect

tootallfortheshelf · 01/08/2023 11:52

I can't see things changing.
Most people are carrying an amount of adipose tissue which is detrimental to their physical health, this is now the norm so everyone who is fat just thinks 'I'm normal what's the problem' 🤷

RattleRattle · 01/08/2023 11:53

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MysteryPop · 01/08/2023 11:53

ivykaty44 · 01/08/2023 11:51

Why would people all across the world all get lazier and less self-controlled all at once?

all across the world or all across the western world or countries that eat western world food stuffs?

Obesity is rising everywhere, not just in the western world. The western world might be ahead, but everyone is following.

Thebirdhouse · 01/08/2023 11:54

We probably also stand out because we are pale and summer colours rarely suit us. Add to that, that we don't have much opportunity to wear summer/holiday clothes so don't spend much on them. Add to that that we are trying to cram enough clothing for two weeks into a cabin sized bag.

I went to a cheap all inclusive resort this year. There were lots of overweight people there. They weren't many English/Irish though and strangely the men were more obviously overweight than the women.

Ultimately though as someone who badly needs to shift two stones, the amount of denial on this thread is concerning. There is an obesity problem.

RattleRattle · 01/08/2023 11:54

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SkylarSpirit · 01/08/2023 11:56

Tahitiansummer · 01/08/2023 11:46

The ones that make me laugh are people with very high powered jobs, children and spend hours on the gym but still inexplicably spend hours and hours on MN.

Those people have cleverly found a high paying job that requires them to do very little while enjoying a stress free lifestyle with lots of time to relax and enjoy family time. Good for them.

My job (author) is high paying but it's mostly a lot of mental effort, since I work out all my books and plots in my head and have to sort of let my characters stew like a good cup of tea for months, then I actually write the books very quickly after months of just kind of dicking around thinking about stuff and doing lots of research. It's not high powered at all, but yes a lot of people do have jobs that involve a lot of down time or that can be done while posting online.

I used to work as a research scientist, and there was a fair bit of time when you'd end up twiddle your thumbs for a few minutes waiting for something to finish.

NoChanceYouMetalBastard · 01/08/2023 11:57

Imagine the arrogance needed to think that berating people for their weight, posting countless threads about how awful overweight people are, plays any part in reducing weight

Quite.

They're only concerned for the health of the fatties though. That's all it is. Honest guv.

RedRobyn2021 · 01/08/2023 11:57

I read recently that our children are actually stunted and not as tall as they should be, almost like they are malnourished. It's apparently caused by all the processed food we consume. Very sad.

OP I don't disagree with you, but shaming people won't help. They real issue is with the way we are feeding our society, if the government did more to protect us.. it wasn't that long ago that the British were eating whole foods that were seasonally appropriate and now it's all about constantly trying to make "new foods" in a lab, new flavours of crisps, new types of snickers bars.. hidden salt and sugar... its not real food and it's causing us and our children to compulsively eat.

The really frightening thing is past generations didn't have obese/overweight children until ultra processed food was introduced

MysteryPop · 01/08/2023 11:57

Thebirdhouse · 01/08/2023 11:54

We probably also stand out because we are pale and summer colours rarely suit us. Add to that, that we don't have much opportunity to wear summer/holiday clothes so don't spend much on them. Add to that that we are trying to cram enough clothing for two weeks into a cabin sized bag.

I went to a cheap all inclusive resort this year. There were lots of overweight people there. They weren't many English/Irish though and strangely the men were more obviously overweight than the women.

Ultimately though as someone who badly needs to shift two stones, the amount of denial on this thread is concerning. There is an obesity problem.

Where's the denial? Everyone agrees obesity is a problem and that it's growing and that it's not just the British. What people are disagreeing on is - is it caused by individual greed and idleness or are there other factors? And do we resolve it by hectoring individual fat people and going on diets (proven to make almost everyone fatter over time)? Or do we make societal changes to address it?

Tahitiansummer · 01/08/2023 11:59

@SkylarSpirit Enjoy your good fortune. I really don't understand the attitudes on here sometimes.

SkylarSpirit · 01/08/2023 12:00

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Exactly!

Incidentally I spend a lot of time in France doing stuff like having a pain au chocolate for breakfast every day, but didn't gain weight. The French eat super unhealthy food (not just traditional stuff, but they love chocolate and fast food). I eat much more junk when I'm in Paris than when I'm home.

ArcaneWireless · 01/08/2023 12:01

Do you generally have difficulties with dividing your attention? Is it really hard to imagine that someone might be able to make an observation whilst enjoying normal holiday activities? If so I’d be a little concerned.

ohhelp

There now cherub. I’ve divided my attention long enough to respond to your faux concern.

I was merely replying to a snarky post in kind.

I care not for your concern or your opinion. It really wasn’t that hard to give a shiny one.