Why can't we discuss how fat we've all become?

[Nodinnernogift]

Obesity is becoming the norm. Why aren't we allowed express concern or any views that are less than celebratory about this?

I mean seriously why?

If whole parts of your country were in the grip of a meth addiction we would be allowed have a discussion about it.

National campaigns to stop people smoking are applauded.

Look around you. Look in the mirror. We are all getting bigger and bigger. It reminds me of when people would visit the US in the 80s / 90s and come back with tales of huge people and massive portion sizes.

Does nobody care? It's like the Emperors New Clothes. I don't get why it's a sacrosanct topic.

Yabu - it's nobody's business
Yanbu - it's fine to address this as a societal problem

It really isn’t. You can cook spaghetti bolognese from scratch to feed a family of 4 for under £10 and get leftovers, a Mac Donald’s for 4 costs at £15 of doing the meal deal and more if not. Tomato pasta from scratch for £3, stir fry £8 and so on. Bananas are 20p each or 5 for £1 so the sweets comparison doesn’t work either.

Whenever I travel to nicer, wealthier parts of the UK, including London, I'm always shocked at how SLIM everyone looks in comparison to where I live (Yorkshire nowhere town).

I honestly think it's because what other joys do we have in our life apart from eating - if we don't have access to nice countryside, free cultural events and spots, disposable cash...

If it can be discussed without being offensive then fine.

I’m not angry -I pity them. I’m 68 -size 14/16 - how do these obese people move, walk long distances etc Life must be exhausting for them.

I'm the same size as you 14-16....and am in the obese category...

I think the upf thing is over egged....I'm a really good cook...I cook a lot from scratch and like really good quality food. I can tell you it's perfectly possible to get fat on home cooked food.

I agree. Angry and disgusted. Wtf? I feel concern, not for individuals but that this poor standards are going to curtail quality of life for so many people including my people. The pp describing the last five years of her father's life was so sad.

So that they CAN exercise! I’m now chief dog walker, run round work, any excuse. I wouldn’t go swimming previously, now I do. It’s a means to an end, imo.

Agree. I’m fed up with being told I need to eat more. I’m not greedy/hungry/bored…it’s so boring to hear people complain about their weight then stuff themselves full of food & if I don’t then I must have a food phobia..no I’ve just eaten lunch so don’t need to eat a bar of chocolate thanks

I feel quite chubby when I look in the mirror but when I go on the school run and compare myself to the other mums and teachers I’m one of the slimmest, which makes me feel better briefly. That’s the problem, we’ve definitely lost sight of what being fat is. Even if people aren’t obese they are carrying extra weight they don’t need, myself included.

I completely agree. UPF is a concept made up to sell books which doesn’t even have an official definition. It’s just a fad.

not only can you get fat “cooking From scratch” but you can get fat eating in restaurants or eating ready made, non UPF food (ie marks and Spencer’s have a wide range of ready meals that only contain the ingredients you’d use yourself)

But as mentioned, they stop the ‘food noise’. Possibly this could be long term, the body gets used to less food, the stomach shrinks. I haven’t touched chocolate, cakes or crisps in almost 2 years, despite my (slim) DH throwing chocolate down his face next to me. I can eat more than a ramekin of food now but I haven’t gone back to endless treats.

Totes agree, should not be afraid to call out obesity. Nowadays it's almost a hate crime just stating this. Not about being cruel and abusive but hiding or skirting round the issue does not help either. It's a complex and widespread issue

People are on the whole overweight these days. Being overweight is the norm and people don’t even think you’re that big until you’re a size 20 plus. U.K. average size is about a 16 now, which for most people will be overweight and for some obese. The problem is that we’re all desensitised to it. we’re also all too afraid of being accused of fat shaming these days to mention it to others. And so the problem just keeps growing.

fast food is available day and night, delivered straight to your door. More and more people work from home and are very sedentary. People make a half hearted attempt to loose weight by going to the gym for a few weeks after Christmas to walk on the treadmill and then give up, they’re too busy, too stressed etc etc. it’s easy not to. Eating healthily and exercising is an effort that many just haven’t got the motivation for. There’s always endless excuses about why their weight gain is different to others. I don’t care what size anyone is, you do you, but I don’t buy into most people’s excuses. There are a few people that will struggle due to medical conditions, but that’s not the majority. Some people are naturally a bit bigger built but no one is naturally obese. Most people could loose weight if they could be bothered to put in the effort. It is an effort, I’ve done it, but to me getting back to being a size 8 after years of being a size 12 made me really happy.

We all change over the years but its a different change in her looks i cant explain it in words.
I know we lose our elasticity over time due to age but as i said its different.
And she`s in to skin care very well.
I think ozempic has its good and bad its not something i would use i was temped.
But decided to lose weight with healthy eating and walking active more too poor for the jym lol.
And i did it took me 2 year but i kept with it but it didnt age me.

Fat isn't a proper term?! I don't think saying heavy/curvy/obese is better, personally. It's all just synonyms.

It Is talked about. Constantly. All the time, every day. It's boring.

I'm morbidly obese. I used to be slim and attractive, then I got ill. What makes me sick is the amount of people who think they know everything about weight loss, and who love to inform me that if I ate less and moved more, I'd lose weight. They then become snarky when I tell them I don't actually eat because of my disabilities, and I'm a wheelchair user so I'm very, very limited in what exercise I can do. I've been screamed at randomly in the street, about how if I lost weight and stopped being lazy, I wouldn't need to use a wheelchair. It's been suggested by strangers in shops that if I walked more, I'd "recover" and could buy smaller clothes. Yes, that happens.

My medical team can't explain why I'm so fat. The consensus is probably a combination of lipoedema, hormonal imbalances, various medications including steroids, and gastro diseases, obviously teamed with my sedentary lifestyle because I can't walk.

The amount of fat cells that have gathered themselves on my body does not determine my worth. I'm not dirty, lazy or a "scrounger". I'm not fat because I'm greedy, and I'm not disabled because I'm fat. I'm fat because I'm disabled. To look at a person's body and judge their entire worth on how much fat they have is appalling. There are much worse things people can be than fat.

@BermudaBlues , you could buy in help maybe?

I was overweight from about the age of 8. In my teens i felt I was revoltingly, disgustingly overweight. I got control of my weight in my early 20s, mostly through disordered eating that bordered on eating disorder at some points. I returned to weight control measures in my thirties trying to lose weight for my wedding. At my lowest, my BMI was around 20, so whilst healthy, i was never excessively thin. I then stepped away from weighing myself for around 6 years during pregnancies and the early years with my children. I weighed myself about a month ago and was shocked to discover that I was 7lbs heavier than my "revolting, disgusting" teenage weight. The shock? I had honestly believed I was in the healthy category, based on a comparison of myself with others around me. My revolting, disgusting teenage weight was only a BMI of 26! Needless to say i am now watching what i eat again and trying to head back into the healthy category.

But doing it quickly does harm you, you should see my arms/legs/stomach after losing 11st, it ain't pretty!

Obesity is very strongly associated with poverty- so yes, let's work on lifting people out of poverty.

We all have an amount of freedom to choose what we eat, how much we exercise.

However, affording ourselves unlimited freedom to eat as we please, will, eventually curtail our freedom through strength, agility, vitality, the freedom to move as we envisage, good health, a positive mindset.

So much of our culture lends itself to a life of obesity, immobility, chronic pain, crumbling joints, chronic illnesses, a burden on the NHS. I don’t think people realise, unless they have elderly relatives, end up in hospital, work in a hospital.

However, expressing obesity concerns in 2025 is probably a minefield compared with say, 1975.

I do think it’s best to be discerning, carve out your own lifestyle that gives you the freedom to enjoy a healthy, active life for longer.

I'm sorry. I really did not mean to offend anyone when I started the thread. I don't think any individual should have their weight or body remarked on. I also hate people making assumptions.

I honestly am talking about averages; the proportion of overweight and obese people.

I don't understand the judgement towards overweight people. I don't understand overweight people feeling such personal shame. They are not the minority.

They are the majority in fact and given the fact that most people would prefer to be healthy, slim, strong and mobile it's obviously very hard in today's society.

I'm not moralistic about it at all, but since I've worked in this area - broadly speaking, public health science - I have absolutely gotten more nanny-statist about it. Partly due to the rise of what I call stunt food, which is primarily for social media and targeted at young people, but things like restaurant desserts containing 39 teaspons of sugar for example - I think this sort of thing should be legally regulated. I don't know exactly how, I'm not a lawyer. If you'd have asked me five years ago I'd have said its government overreach, but its increasingly clear that the junk food market isn't going to regulate itself. Quite the contrary, its getting more and more extreme.

I think sometimes the way it is raised and talked about is not helpful and further alienates the person. BUT I do think we are quite lazy as a nation, too short on time and we have not invested in healthy education and support. For example... people want quick... have a look what's available as a take away or delivery it's all shit. Where's the healthy quick options? And I know you can still cook healthy quickly at home but need some prep for having the right things in. If you walk around a German or French supermarket there are so many quick healthy options. But not here, look at the make up of food/drinks in a Tesco express...absolutely horrendous. I am a large person both physically and because I am overweight and I struggle to understand it all. All nutrition and healthy lifestyle stuff is usually a money maker where is the non bias stuff. My child's school teach it but then serve school dinners that should be banned limited nutrition.