Why is it that we've been prepared to change our lifestyle so much

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to avoid Covid, but we're not prepared to do it to avoid countless other illnesses?

It's really not fat bashing and I do mean "we" but vast numbers have been prepared to take really quite extreme measures to avoid this nastly illness but we're not prepared to eat better, exercise more, drink less etc to avoid other equally nasty illnesses. I think it could be interesting to understand what's behind that.

The sugar and food industry is pretty powerful as well, it’s big business and there are poor food choices easily available all around us. Healthy eating is harder work and often more expensive. Those are just a couple things that spring to mind but there’s loads of other factors.

If someone says you're at risk of a heart attack in 20 years time unless you change your lifestyle, it's easy to think "oh well, I'm sure I'll have everything more under control by 2041" and focus on more immediate problems. If they say "you're at risk from a deadly virus every day starting now until you reduce your BMI", it's hardly surprising that that would focus people's minds more!

If you feel fine in yourself, there's also a tendency to think "well sure, that might happen to other people, but not to me" with long term problems like heart attacks. Whereas with an infectious disease everyone understands that you can be fine one week and really ill the next, so that kind of psychological defence doesn't work.

I wonder too if some people do already have underlying anxiety from constantly hearing that being overweight is unhealthy, but think "fuck it, can't do anything about that right now so I'll deal with it later" and try not to think about it. Then when a major health risk appears that means it can't be ignored anymore, all that suppressed anxiety comes back and feels completely overwhelming.

Because the effects of covid are more obvious and devastating. Your actions affect others and not just yourself and there's often a direct correlation between action a and getting covid. Unlike with weight where it takes years to get to a point where your health is at risk

Losing a significant amount of weight and keeping it up is hard, it requires constant willpower every single day. Food is very easily accessible, MN always paints it as if its easy but it can be incredibly difficult

Many of the interventions we've been asked to do are simple -wear masks, distance, they don't cause any major discomfort

Others are illegal. Many things are just impossible, no matter how much I want to cave and go to the pub I cant. Theres massive peer pressure

I guess it’s the same reason as why more people are afraid of flying than they are of driving, even though the latter is statistically more dangerous. It’s the sense of your fate being in somebody else’s hands; the not being able to see the catastrophe coming; thinking that you’d have opportunity to avoid the consequence. For an apparently immediate risk, people will make changes.

On a personal level, I can’t understand the people who’ve only in the past year started fretting about being overweight because it’s more likely to result in serious illness or death if they catch Covid, whilst having for years ignored the fact it’s more likely to result in serious illness or death at any other time as well. But on a practical level, I can also acknowledge that people always think they have loads of time to sort their weight out before it becomes an issue for anything else. Most of us would rather put off for another day what we’d rather not do.

Loads of good articles out there about the food industry, For example this article - www.ucsf.edu/magazine/sugars-sick-secrets
Quote from article: “We need to stop blaming individuals for getting sick and start changing our crazy food environment,” says Schmidt. “It puts an incredible burden on individuals. People’s choices are very limited when 74 percent of our food has added sugar.” And that burden falls most heavily on those without the time and money to purchase and prepare healthy foods.”

@Lelophants

Have you seen what covid has done to the world? And that's with restrictions. Wake up.

But yes hopefully people will take more care of their health in their future, whether or not illness is as contagious.

Wake up about what? I'm not talking about the restrictions, I'm talking about people's personal choices. And I'm not saying they're wrong, I'm just interested in why people will do it for one illness but not for another.

I agree with PPs, it will be the short term prospect of Covid, whereas cancer etc can be something that happens to other people or is a long way down the line. However, everyone, helathnconditiin or not is still more likely not to get seriously ill with Covid than with these other conditions.

Social distancing, hand washing, and avoiding busy places is easy.

It's not quite so easy for an alcoholic to give up, or a smoker, or a drug addict, or a binge eater.

Lots of health issues have long term/mental health related underlying causes.

Interestingly my two (formerly) morbidly obese friends are no longer morbidly obese and have both lost just shy of 5 stone over this year, so I think people have thought about it. sadly I have put on a stone but hey ho

However, I do feel the government and main-stream media have been exceptionally successful in terrifying people which is something we haven't had previously. Perhaps because Covid doesn't bring in taxes whereas alcohol and tobacco do...

Eugenics thread?

Eugenics thread.

@Beaniecats

Government propaganda terrifying people basically

I’m sorry, but I think I’ve seen you on other threads today complaining in one breath covid is fake and no one has died but then you also appear to be complaining you can’t get your vaccine? And looking you are on several threads saying completely polar opposite statements? Why would you be demanding a vaccine for something you are saying is government fear, exaggerating and faked death numbers? Surely you don’t need to be demanding the vaccine if you believe what you post? But thank you for seeing sense and getting the vaccine to protect people like my DH. P.s. declaration. I was on the vaccine thread as I want the vaccine.

I'd like to have the care I should expect from my gp?

Because our priorities are all wrong

@Redrunbluerun

Good point Op. How many people will die this year because of health related issues that were avoidable?

Some of the people petrified indoors are worried about covid so take measures to avoid it, but do not take measures to reduce their heightened risk of stroke or heart attack. Equally as terrifying, surely?

More so.

Also because of media hype

@Kazzyhoward

Social distancing, hand washing, and avoiding busy places is easy.

It's not quite so easy for an alcoholic to give up, or a smoker, or a drug addict, or a binge eater.

Lots of health issues have long term/mental health related underlying causes.

I would disagree that social distancing is easy. Being separated from friends and family for months on end is very difficult for many people. It might be physically easy to achieve, but mentally it is awful.

I agree but obesity is very hard to tackle

@eileenthecrow

Eugenics thread?

Eugenics thread.

"why are people more concerned about covid than other illnesses?" "Eugenics"

Seriously what???

To protect ourselves and others.

A close friend of mine lost her mother after the family got together on Christmas Day. She had been shielding before this, but they all wanted a Christmas Day together. Unfortunately my friend, her mother and other family members became ill with covid soon after, which resulted in the mother being hospitalised and then dying soon after.
The loss and guilt has been horrific for the family.
Hopefully there will be less stories like this after vaccination, but there is still some risk and more people are keen to avoid being the cause of someone catching covid and dying.

I've let my life be changed because I've had no choice in the matter. I dont want to break the law although I'm sick to the back teeth of it and dont know how much longer I can do it