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.

UPF

When I see overweight people, I just assume they, like me, overeat when stressed. So I have heaps of respect and compassion for a person who has too much going on and are likely putting their own needs behind those of others.
Keeping my own weight in check requires a lot of determination when things are busy and stressful.

It's called the architecture of choice and we all need all of our wits about us to stay a normal weight.

Observing people around me they eat a lot of snacks & no organised activity.

There’s a lot of defensiveness on this thread and it’s clearly raised hackles but this is a public health issue.

i think it’s alot to do with lifestyle. We use cars to do even very short distances. Desk jobs, working from home. Long working days less time to shop and cook. Short days in winter, bad weather. Processed food and additive fast food.
not eating set meals and snacking all day.

British people (women too) work more hours than on the continent as standard. We also still shoulder most of the domestic responsibilities. So essentially I think its stress, speedy food and working too many hours.

Calm yourself down with your stats and all. I said generally. And I think this site is a pretty good snapshot of family life tbh.

I said I don't live in the UK. I did not say I have never been to the UK.

For me-
Strawberry Pop Tarts and Boosts.

also I have a disability that means I can no longer do what I did in terms of housework/exercise/socialising and working. Oh and menopause.

there is not one answer here. Maybe next time just ask them.

I love how some posters think people are overweight because they're uneducated and poor.

News flash, educated women with decent incomes who like to cook from scratch can be overweight too. Can't believe that even needs saying.🙄

Well not on the poverty line but you can go on a cruise for relatively little money. 7 nights with all your food and accommodation and visit the Shetland Isles and 3 Norwegian towns for £870 for two. Or you can go to Butlins for 7 days the week after for £1,100 on the same basis ..

https://www.iglucruise.com/msc-virtuosa/11th-may-2024_c321159

Why do I need to ‘calm myself with my stats’? They weren’t for you, they were in answer to the OP’s question. There’s no need to get offended just because that they don’t fit with your narrative. Stats are surely a much better indicator than ‘I once read on a mumsnet thread’. So i’m afraid I’ll stick with my stats.

I do live in the U.K. as do all my friends and family, so have a very good idea of family life. We don’t all eat from jars and packets.

Maybe they could take us to an island made of alcohol and cheese? No goady thin people allowed. 😂

To answer PPs as to why overweight women are more of a concern, the answer is money.

To be blunt: fat men die young (ish), mostly because they're killed off fairly quickly by heart attacks, strokes etc.

Fat women are more likely to develop autoimmune disorders/chronic conditions such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome and certain cancers which will, of course, ultimately kill you as well, just more slowly and at greater cost to the public purse.

Hence why overweight is a public health concern for all, but as with most things in life, sex matters.

I have noticed on MN that French women tend to be revered for not being overweight and other clichés. I am French and live in France, I grew up, studied and worked in England mostly until I was 24, and have lived for a long time in Spain as an adult, and my friends are English, French and Spanish. Here are some things I have noticed (one person's experience and opinion!)

1. Women in England tend to do more of the childcare and mental load than in France where men are more expected to do their share e.g. more dads at school events, more mums with proper careers (as childcare better organised here). So mothers don't have less time than fathers to exercise, if they wish.

1. In England, food is marketed as a treat or reward, especially to women, and that simply doesn't happen here: food is marketed as delicious or good quality. If you tell your French friend you have period pain, she will say to go to the doctor or pharmacy or to take a painkiller or do an exercise to stretch it out or maybe have a shower and a lie down; in England you have 100g of Dairy Milk and a bottle of Pinot Grigio (yes this is a horrid cliché).

1. In France, friends and family and maybe even neighbours or work colleagues will tell you bluntly and factually when you put on or lose weight or other physical changes that are health-related. This is with an expectation that you care about your health, and they care about you so they care about your health too. It is not yet/traditionally a body positive society.

1. It is an expectation that you respect yourself and those around you and take a pride in your appearance. Men and women do not wear leggings or joggers unless they are exercising or doing something that requires this type of clothes. To walk the dog or nip out for bread, you wear, for example, jeans, and clean, ironed clothes without holes in and polished shoes.

5a. The people I know all go on some sort of beach holiday every year or elsewhere where you would wear a bikini every day in front of others (e.g. country house or campsite with pool, or in the mountains or somewhere with a lake or river), usually to extended family. Of course, not everyone in France wants to or can do this, but I'd say it's more common than in U.K. So after eating your 13 desserts at Christmas and your kings' pastry cake in January, you know in the back of your mind that the bikini is coming... Therefore... you pay attention BUT

5b. French 'dieting' is having soup 2 or 3 times a week for a month, having 1 piece of bread and a smaller piece of cheese with and after lunch and dinner, and having fruit for dessert after lunch and dinner, having a smaller slice of buttered and jammed baguette or just half a croissant for your weekend breakfast, and doing this for a month to 'pay attention'. But still eating delicious things and enjoying them: diet is not a punishment.

Some other observations:
In England there is much more junk food readily available and it is often cheaper than in France and Spain. It is also more accepted to eat in the street, on public transport, at your desk at work, and to snack. A lot. Anywhere. Whereas in France we tend to just eat at mealtimes, 3 times a day, perhaps with something for a goûter around 5pm (but this snack is more for children). However we eat a proper meal that fills us up and is delicious, and we eat at a table with cutlery and a napkin. However, McDonald's is more popular here than in U.K. Certainly we have UPF but I feel that there is more of an emphasis on home-cooking and quality of ingredients. For example, you can't get the wide range of ready meals like in M&S in the UK and the ones there are here aren't good and are really expensive. When you don't want to cook, you can go to a traiteur and get home-cooked food made by someone else, with fresh, quality ingredients.
French people tend to be less fussy eaters than English.
In France, food is not a reward.
I think English people and perhaps particularly women (hormonal?) have an emotional relationship with food. In France we have it with cigarettes and vapes!

Sorry, I have jumbled up England and U.K. all over this post.

And of course there are fat people, anorexics, etc. in France like any other country.

I'm overweight because I'm insulin resistant.

I am a few pounds overweight, after my second child (8 months old), having never been overweight in my life.

The problem for me is lifestyle. I love cooking and don’t particularly like processed food, however, with both me and my partner working, the children, house, social life, hobbies (and so on and so on), I just don’t get time to cook the type of meals I’d like to from scratch.

I think it was a lot easier in the previous generations when women stayed at home / could afford to work part time.

We've lost sight of how much better the french are than us British fatties

There was probably as many fat men as women, but you're judging women more because that is was society/patriarchy expects of you. So well done for that.

But if you are really curious about it and not judging women, I'm sure you could educate yourself. Lots of studies out there.

I love how some posters think people are overweight because they're uneducated and poor.

Whilst it's not "because" people are less well off or poorly educated, it's nationally true that obesity is more common in lower socio economic groups than higher ones. There are all sorts of reasons for this, but lack of access to money and education are definitely contributing factors.

Ooh another fatty thread. Just waiting for one about why women wear make up/have botox etc now.

It’s both sexes.

Fast or processed food is much cheaper and easier than healthy. That’s why a lot of rich people are thin.

People have incredibly busy lives and no time to think about what they’re eating or to get enough sleep. Again why very rich people are often thin.

Probably these issues like having no time for themselves affect women more than men now I think of it. But I see as many fat men day to day!

You just seem to be taking it very personally is all.

I think you just have to look at the modern British diet to get your answer. Many people live on processed foods, very carb rich diets, lots of sweets and biscuits etc. I also think people drink a lot more than they used to. My mum grew up in a working class family and said it was very unusual for working class women to drink when she was young. Yes middle class people would have wine with their food but it's not something the working classes indulged in. These days people consume thousands of calories a week in wine alone! We are also more sedentary these days so we're just not burning all these extra calories.
It's a combination of various things but I really think many people in the UK have a very poor diet. I spend a lot of time in Southern Europe (a Mediterranean country) where I have family and their diet is a thousand times superior. It's all grilled fish and meat with a big salad. Lots of fruit and veg, olive oil etc. No processed foods or ready meals.

I read all of this with a French accent and I do like your numbering system

A lot of what you say is true.

Yes so sorry about my numbering fail!