Perceptions of 'healthy' or 'overweight' are really skewed by the area you live in?

[alwaysdream]

I'm sure I'll get roasted for this, but here goes anyway...

I live in an area of London where pretty much nobody is 'overweight.' Particularly young people.

Last night, in Wembley Stadium (Harry Styles concert), the ONLY food available was chicken and chips or doughnuts. That's it. And - I know this will sound very judgemental - but I'd say about 7 / 10 people were quite 'overweight,' but all walking around in tiny shorts and cropped tops, etc (I know this is the vibe at this kind of event). It made me wonder if this is 'normal' for young people, on a national level? I know it sounds judgemental, but AIBU? Are most teens overweight where you live?

You are a terrible person and I'm glad I don't know you personally.

Absolutely true. Also as one person making personal observations, this is not reliable information - it is anecdotal rather than systematically-gathered evidence. It is like going to the train station at 8am, asking the price of a ticket for the next train to a destination and assuming that it always costs that at all times for everyone.

The men are just as fat, indeed some countries have even fatter men than in the UK.

The women- it depends on the country, they do indeed have people who are overweight and obese, but in some countries like France and Italy, there's a lot of pressure on women of a certain socio-demographic to be slimmer and they are, although some are not. It's a percentage thing, rather than them having no overweight people.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/obesity-rates-by-country

The UK is not the fattest country, by far. The women's obesity rate is higher than some European countries, though.

It's also true that you are likely similar weight to your friends, there's quite a bit of robust research on social networks showing this. It clusters.

Interestingly I have a huge Hellmann's mayonnaise banner advert at the top of this page.

High calorie, low nutrient, highly UPF food is being presented to us as being 'normal'. It shouldn't be the norm to eat the way the majority seem to.

But then I'm very much aware that I have the time, money and knowledge to cook from scratch, eat 8-10 portions of fruit and veg every day, eat all 7 colours of fruit and veg every day, eat at least 30 plants a week (this week I've managed 85), don't have sensory issues around food, don't have to fill up on cheap carbs, etc.

(this week I've managed 85)

Please tell me you had to go back and count, and that you don't keep a spreadsheet!

Very good! Interesting.

I see the UK is significantly fatter than Germany.

Are overweight women meant to be uncomfortable and boiling in extra material until such time as they are thin?

Give your head a wobble.

Totally agree that being overweight has been normalised. This idea of "love yourself" goes too far beyond being comfortable in one's skin and overrides entirely taking responsibility for oneself and one's health.

I am overweight and I am ashamed of that. I don't hate myself, though! I didn't used to be overweight. I used to be very active and in very good shape but too much sport as a youngster has taken its toll with injuries and wear and tear on the ol' joints. That's part of the story. The other part of the story is that my diet went from being balanced to quite unhealthy. And that's entirely on me.

The amount of people who think it's ok and try to rationalise my weight gain is crazy. It's not ok! We all have a responsibility to take care of our ourselves. Too many excuses flying around. Too little resilience. Too little personal responsibility.

As for how some people dress 🤢 The tight clothing and bare flab. Gross. And the arse-crack gymwear. Christ.

You sound a bit judgemental about how these young women dress (let them dress how they like!)

and like you live in a bubble of affluent part of London and rarely get out of your bubble and only socialise with people similar to you

that makes you by default a bit narrow minded so probably a good idea to go out more and see other parts of London, the U.K. and the world 😅

You're lacking a bit yourself, to have missed off income. We'd all be snacking on chicken if we could afford to. The link between obesity across Europe is lower income levels. If the scandals of late have taught us anything (as well as a good few threads on here) lack of intelligence goes across all income groups.
@alwaysdream have you offered yourself to the NHS? You'd save them a fortune in scans and blood testing.

@ComfyKnickers that sounds almost competitive and obsessive listing 85 plants or whatever you ate this week 😂

did u make a spreadsheet? Do you count and list everything you eat? Do you think this is actually a healthy attitude?

The problem with these interventions is that there isn’t much evidence to support them being effective in reducing obesity rates significantly (feel free to correct me if I’ve missed it).

In an ideal world everyone would have a healthy diet and lifestyle and maintain a healthy weight but in the real world I think we should be grateful we have drugs which can help.

I don't keep a spreadsheet, but I like that idea 😆

At the moment I'm using AI for meal suggestions and ways to make small improvements to my diet. Yesterday it listed my plant intake for the week.

Here it is...

Strawberries, satsuma, apple, grapes, raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries, pineapple, mango, banana, kiwi fruit, redcurrants, blackcurrants, lemon, lime, courgette, aubergine, butternut squash, sweet potato, potato, cauliflower, celery, broccoli, asparagus, edamame, rhubarb, tomato, carrot, onion, spring onion, garlic, red cabbage, peppers, cucumber, spinach, mixed lettuce, chard, radishes, beetroot, sugar snap peas, olives, chickpeas, green lentils, kidney beans, black beans, butterbeans, cannellini beans, pinto beans, soybeans, oats, wheat, buckwheat, rice, mint, parsley, lovage, chives, rosemary, thyme, sage, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, mace, ginger, chilli, paprika, turmeric, fenugreek, black pepper, sumac, peanut, almond, pistachio, walnuts, pecans, prunes, dates, sesame, coconut, coffee, green tea, miso

(Which I realise isn't 85)

It’s easier to be more low level active in London. Easier to walk to school, walk to the station or the bus stop for your commute, walk to the shop. You just can’t do short trips to the shops, GP etc in the car and park as easily as you can in other parts of the UK so you just have to walk. It’s often quicker too. I think that makes a huge difference. Our lives are so hectic that time is at a premium. If your child’s school is 25 mins away by foot, down a country lane with no path, you simply are not going to have 100 mins a day to spare walking there and back twice a day plus risking getting run over. Or letting them do it by themselves. So you drive everywhere.

However, all those little bits of walking does add up to a decent basic level of fitness.

@ComfyKnickers what do you mix with Tuna? Greek yoghurt? Or some other abomination? I buy Lidl's lighter thsn light mayo. Adding some healthier choices puts a lot of, short post menopausal women way over their calorie allowance.

Affluence and weight is linked for sure , but
your point about normalising it is also spot on !

It will bank roll the NHS - Unsure the solution ( short of an insurance type system where those overweight / smoke / drink pay more )

Some lovely ideas here but as someone who grew up a fat kid on a council estate I can't help but find it a bit patronising. People talk about education in this well-meaning way that assumes we simply don't know which foods are unhealthy or that being obese is bad, and if we did we'd suddenly fix it and become WFPB gym bunnies. As if banning things will make us all buy salad. My PE teacher used to bully me as though I was just an ignorant shit or somehow choosing to be fat on purpose at 16.

The fact of the matter is, junk food was one of my only affordable pleasures in life. My dad didn't feed me, so cheap chips and £1 burgers were a lifeline after school. We didn't get to go on holidays or to concerts or have extracurricular lessons or hobbies. As a youth I never imagined myself becoming a happy adult, so it was impossible to care about long-term health. But also I simply didn't have options - Would I have been able to get a balanced meal for £1? My Dad didn't even own kitchen knives, and we had 1 pan. And I was far from the poorest kid in my class.

Sorry for this rant but I think people who have never been poor, or obese, or neglected just don't get it. It's a social issue and the primary driver is poverty.

I don’t know what’s to be gained from this thread but I also don’t disagree…we went to Centre Parcs and I was quite shocked by how many seriously obese people were there. Like, the vast majority of people were very overweight and many had to use mobility scooters. It’s expensive to go there, so not just a class issue. And also seemed a bit odd on activity holiday where people seemed to be mostly sitting in Starbucks. I know there are a lot of intersecting factors which contribute to the current health of the nation and I don’t care what people wear (whether it’s “flattering” etc) but I do also think it’s kind of crazy to pretend that we are all fine and healthy and there isn’t a problem here…

I guess you mean actually inside the stadium, as there are plenty of places in the stadium area offering all sorts of food.
i.e. in Boxpark, Wembley

So much choice as one leaves a local bus stop or walking down from the tube stations, and of course Wembley itself is full of eating places.

You're assuming I haven't experienced poverty.

I have. I've been the kid who has had to sleep in my coat when the electric was cut off, and whose mum would skip meals so we were fed. I've been the kid who used to live on the cheap Iceland lasagnes and the massive congealed cheese pasta pots from Asda... Also no holidays, day trips. We had bare floors, and basic furniture (which was always free second hand).

Please don't assume I don't get it.

I'm young so money is v much front and centre, food = money spent which I dont have lots of! I was particularly slim as a student too.

When i was at my biggest I was a teen (never been overweight but noticeably stopped fitting in clothes) it was because I had MORE time. Not less time, and was bored so just ate snacks.

I was at my slimmest when I was working longer hours, doing all the washing, cleaning, all my errands. There wasn't time to make dinner so I just skipped.. lol

I live in rural Norfolk, the care home capital of the UK, God's waiting room. We don't have that many young people around (which is nice, quiet).

On a serious note, probably not that much where I live but when I go to Norwich, far more. However there are loads of international students and if it wasn't for them that ratio would probably be higher.
I personally don't care, people can do/chose whatever they want. That's when they have the choice, I agree that on any big even there should be good balance of food options.

Yes because when you’re hot the only cool option is a crop top and short shorts

I’m exactly the same. I knew I needed to lose weight, but was shocked when I stood on the scales and then worked out that I was actually obese. Now I’m feeling slim and wearing a size 10( thanks mountain) but I’m at the highest point of healthy weight for my height