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.

To people saying "why do you care", it clearly is a societal problem given the cost to the NHS of obesity (£6.5 Bn) and to GDP and so yes, we all do have the right to care. We are failing the next generation by allowing this to continue. Any government who talks of increasing funding to the NHS without a realistic plan to address obesity is shying away from their responsibilities. And mostly they do this because they are all desperate for votes and it seems to be unacceptable to tell people to manage their own health better. It is very much everyone's business because the living standards of all of us are diminished by our tolerance of so much obesity.

Look, labeling people as lazy etc is not going to solve this issue. It is reaching crisis point, and needs for action, are already a bit too late imo. There needs to be a cultural shift in how food is viewed for a start. Some people would take more care in how their pets are fed, then the food that they put on their own tables, for their children. Everybody deserves to eat good quality, nourishing food. The Government is to blame as well. They allowed the schools to introduce rubbish, processed food in the first place. Look at a lot of other Countries, and see what they feed their children in schools. The Worst are Countries like here, and the USA. The Government has also allowed the rampant use of harmful chemicals in our foods, and drinks. Sweetener this, artificial that! We are seeing the results, up, and down the high street. It is disastrous.

I think it depends on the DC's appetite. DD and her friend are still happy with a happy meal at 12.

Totally agree with this. My 10yo DS is often commented on as being too skinny. He is 50th centile for weight!

Yup teacher here. State sector. I am now regularly reporting safeguarding concerns for teen weight gain that is very very fast and negative on their life.
We have a very posh private school down the road, their kids are slim.
There are so many factors. Schools having to cut fun or active things in favour of new curriculum change a few years ago. Fields being sold off. Parents not wanting to make any child do anything they don't want to. We now have averagely a third of a class sitting out every pe lesson with genuine parental notes.
Then add in the food companies being allowed to pump more and more shit into stuff with seemingly weakening legislation.
The government need to tackle it head on. We cant keep stacking the odds against parents and then insisting they are all feckless and stupid.
I speak from a person raised on benefits in the 80s. My mum cooked from scratch but cheap carbs were the order of the day and large portions. I was always overweight. I've lost 5 stone in a year this year and it's hard. You can barely buy any food out and even using lidl or aldi, buying fresh and good food is more expensive.

I don't think we have much of a cooking culture. Most of my peers admit they can't be arsed with scratch cooking, especially when their kids don't even eat it when they do.

Snacks are also a problem. In the past if your child pestered you endlessly you'd send them out to play, you can't do that now and I've definitely had times where snacks have been a bit of a crutch. I'm firmer now, ignore any moaning when I've said no but I know some of my gentle parent friends would judge me for that too.

Yup, could not agree more: dopamine hit from instant source.

If u struggle for time & facilities to cook, this just feeds the dopamine cycle. The largest people I know work ft or multiple jobs.

We need to change systemically to fix the obesity epidemic across all ages.

The simple answer is that we have lost sight of what a healthy amount and type of food looks like. Despite the so called 'cost of living crisis' food in this country is generally cheap, and supermarkets are stacked full of over-processed foods full of fat and sugar which have, over the years, become accepted as the norm. Every high street if filled with takeaway places, specialist dessert cafes with massive ice creams and huge milkshakes topped with cream and marshmallows, bakeries with oversized cupcakes topped with mountains of buttercream and then chocolates or a biscuit on top of that.

Parents seem to have become obsessed that children might go hungry- I work in a school and children are sent with packed lunches full of processed food and far too much of it. We ask parents to send a healthy snack each day but instead get a whole snack box full of long-life yoghurt, pepperoni, fruit winders, yoghurt coated 'fruit' bites, mini cheddars, fridge raiders chicken things etc. etc.

There's no understanding any more of what is healthy and how much is healthy.

I deeply object to the 'we should all care as its a drain on the nhs' argument too.
It's dehumanising and leads to the idea of these people being a problem. It isn't them that Is the problem, it's a systemic social one. We should also care about thr people , not just when they drain our money

Poverty and education. Poor kids are fatter, lots from immigrant families, high sugar and carb diets.
Look at the trolleys when fat families go shopping, eyeopening.

This is what I meant.

I am very lucky I have a mum who comes over a few times a tear and fills my freezer with home cooked food that I can quickly heat up to feed my kids. For example DP was out yesterday and last night so we had bolognase from the freezer and I cooked some pasta and veg.

I also have a supportive partner who currently cooking a veg heavy tray bake that will do for dinners for 2 days this week. However this is a position of privilege that many do not have.

A single parent coming in from work at 6 to grumpy toodlers or preschoolers will grab something from the freezer. It takes time to cook even a basic stir fry or bolognase. Yes I have quick mid week dinners but I was lucky to be raised in a house where I was thought to cook. My comment was regarding the wider society and obesity is more prevent in lower socioeconomic communities where these resources are more stretched.

I think school dinners are a massive problem. Especially when they are relied on by poorer DC.

I mean they're fed junk at school so it's understandable that some parents and DC think that is the way to eat.

Vanity sizes don't help. Neither does lycra and/or elasticated waists. If your rigid jeans are a bit tight you notice, and eat less for a few days.

Two thirds of the adult population being overweight or obese is a problem though. Don't you think??

OMG yes, this drives me absolutely insane.

Food is NOT a babysitter.

If your child can't learn to occupy themselves/learn when you want them to be quiet/cope with boredom etc

Food is NOT the answer because all you're teaching them from a young age is how to regulate their emotions with food.

How many MNetters say they eat when they're emotional or bored, and now they're overweight?

Why would you want your child to end up the same way?

@Crystallizedring agree re portion size, it’s so skewed now. We get gousto boxes and I’m on the Facebook community and there is always posts on there saying how the portions are tiny etc when in reality that will most likely be a normal portion size, I always feel full after eating them anyway

But when are these families supposed to be able to get that exercise?

Many are lucky and time/resource rich. But I remember what it was like to be struggling.

Easy to say 'just get out and walk/ go to the park' if you live in a nice area. What if you live in one with vicious dogs off lead, needles in the play equipment and antisocial gangs hanging around?

Are you really going to stroll into that with young children in the late evening? You need money, time and transport to take them out of the rough area for a walk.

Cooking takes mental and physical energy that maybe some just do not have enough left in them to give after a day of exhausting minimum wage work. Maybe they feel guilty their child has missed out on a trip, essential item, day out or holiday they can't afford...but they can grab them a Freddo from round the shop and see them smile briefly.

Until people's quality of life and living conditions improve the we will not see those in poorer areas getting healthier.

Can we stop with the overweight = lazy connotations please.
I am overweight, I have worked full time since my dc were 5/6 months old (hope none of you 'lazy' sods had extended maternity leave or are SAHM's?) I covered all extra curricular activities in both the evening and weekends, I have kept the house immaculate even when the kids were small. We are all showered daily and in clean clothing and I have got up at 4.45am every morning for the last 20 years to fit everything in (hope none of you skinny people are lying in bed until 8am ever, even at the weekend?)
On top of the above I come home from my full time job and make home cooked food that includes plenty of veg, rarely ever cook beige food!
But everyone on this thread has let their guard down and feels free to do a bit of fat bashing to make themselves feel better 🙄
Yes I am fat, no I am not bloody lazy.

I totally agree with this. I went to church today and the kids in front of me had a fruit shoot, packet of crisps and box of raisins . They'd had bfast at home, and were away to have lunch after church but their mum had a bag full of snacks with her. The service is 75 mins long.

It’s not school dinners.

a school dinner is barely 300 cals. Regardless of whether it’s healthy or not, no one is gaining weight on a lunch of 300 cals.

its portion size and losing sight of what a normal portion size looks like. This is why slimming world doesn’t work long term, as it doesn’t address that factor.

It isnt as complex as some want to make it

I get it. I was that person, oh Im on steroids, oh Im on anti depressants, oh I have PCOS, so I cant lose weight

Bottom line is I love my food, Im an excellent cook, I love eating out, I love holidays and fine wine. I love large volumes of food. Im interested in food history and different cultures foods. So I ate too much. Simple as. And I didnt and still dont move around enough (still working on that)

Denial is what is driving people to make out this is a hugely complex issue. We just need to eat less. My GP told me this for years, he said just put less on your plate and I thought he was really unhelpful and what did he know

Turns out he was right.

Every day is a struggle but Im much older now and my joints will give out if I end up putting all the weight back on.

And if you think it really is complex and specialist etc etc, how do you also explain that we have a growing number of obese pets in this country? Are they also victims of food poverty, hormone troubles, cultural issues?

No, fat people, tend to have fat pets. Pets also have little regulation for food, so if they beg and beg and beg, you'll end up giving them more, little treats at the table, snacks while out, bowl filled too high.

Disclaimer - the cat is also slightly overweight.

If a child is being overfed and under exercised, it's very much that child's parents who are the problem.

As mentioned in a previous thread, most folk will remember when Jamie Oliver was tasked with making school dinner healthier. There were pictures in the papers of parents passing parcels of fish and chips, burgers, kebabs over the school fence to their children, while the dinner ladies were throwing away mountains of healthy food.
So stop blaming everyone else because it's their own bloody fault.
I remember around 20 years ago on TV about the burgeoning obesity crisis on the States and that it was on its way to the UK. They weren't wrong!!
And having visited America a few times in the naughties I can testify that they have a huge crisis (no pun intended) There were people so massive that they were on mobility scooters and some had breathing g tubes in their throats.
Unsurprising really given the size of the portions they serve

Humans come in different shapes, sizes, colours, religions. Nothing shocking about that.