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

You made a general statement and then one about arthritis.

The majority of people can exercise for £0. Using gym costs and availability as an excuse is nonsense.

It isn't nonsense, that was the point I was making.

Or those living in a flat. I used to skip while living with my folks, with a good sized garden. I don't in my flat with no outside space. It's much harder for single parents to get out for a free run or a skip too, between work and childcare.
Not the case for everyone, obviously, some of us are just lazy. But it's all part of the wider conversation that's already taken place here about how other factors play in to weight, diet and health. Running is free but only once you've bought trainers and a sports bra and have the time to run and a safe place to do it.

Ok
I see what you’re talking about now.

We’ll just have to disagree on that one then 👍

What we do know is the absolute vast majority of obesity and overweight cases has nothing to do with illness or medication. It’s a red herring. Sure there are some cases but to avoid properly tackling the problem in fear of upsetting a small minority is foolish

I had the opposite, waiting for my child outside school which I don’t usually do as she gets the bus. There were hardly any overweight ones coming out, teenagers though and they were the ones that were either walking or getting public transport. But that’s more common at secondary school I suppose. It’s a selective grammar in a fairly affluent area though does that make a difference.

Agree. I sometimes look in on my 600 pound life. Not one of those poor sods ever says oh I had a lovely childhood, no no trauma at all, no no sexual abuse no violence I’m definitely not eating to bury my feelings.

It's a shame that Snag sold patches that said "Choke Me" and "c-msl*t" and when Mumsnet users, including those who had been subject to sexual abuse, rightly said that these were inappropriate, Snag accused them of being bullies.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/othersubjects/4990838-so-snag-have-responded-exactly-as-expected-unfortunately?page=1

Awful company. Its owners are rotten to the core.

Oh I did not know that! Why didn't they just stick to good tights? Where will I get comfortable tights now!?

I apologise.
It certainly wasn’t meant to be patronising.
It was to indicate
I understand now, OK then

Popsy aren't bad but the legs are a little long for me (I am very stumpy-legged though). It might be worth trying - they just stick to tights and clothes as far as I am aware.

It annoys me greatly that the NHS BMI thingy (I can't think what to call it lol) considers me overweight because I'm short at 5ft 3".

Like I can do anything about my height!! I'm 11 stone just under by the way....

Do we think that we inherit our body shape from our biological parents? If they were overweight, we're gonna be the same?

We do, in part. We can also inherit tendency to develop certain conditions.
Our eating patterns are often shaped by our parents too.

A persons height though will affect their bmi.
Aswell as ethnicity
Thats why it’s needed

Its doesnt suggest people have a height issue. It’s a good tool to give people a basic idea of their bmi.

Is it not rude to comment on other people's appearance, especially weight?

Are the fat haters on here the same people who comment on the colour of people's skin or serial orientation?

Would these same people also comment on someone being ugly?

That's a strange way to look at it. You are not overweight BECAUSE you are short, you are short and overweight - just a statement of fact.

Yeah I’ve not to agree with other posters- as someone 5ft3 you can’t weigh as much as a taller person. Your frame can’t carry as much weight. It’s exactly what BMi is supposed to do

Exercise does NOTHING for people with arthritis. I cried almost every time I tried to do it, it hurt so fucking bad. All it did was add muscle pain and fatigue to my horrendous inflammation.

what worked was losing 6 stone with surgery and mounjaro. I have zero inflammation, I have no pain apart from a very short time of stiffness in the morning.

i walk at least 10000 steps every day, i can run, I can do anything.

telling people to exercise with arthritis while very overweight is an exercise in cruelty and completely diminishes the pain of people.

dragging round extra stones while exercise is hard, doing it with arthritis was frankly the most horrible pain I’ve ever experienced. One time I did a Zumba class, next day my knees were the size of footballs and the pain was a 10. I considered driving into a wall. Seriously.

i haven’t had a ‘mindset change’, I’m the same person I was before. I want to exercise, I always wanted to be active. The gift of low inflammation has made that possible.

It's widely accepted to be a fairly crude tool.

This is such a misunderstanding of biology and physics that I don’t even know where to start.

you do get don’t you that extra body length will in itself weigh something. Right? So a dismembered slim leg that is 36inches long will weigh more than one that’s 26inches long. Just like a longer stick will weigh more than a shorter stick of the same girth because a longer stick is more wood.

You get that right?

so someone who is 5’11” at 11 stone /70kg will be slim. Someone who is 5’6” and 70kg will likely be a little chubby. Someone who is 5’3and 11stone/70kg will be an obese.

why is this hard for you to understand. 11 stone is obese on your height body because that 11 stone (70kg) is made up of excess fat. Not more bone and muscle like it would be on someone 5’10

I do agree: I went to town earlier with DS and all I can see is cheap Primark clothes and young people who are big (at least an 18 have to be) and it’s so depressing.

Totally agree. I bought a pair of Levi’s jeans recently and they’re sized by waist measurement. I wish more clothes were sized this way, as there is so much variation. What I meant by technically was that those sizes are what I’m having to buy these days. I remember 20 years ago when size 4/size 0 was absolutely minuscule and generally only people with an unhealthy BMI would be that dress size. Same with XXS. But in some shops that’s the only size that fits me now (I’m on the petite/short side, but have a healthy BMI).

I buy most of my jeans from GAP because they give waist sizes.

While fat is a health issue, nutrition is an even bigger one. When I taught in a deprived area nearly all the children were overweight and seemed to live on junk food and chips. I think the government should introduce cookery and nutrition lessons for the first 2 years of secondary so we produce a generation of parents who feel confident budgeting for and cooking healthy meals.

No. Sorry, it wasn't actually aimed at you! Sorry if it came across like that.

Some PPs seem to have very outdated thinking surrounding obesity and being fat, that's all.

I actually 100% agree with you - we need to talk about it (I say this as a fat person boarding on obese, but most people wouldn't recognise it because next to 'most people' I look ' normal').

The book has a very good diagram to show how our idea of normal has changed. Not sure if I can find it to post here- I'll have a look