Overweight Brits abroad

[Artyfart]

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.

What's this, @ArcaneWireless ? You can do more than one thing at a time? You must have had military training.

@ivykaty44,children i n Greece are statistically heavier than children from anywhere else in Europe.

Another fat shaming, body judging thread.

Here @Artyfart, have a

Obesity is a global problem, but you're right, when abroad at resorts and tourist hotspots there are plenty of overweight Brits. Perhaps it's because they're speaking English so are more noticeable?

Just this weekend I was out at a social event and besides me there must have been only a dozen healthy weighted individuals out of say 150. It is national health crisis, and judging by the deflective responses on the first page of this thread there is massive denial.

You can get some quite hefty Germans and of course our American cousins so I don’t think it’s just us. I’m losing weight at the moment (overweight but not obese) and I can’t deny since starting that I did used to eat all the bad stuff and be in denial about it. I’ve cut them out (sugar and simple carbs) and I am losing weight so it’s obvious to me they were the culprits (I’m not exercising other than normal walking). Sugar is the enemy and it’s in everything that is not naturally produced.

It is partly to do with food availability. I grew up in the 60s and 70s. Supermarkets were a lot smaller. They didn’t sell fresh baked products you had to go to a baker for those. Likewise fresh produce and meat - greengrocer and butcher. And bakers shops ran out if you didn’t get there early enough, The chill cabinet contained milk, butter, cheese, bacon. Not ready made salads and sandwiches swimming in mayonnaise. What ready meals were available were frozen and tiny portions. Petrol stations didn’t sell food, or not much more than a few bars of chocolate. I remember going to motorway service stations and being able to get a proper hot meal which wasn’t from a fast food outlet. Eating out/takeaway was a rare treat and not a routine leisure activity like it is now.

You'll note that I didn't refer to weight anywhere at all on my post. (I am one of the "fatties" that is obviously clearly British on holiday). It was a comment, responding to someone else that had noted a lot of sunburn amongst Brits.

I was just reporting that I saw a hell of a lot of sunburnt people on a holiday full of British people. It took me by surprise as I haven't seen people that sunburned for years.

I've done lots of holidays abroad over the last god knows how many years and I haven't been surrounded by so many Brits as I was on the most recent one, and nor have I seen so much sunburn as I have on that same holiday.

I can't bear being sunburned. I'd rather be pale and non-peelly than in pain and risking premature aging and skin cancer. There were a lot of people wearing their sunburn as a badge of honour, and I just don't get why people do it in this day and age.

Sure, I can't say for definite that if I'd been on an MSC cruise ship full of Italians and Germans that there wouldn't be as much sunburn, but I can only comment on what I observed - that a lot of holiday makers on my cruise were a) British; and b) sunburnt!

I am enjoying my holiday far too much to notice what weight or bikini size other holiday makers are!
Your holidays must be very boring if you’re sat on your sun lounger judging everyone! Have you tried reading a book or going for a swim?! FFS

British people are the most obese people in Europe after Turkey, Malta and Israel
mid day abroad we are also the sha. Jest
the Americans are worse on both counts though. We're heading that way sadly.

Autocorrect - should have said 'shabbiest dressers' after Americans too

I can't read the whole post, the ketchup and mayo from my burger has dribbled off my chin and onto my phone obscuring half of it.

In Europe fat people only go out in public in the dark, so as not to offend the sensibilities of the trim. This might be why you're noticing an excess of excess weight. The British are also more easily identified; Union flag shorts, handkerchief hats, plastic buckets & spades etc.

Try the same observation exercise at a ski resort and report back.

Oh yes and sunburned.

whst I love about Mediterranean peeps is that whatever their size and age it's socially acceptable and unremarkable for the women wear bikinis. It feels more body positive.

I’d never body shame anyone (was body shamed a lot years ago for being too skinny so I know how hurtful shaming is, doesn’t matter if it’s fat or skinny shaming) but there is no arguing that being too overweight will cause havoc with your health as you get older. Fat and thirty may not be a problem but fat and sixty almost certainly will be. High blood pressure, walking issues, joint issues, diabetes, heart problems. I don’t want these things to be an inevitable part of my older years so I’m shedding those kilos.

Please don't do that. I am prescribed semaglutides for diabetes and can't get my prescription filled because of all the people using it off prescription for weightloss

Yeah that desperate need to make everything about the US.

Have to agree with you @Artyfart and I say that as an overweight person! Just been away and noticed the same - we are definitely bigger and less fit than many other nationalities who seem to eat healthier and focus more on fitness.
sadly :(

Really? It's at breaking point. About to fall over.

We should just let everyone get as fat as they please and damn the consequences shouldn't we ☝️😄

The OP is an individual. Not Mumsnet. Also she's right. We have family in various parts of Europe & I often notice this. Also that london seems less so compared to other parts of the U.K.

My dad recently had open heart surgery: the NHS food provided was like a throwback to the processed slop of my inner lindon primary school - totally unhealthy white bead sandwiches and jelly Luckily he could top it up with the NHS snack trolley wheeled round twice a day which had crisps chocolate twiglets. Not a natural thing in sight.

It was at breaking point the last time the tories were in too. (Pre 97). I remember a friend's dad who was a doctor taking in the 80s about what the tories had done to the NHS being disgraceful

Seriously!

I just mind my own business and let people live their lives. People like this seem to think no one knows they're fucking fat. They do, leave them alone and enjoy your holiday. I'm not crying about the NHS being on it's knees when slim people get hurt or need medical attention, I don't know why people do it for fat people. Like they're the only ones who ever need the NHS.

Do you think this thread will stop people getting fatter? If we just start lots of threads on the internet commenting on observed fatness, then problem solved!

There are comments on here about denial and deflection, but the only thing I want to deflect is the idea that the global obesity crisis will be solved through individual willpower. Diets make people fatter over time; it's proven. So even if the OP spurs people on to lose weight, almost all of them will regain it and more over the next few years.

It sounds so simple and obvious to say that people can make better choices, but at some point we have to recognise that isn't happening. People make self-destructive choices all the time, otherwise no one would smoke or drink or be overweight. We didn't reduce the number of smokers in this country by saying individual smokers just needed the willpower to quit. On the whole, people don't actually want to be fat and sick but willpower alone is not enough for millions of people. It just isn't working, however much you berate anyone or however many threads you start online. There has to be collective action.

I grew up then too and you’re spot on. Also for most of us things like cakes and pies were home made so ingredients were easily recognisable, no additives etc. We didn’t have takeaways (an occasional Vesta was considered a treat). Everyone at school was either slim or skinny with the very occasional ‘chubby’ child. In fact where I was brought up (London council estate) the poor people were skinny not fat. Today it seems that poor equals fat. A lot of the fault really lies with food companies who lace everything with sugar!

I notice this when I go into the London office at work. At a size 14-16, I'm the biggest one there, even bigger than most of the men. Everyone is young and slim or really into their running and cycling. Pretty much all of them live in London, which I guess is an active place with few cars for most residents (where I live most households own 2+ cars and most people drive everywhere).