"women who are obese at the time of conception have a much higher incidence of birth defects" so saith R4 this am.

[CountessDracula]

A study of 10,000 obese mothers and 5.000 non-obese mothers apparently showed a significantly higher incidence of certain defects, specifically they said Spina Bifida, heart problems and missing toes, fingers etc.

More info here

"Children born to obese women had a 40 percent increased risk for heart defects and more than double the odds of spina bifida."

Have women on mn found this to be the case?

being obese is nothing to do with how you look "unsightly" you put it

its about your weight tipping over the edge into 'dangerous' to your physical health

I'm fat becaue I sufer from sit-ass-at-desk-all-week-itis. I eat well (usually).

And yes, nailpolish, you are ignorant.

My diet for the past x days, months, years...

breakfast: natural yogurt and dried fruit or oats
lunch: salad with smoked trout or prawns
dinner: chicken and salad

just as an example from yesterday. Here's what I don't eat: sugar, fizzy drinks, crisps, sweets, white bread, cakes, biscuits, jam.

And yes, portions are reasonable to small. And no the salad is not drowned in mayo or similar.

It's complex - why do people find this so hard to understand?

all food is fuel and therefore should only be eaten in morning and lunchtime (actually there is some basis for this I think)

Fruit and veg are carbs too (though admittedly much lower percentage)

Don't have a problem with individuals having specific reactions to any specific food. Just hate this current nonsense that carbs are the root of all evil. Some carbs arent; great in excess, some protein aren't great in excess either some fats aren't great at all in any quantity.

ooh watch out prawns are very high in cholestoral

I know, but my cholesterol is low, as is my bp. As I say, tis complex.

sorry nailpolish I was specifically addressing the issue that if you have healthy diet you will not be obese. Most people have visions of a healthy diet as being lots of lovely salad and chicken and obese people eating chips and burgers - it isn;t the case.

Accept your point that my diet must be unhealthy because my weight is unhealthy. I hadn't responded to it because it is just too to sweeping a statement that doesn't contribute much to the debate.

so is there another reason the margo

oh sorry i just realised that is an extrememly personal question andi am very sorry i asked it

doesn;t matter what the dietary cholestrol of prawns are CD - the cholesterol which matters is the one you produce inyour own body from saturated fat. Not much fat in a prawn. It's why the "don't eat too many eggs" has been debunked.

i apologise

and lets be honest Eleusis - you're not exactly fat are you!

As I said in an earlier post, there is increasing consensus scientifically that genetics do contribute to this. The degree to which they contribute is still under debate but then they used to think autism was caused by bad mothering...

I don't think dietary cholesterol is a problem unless you have a particular condition wrt blood cholesterol, which I think is hereditary. If you have high blood cholsterol then it is certain types of fats you should avoid...

Ah, KC got in first...

good point eleusis
you are not fat at all!

I on the other hand am size 14 with a muffin top and need to lose a stone or two
argh

I'm happy to talk about why I am overweight (physically at least - the emotional reasons would bore you all to tears) - I have a slower metabolism than normal (yes indeedy!), drugs help but don't cure. Weight crept on for many many years before it was discovered, I can maintain my weight by being careful but losing weight (at the rate of about 1lb per month) requires an extra special effort.

In essence I am on permanent diet for life if I ever intend to get my weight down to a healthy level.

However simplistically - someone could say "well eat less and exercise more and they wouldn't technically be wrong. It's just not very helpful.

and if you are trying to convince me that a size 14 fat is fat CD you're barking up the wrong tree. it not be acceptable in leafy suburban SW London but its a fashion statement not a health risk

God you don't have to justify it!!
I am fat cos I am a pig
I know if I eat less and better and go to the gym then I am slimmer!

I was 16 recently though
I felt quite ill
I am a shortarse too so size 14 or 16 is worse for me

nailpolish, it's fine.

I raised it so no problem with you asking.

I just have a very lengthy family history of weight problems and people in my family have actually had surgery as a result so I feel very strongly about it.

The most affected person in my family had stomach banding and was on a liquid only diet for a month - ate only Muller Lite yogurts and Weightwatchers soup for the whole time (max 7-800 cals a day) while waiting to recover from the surgery. Put on one pound.

I don't profess to know WHY people are affected by alcohol to the extent that they become alcholics but I don't tell them that they are greedy and lazy (not that this is what you did btw). And yet this seems to be the prevalent belief about weight. Of course if your calories out is greater than calories in then you will lose weight but if a particular individual can only tolerate 800 calories a day then that's going to be so much harder than for someone who can healthily metabolise 2000 calories a day.

Of course some people are fat because they are greedy. But many are just struggling with a difficult situation.

ANYWAY
i am not about to get pg

However if I were I think I would consider losing some weight first now. In fact maybe I should have another baby that would be good impetus for weight loss!

kewcumber, you put it better than I did.

I wasn;t trying to justify it - its irrelevant really why I am overwieght I could lose weight in the good oldfashioned way if I really could stick to it forever. There's nothing medically stopping me. I was trying (and obviously failing) to point out why sometiems the obvious isn't helpful.

many overweight women have low levels of exercise casued by the weight and terribly low self esteem which is exacerbated by living in an image conscious country/age. result, comfort eating exacerbating the problem.. sort of if I can;t be a size 10 then I may as well enjoy my food and be a size 20.

BUT

most overweight people could lose weight if they tried, I know some can't but most could.

So do you not think that this sort of info is useful for them?

I couldn't breastfeed due to drugs I was on for Crohn's disease. It used to really upset me when I saw all the breast is best stuff because i really really wanted to breastfeed. But despite the fact it made me feel awful I still appreciated that it was for the greater good to advertise it as the best way to feed your baby.

So surely people who are overweight due to a medical condition and can't just lose weight by dieting and exercise should feel the same about information like this.