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.

"no one wants to discuss the environment, because it's all about personal responsibility and 'eat less, move more!'. Because discussing the environmental issues that contribute towards obesity doesn't lend itself to feeling morally superior over another person, we definitely are an overweight nation, but we're also one that revels in being critical."

Plenty of people want to discuss the environment, but, as you mention, there are complaints all the way. Resistance to walkable cities, sugar taxes, restrictions on meal deals, etc.

Yep you can spot Brits abroad like you can Americans. But no doubt everyone on here who is obese has some chronic condition.

Oh dear oh dear oh dear.
What your world must be like to be perfect.
I'm a size 12, was a size 6 so think that I'm thankful for my little fatty bits as opposed to chopstick legs.. Pretty sure my partner prefers cuddling up to me now than he did when I was younger.
But seriously you are on holiday rather than sightsee you are people watching to see how fat they are and from uk..
Bet you aren't a native to the uk and another of those yokes that find critique all things brits
And for record, we women big or small can lose our fat you unfortunately are stuck on ugly, ugly personality.
Mikas #big girls you are beautiful is in my mind now and he's French so his opinion counts

I know an obese woman who was told she shouldn't jog/run as it would put too much pressure on her knees/joints. Jogging is the most accessible and cheapest form of exercise so I find this to be a real problem. And we were talking about obese people not just 'fat' ones.

I think the most accessible and cheapest form of exercise is walking. That person could start off by walking gently, then increase the pace and speed as she loses weight.

I think if you look it up reports will say being thinner will help with health costs. Like this

More broadly, obesity has a serious impact on economic development. The overall cost of obesity to wider society is estimated at £27 billion.

The UK-wide NHS costs attributable to overweight and obesity are projected to reach £9.7 billion by 2050, with wider costs to society estimated to reach £49.9 billion per year.

But if you do not think so what is your motivation for £5 biscuits if not to reduce cost?

Fat women out jogging often report receiving abuse and mockery. It shows what fat shaming is really about - cruelty and the desire to feel superior. It intimidates a lot of them out of doing it at all, obviously putting another barrier in the way of losing weight. I wish we could put a tax on being a dickhead. The Treasury would be awash with cash and we could fund the NHS forever!

Yes, the prevalence of those conditions might decrease but the prevalence of other conditions which might to be equally or even more expensive to the taxpayer will increase instead unless you are suggesting that thin people live forever. There has been some research showing that obesity is a risk factor for dementia but by far the main risk factor for dementia is old age. Therefore, if people aren't dying at a younger age from other diseases they are more likely to die of dementia. An aging population isn't another issue if you are talking about costs to the taxpayer. As well as NHS costs, if there are more elderly people there are fewer taxpayers, more people taking state pension, more costs to social care.

When you say gov it generally means taxpayers pay more. Look at those figures they’re huge

Plus all the other increasing costs coming our way generally. I think it’s going to get tougher

I’d love people to say ok I’ll change a bit

Do you want extra help or not really?

Agreed!

YANBU OP.

Two points to make after reading comments .

1. I can’t believe anyone wants to be fat .For many it’s a mental health problem .
2. Not everyone who is fat uses the NHS ( you know private health does exist ) . In fact because of fat shaming many fat people don’t visit their NHS GP .

Those reports only look at obesity in isolation though. They don't look at the overall economic impact i.e. don't take into account the fact that people are going to get ill and die sooner or later regardless of whether they are thin or obese and it will cost the NHS money to treat. Obviously they might get ill and die at an older age but that's not necessarily money saving to society overall.

So many fat people do try to lose weight though. There isn't a diet I haven't done. My weight has yo-yoed for thirty years, the damage I've done to my body from dieting pre-puberty onwards has fucked me up enormously according to my doctor. The idea that fat people don't try is one you've made up on this thread. Look at membership of Slimming World and Weightwatchers. Look at the weight loss threads on MN. Look at the Ozempic shortage. Look at Michael Mosley's book sales. How can you say no one is trying to lose weight? People are trying hard, lots of people all the time. But read up on the long-term effectiveness of diets: they make you fatter in the end, even if you lose weight at first. A great predictor of being overweight is having experience of being on a diet.

So please don't say that no one tries to lose weight. I promise you, a lot of us are trying!

Weight is such an emotive thing. It is far easier to be thin with time and money. OTOH, pretending that obesity is a choice rather than a problem is unrealistic and, behind the US, we are the worst in the World.

I am more critical of behaviour in Brits abroad than weight. Whenever you are woken up by loud shouting or people playing loud music in their rooms, 9/10 it is a Brit.

Yep this is true.

Most British people are an embarrassing fat mess when compared to most European people.

How utterly ridiculous🙄

We noticed this too on holiday - lots of nationalities but all the overweight families were Brits.

I'm going to an AI hotel in Spain later this month. I'm British and not overweight, so I'll speak loudly to ensure I help level the playing field and let the other nationalities know we're not all overweight.
Except I won't - and I won't judge others based on their body shape, nationality, where there choose to holiday or what they're wearing.
Mumsnet gets crazier and more offensive every day.

GPs know very little about nutrition and weight loss so I'd take anything they say with a huge pinch of salt.

Diets fail because they don't work, anyone who has lost weight and kept it off long term has done it with a change in lifestyle not a quick fix or a fad juice diet.

But it’s generalising a nation. We aren’t all fat and scruffy .

No need to be nasty ..

I will take my size 8 arse off this thread now…

Round of applause for this MNetter…

It is always deemed acceptable to be offensive to the British but lo and behold if anyone dare comment on another nation, they’d be reported , banned and all hell would break loose.

Its fucking nuts.