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

F

My j.

Well done you.

I wasn't being smug....I have a pretty big appetite (unfortunately!). But 500g is a standard amount for four if you were making spag bol

Eh?

God, something else that's wrong with me now/

Yes, that's what I ws saying but back in the day there was no spag bol......don't think it had reached Carlisle yet. So it was a bit of mince, some carrot and a spud. It wasn't a lot on the plate.

Only on MN. Don't worry.

Phew

Pardon?

I’m super fit and I’ve never paid for a gym or exercise class in my life.

I do free classes on Instagram and walk miles.

Lack of money isn’t an excuse.

Actually I'm considered overweight because of my height. according to NHS BMI. If I was 5ft 6", 11 stone, it says I'm a healthy BMI. Fact!

You're right - it's not an excuse, it's a genuine reason.

Yes because you’re 3 inches shorter. So you are overweight, but someone 3 inches taller is not overweight.

you get it, don’t you?

So if we could just grow a bit taller, we’d all be ok? Yay!!

Yes, but what does that have to do with how many people work desk jobs now, compared to 60 / 70 years ago? People were far more active in decades gone by due to not sitting at a desk 9-5 and not having a car.

Plenty of people are time poor. It is much quicker to open 2 packets of crisps and a double decker than it is to cook a healthy meal from scratch. Likewise for exercise. If someone is walking a lot in their daily lifestyle it will be easier to keep the weight off than if someone has to make a concerted effort to do it.

So someone who has children, health issues, a full time sedentary job and other commitments on their time, will struggle to lose the weight more than a person with no commitments who has an active job.

Fat shaming definitely doesn’t work. i had a friend living with me for 18 months. During that time she constantly commented on my weight - I was either eating too much or too little, she’d laugh when I couldn’t fit on my kids swings (designed to fit KIDS!), etc etc. I was a size 10/12, a healthy weight albeit on the upper side of normal. She bullied me in other ways too but before I got her out I gained 2.5 stone in 6 months through the stress of having her around.

in the last year I’ve got my bmi down from 35 to 27.3. Part of it I did by myself most of it Mounjaro helped with. I’ve still found it hard to lose the weight despite the WLI. It’s also hugely expensive and I’m struggling to afford it.

I’m afraid I struggled with the body positivity movement even when I was at my heaviest. Only yesterday I saw a quote saying “don’t spend another summer wishing you were smaller!” as if we can just flick a switch and suddenly be happy with being fat. That kind of thing just made me feel worse for being miserable about it. Honestly, having a bmi of 35 was awful. I had night sweats, plantar fasciitis, knee pain, zero energy. People also treat you like you are invisible.

We need to be realistic about weight loss goals also and not strive to be a weight that we won’t be able to maintain. I finally got rid of 2x pairs of small size 10 jeans recently, that fitted me pre kids but I know won’t fit me again. It’s perfectly okay to have a BMI of 25 if that’s what you can realistically maintain. It’s better to stay at a healthy, sustainable weight than to push for a BMI of 21, only to burn out and rebound to 30.

There is significant denial going on too. People criticise bmi as if it’s completely inaccurate. Sure it might not be the best tool in the world but I’ve known size 24 women dismiss it altogether because it doesn’t take into account muscle mass. come on.

it worries me about kids though. There are more and more overweight children who unfortunately will more than likely become obese adults.

Yes, but why are you annoyed? Do you understand that taller people weigh more?

This takes me back to when a colleague didn't know what a Pope was? Not who the Pope was, but what a Pope was?

I just didn't even know where to start with that one.

It isn’t though.

It costs nothing — literally nothing — to exercise, and you don’t have to even leave the house to do it.

Lack of money and feeling self-conscious are NOT reasons.

You keep forcing that narrative, while blatantly ignoring others lived experience.
Again, there's too much privilege and ableism on this thread.

Being tall does make a difference though. I'm nearly 6ft, I'm a 14 or sometimes a 16, and I'm not overweight, my bmi is normal. I also swim about 10k a week and am really muscly.

So 16 isn't always overweight, despite the upthread chat. My hips are obviously broader than someone who's 5'1".

But yes, obviously most women aren't this tall.

@Jacarandill not everyone is the same. They’re not reasons that would stop you. Not everyone is like you and in the same circumstances as you. Refusing to recognise that means you’re just criticising people without offering any solution other than to shame and judge them.

Surely the solution is not to use gyms, incorporate exercise into every day life etc