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

Soup! I take salads to work for lunch in the summer. Home-made soup in the winter with loads of veg and lentils.

ANd get a slow-cooker. I have been making lots of veg and pulse-based stews with small amts of meat.

Actually, fuck it! I do all the right things, eat all the right food,take sensible amounts of exercise..blah de tedious blah! I won't be lectured about my size anymore! I'm not fat. I'm not thin. I just wish I didn't feel this discussion is all about picking on people who aren't perfect

I shop online too, and don't drive. I know exactly where you're coming from. But unfortunately many people can't see behond the marketing hype.

Whether you are informed and intelligent resourceful enough to make sensible lifestyle decisions, or are forced by circumstances to think about your consumer choices, you are a member of a minority. Most people don't think ahead because they don't have to. We live in a society which tells us 'You are what you buy'. We are defined by the commodities we consume.

Ormirian! (waves - the former Mrs Flittersnoop here)

I Lurrve my slow cooker. I chuck sacks of lentils and stuff into mine and get gallons of yummy soup for about 10p.

So how come I am STILL a Fat Bird?

Well. This thread has inspired me. :) I'm making a big veggie soup for dinner and DS, the dog, and I are going to embark on a trip to the grocery store...not a huge hike but there and back will be a little over 2 miles.

Well I could do with not having my belly bulge over my jeans, but thats cos I love my food!
Yeah lapsed, I think as I get older I am becoming more and more anti-consumerist, and just think that everything needs to be simplified big time.

I agree with much of what's been said here re supermarkets, more booze etc. Apologies if this has been mentioned as I haven't read the entire thread but I think the high street coffee chains have also played a part. We were in town on Saturday getting a few Xmas bits and the only shop that looked busy was Costa. A bucket of latte and one of those muffins bigger than a baby's head must up a good 800 cals I reckon. So easy just to forget the amount you're actually taking in.

Yes, even for people who do eat the right things, it's often about quantity.
Eating more calories than necessary.
Current calorie recommendations are for about 1000-2000 calories per day.
People used to eat more than 3000 calories per day because they used to do so much physical exercise.
Even eating the right stuff makes you fat if you eat too much of it.

I blame leggings

LapsedPacifist makes a good point about work, if you do an office job, work over your lunch to get home in time to pick up your kids, you don't have time for exercise, and after a stressful day rushing around it's really tempting to shove a ready meal in the oven, and when they're in bed slump on the sofa and drink a big glass of wine.
Also living on the adrenalin of a high stress lifestyle can play havoc with your blood sugar levels which in turn really messes with metabolism.

I believe that some people are considered overweight, because they work on an average, and the average person is a size whatever, but they do not take in to account those on the extremes, ie those who are extreme anorexics or those who are morbidly obese, and when they say average, is it europe's average or britains?

Ellen, sorry but - what do you mean?

I'm not sure they do work on averages actually. If you look at the size and the BMI of someone considered to be bang slap in the middle of the ideal weight range for their height, they wouldn't have to go very far at all to be consdiered dangerously underweight or get to the point where they could actually die from being underwieght. Whereas, it is possible to go a long long way along the road of being technically overweight, and yet still live and function (relatively) normally and not be in any immediate danger of death. Long term, yes, if the weight gain continued, but not immediate. In that sense overweight people are actually in a better position to live longer than underweight people I think! Of course quality of life suffers if you are morbidly obese, but at least you are still alive - unlike the anorexic whose organs failed on them way back.

I'm not sure who posted it, but getting older is a massive factor. For most of my adult life I have been ether ideal weight or between that and 2 stone over. I have a small frame so didn't look huge but was mostly a 14-16, but I am now nearly 40 and that extra bit of weight I have carried for so long IS starting to have an impact. I was diagnosed with fatty liver and gallstones in April this year. I thought I ate well. Apart from fish fingers and beans, everything is cooked from scratch, but I was cooking the wrong stuff and eating too much of it - shepherds pie, roast dinners, lasagnes, even cooked from scratch aren't that healthy if you are eating them regularly ? too much fat, red meat and carbs. I used to smoke before I got pregnant so I gave myself free reign to have some chocolate of an evening to replace my favourite post-dinner cigarette - just a small bar. I only really drank at weekends and mostly stayed within my weekly limit unless we had guests or I had a rare night out, but again, doing all of this every week over several years eventually took its toll on my health.

My diagnosis has given me a massive kick up the arse. I now rarely eat meat, replacing it with fish. Very few carbs in the evening, perhaps a starter portion of spaghetti or 3 new potatoes - and never double carb in one meal at any time. Rarely eat bread. Always eat breakfast. Chocolate only when I fancy it, not when I think I deserve it. Same with wine ? did I really need it EVERY Friday and Saturday as "mummy's treat". I have lost 2 stone. I don't exercise at all and I work at a desk so when people say, I don't have time to exercise, that's fine, neither do I, but you can still lose weight. I don?t want this post to come across as `look at me, how fucking saintly I am.? I am not. But, it frightens me to think that had I not known this now, what would the news have been when I'm 50 - and again, I was overweight, not obese. I'm now waiting to have my gallbladder out but since April, I have changed my lifestyle and gotten better habits and hopefully it will be for the better. I work full time too so that isn?t an excuse. Chuck out the burgers from your freezer and batch cook and freeze. 5 mins in a microwave, some rice in a pot and you have a dinner in 10 mins.
As with everything, luck of the drawer comes into it, e.g. we see some smokers still living into their 80s, but I don't think I want to take the risk anymore.

Well.
As I was feeling quite good today I was going to be brave and book myself a riding lesson for the first time since the osteoarthritis kicked off.
However I am apparently too heavy to go on any of the riding school ponies.
I feel terrible now.

I've barely read any of the thread, but in response to the idea that 'embracing your curves' as a concept is at fault, I think that's back to front.
People are getting fatter because they have a problem with eating, or whatever personal reason there might be, and they're not in control of it.
Therefore embracing oneself in whatever shape one takes has become the current thinking because it's either that or hate yourself.

It's not the cause, it's just a coping strategy and as such has no effect on the causes of obesity.

I eat very badly, don't look after myself and am under 9 stone, which being 5ft7 makes me pretty slim. My son OTOH eats too much and I don't know why - I don't try to make him eat. He seems to do it out of sadness, boredom, or insecurity, and I am trying to help him with it but don't really know how.
He's not huge but he's definitely carrying more than he should be.
Other son is fine. It's really emotional, psychological, that's the relevant bit. Not what men/society/retailers are telling us.

I was shocked to learn the other day that there are more obese people in the world than starving people.

I agree with the PPs who have commented that it is about education and understanding of nutrition. Unfortunately The Daily Fail and other tabloid type papers have diets which don't work long term because they are not educating people about how to eat healthily for their type.

I imagine that the self-loathing of being obese probably adds to the problem as people comfort eat and their relationship with food continues to worsen as time goes on. I'm no saint but I do understand the very basic relationship between calories and weight - if you consume more calories than you burn up you will put on weight. It's how you persuade the body to burn more calories that is key to the equation - eating healthily can help this as the body needs the right balance of minerals and vitamins to operate efficiently.

seems to me the nations eating habits are closer to the US than Europe. My sister moved to the US, acquired a car and cheap eating out and now weighs 18 stone. Her dh is close to 30.
But I think its going up in many places. Weight that is. Visiting friends in the middle East I was expecting cous cous and other yummies but they sent out for KFC and pizza every night now its easily available. And now they are fat.

I wonder if it's anything to do with the fact that we as a nation are fucking woeful at celebrating female sportspeople, like all these inspirational women who were missed off the all-male 'Sports Personality of The Year' list 2011

Where are the fit, active, powerful role models for young women??

"It's not the cause, it's just a coping strategy and as such has no effect on the causes of obesity.!

Quite Jane! Which is why some of the comments on how stupid all the 'learn to love your curves' stuff is, is missing the point and coming across as a bit callous and judgemental.

jane - re comfort eating, I have just started using Paul McKenna's book and CD. I eat the right food and take exercise but eat too much and as I'm peri-menopausal i seem to put weight on as I didn't when younger. I am managing to eat better now - ie smaller amts and only when really hungry. It might help your lad if you think he would use it.

Quodlibet

Very good point. Its rare to see any female sports on TV

does exercise really make that much difference? When even an hours cycling burns off one mars bar? Its the food surely.

Yes exercise makes a difference. It makes a difference in your metabolic rate if you keep active. It keeps you fit and healthy. It makes you feel good.

Does it make you slimmer? Maybe not if you are also eating too much - but if your basal calorific need is say 1300, you eat 1800 calories in a day, burn off 400 running 5 miles and use a normal amount in every day things like walking, cleaning, carrying things etc, then yes, you will lose weight.

It stands to reason if fat gained is as a result of calories in being greater than calories out, taking more calories out is going to help.