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.

I had to exercise as a way to combat the stress but overall the trend was weight gain

It’s less about time, more about stress and reaction to the lockdowns which prompted unhealthier actions, including alcohol

I understand why, it was a horrendous time, but unfortunately it had that overall impact

Your comprehension skills appear a bit lacking and your knowledge of British life seems to be fairly inaccurate!

I am also referring to shopping bills, I only mentioned eating out as you were massively implying with your patronising seasonal comments that Brits are completely out of touch with where food comes from, cooking and healthy living, in fact we are so ignorant that we believe food to be expensive when in fact it is ‘cheap’, I am stating that this is frankly rubbish and is just not the case.
Where did you live in the UK that was so cheap?

I posted this earlier

https://www.c3health.org/blog/obesity-is-on-the-rise-in-france-according-to-the-latest-epidemiological-survey/#:~:text=Nearly%2050%25%20of%20the%20French,doubled%20between%201997%20and%202020.

It was the same for my DP. He was only slightly overweight (BMI 27 and he has a lot of muscle) but his blood test results were very concerning. He lost weight and everything went back to normal. He also felt much better.

It’s definitely a problem now in lots of European countries. I was interested to read that Latvia has one of the highest obesity rates in Europe, and having visited Latvia it’s certainly obvious , perhaps in contrast to the other Baltic countries even.

Simple. People eat too many calories and have sedentary unfulfilling lives.

At least Google it!

Well that was why I said “ ironically.”

I also don’t think there is a direct link between feminist attitudes and obesity: no one as far as I know ever said to be a feminist you must be obese. But at a more subconscious level I do think women now feel less “ frightened” of not conforming to a sexual ideal.

That’s very interesting and is reflection of the changes all over the world.

Obesity is caused in the main by eating too much of the wrong food, and lack of exercise. There might be other stuff on the periphery like medical conditions, but the main cause is overeating and no exercise. Loads of cheap healthy stuff in supermarkets, so the argument that it’s more expensive to eat healthily is a null and void one. GYMs expensive? Go for a walk. Exercise at home in front of keep fit programmes on TV, of which there’s plenty. It’s an awful trait society currently has where they have to blame others for their crap situations, when they should be taking responsibility for their own self care. It’s not okay to celebrate ‘being happy in your own skin’ being fat - so many health issues on the back of being obese.

Indeed. I have spent a lot of time in France over the last 30-40 years and the French outside the cities have ballooned.

Absolutely. 👍

Fat shaming is deplorable although this movement towards making people believe weight doesn't contribute to health problems, think they call it 'fat phobia' is just as deplorable. When you can't bend to tie shoe laces or climb stairs without practically expiring carrying so much weight, how can that be healthy 🤦‍♀️

It's because they all follow the shocking diet advice on Mumsnet 😉

Nailed it!

I wonder how fat the Roly-Polys would look now?
And remember the Go Lighties, who used to do a sketch on Noel Edmunds program?

Those sorts of things would be classed as discriminatory now.

Rags like the Daily Mail feed into this by publicising for example Lizzo and how amazing she looks. I like Lizzo as a person and her music but she is not a healthy weight.

Roly polys look just normal .... that's a bit worrying.

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/entertainer-who-found-fame-one-14646274

Yep.

As a society we eat too much rubbish and don't move enough.

In the states it's worse as here at least in most areas there are public spaces likes parks etc that are safe to walk round (I know not all), in the states no bugger seems to walk.

When you look at how many people drive everywhere including to the gym it’s an issue.

I walk a lot but I’m lucky I have the time to walk a lot.

I do see a lot of incredibly lazy people driving eg to a huge local park and then guzzling on food. The same park when I was younger if we were with a family friend who didn’t drive we simply walked the 15-20 minutes to get there (as 8 year olds) all carrying something and then ate.

Actually at that same park and god knows why they got rid of them, were huge adventure playgrounds. Spent hours in there.

I really don’t understand the idea that you have to go to a gym to do exercise. You’ll burn way more calories and get way more endorphins if you go for a run. Wind in your face makes you feel so much more alive. Couch25k. Parkrun. Equally walking. There are always people walking a parkrun. And yes you sometimes get kids (and grown men) Screaming comments at you, but guess what, you can actually survive that.

I have run (and walked) for nearly 50 years and never set foot in a gym. You couldn’t pay me to do so.

The who? “Roly-Polys’ , did they have their own show?

Yep, France is seeing exactly the same problem as people move towards more sedentary lifestyles, particularly outside of cities where there is no real active leisure culture. If you're, basically, a peasant who's forebears for hundreds of years have worked their arses off on the land in all weathers, and you have a nice sit-down job pushing buttons in a factory (to which you drive to and from) then this is bound to happen. There's not actually a great tradition of outdoor recreation among working class rural people in France (except for hunting) so if you don't work on the land anymore but are still eating like you do then its going to go wrong.

Of course there's always plenty of people even in impoverished rural locations who cycle, go on randonées, play football etc, but just like in the UK there are sizeable number who are very sedentary, who 30 years ago would have had no choice but to be active.

I’m afraid I think the same. The French tend to use Paris as a reference point for so many things: fashion, appearance. Paris is not France.

Well, you could try going to a slimming group, where there is support and also the impetus of being weighed at each session. There is no judgement in these groups, but only help. I have found Slimming World good (there is a page on mumsnet) and also WW. They both give support online, recipes online (and you can buy cookery books - I have a cookery book habit!), talks at group meetings and online (podcasts), facebook, etc. contact between members of groups and group leaders. Alternates are 'by post' plans, though these are only targetted at the purchaser, whereas the group methods target the family, i.e. they are getting you to make family meals that are both nutritious and allow weight loss. Going to the gym without changing your diet (smaller portions doesn't quite hack it if the smaller portions are of fatty foods or fewer carbs without compensating for feeling hungry - you ought never to feel hungry on a diet) will not lose weight, though it will help maintain weight as well as being useful for healthy hearts etc.