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.

Erm... No we don't work the longest hours in Europe. According to this, there are 20 European countries who work longer hours than us. www.euronews.com/next/2023/07/22/average-working-hours-in-europe-which-countries-work-the-longest-and-shortest-weeks

Perhaps the rise in overweight/obesity correlates to the rise in the number of people with MH issues. Obesity in particular is often associated with emotional eating.

I've put on extra weight. Not overweight but have previously always been slim. For me it's lack of self-control. The biscuits taste lovely, sweet and comforting. I don't just have one but will have most of a packet. I choose to buy them and all the other "treats" which I know are bad for me. I can't be asked doing more exercise even though I KNOW I'd feel better if I did. I don't blame anyone else but myself. We do all know that junk food/cakes /treats/alcohol are bad, right? I don't know anyone who doesn't. But, so many of us obviously choose to ignore that. I don't blame government or super markets. Super markets need to make a profit, junk food sells and if there is a demand; they'll stock more of it. At the end of the day, I'm responsible to look after my body and what I put into it. Being overweight is bad for your body, not fat shaming or saying it's easy to loose weight, but factually it is bad for your body.

How about the rest of the sentence though?
"... get better childcare and healthcare for their taxes, aren't so politically despondent, have a better outlook, spare cash, and are actually able to enjoy life and partake in it!!"

Yes indeed. We need big improvements here, I agree. I was just pointing out we don't work the longest hours.

Food is not just seen as a fuel anymore it is a pleasure activity, or a comfort.

Food has never been just a fuel. It's always been used for celebrations and rituals, pleasure and comfort. Rich Romans could feast to ridiculous excess.

It's part of the problem - if you're an alcoholic, you can become teetotal. You can cut out some foods, but you can't give up food entirely, and we often do base family gatherings, meet-ups with friends, weddings, funerals, certain times of year - meals and food feature massively in our social lives, and always have, as well as in literature and art. Never just fuel.

Government policies and the biggest food corporations (there's about 10 who own all the big brands in the world) determine what food is available, accessible and appealing. They've sold us the biggest lie that obesity and diabetes are down to personal willpower. Rates of both have soared in direct correlation with the major food companies' expansion across the world. Human beings haven't evolved to have less willpower in the last 30 years. What has changed is our food environment.

UPFs, which now make up a majority of our diet in the UK, have ingredients which make you eat more of them more quickly, without getting good nutrition so getting hungry again quickly.

Sex is great exercise, though.

Yes I’m not sure you can really post about people as a “ curiosity “ without judging.

Honestly I think that we as a nation are very depressed; we are disconnected from each other and work long hours, expensive housing, shit weather. Communities don’t support each other like they used to, pressure on individuals is immense, and people turn to cheap comfort food and alcohol to try and fill an emotional hole.

To add some more French perspective.
We do not carry food with us. We don't have food in our handbag, car, office. We don't eat in the street, public transport or in front of the tv.
We don't have a snack culture. We don't take half the kitchen to the playground, beach or sport meet.
We don't give a f$#@ about macros or carbs.
When a skirt or trouser get tighter we eat less, we don't buy a size up.
We don't hook kids on crap before they can talk or walk (seriously baby crisps ??) .
We don't do fatty greasy takeaways, we go to nice restaurants with the kids.
We call UPF cochonneries.

And no, exercise is not part of our culture, yet we are roughly the same size at 50 than we were at 20.

We don't have a word for treat or snack. And no, an en-cas is not a snack, and goûter is only for young children and is eaten at the table.
We eat later, and all together and everyone eats the same thing.

Find me someone who can get it up and I'd agree!
Erectile dysfunction due to porn addiction hugely on the rise. Maybe that's having a big impact...not seen any studies on that yet.

Women I know be doing it for themselves...

@EBearhug r
Romans? If you look at the paintings the rich romans were fat, the slaves were not. It is about the availability of leisure (boredom?) and dare I say indulgence.

I think it’s lifestyle. More and more revolves around screens, phones etc and so many manual tasks have been made easier. Once you would have had to stand at the sink and physically wash and dry . Now you shove it in the dishwasher and then people crash on the sofa instead. Ditto laundry and tumble dryers rather than pegging out, washing the car etc etc. More clothes that are non iron fabrics. Life has just got less physical. Gyms take in money because people are so unimaginative about how to build physical tasks into their day they need to pay to go somewhere with machines that simulate doing real tasks.

The rise and rise and rise of industrial food.

Processed food is designed to make you eat more than you need.

It's not our fault as individuals, but it is if we don't find ways as a society to stop Big Food (sorry for conspiracy language, but honestly that's what it is) exploiting poverty, both financial and in terms of time.

The infuriating thing is that we will all end up subsidising this global industry, through the NHS, when people inevitably get sick - not only through obesity but also because industrial additives attack our immune systems.

When we did O level needlework the teacher advised that we should stand in front of a mirror, naked, and jump up and down. " If anything wobbles that shouldn't, get rid of it".

This sounds like an open invitation to anorexia. What a cruel and thoughtless thing to say.

I’ve noticed this a lot more in both sexes over the last 5-10 yrs. On a simplistic level we’re probably eating too many calories and not moving around enough.

So what’s changed in the last 20-30years? Maybe a lot of factors such as: increased processed foods, fizzy drinks, mass car ownership, poor town planning leading to over abundance of fast food outlets, supermarket multi-deals on processed foods, diet culture, food deliveries, social media, economic pressures, cheaper alcohol, time pressures, disordered eating habits, eating disorders etc?

Govt is loathe to pressure the food industry which is shortsighted because I think they’ve helped to educate our palates to accept higher salt and sugar.

Know what you mean. When I see footage of a crowd from even the 1980s, it's not so much the fashions and hairstyles I notice, it's the SHAPE of the people back then. They just looked so much slimmer, whereas now if there's a news item with people walking about, being somewhat overweight or obese is the norm. So many reasons - increased car dependency, the snacking culture, eating main meals in the evenings rather than the middle of the day, coffee shop culture, the decline of smoking (food as a pick-me-up instead of a fag), and probably the normalising of no-holds barred eating - when I was a kid, adults only really ate large amounts of chocolate etc at Christmas and Easter, not every bloody weekend. I know that's harsh and I'm certainly not advocating smoking, but it's worrying when you look at younger people who seem to be overweight at a very early age.

Many council run gyms are being axed as well due to budget cuts. Around here, the nearest gym is 26 miles away and it's £157 per month to join for peak access (which is when I'd need it during to working off-peak hours). The weather is rubbish meaning it's harder to do exercise outdoors, not to mention the poorly maintained streets and roads making running and cycling outdoors even more dangerous.

Arthritis and cancer reduced my mobility and ability to shop for or cook healthy food. Massive quantities of toxic drugs for both conditions messed with my appetite and kind friends sending lovely treats. 4 stone in as many years that I'm struggling to get rid of.

Yes, on continent we eat later and all as a family. When I moved here I was so surprised people eat “tea” at 4.30/5.30pm and often kids eat separately.
No wonder they’re starving at 9pm and start raiding the cupboards

Oh but that’s sooo much better than being fat!

I try to be careful about what I eat and am lucky enough to have access to healthy ingredients. However it doesn’t result in me having this outrageous superiority and loathing of overweight people that so many average weight or thin people have. I really do not understand the vitriol, but suspect it has something to do with low self esteem themselves and a need to feel superior to others.

True, but nonetheless, food still wasn't just about fuel. I bet even slaves were occasionally allowed a honey cake or something on high days.

Because often overweight people love food and cruises often have nice food? 🤣 ( often AI in the price). I say this as a fat person who loves cruises ( when I can afford them). No idea why you didn’t see as many fat men though and I don’t know why you haven’t seen as many fat/ overweight people on other holidays either - unless you mainly holiday in Asia. For better or worse we are over half the adult population now in many Western countries. Sorry if that offends your aesthetic sensibilities 🤷‍♀️

(And it isn’t the main reason I love cruises btw - that would be getting to see lots of different countries in one holiday without having to change hotels).

Well l drink to much wine and eat to much cheese, l know why I'm over weight, but tbh l can't be bothered to do anything about it, lm on my feet at work for up to 12 hours a day. I know l should lose weight especially as l have arthritis in my knees but the cheese and crackers and glass of wine made me happy, maybe next year.