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Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

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Original poster

Why are nearly 25% of British women obese?

620 replies

twitterer · 26/11/2011 09:46

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

OP posts:

sea74 · 27/11/2011 23:21

Funnysin thegarden...you are jealous...and you know it.

FunnysInTheGarden · 27/11/2011 23:21

why?

FunnysInTheGarden · 27/11/2011 23:22

jealous about what? Why did you get my post deleted?

Sparklyboots · 27/11/2011 23:22

I tend to think that overeating is a kind of self-harm. Ask Susie Orbach: Fat is a Feminist Issue...

NICEyNice · 27/11/2011 23:27

Apparently we eat 10% too many calories a day in this country. So if you should be eating 1800 calories a day, you eat 180 too many. Extra sugar in coffee or a mid afternoon snack could simply be the problem for a lot of people.

Also interesting to note slimmest women in europe are the french and italians where food and cooking is a massive part of the culture. They are far more likely to buy local produce and cook as a family from a young age than we are in the UK. Supermarkets dominate the UK in a way that other places aren't.

Our traditional foods are far less healthy than in other parts of Europe too which doesn't help. Neither does our drinking habits.

As for the size thing. They measured Marilyn Munro's dresses. During the sixties she usually wore a size 10. By today's standards she would be a size 4 - 6 (A hollywood size zero - she was never a size 14 as some people believe and seem to cling to as being a roll model for curves).

A1980 · 27/11/2011 23:27

What causes it is an imbalance in calories in and calories out. Too many in and not enough out.

It's more accpetable to be overweight these days with people at size 14 thinking they are a normal weight when it's very unlikely.

Also not appreciating how muhc they are eating. When I have a bad week, I barely notice it on the scale. For example, I had a bad week last week. I went to dinner wiht a friend and ate a huge pizza and cheesecake in an italian restuarant. I went to lunch with friends and had a burger at an American diner. I ate sweets and chocolate on several days as i had a rough week. I was terrified of the gym scales this weekend but mercifully I had put on about 1lb and a half. And we all fluctuate by a pound or two naturally anyway. If I can do all that and only put on 1lb, how much must others be eating to end up morbidly obese? They must be eating the way I did on a couple of occasions last week every single day.

fortyplus · 27/11/2011 23:32

I have been overweight. I addressed this by eating a little less and exercising a lot more. I don't usually drink alcohol during the week, either. Most people who are obese are not gluttons - they're just consuming a couple of hundred calories a day more than they need - a Kit Kat, two glasses of wine or a couple of babanas more than you need each day and you'll put on nearly a stone in a year.

Sleepwhenidie · 27/11/2011 23:33

Mouse I understand your point, but (correct me if I am wrong) I think the people you have in mind when you talk about disorders are usually a step beyond the "obese" category. You would fall into the obese category if, for example, you were 5'5" and 13 stone - probably a size 14-16 and pretty easy to get to for most of us, who wouldn't say we had a disorder? Many people would say that this is "curvy" and "normal" when in fact it is, most likely, overweight and unhealthy - I say most likely because body fat % and fitness is more important, not weight, but it illustrates the point about "normalisation" of being overweight and people's perception of what obese is?

Funny I don't understand your point about knee jerk reaction and perspective ? I think most people who see a reasonable cross section of society day to day would agree that there are a lot of overweight people walking around?

reddaisy · 27/11/2011 23:35

I blame Mumsnet. If I wasn't on here then I would absolutely, definitely be out having a run. Well, maybe.

juneybean · 27/11/2011 23:39

I blame seasonal affective disorder -eats self into oblivion-

shagmundfreud · 27/11/2011 23:39

"What causes it is an imbalance in calories in and calories out. Too many in and not enough out"

And you don't think that the fact that the ordinary UK diet is hugely high in refined carbs makes us more prone to being fat?

I'm convinced it's not as simple as 'calories in calories out'.

That said, fortyplus - I totally agree with you about how easy it is to put on weight. My morbidly obese SIL was telling me last night that she really, really doesn't eat that much. She then went through to the kitchen and ate two waffles piled high with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Just as a snack. I wanted to say - you only have to do that a couple of times a week and not adjust your food intake the next day and BINGO! five years on you're obese.....

kissingfrogs · 27/11/2011 23:39

Why people who are not obese and have never been obese seem to think they have the answer as to why people are?

err...because we're not obese therefore look at our lifestyles?

nothingoldcanstay · 27/11/2011 23:41

It's totally the availability of food. In Spain/France everything shuts in the afternoon. No chance of a quick snack there. Shops open late, close, then close again on whatever random day they like. Here rubbish is available all hours every day anywhere you are. Even the petrol station sells 20 kinds of "fresh" greasy pastry snack as well as all the usual junk.Grabbing "something quick" is what we do. I lost loads of weight when I had to live at my parents even though they have the most massive (mostly roasted or fried) portion sizes. Difference was there was no snacks available,no wine and everything was a good walk away (out in the country). I ate what I thought was masses but lost over a stone in 5 weeks.

happybubblebrain · 27/11/2011 23:41

Does anybody know what the statistics are for men? I'm pretty sure men are fatter, judging by what I see around me. Yet again women's bodies are under scrutiny - huge yawn. Why does it matter if a woman is a size 10, 12 14 or 16 - seriously who cares about this???

If women want to avoid spending their lives obsessing about diet and exercise, enjoy their food and be a bit more cuddly then let them. Too many people in this country (far more than 25%) are so judgemental about others -that's the real problem we have.

Sleepwhenidie · 27/11/2011 23:45

Yes, Happy, British men get a mention too too and don't do much better, 22% of them are obese, second highest in Europe.

TheMouseRanUpTheClock · 27/11/2011 23:46

Yes Kissing, you lead a lifestyle that is not leading to obesity, the obese lead a lifestyle that has lead to it, and only they know the journey that took them there, and I imagine it is very different for a lot of people who are obese.

What's with the "err..." put down?

It was me that reported the personal attack post, it was out of order and over the top, I don't think the Italian poster deserved that kind of a response!

TheMouseRanUpTheClock · 27/11/2011 23:47

Sparkly boots, I think I will order that book, it sounds interesting!

Sleepwhenidie · 27/11/2011 23:49

Being "a bit more cuddly" isn't very good for you though Happy...it often leads to lots of horrible health problems, which can't be fun for the person or their family, and is currently costing the NHS £4bn a year and rising...

happybubblebrain · 27/11/2011 23:50

Only 22% - I would have thought it was higher - much higher, they must work it out differently for men in that case.

A1980 · 27/11/2011 23:50

I'm convinced it's not as simple as 'calories in calories out'.

Try it then. Eat only 1000 calories a day and exercise for an hour a day. see if you lose weight.

TheMouseRanUpTheClock · 27/11/2011 23:50

Happy, I think there is probably a very large proportion of men that fit into the overweight rather than obese catagory.

NotnOtter · 27/11/2011 23:53

MOUSE:- Why people who are not obese and have never been obese seem to think they have the answer as to why people are?

Because everyone is human - and just because we are not overweight does not mean we could not be

I have to diet pretty much permanently in my life - i say no to what i want to eat several times a DAY. If i did not say NO i would be obese

happybubblebrain · 27/11/2011 23:54

Being underweight is actually worse for your health than being a bit overweight - but nobody goes on about that all the time.

ShengdanRoad · 27/11/2011 23:54

I think there are three reasons:

The emotionalisation of food and eating. We eat for comfort, and emotions run high when anyone dares to criticise someone for their weight. This leads to apologism and acceptance of being overweight.

Portion size. We eat far too much. It's not what we eat, it's the amount. I've spent a fair bit of time in France (DP is French) and women there eat what they want, but they don't gorge. I live in China now, and the food here is horribly greasy and fatty. The women are (mostly) slim, because they only eat a bit, and wash it down with green tea.

Alcohol. Calorie-laden, and makes you want to eat junk.

ShengdanRoad · 27/11/2011 23:55

"Being underweight is actually worse for your health than being a bit overweight"

I don't think so...

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