To be shocked at the level of obesity of British children?

[MEM00]

Having recently come back from holiday I found myself really shocked by the size of so many other British kids at the resort we were at. It was mostly a mix of British, French and German families and I found it impossible to not notice the difference in the British kids compared to others. DD is 8 and I would say average sized, by no means skinny. She made friends with another girl the same age by the pool, and i'm not joking when i say the other girl must have been twice the size when they were next to each other.

Am i overthinking this? Because it really makes me worry for the future.

This isn't intended by be 'fat shaming' in any way btw.

@DoNotScrapeMyDataBishes Ah, yeah, I remember Pot Noodles being very popular with the school's student librarians, who had access to a kettle and who therefore didn't need to suffer the (fairly atrocious) canteen food, and could instead choose from any number of delicious Pot Noodle flavours. I took packed lunches but the novelty of the Pot Noodles left me feeling pretty jealous, if you can believe that!

How do you feel about your mother's Pot Noodle-related parenting choices now?

@Stravaig there’s a real poignancy to your words, you should write about this. I’d buy the book.

I know that this is only a small part of the problem but I think it's scandalous the amount of children's foods that are marketed as "healthy" when they are UPFs. I think it's misleading and it's not fair to promote that to people as a lot of people are unaware of the sugar content etc.

@Lentilweaver

Talking about whole foods, one comes across as sanctimonious.

I don't your posts do come across as being sanctimonious, but I think this is difficult to avoid with using the term 'whole food'. Things which aren't 'whole foods' must be 'not whole foods', which suggests they are only 'part food', and that brings the suggestion that's it's also 'part not food'.

I don't have a suggestion for an alternative term for 'whole foods', but I can see how, were I to post something like 'I try to feed my child mainly whole foods', that could be perceived as an implied criticism of people whose children do not eat mainly whole foods. It's a tricky and emotive subject.

Yes, I agree with this. I honestly think clear labeling for UPFs would be really helpful, especially for the growing number of people who want to make good choices but don’t always know what to look out for. It might also nudge food producers to back away from ultra processing and make more products available that do not bear a UPF label.

Weight also “creeps up” but one can’t say anything to eg a teenager who is getting a bit overweight as otherwise that is “fat shaming “

This is not the same in some other cultures. Certain Asian countries come to mind immediately - something would be said about this immediately and big efforts made to nip it in the bud. I know people would be very uncomfortable about that in the UK.

Just generally, countries with a lot of social etiquette and rules around eating (not on the street, no snacking) tend to be significantly slimmer.

@User14March What a lovely thing to say, thank you!

I'm sorry if you've been in that situation. It's tough. And I know how privileged I am to not have experienced it myself. Some people are just so close minded they can't see beyond the end of their nose!

I'm in the middle of Ultra Processed People and have previously read Why we eat (too much). I agree knowledge is power!

Both my daughters in their teens have started to look slightly plumper, though were not actually overweight, at certain times but I certainly didn't say anything. They both just grew more in height and slimmed out and they are both slender now aged 19 and 15.

I was slightly overweight aged 16 and am so glad neither parent ever said anything negative or called me fat. I was getting name called about it frequently at school though which made me very upset and knocked my confidence for a few years. Home was at least a safe space. I lost a stone when I went to sixth form college mainly as I felt so much happier and I guess my hormones had settled down and I was eating better and taking more exercise.

So I am against any fat shaming - it only made it worse for me. What made me lose weight was feeling happier about myself which gave me the impetus to take more exercise and eat better. Plus sixth form college had a nice canteen and no tuck shops or vending machines. I copied what my slim friends ate for lunch- lasagne but maybe not with chips as well but a salad. Egg salad butty. Pasty and baked beans.

I think 2 sausages is pretty standard. It's what me and my 12yo DD have. 17yo DS sometimes has 3 depending on how many I have.

That's very interesting. Has he written a book?

It's an essay in one of his collections. I can't remember which though.

That's true - I always get a few good flavours in The Netherlands. Based in Germany, they are available but really not an every day snack.

It may not be the key, but it certainly plays a part! Stop parroting this nonsense.

I eat more than anyone I know- trying to address that - and I am slightly overweight. However, my weight never increases, because I walk a lot. Any time the walking has been significantly cut back then the weight goes on. I lost a stone once I started walking the dog every day, no change in my eating habits.

He published several books of his collected essays and articles, plus others. Those I have read were very good - funny and interesting and informative.

You are very vague, if you want to hear things from another perspective, try to be more clear.

Exercise, particularly cardio has a huge benefit on weight. I’m in my mid 50’s and have a weekly PT session, go running with DH every weekend and do several gym classes a week. Together with walking the dog every day, this has kept my weight around the 9’10 mark without watching what I eat.

Exercise releases endorphins that are really beneficial to mood. So while sometimes it can be hard to motivate oneself to do this stuff once you get over the hump it becomes self motivating. After 2 pregnancies and a particularly tough time in between them I am now able to get back into exercise. I swim 3 times a week, walk everywhere and am going to now start the couch to 5k.
It took a bit to get started but now I have its worth it.

There is also alot of evidence that being outside especially in green spaces is also incredibly beneficial for mood and general health

I can imagine it being a bit indirect if exercise boosts your mood or if people in a better headspace are more likely to exercise. The better mental state could mean that you're less likely to crave the junk food.

Do you think if the climate was as it is today more of year we’d eat as we do & exercise more?

Exercise also boosts the beneficial gut bacteria in the gut microbiome, where the vast bulk of serotonin is made, and hence boosts mood via that route.

Personally, absolutely yes.

Where I am it's 26 degrees and feels warmer because of the humidity. To be honest this makes me not want to exercise outdoors! It makes me feel quite lethargic. I've noticed in hot countries you see fewer people jogging, cycling etc. I actually think cooler temperatures are better for outdoor exercising.
Hot weather definitely makes me eat less though.

Here we go... I am interested to hear about life in Norway. Exercise in a sometimes harsh climate. Is that OK?