In think the problem starts at school where kids who are overweight/tubby develop what will turn into a life-long phobia of exercise due to sniggering, name calling and bullying that goes on during PE lessons to which the PE teachers, in my experience, at best wilfilly ignorant of.
I'm not exactly skinny but I've not had a problem with my weight but I recall kids at school who did.
Week 1: They'd turn up and join in. There'd be laughter, name calling.
Week 2: They'd try to get out of it by forgetting PE kit. Teacher would give them spares to wear. They'd join in and there'd be laughter and name calling.
Week 3: They'd bring a note from home excusing them.
....then every week was week 3 from there on in. I've seen it dozens of times. We need to maybe start segregating PE lessons the same as we do maths, English and Science. Do it depending on physical ability/confidence to encourage kids to take part and not beg their parents for an excuse note.
Thousands of kids grow up without exercise being a routine part of their daily lives because from an early age they're bullied into trying their darndest to avoid it at all costs.
I believe that if a fat "person" wants help from the NHS then they should be made to exercise, this would free up vital NHS resources and also make the country look a lot better which would boot tourism
We're in the habit of trying to find an easy solution to this, when there isn't one.
Eating less food is not the answer, as that is just as unhealthy if not more so.
Eating salads is not the answer, as they are mostly water and too low on calories.
Buying "locally sourced ingredients" is pure marketing.
"Organic" food is the biggest scam in the food industry, it means absolutely NOTHING.
And yes, I would agree that the only real solution is to work hard and change people's attitude to cooking and eating. It took me a long time to start to bother with cooking but once you're in the habit it makes such a huge difference. We need to stop thinking there is a quick fix to obesity and poor diets, because there isn't one. Time to do some hard work!
In think the problem starts at school where kids who are overweight/tubby develop what will turn into a life-long phobia of exercise due to sniggering, name calling and bullying that goes on during PE lessons to which the PE teachers, in my experience, at best wilfilly ignorant of.
I'm not exactly skinny but I've not had a problem with my weight but I recall kids at school who did.
Week 1: They'd turn up and join in. There'd be laughter, name calling.
Week 2: They'd try to get out of it by forgetting PE kit. Teacher would give them spares to wear. They'd join in and there'd be laughter and name calling.
Week 3: They'd bring a note from home excusing them.
....then every week was week 3 from there on in. I've seen it dozens of times. We need to maybe start segregating PE lessons the same as we do maths, English and Science. Do it depending on physical ability/confidence to encourage kids to take part and not beg their parents for an excuse note.
Thousands of kids grow up without exercise being a routine part of their daily lives because from an early age they're bullied into trying their darndest to avoid it at all costs.
I think the parents should be held more accountable. When I see all the, let's say chubby, kids at school I want to ask their parents why they are allowing their children to be overweight before they have even reached double figures.
For the vast majority of obese people, yes it is. That's the simple truth.
You could eat a kilo of lettuce and consume less calories than 6 chicken nuggets. And the lettuce wouldn't provide you with any of the fats, oils or empty fillers that you'd get in those. And you would be much more full.
I'm not suggesting anyone eat a kilo of lettuce but it has very little to do with quantity of food and a lot to do with quality.
Yep, a change in culture should be our ultimate target. How we can get there, I don't know. Perhaps there's a case for offering home economics classes in schools, I don't know.
I just know it won't happen with silly ideas like sugar or fat taxes.
That's exactly why we have these taxes, though. No one knows how to deal with this problem.
Including you, me and pretty much everyone else on this thread.
I'm pretty sure it's a somewhat overstated issue. Looking around the 50 odd people in work at the moment and there's only 1 or 2 people I'd classify as obese. I mean, there are quite a few overweight people (I'm carrying an extra stone or two) but nothing would require a reinforced NHS ambulance.
Even around town, it's a minority of individuals who are dangerously overweight. There's always been fat people and until there's literally a pill that dissolves fat in minutes there always will be. Heck, at the rate the government are going being fat will once again become a sign of affluence and a desired body shape.
I'm pretty sure it's a somewhat overstated issue. Looking around the 50 odd people in work at the moment and there's only 1 or 2 people I'd classify as obese. I mean, there are quite a few overweight people (I'm carrying an extra stone or two) but nothing would require a reinforced NHS ambulance.
Even around town, it's a minority of individuals who are dangerously overweight. There's always been fat people and until there's literally a pill that dissolves fat in minutes there always will be. Heck, at the rate the government are going being fat will once again become a sign of affluence and a desired body shape.
It depends very much on demographics though. I used to live in a rather rough area and there were a lot of overweight people there. I wouldn't say a lot of people were obese, but certainly the majority were overweight. But then I'd go to work, which was quite a good job, and very few people there had a weight issue. It's a cultural thing that has its roots in upbringing, education and aspiration, and I'm not sure how we can tackle it.
You could eat a kilo of lettuce and consume less calories than 6 chicken nuggets. And the lettuce wouldn't provide you with any of the fats, oils or empty fillers that you'd get in those. And you would be much more full.
I'm not suggesting anyone eat a kilo of lettuce but it has very little to do with quantity of food and a lot to do with quality.
I'm happy to qualify my statement by specifying that it's about eating less of the wrong foods.
That's exactly why we have these taxes, though. No one knows how to deal with this problem.
Including you, me and pretty much everyone else on this thread.
Part of the problem is that people try to massively over complicate things. The simple solution is, as i've always maintained, make the healthy food cheaper and the unhealthy food more expensive.
People on the lower end of the financial scale who live day to day and can't simply go out and spend £30-£40 quid "bulk buying" food will have no choice but to buy the healthy options because they're the cheapest options.
And make gym membership massively cheaper as well. Allow people in receipt of benefits to either use gyms for free or for a massively reduced fee.
Sure, I think attitudes do need to change as well but there certainly are more straightforward solutions to the issue that can be done while that's going on.
I'm happy to qualify my statement by specifying that it's about eating less of the wrong foods.
Agreed, but even a normal amount of the "wrong foods" will make you overweight if that's all you eat. Having a take-away fish and chips every day would see you balloon in a matter of weeks but it's not an especially big meal.
You've really got it right there. When you see other cultures on TV eating you can see the huge difference between their genuine love of food and our make or grab something quick mentality. Some of our food makes me want to hurl, pasties and chips together yuck I would feel so stodgy after something like that but that's a meal served up to countless kids.
We can kill two birds with one stone as well if we get people thinking about alcohol in relation to food. Reduce obesity and binge drinking. Excellent food paired with excellent wine or beer need not be the sole domain of the wealthy.
I believe that if a fat "person" wants help from the NHS then they should be made to exercise, this would free up vital NHS resources and also make the country look a lot better which would boot tourism
Agreed, but even a normal amount of the "wrong foods" will make you overweight if that's all you eat. Having a take-away fish and chips every day would see you balloon in a matter of weeks but it's not an especially big meal.
You're trying to correct me on something that doesn't require correcting.
When I said "less" I don't mean portion size, I'm talking about frequency.
I think the parents should be held more accountable. When I see all the, let's say chubby, kids at school I want to ask their parents why they are allowing their children to be overweight before they have even reached double figures.
I agree. Children who are fed badly are the victims of abuse, parents should be prosecuted for this.
I'm pretty sure it's a somewhat overstated issue. Looking around the 50 odd people in work at the moment and there's only 1 or 2 people I'd classify as obese. I mean, there are quite a few overweight people (I'm carrying an extra stone or two) but nothing would require a reinforced NHS ambulance.
Even around town, it's a minority of individuals who are dangerously overweight. There's always been fat people and until there's literally a pill that dissolves fat in minutes there always will be. Heck, at the rate the government are going being fat will once again become a sign of affluence and a desired body shape.
If you are carrying an extra two stone, you are probably obese yourself. The old saying "if you look around the room and can't see the fatty, the fatty is you".
Moreover, you are setting the bar for acceptability far too high if you only consider a weight requiring a reinforced ambulance as the barometer of obesity.
People would need a lot more money. Fresh vegetables need to come down a lot in price. A packet of button mushrooms, some chicken, a Savoy cabbage some fennel, a courgette and a newspaper comes to £10 for two people.
Where are you shopping? Harrods?!
You could easily buy that lot for way under a fiver, especially if buying from 'value' ranges.
For the vast majority of obese people, yes it is. That's the simple truth.
Some people are genetically inclined to be overweight. Very few. As you say, for the vast majority weight loss is about eating less and exercising more. Fat people will almost always refuse to believe this, which is why nothing will ever change.
If you are carrying an extra two stone, you are probably obese yourself. The old saying "if you look around the room and can't see the fatty, the fatty is you".
But I wear it so well.
Moreover, you are setting the bar for acceptability far too high if you only consider a weight requiring a reinforced ambulance as the barometer of obesity.
The ambulance is a slight exaggeration but to me that's what obesity is; when you're actually amazed at how big they are. Anything less than that is just being a fat get.
Regarding 'obesity' as an all-encompassing term for anyone overweight is a relatively new phenomena that everyone has retroactively adopted as a position they've held all along.
People would need a lot more money. Fresh vegetables need to come down a lot in price. A packet of button mushrooms, some chicken, a Savoy cabbage some fennel, a courgette and a newspaper comes to £10 for two people.
I don't know what supermarket you shop at!
Fresh carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, new potatoes, onions, spring onions, courgettes, peppers, and beansprouts - these are part of my weekly shop and they cost me less than £10. Add in some meat - about £5 for a couple of portions - along with some carbs like rice, noodles, or pasta, which would come to about £5 and you have enough meals there to last two people most of the week, for roughly £20. As I say, I do this every week. It's a total myth that good food is expensive. Just go for supermarkets' own brands rather than high-end stuff and it costs the same if not less than "easy" stuff.
The ambulance is a slight exaggeration but to me that's what obesity is; when you're actually amazed at how big they are. Anything less than that is just being a fat get.
From your comments above, I would consider the possibility of you being overweight, if not obese. I'm 6 foot and weigh just 11 stone, but even I'm not in the low part of the healthy range. If I weighed just 13 stone, I'd be obese.
- stop allowing companies that make processed crap to be on the advisory boards of nutritional panels. I also think it would be better if major sporting events were NOT sponsored by the likes of Coke and McD's.
- cut advertising aimed at children that includes anything processed. Obviously people will buy what they like, but we could do with less of our kids being drip-fed a subliminal diet of soda, candy, fast food and sugar.
- quit making fun of fat people, it's counterproductive
The "eat less move more" advice should be amended to "eat BETTER and move more". People can calorie count all they want but if they're eating too much sugar (or for some that means foods that are easily converted to glucose in the body) and feeling hungry every 2 hours, it's hardly going to lead to sustainable weight loss.
And "move more" does not mean going to a gym. Just get out and walk. I'm not saying that people who DO go to the gym and work out are doing anything wrong, but suggesting that obese people need to go to the gym is very unrealistic. And it's also not necessary.
Better education about food and cooking when kids are young is also a good idea, but if parents don't see the downside of an over-reliance on processed food, it's unlikely their kids will grow up any different.
For those who don't think advertising has a massive impact on us and our kids, ask yourself why they'd spend billions on it if it didn't work.
The problem with legislating on processed foods is that "processed" is a rather loose term that is very much open to interpretation. It could conceivably cover everything from GM crops to tinned burgers, and I'm not sure how I would define it myself. And not all processed food is actively bad for you, it's just not usually actively good for you either. Having a pizza once a fortnight won't make the slightest difference to your health. So legal enforcement is not the way to go IMO.
From your comments above, I would consider the possibility of you being overweight, if not obese. I'm 6 foot and weigh just 11 stone, but even I'm not in the low part of the healthy range. If I weighed just 13 stone, I'd be obese.
Those tools are useless indicators. As mentioned many a time, a bodybuilder would be obese by their standards.
FYI the tool put me in the 'overweight' category at 6ft and 15st so I don't how you would be obese at 13st.
Comments
I'm not exactly skinny but I've not had a problem with my weight but I recall kids at school who did.
Week 1: They'd turn up and join in. There'd be laughter, name calling.
Week 2: They'd try to get out of it by forgetting PE kit. Teacher would give them spares to wear. They'd join in and there'd be laughter and name calling.
Week 3: They'd bring a note from home excusing them.
....then every week was week 3 from there on in. I've seen it dozens of times. We need to maybe start segregating PE lessons the same as we do maths, English and Science. Do it depending on physical ability/confidence to encourage kids to take part and not beg their parents for an excuse note.
Thousands of kids grow up without exercise being a routine part of their daily lives because from an early age they're bullied into trying their darndest to avoid it at all costs.
I believe that if a fat "person" wants help from the NHS then they should be made to exercise, this would free up vital NHS resources and also make the country look a lot better which would boot tourism
For the vast majority of obese people, yes it is. That's the simple truth.
Eating less food is not the answer, as that is just as unhealthy if not more so.
Eating salads is not the answer, as they are mostly water and too low on calories.
Buying "locally sourced ingredients" is pure marketing.
"Organic" food is the biggest scam in the food industry, it means absolutely NOTHING.
And yes, I would agree that the only real solution is to work hard and change people's attitude to cooking and eating. It took me a long time to start to bother with cooking but once you're in the habit it makes such a huge difference. We need to stop thinking there is a quick fix to obesity and poor diets, because there isn't one. Time to do some hard work!
I think the parents should be held more accountable. When I see all the, let's say chubby, kids at school I want to ask their parents why they are allowing their children to be overweight before they have even reached double figures.
You could eat a kilo of lettuce and consume less calories than 6 chicken nuggets. And the lettuce wouldn't provide you with any of the fats, oils or empty fillers that you'd get in those. And you would be much more full.
I'm not suggesting anyone eat a kilo of lettuce but it has very little to do with quantity of food and a lot to do with quality.
That's exactly why we have these taxes, though. No one knows how to deal with this problem.
Including you, me and pretty much everyone else on this thread.
Even around town, it's a minority of individuals who are dangerously overweight. There's always been fat people and until there's literally a pill that dissolves fat in minutes there always will be. Heck, at the rate the government are going being fat will once again become a sign of affluence and a desired body shape.
It depends very much on demographics though. I used to live in a rather rough area and there were a lot of overweight people there. I wouldn't say a lot of people were obese, but certainly the majority were overweight. But then I'd go to work, which was quite a good job, and very few people there had a weight issue. It's a cultural thing that has its roots in upbringing, education and aspiration, and I'm not sure how we can tackle it.
I'm happy to qualify my statement by specifying that it's about eating less of the wrong foods.
Part of the problem is that people try to massively over complicate things. The simple solution is, as i've always maintained, make the healthy food cheaper and the unhealthy food more expensive.
People on the lower end of the financial scale who live day to day and can't simply go out and spend £30-£40 quid "bulk buying" food will have no choice but to buy the healthy options because they're the cheapest options.
And make gym membership massively cheaper as well. Allow people in receipt of benefits to either use gyms for free or for a massively reduced fee.
Sure, I think attitudes do need to change as well but there certainly are more straightforward solutions to the issue that can be done while that's going on.
Agreed, but even a normal amount of the "wrong foods" will make you overweight if that's all you eat. Having a take-away fish and chips every day would see you balloon in a matter of weeks but it's not an especially big meal.
We can kill two birds with one stone as well if we get people thinking about alcohol in relation to food. Reduce obesity and binge drinking. Excellent food paired with excellent wine or beer need not be the sole domain of the wealthy.
Far too authoritarian
You're trying to correct me on something that doesn't require correcting.
When I said "less" I don't mean portion size, I'm talking about frequency.
Now you're talking. A good dose of enforced diet would do the country a load of good and take an immense strain off the NHS.
I agree. Children who are fed badly are the victims of abuse, parents should be prosecuted for this.
If you are carrying an extra two stone, you are probably obese yourself. The old saying "if you look around the room and can't see the fatty, the fatty is you".
Moreover, you are setting the bar for acceptability far too high if you only consider a weight requiring a reinforced ambulance as the barometer of obesity.
But it would mean less fat people, which is what we all want.
Where are you shopping? Harrods?!
You could easily buy that lot for way under a fiver, especially if buying from 'value' ranges.
Some people are genetically inclined to be overweight. Very few. As you say, for the vast majority weight loss is about eating less and exercising more. Fat people will almost always refuse to believe this, which is why nothing will ever change.
The ambulance is a slight exaggeration but to me that's what obesity is; when you're actually amazed at how big they are. Anything less than that is just being a fat get.
Regarding 'obesity' as an all-encompassing term for anyone overweight is a relatively new phenomena that everyone has retroactively adopted as a position they've held all along.
I don't know what supermarket you shop at!
Fresh carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, new potatoes, onions, spring onions, courgettes, peppers, and beansprouts - these are part of my weekly shop and they cost me less than £10. Add in some meat - about £5 for a couple of portions - along with some carbs like rice, noodles, or pasta, which would come to about £5 and you have enough meals there to last two people most of the week, for roughly £20. As I say, I do this every week. It's a total myth that good food is expensive. Just go for supermarkets' own brands rather than high-end stuff and it costs the same if not less than "easy" stuff.
Use this link (if you dare):
http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyweightcalculator.aspx
From your comments above, I would consider the possibility of you being overweight, if not obese. I'm 6 foot and weigh just 11 stone, but even I'm not in the low part of the healthy range. If I weighed just 13 stone, I'd be obese.
- stop allowing companies that make processed crap to be on the advisory boards of nutritional panels. I also think it would be better if major sporting events were NOT sponsored by the likes of Coke and McD's.
- cut advertising aimed at children that includes anything processed. Obviously people will buy what they like, but we could do with less of our kids being drip-fed a subliminal diet of soda, candy, fast food and sugar.
- quit making fun of fat people, it's counterproductive
The "eat less move more" advice should be amended to "eat BETTER and move more". People can calorie count all they want but if they're eating too much sugar (or for some that means foods that are easily converted to glucose in the body) and feeling hungry every 2 hours, it's hardly going to lead to sustainable weight loss.
And "move more" does not mean going to a gym. Just get out and walk. I'm not saying that people who DO go to the gym and work out are doing anything wrong, but suggesting that obese people need to go to the gym is very unrealistic. And it's also not necessary.
Better education about food and cooking when kids are young is also a good idea, but if parents don't see the downside of an over-reliance on processed food, it's unlikely their kids will grow up any different.
For those who don't think advertising has a massive impact on us and our kids, ask yourself why they'd spend billions on it if it didn't work.
FYI the tool put me in the 'overweight' category at 6ft and 15st so I don't how you would be obese at 13st.