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.

@LaMarschallin 🏅🤣

There are a lot of obese brits, but how many you see on holiday will depend where you go. Annecy mentioned by a PP isn’t likely to attract obese people because it’s famous for outdoor activities, water sports etc. Somewhere like Lanzarote, Benidorm much more likely.

I’ve just been to Amsterdam (less touristy bits, staying with family) and I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb, the Dutch I met were all so slim, sporty and fit. Def given me the kick up the arse to do something about my size.

1 in 5 Dutch people are obese and about half are overweight so sounds like you were in a particularly sporty place.

The higher the stars/more exclusive the hotel - the less overweight people of all nationalities.

Fat people, especially in the UK with its long working hours, shitty gov, shitty food industry and crappy climate, are generally less well off.

It's not a moral failing, it's the expected outcome of their environment.

Really haven't got time for fatty-bashing today. It doesn't help anyone except it makes silly people feel better about themselves by denigrating others. Boring and childish.

This is why

I've gone from a ten mile a day walking, yoga practising size 10 to a practically sedentary, unable to walk to the bathroom some days because of the pain size 20 since I was diagnosed with and autoimmune disease medicated in part with steroids.

No doubt the OP and all the other fatty-batterers who'll be along to pontificate with her would look at me and tut because I'm clearly so greedy and lazy. Extra tuts if I'm using my walking stick that day because obviously I'm disabled due to my weight.

We were travelling around various towns and cities in France and as a size 14-16 I was always in the minority compared to being at home. Weight gain due to taking medication is entirely different, I’ve experienced it.

Although total rates of overweight aren't hugely higher, Brits are much more likely to be severely obese. About 9% of our population is severely obese compared to 2% in France.

Sounds like the shittest holiday ever just hovering around fat people waiting for them to speak.

Or Australia. We tend to think of them as a healthy outdoor sporty nation but it is not the case. They have a real obesity problem too

You need to go on more high end holidays, better shape of middle class Brit then.

Nah. The Dutch, Belgians and Germans seem to be around the same obesity rates as us based on my holiday. The locals were all considerably skinnier. But then I lost weight on holiday despite not sticking to my normal diet and eating way more rubbish than normal. Easier to be skinny when you have glorious blue skies and can get out the house.

Not sure if the hypocrisy in this post was intentional or not.

I was going to say the same. As a fatty, I prefer a walking holiday but if I am on the beach I'd rather swim or read a book than consider anyone else's figure in a swimming cossie. I worry more about British people's absent capacity for relaxation. More deadly even than the dreaded porkiness.

Quite!

🤣🤣🤣 This.

Also the lack of NHS services is a contributor to obesity in this country. We're just not very good at supporting people to be healthy.

I definitely noticed it when I had to wait at arrivals at Gatwick for a little while one time. Most people were pretty overweight or obese. It bears out the national statistics though that two thirds of adults are overweight or obese so it shouldn't come as a surprise. I suppose I live in a bubble where more people are slim - whenever I leave the area it's quite an eye-opener and I feel positively slender.

Although total rates of overweight aren't hugely higher, Brits are much more likely to be severely obese. About 9% of our population is severely obese compared to 2% in France.

That's a fair point assuming those stats are right - what's the cut off for severely obese?

Obesity is on the rise in the UK, sure, like other countries, but it will seem more evident depending on where you are holidaying because of which specific sectors of the UK population holiday there - 2019 European stats traced an inverse connection between women being overweight and their level of education. Interestingly, less so for men.

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=File:Proportion_of_women_who_were_overweight,_by_educational_level,2019(%25).png

I've just been to Greece. Lots of overweight French people there, to the extent I googled the statistics. France is 6% behind the UK in obesity (19% vs 25%); and I think 5% in overweight. It's possible to Google it anyway. The notion that "it's only Brits" or that everyone else does it better, is a lie. I'm fed up of it.

I can't say I've ever spent my time holiday looking at overweight people and waiting with bated breath to hear them talk.

I'm fat. Spent twenty years on steroids so I could work and pay huge tax. I am now so ill I have finally got my temper up re insults from others. It has taken me 18 months to lose 16kg. Mumsnet posters love to 'harpoon' us biggies. (see the thread about the poor woman who felt ugly or the lady with a size 12 daughter) It must be our fault! Sometimes it isn't. My illnesses are autoimmune, just genetics.
I was in Italy just before Christmas and nobody was rude. I didn't notice different sizes just well dressed people. In the UK I get shouted out and people assume I am stupid. No one wants to carry extra weight and it is not anyone else's business to assume it is costing the NHS money.

Most of what we eat is UPF. Even the stuff previously declared healthful by the weight gurus of MN.

UPF is just another stick to beat those who can't afford/are able to prepare fresh food from scratch daily. They existed in the 1970s, an era when according to MN, everyone was lithe and healthy. I remember eating Angel Delight, Supermousse, Pot Noodles, shop bought cakes in the 70s/80s, in fact my diet was worse than it is now.

Bread, cheese, yoghurt, pasta, bran flakes... So many foods are UPFs but they won't make you fat just because they're UPFs. Just like they didn't 50 years ago.

But being slim is also a crime in this country didn't you know...

Fat people, especially in the UK with its long working hours, shitty gov, shitty food industry and crappy climate, are generally less well off

It's not a moral failing, it's the expected outcome of their environment

Brilliantly put