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

Once again, no-one is forcing you to eat UPFs, and do you seriously think that people weren't chained to desks 6-8 hours a day in the past?

I’m a size 14 to 16. I’m fat. I don’t like it.

I’m doing something about it, at least…

As someone who is overweight I feel like this is discussed a lot. On MN in particular not a week goes by where it is not a topic in one thread at least.

I know why I am overweight a lot has to do w childhood norms. I'm working on it but that is a slow process.

No I do not need to told about portion size. Nor do I need to know about 10K a day. Or be told to leave the car.. I need a qualified therapist that can support me through childhood trauma.. that doesnt come cheap and it doesn't come on the NHS .. so for now I am working on accepting myself as I am and not take onboard the judgement of others.

Threads like this I ought to avoid.

Don't judge Op or think you know it all. Many of those overweight people are carrying stuff you have no idea about.

Barking and Dagenham is a London borough.

It has the highest childhood obesity rate in London and 71% of adults are overweight or obese.

I agree. I actually thought about this today. We are definitely bigger (collectively!) - the same way everyone was short way back when and the evidence lies in the size of doors when you go to places that have houses and cottages that are standing from centeries ago!

I’m in my 30s and half of my friends arnt obese - I’d say size 14/16, but we struggle to put off the weight - some have been diagnosed with hormonal imbalances, some have other illnesses that has meant they’ve gained weight - but it’s a problem! Something has changed in our … evolution?

I don’t blame anyone at all - I look at myself and can see im a little chubby, but our food is awful! I walk every day, eat decently but get caught out my eating out for work or grabbing a chocolate because I need a sugar rush.

Also our living conditions - I was thinking about people in rubbish housing situations that are limited by how they cook - whether that is temporary housing or awkward house sharing.

Anyway - we are getting bigger - and we need to look at our food and lifestyle.

So glad that others have mentioned Snag. When they first launched I bought several pairs of their tights but their marketing has completely turned me off. All the gushing comments on social media about morbidly obese bodies trussed like ham hocks in fishnet stockings feel so disengenous. I wonder how many of the echo chamber are obese, wanting to feel better about themselves? I can empathise to an extent as I've struggled with my own weight in the past, and it's understandable to want to kid yourself that you're bootylicious when in reality you're dangerously overweight. I appreciate that a fraction of people genuinely find obese bodies attractive, but it's undeniable that morbid obesity it not healthy and therefore should not be glorified. The biggest I got was a size 18 and my weight caused gout, plantar fasciitis and pulsatile tinnitus. Nothing commendable about that whatsoever.

For the same reason some people pretend the occasional intersex person proves that sex isn’t a binary thing - some size 6 models aren’t healthy, despite being thin. And because one size 6 model (who drinks, smokes and eats crap) is more unhealthy that a size 30 model, that is extrapolated and twisted to back up the idea that size 30 doesn’t equate to less healthy than size 6. But we all know that if you’re feeling unhealthy at size 6, you’re going to feel even bloody worse at size 30.

This is an interesting comment actually. I'm trying to sell a vintage 'St. Michael' M&S dress on Vinted. It's size 8. I wore it in the very late 90s. Bust is 31 ins. Hips 34 ins, it's on the label. It wouldn't fit my daughter who wears a current 8 or 10 in ladies sizes now . She's early 20s. I was in my very early 20s when I wore it. I wouldn't call my DD fat though.

It does show how clothes sizing has changed over the years.

I can't believe I was that skinny once!

Hmm less of an issue in certain boroughs. I have lived in a few parts of the UK, including London, and some of the parts of London I worked in had by far the highest proportion of seriously obese people in any part of the UK I’ve been (and I say that as someone who comes from one the officially fattest areas)! Fried chicken shops have a lot to answer for in some parts of London.

So fat people shouldn't wear nice things? Have tights that actually fit them? Be able to see those tights on fat/disabled bodies before they buy?

I'm dangerously overweight through no fault of my own, so you think that means I shouldn't be found attractive, and shouldn't ever feel good about myself? Hoe disgustingly ableist.

I'd rather be dangerously fat than have an attitude like yours.

"Don't judge Op or think you know it all. Many of those overweight people are carrying stuff you have no idea about."

@Enko pretty sure you judged me by your own preconceptions and didn't read my posts.

If you watch my 600lb life, nearly all of the people on there have experienced childhood trauma and abuse. Very commonly, rape and sexual assault. Yes, many people who have experienced the same are not overweight or obese, but people have different ways to cope and overeating is one of them. It’s far more complex than “just eat less and move more”. Binge eating disorder is a real disorder, like any other eating disorder. It’s honestly so sad reading some of the comments on here about how overweight people repulse people etc. I work on a field where I use trauma-informed practice, which of course comes with empathy and compassion. This is lacking so much on these kinds of threads. P.S you can self refer to talking therapies through the NHS and get an assessment at the very least, or ask your GP to refer you

I agree. I remember in the early 00s suddenly noticing crowds of teenagers approximately half of them were overweight which was new. What was also new was the larger girls in the group weren't covering up, they were wearing the same mini skirts and belly tops as their skinny friends.

I was in my early twenties and having been a relatively chubby teen had diet my body into skinny submission. I was finally wearing the clothes I had always wanted to as I finally 'could'.

i realised that actually always 'could' so the joke was on me.

I really don't know why anyone is concerned for the masses. I could not give a shit what weight anyone is carrying, what anyone is eating, whatever it takes to live a life. Anyone who wants help to lose weight, will pursue it. This nanny state mentality and people getting pulsatile tinnitus from being a size 18, just get on with your own life.

Or if you mention BMI you get a rush to tell you BMI is outdated and not good science (because body builders and rugby players...) entirely forgetting that the vast majority of people in the obese category are not simply victims of misdiagnosis due to incredible muscle mass.

Do you think the mini skirts and belly tops are flattering on overweight bodies?

I think though we can learn from Japan. Their government recognised a while back they were heading for a potential health system crisis due to an aging population and developed policies etc to encourage people to look after their own health which has been widely successful. Clearly it's not the same issue that the UK has but doesn't mean that the UK government can't take learnings from Japan.

It's the impact on the health systen and the economy that many people do care about.

I think it’s talked about a lot actually.
I also think people are overestimating how much many people overeat by. Do the calculations. It takes an extra 3500 calories to gain 1lb. That is about 40 chocolate digestive. So a person could easily gain a pound or two per month, just from a couple of biscuits a day. Look through this thread, with the constant use of words like ‘scoff’, ‘stuff’ that are so judgemental. Most people are not massively overeating to gain the weight.
Discussion with less moralising would be more successful imo.

The reasons WHY people eat more than they need are complex. They are behavioural, sure, but they are also genetic, mental health related, physiological and complicated. People are simply not created equal, eating enough to live but no more is for some people incredibly easy, for others it’s extremely hard and sometimes impossible. We know that in conditions like prader willi for example, people are always starving like they’ve not eaten in days, their ability to feel full doesn’t exist. Research shows that many people feel this to a lesser degree. Food noise is very real.
food addiction is real. Trauma related eating is real.
just eat less is about as helpful and intelligent a comment to fat people as ‘just don’t drink’ is to an alcoholic or ‘just eat more’ is to an anorexic.

Of course not. When I was fat I still took great pride in dressing well. I bought Snag tights precisely because they were comfortable.

I also felt attractive, mostly because my DH adores me for me at any weight. It doesn't mean I was healthy though, or that being obese should be applauded.

Ableist? As someone with four debilitating disabilities, I can't relate. Thanks for the attitude.

I am and always have been a slim size 8 and I definitely feel I'm not the norm where I live. infact i often have people commenting on my size, "how do you stay so slim", "what do you eat" etc. It drives me crazy. can you imagine if I went round asking how they got so fat or how much do they eat! I've sometimes wanted to get fatter so I'm more like everyone else to avoid all these comments.

It doesn't take much additional muscle mass to be higher in BMI, you certainly don't need to be a sports person.

I did manual work, I rode horses for fun not competition, those two things meant I had a BMI that listed me very much in the obese when I had a 22in waist. I wasn't a body builder I just had more muscle mass than is usual.

A few folks have mentioned Snag. I used to follow them on FB. I get that they are comfy etc, but the ads made me feel uncomfortable tbh.
Using morbidly obese models etc and I am rather fat and thought it odd myself. How is it ok to use morbidly obese models, but not models at the other end of the scale ie anorexic or just plain really skinny.

God, I can't stand this sanctimonious crap. There are complex reasons why people overeat. But it doesn't help that we are constantly being bombarded/ tempted by crap food - and that's just an offshoot of capitalism. And the postcode thing: I bet they are all more deprived areas where you talk about people being fat. There's a direct link between poverty and obesity. So look at the underlying causes and sort those out instead of trying to shame individuals.