Why are there so many overweight and obese British women?

[EvaHara]

Genuine post and I promise I am not a weight troll. Recently I was on a cruise and couldn't help but notice that many other British women onboard - especially younger women - were considerably overweight or obese. Some were in fact huge and easily as big as some women I saw in the US when there a few years ago.

What has caused this rise in overweight people, particularly younger women? I don't remember there being this many overweight/obese people even 10 years ago.

I am not judging, just curious.

Portion control. You’re on a cruise. I’m guessing it attracts those that like an all inclusive buffet.

lol. The opinions of unknowns on the internet are of no interest to me. Call me what you like.

The simple fact is that eating too much and not moving enough makes you fat. However whenever this gets pointed out in blunt terms for reasons unknown people seem to get offended.

If you are happy eating too much and not exercising that's fine. But then why get defensive when others call a spade a spade?

Gosh, you're very persistent for someone who doesn't care about the opinions of 'unknowns on the internet', @BuckFadger. It's lovely that you think weight boils down to a simple equation of calories in and exercise out but that was discredited some time ago. Lives are complex, metabolisms vary, other factors make a difference too. And not everyone is self-obsessed enough to count up everything they put in their mouths.

If your final remark is aimed at me, you have no idea what I eat/how much I exercise.

😆

Saw a man on the bus, he was so big, his stomach had dropped and was half way down to his knees. He was huge.
You shouldn't let it get that far. It's very dangerous to your heart, not to mention it must be exhausting carrying all that weight around.

Because life can be hard and cake is good.

I know for me it’s lack of time. I know I need to eat better and exercise more, my eating isn’t terrible but I certainly don’t have much time to cook. I know I need to sit down and plan better. I’m up at 6, get ready and kids sorted, out the door just after seven. Home around 6 after a round trip to pick up kids so not chance to walk. Get the kids down to sleep about 8 and have to fire the laptop up for 2/3 hours
most nights to keep in top
of things for work. I know what I need to do, pre kids I was always slim but I’m exhausted, fairly ground down by life and all ready feel pretty rubbish about myself, so sometimes find myself reaching for the chocolate. I know I will feel worse after but it’s a hard cycle to break.

Read Ultra Processed People. If you actually care enough to progress beyond the feelings of superiority you're clearly enjoying.

Dr Jason Fung’s book ‘The Obesity code’ explains that insulin resistance from
constant grazing and snacking- obesity has been on the rise since the 70’s when the trend for snacking was established.
rarher than people stopping eating at their evening meal at say 6pm and then not eating again until breakfast at 8am we now snack constantly. Even. Bedtime snack is appropriate.
the obesity code is a really interesting read if you want to understand the reason for lifetime obesity and yo-yo dieting

This isn't a criticism of you ChishiyaBat

but your post illustrates what I'm about to say very well. Part of the problem is that we have 'demonised' the wrong foods.

You need fat in your diet. Your brain is made of mostly fat. Fat is required for electrical conduction in the brain. There is nothing wrong with eating butter or other good quality (non industrialised) fats.

But we have been told that fat is bad for us and been persuaded to eat low fat and high carb for decades. That is why people can follow a 'healthy' diet (such you describe) and be obese.

We have been told that eating fat makes you fat yet there has been no scientific evidence to back this up.

Sugar is the biggest problem in our diets and all carbs are converted into sugar. Our bodies need a small amount of glucose but our livers produce this from the protein that we eat.

Fat was removed from our food and replaced with sugar and other starches. The introduction of the diet industry is when our obesity levels began to rise.

So many messages from eat snacks to stimulate your metabolism to you must eat breakfast has been counter productive.

Everytime you eat carbs, your body releases insulin. Your body cannot burn fat whilst insulin is released. People who are very overweight often become insulin resistant which makes it even harder.

Low carb is mocked as being faddy and bad for you. People who follow it are told it is bad to significantly reduce any one macro. Yet people who eat low fat are commended. It is seen as common sense.

I think time is a major factor. When I was a kid I lived in a working class household but my mum didn't work full time (I know that both me and DH now financially have to work full time, as many other families do). As kids we walked to school everyday, got the bus into town and my mum cooked from scratch.
We are now constantly pushed by large companies to by highly processed foods through advertising on tv and social media.
There are also loads of hidden calories in alcohol and coffees from places like costas and star bucks.

Yep. Can highly recommend this.

This isnt the eating pattern in other countries though. It doesnt explain why the UK really struggles with this.

I think it’s a lot to do with the body positivity and inclusivity movement. Clothing brands using overweight “models”. Fashion being centred around a lot of oversized clothing and/or stretchy athleisure wear. It’s gone too far in my opinion.

I’m fat because I tried not to be fat.

It’s true though. Back in eg the 80s you’d get more fitted clothes eg around the waist for women older than teenagers. Now, yes, you see teens and younger women if they’re slim in crop tops and mini skirts and some overweight teens and younger women in similar outfits but for older women most of the clothes are cut baggy without waists.

I was in my local city centre at the weekend and saw 2 teen girls running past Primark. One was slimmer but one looked at least size 14-16, which isn’t huge and could be called puppy fat.

A single dad friend of mine’s 3 girls as teenagers were putting on weight and had access to lots of fatty food and junk food and hardly any fruit and veg. As DB is godfather to the youngest he decided to buy the odd bit of fruit for them rather than sweets and cakes.

I do wonder - though I haven't seen any evidence for it - if one of the reasons things are worse in the UK is the housing crisis. Mortgages/rents are sky-high, so parents are desperately trying to stay on top of things, leading to the pressures @Italiandreams describes. There simply isn't time or money to prioritise a healthy diet.

The thing that any explanation needs to account for is what has changed in society in the last 60 years, so that where obesity was once rare, it's now common, including children.

Any explanation - like metabolism - that is something that also existed 60 years ago, is inadequate (unless you are claiming that metabolism has changed for some reason, which is a possible argument to make.)

Anyway - I think we can expect that where the US goes, other western countries often follow. And then other countries with more westernized habits.

But I suspect that covid lockdowns are also a factor in the recent jump in obesity. Ironically making the population much more vulnerable to covid.

Too many calories/ too little exercise. I am always amazed at what exercise you need to do to burn off the calories.

Actually yes. I’m all for body positivity if you’re overweight but when you’ve got the likes of Gemma bloody Collins out there complaining there’s no plus size clothes out there for her (the other day) yet her whole business is built around her staying large, then more younger women see her as a role model and an excuse to be fat.

Which is all very well until you develop heart and artery issues, increased pressure on your joints, breathing issues, diabetes, when you’re older or younger. And then you do the gastric bands or weightloss injections.

The wave of body positivity and a culture of acceptance of being overweight. We are also too afraid to offend. Other countries look very poorly at overweight people but in the UK we want to celebrate it.

Smoking used to be a massive problem.
We did not address is by glowering at smokers, tut-tutting and cursing their poor moral character. Instead, we made not smoking easier and restricted access to smoking. It seems a sensible approach.

Fashion being centred around a lot of oversized clothing and/or stretchy athleisure wear

How are fat people supposed to exercise and get slimmer/healthier if there is no plus sized/stretchy athleisure wear? Or is it supposed to be non fashionable, to shame them into losing weight?

Where my DP’s holiday home in the past few years is in in SW France there’s been McDonalds drive through opened, Starbucks, and more and more fast food places opening up.

Naturally this means some of the locals have become obese. I mean it could be the frites, rich sauces, chocolat and pastries there but the fast food can’t help either, and it’s cheap.

Isn’t there plus sized athleisure wear out there and if not why not? And can’t it be fashionable too?

According to Dr Michael Mosley (diet guru) it is actually by in large to blame. The food industry packs everything with sugar which is extremely addictive (that’s why they do it so you keep buying) which of course is what makes us fat. Yes we are the ones eating it but this makes things a whole lot harder especially when it’s the cheaper foods during a cost of living crisis that are mostly full of sugar.