Why are nearly 25% of British women obese?

[twitterer]

On the news this morning we are told that British women are the fatest in Europe, why? Of course it is down to eating too much and exercising too little. But other populations don't suffer so badly. I wonder if there is more (healthy) pressure from society, men, employers and others to be healthy

notnotter I am almost exactly the same size as you and am BMI = 22 according to the onliine calculator. I feel happiest when I am about half a stone lighter (and about BMI = 21), but my body always seems to revert to this weight I also feel fitter and more energetic when I am a bit lighter, but I definitely don't feel exhausted at this weight. Do you think there could be another reason you are feeling sluggish?

Possibly because of this [http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1351439-To-not-go-for-a-poo-when-DH-is-in-the-house]

NotnOtter, I completely agree. I went up to a BMI of around 23 a year or so ago (the biggest of my life) and felt really uncomfortable. I felt "heavy" as I moved around. I worked at it and shed the excess asap. I am happiest with a BMI of around 21.

I am physically unable to be a size 10, my hip bones won't allow this. You people who say 12-14 is fat for everyone are full of shit.

Wow, I just did a BMI calculator and worked out that if I was 12 stone 4 I would be at the very edge of what is considered a healthy weight. In other words, I would not be considered overweight. I am almost 5'10" but at that weight I would consider myself fat.

I wonder if the BMI calculation is keeping us fat with a false sense of security?

How tall are you fig? Just how wide are your hip bones?!

there is a large range within "healthy" I can go from an 8/10 to a 12/14 within "healthy" - I am too thin at one end and a bit too big at the other

I am 5.5". They are pretty damn wide. I cannot physically be a size ten.

Most of the fat women like to say BMI is not a good idicator. They are mostly deluding themselves unless they are the British body building champion or Captain of British Rugby. It's a reasonable indicator as is waist measurement.

People eat the wrong foods and too much of them. The first generation ever to be less healthy than their parents. The descent of man.

Second that mychild. I was CERTAIN my current size would be obese but technically Im still only overweight.

But fig, can you feel your hip bones?

xenia yup obviously. but why?

I caution those in their 20s and 30s that are slim and can eat anything. I could and wondered why anybody got fat, hit my late 30s and middle age spread began. The survey found that people in all countries put on weight as they got older, this is because estrogen (spelling?) and testosterone decrease after our mid 30s. I'm still in the healthy BMI but I'm about half a stone overweight in my book. Although at the lowest healthy BMI weight which I was for alot of my early 20s my periods stopped so couldn't be that healthy. BMI is a guide. IMO a size 10 nowadays is an okay size as its a 12/14 of 20 years ago.

Why? They eat foods which are not tough roughage filling foods but the sort you can eat hardly anything but are masses of calories. Food is all over, not just at meal times on the table and only if you're lucky. It's everywhere. They eat more "addictive" foods like sugar.

Yes I can feel my hipbones, I can also see my ribs. I'm not talking jive here, I am physically unable to be a size ten. I can be a size 12, my hips stick out.

I live with a tiny bird of a lady who is an 8, and you can see the difference between our bone structures, especially at the wrist and in the hands; my bones in comparison to hers are much chunkier and less fine.

It makes a difference the way you are built. I am not saying that 12-14 is healthy for everyone but I am disgusted that you all seem to think it's fat for everyone and only size 8-10 is acceptable.

For the record I also disagree with encouraging morbidly obese women into thinking their fat is "curves" (Gok).

Don't agree with much with the whole carb demonisation thing actually - I eat plenty of carbs now than I live in Italy, and it's much easier to keep slim than in the UK despite the fact that I move less (I drive to work etc) - it's the smaller portions, far less alcohol, clothes above size 14 much harder to find, peer pressure.

In any case, to add my tuppence from when I lived in the UK:

• sandwich and crisps is considered a normal lunch in the UK. A sandwich with no mayo or butter is unusual. Never understood the need for spread and mayo and a sandwich, and I fail to understand the point of crisps after a sandwich.
• very low expectations on children, who grow up thinking pizza and chips is normal and that Tinned hoops is OK nursery food. Kids are regularly offered substandard food: look at children's menus in a restaurant. Very rarely there is a salad, grilled fish, grilled steak with tomatoes, a squash risotto with veg: it's always stodge. We had three 3/4 year olds out for lunch with us yesterday: they shared a seafood salad and a risotto with prawns , and then a Choc mousse amongst the three of them. All from the adults' menu, as those horrid children's menus do not exist as children are expected to make similar choice to adults.

I agree that a size 14 isn't neccessarily fat- I wear a 12 in vanity shops like new look, but for a boden top need a 14, and I have 10 year

Sorry, pressed post by mistake. 10 year old size 14s that won't go near me; my bmi is 24 ( struggle to keep it below 25), so size 14 can definitely be a bmi of under 25, I'm only 5'4".

I seem to remember that one way to tell your frame size is with wrist measurements fig. IIRC a wrist measurement of more than 7" indicates a large frame. I suspect your bird-like woman will have a tiny bone structure. When I had a BMI of 21 I felt great but looking back I was pretty haggard - everyone told me so but I refused to beleive it. My hip bones stuck out like shelf corners! No way was I going to 'slim' those away, I was a small 12 at the time.

I think it's the food pyramid over-focus on carbs. People eat too much carbohydrate especially sugar. Protein suppresses the appetite as opposed to carbs which cause blood sugar highs and lows and therefore hunger. I find if I eat a lot of protein I get less hungry and eat less calories overall.

Maybe women in Europe get better antenatal advice on weight too? I got big 'accidently' when pregnant (was listening to my appetite!) and all my MW said was 'don't worry you'll lose it when BF' (despite the fact that most women stop BF quite early on). I am with hindsight furious about how fat I got! I can see now how easy it is to be overweight once you've done it once.

But even Kelly Osbourne got down to about a 10 at one point. And I haven't seen anybody with bigger bone structure than her.

I bet people would have said 5'11" Sophie Dahl was 'big-boned' and couldn't physically be a size 10. But then she went and lost weight

Ps - I'm overweight at a size 12! I'm just over 5ft.

I agree with you talkingnonsense but would argue that while a BMI of 24 means that you're not about to drop dead from a weight-related condition, you are not going to be at your physical best or look your best.

PostBellumBugsy don't get me wrong, people have lots of different builds and some people do have slimmer build. But it bugs the hell out of my mum when people tell her she's lucky to be slim - she works hard at it! Walks miles, never sits still, always busy, a real potterer (me too) and eats lots of veg, fruit, hardly any cakes or alcohol.

Things like cakes, chocolate, biscuits, seem to be a daily norm in many people's diets, whereas they should be an occasional extra.

entropygirl you refer to people who are naturally thin not needing to calorie count, but I can assure you that last year after surgery when I was immobile for six weeks I did gain weight quickly even though I consciously reduced my intake of food. As soon as I was out and about and making a reasonable effort to eat fewer cakes, the weight came off. I think it's normal for your weight to fluctuate by a few pounds here and there (esp as we get older) but it's not an unstoppable train.

I look at my toddler and he stops eating when he's had enough, some days he wolfs everything, some days he picks at his food. It's as if he subconsciously knows what he needs, without thinking about it. As adults, we obsess about counting calories, we overthink it, we end up thinking of food as the enemy, our attitude to food is dysfunctional. I am generalising (and summarising, badly) my thoughts, but if we could remove the emotional element of eating (punishment, self-deprivation, reward, guilt, etc) and just ate what we liked in the quantities our bodies need, we would probably all stabilise at a healthy weight.

Celebrity culture definitely idolises the super-thin, many of these women are definitely underweight, creating unrealistic and ridiculous ideals. Being a healthy BMI and reasonably active and well nourished - and content with your natural shape - is surely the route to happiness.

But that wouldn't sell magazines or diet food or fuel the cycle of aspiration-ambition-disappointment that leads to yo-yo dieting and endless insiduous weight gain would it?

Not sure if I've made myself clear at all!

I cannot physically be a size ten, my bone structure does not allow it. You telling me to lose weight makes no difference to that fact.

It's very ignorant and insulting of you to tell me I can be a size ten and I'm just delusional about my own bone structure. That is why I included the comparison to my housemate who has a much finer bone structure than me.

It's people like you that caused me to have bulimia in my teens; it's taken me a long time to accept my body for what it is - incapable of being a size ten but I can still be slim (12 shock horror) and healthy.

BTW Sophie Dahl looks awful at her skinniest.