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How Do We Solve a Problem Like Obesity?


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I can’t help but feel some of the more vocal protagonists here will be be akin to some of those on our terraces taunting footballers carrying a little extra.  Strangely the mirrors in their own house don’t seem to work properly.

There’s clearly an issue here that will take generations to resolve and a government willing to take some unpopular decisions.

As an aside, I’ve noticed a lot of people who, largely by dint of genetics, are a skinny as a rake but horrifically unhealthy and miles less fit than some people who are carrying a bit extra but still participate in regular exercise.

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3 minutes ago, Genuine Hibs Fan said:

Absolutely agreed, although as @Bairnardo has pointed out this is more a calibration problem as part of the effort to balance the equally unhealthy standards placed upon women historically. Obviously this needs to be corrected. But it is not evidence that:

We live in a world now where we are terrified to point out something as obvious as "being overweight is unhealthy" in case we offend people

Well it kinda is. It isn't healthy. So why say it is?

I am certain that if you ventured into the comments section and said "actually, this isn't healthy" you'd get a power of abuse for "fat shaming"

However, I don't think we'll ever agree here and there's no point in going in circles.

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12 minutes ago, Hedgecutter said:

Todd's right to some degree regarding the 'big is beautiful' thing though. 

Even if GPs will point out the unhealthiness to the individuals, there still seems to be a general apparent vibe out in the wider world that it's 'ok' to be overweight, and it's the ones who point it out that are in the wrong.   

I guess most will probably harbour negative thoughts in their mind, but won't dare say it to the people themselves who will be buying the BIB message whilst hearing little to argue against it.

Whilst I wouldn't go as far as to say thinking 'big is beautiful' is desirable , by accepting that you are overweight you park that as an issue and for many people this helps their mental health. Society wants overweight people to constantly be on shame inducing diets that foster mental health issues. Accepting their size for many people releases people from the mental health issues that constant dieting can cause.

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Do those who bully the overweight also bully the under weight?

I'm pretty unhealthily skinny. For years I've struggled to eat enough food each day and generally the food I eat is not healthy, which was a cycle that was started by depression. Obviously I am responsible for what goes in my body each day but it's not simply a case of me shoving more food down my throat, I don't have a big appetite, I also assume my stomach has shrunk in size given how little food I ate for so long. Some foods I can only have a few bites of before I feel full or sick. I've had numerous comments about how skinny I am when out with mates, I even had one business colleague mention it at an exhibition - laughs a plenty for everyone else whilst I am absolutely mortified and want the ground to swallow me up. Progress is slow and minimal, meaning a lot of hard work gets little reward, yet a small set back (losing weight one week) would blow my motivation altogether. 

I'm not looking to "blame" something else or someone else for the shape I'm in but I understand how I got here and what I need to do to get out of it, yet I still struggle to gain weight. I've come to accept that I probably need help with this, I probably do need someone motivating me and telling me things will be fine when I lose weight or don't hit a target. I suppose I have empathy for people who are overweight as I can see how this could easily affect other people and cause them to eat more rather than less. 

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1 minute ago, coprolite said:

That's clearly not healthy. 

But that doesn't explain why you'd be terrified to say that

(wid by the way) 

Ok. Lets take the same cover, and add the word "not" to that headline.

What do you think would happen?

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2 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

Do those who bully the overweight also bully the under weight?

I'm pretty unhealthily skinny. For years I've struggled to eat enough food each day and generally the food I eat is not healthy, which was a cycle that was started by depression. Obviously I am responsible for what goes in my body each day but it's not simply a case of me shoving more food down my throat, I don't have a big appetite, I also assume my stomach has shrunk in size given how little food I ate for so long. Some foods I can only have a few bites of before I feel full or sick. I've had numerous comments about how skinny I am when out with mates, I even had one business colleague mention it at an exhibition - laughs a plenty for everyone else whilst I am absolutely mortified and want the ground to swallow me up. Progress is slow and minimal, meaning a lot of hard work gets little reward, yet a small set back (losing weight one week) would blow my motivation altogether. 

I'm not looking to "blame" something else or someone else for the shape I'm in but I understand how I got here and what I need to do to get out of it, yet I still struggle to gain weight. I've come to accept that I probably need help with this, I probably do need someone motivating me and telling me things will be fine when I lose weight or don't hit a target. I suppose I have empathy for people who are overweight as I can see how this could easily affect other people and cause them to eat more rather than less. 

Respect to a skinny b*****d from a fatty tights.

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1 minute ago, Todd_is_God said:

Well it kinda is. It isn't healthy. So why say it is?

I am certain that if you ventured into the comments section and said "actually, this isn't healthy" you'd get a power of abuse for "fat shaming"

However, I don't think we'll ever agree here and there's no point in going in circles.

Yeah but by going into the comments section you're proving you're not terrified to say something is unhealthy, which is again what you said is now the case in this country. 

People might disagree with you about what is healthy and be precious and on this issue I'd agree they're wrong. But don't just make up shit to feed into some woke/pc bashing as it clearly isn't true and doesn't help the argument at all.

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4 minutes ago, Genuine Hibs Fan said:

Yeah but by going into the comments section you're proving you're not terrified to say something is unhealthy, which is again what you said is now the case in this country. 

People might disagree with you about what is healthy and be precious and on this issue I'd agree they're wrong. But don't just make up shit to feed into some woke/pc bashing as it clearly isn't true and doesn't help the argument at all.

I assumed by "we" it was obvious I meant people / groups with influence rather than a randomer but if it wasn't then I guess that's my fault for not saying so.

Edited by Todd_is_God
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8 minutes ago, Todd_is_God said:

Ok. Lets take the same cover, and add the word "not" to that headline.

What do you think would happen?

It would say "this not is healthy" 

Some people would get upset. 

Most people would think "yes, obviously, so?" 

A minority of sanctimonious twats would be all like "about time someone told those fatties" 

Very few magazines would be sold. 

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4 minutes ago, Todd_is_God said:

I assumed by "we" it was obvious I meant people / groups with influence rather than a randomer but if it wasn't then I guess that's my fault for saying so.

Lol but again people/groups with influence are not terrified to say this, as evidenced by the Cancer Research Article that you briefly tried to claim supported your argument. Even Katie fucking Hopkins, the most cancellable shit going, was expressly invited onto tv shows for years because producers were delighted with the ratings she'd bring by just saying "I hate fat people" on whatever gawdy sofa.

I admire the determination not to take the L but are you just unable to say "yeah I probably overstated this"?

Edited by Genuine Hibs Fan
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What i dont understand is people saying “oh its because we are uneducated”. Whilst this may be true, there is a plethora of information on the internet for free. The majority of people have access to the internet but would probably rather spend time attached to it looking at facebook or some pish.

As i have said before, for some, it is a mental illness and, as such, they should get help. However, it is too easy for a lot of people to hide behind this and use it as an excuse.

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2 minutes ago, Genuine Hibs Fan said:

Lol but again people/groups with influence are not terrified to say this, as evidenced by the Cancer Research Article that you briefly tried to claim supported your argument. Even Katie fucking Hopkins, the most cancellable shit going, was expressly invited onto tv shows for years because producers were delighted with the ratings she'd bring by just saying "I hate fat people" on whatever gawdy sofa.

I admire the determination not to take the L but are you just unable to say "yeah I probably overstated this"?

Aye ok. Have a greenie 😂

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Just now, Aufc said:

What i dont understand is people saying “oh its because we are uneducated”. Whilst this may be true, there is a plethora of information on the internet for free. The majority of people have access to the internet but would probably rather spend time attached to it looking at facebook or some pish.

As i have said before, for some, it is a mental illness and, as such, they should get help. However, it is too easy for a lot of people to hide behind this and use it as an excuse.

It's not hard to see why people who are completely demoralised after spending 8 hours at a meaningless job stretching out a 2 hour task would rather spend the free time they have doing enjoyable things instead of things they are too tired for and can't be fucked doing.

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1 minute ago, G51 said:

It's not hard to see why people who are completely demoralised after spending 8 hours at a meaningless job stretching out a 2 hour task would rather spend the free time they have doing enjoyable things instead of things they are too tired for and can't be fucked doing.

Are you in my house rn?

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22 minutes ago, sparky88 said:

Whilst I wouldn't go as far as to say thinking 'big is beautiful' is desirable , by accepting that you are overweight you park that as an issue and for many people this helps their mental health. Society wants overweight people to constantly be on shame inducing diets that foster mental health issues. Accepting their size for many people releases people from the mental health issues that constant dieting can cause.

No, 'society' wants people to exercise more and eat a healthy, balanced diet - not a stunt, short-term Diet - with treats in moderation. This has literally been the centre piece of every public health campaign for decades and is never off mainstream television either. That some people choose to take health advice from truly abysmal platforms like fashion magazines or Mail Online paparazzi snaps does not reflect the demands of 'society' as a whole on them.

We should not look at a population that is more than 60% overweight and pretend that is down to mental health in the vast majority of cases. That is being used to shut down discussion of the epidemic of piss-poor decision-making, that adults can and should take responsibility for. 

Edited by vikingTON
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4 minutes ago, Aufc said:

What i dont understand is people saying “oh its because we are uneducated”. Whilst this may be true, there is a plethora of information on the internet for free. The majority of people have access to the internet but would probably rather spend time attached to it looking at facebook or some pish.

As i have said before, for some, it is a mental illness and, as such, they should get help. However, it is too easy for a lot of people to hide behind this and use it as an excuse.

Every bit of information ever recorded is available on the internet. Something being on the internet =/= education

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19 minutes ago, 19QOS19 said:


 

 


None so far so I'll be the first! We started eating healthy at the start of the year and our food bill is far lower. It really is a myth that buying healthy ingredients is more expensive than buying processed stuff. That's before you add in takeaway food. Even bits like McDonalds are extortionate now and you don't get much change from a £20 when you get a pizza shop takeaway down here, probably worse in Cities. £20 is almost half of our weekly food bill now.

I don't know what the solution is but education has to be a big part and focussing on two areas in particular - 1. It isn't more expensive to eat healthy and more importantly 2. What to do with the ingredients. The cookbooks I use now I'd never have thought to combine some of the ingredients they suggest, I expect millions are in the same boat.

The reality of obesity is that, like addiction, the person has to want to change their lifestyle first and foremost and no amount if education or funding will change that until they are in the mindset to lose weight.

 

I don't actually disagree with any of this, but just to pick up on one point here, you use the phrase "we". Not everyone will have someone else in their household who will help push them down this road of putting a bit more effort into finding healthy food and even more so to cook it. It's patently easier for a partnership to push each other and keep each other in line that it is for someone living alone. There's numerous other reasons that folk will opt for a takeaway too that G51 has pointed out rather well.  

Totally agree on education and totally agree that someone who is overweight needs to want change - my overwhelming experience is that these people do want change and either don't know where to start or in most cases are scared of what other people will think if they go out a jog (I'd say their fears are probably quite well justified given some of the comments you see on here). 

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24 minutes ago, G51 said:

It's not hard to see why people who are completely demoralised after spending 8 hours at a meaningless job stretching out a 2 hour task would rather spend the free time they have doing enjoyable things instead of things they are too tired for and can't be fucked doing.

That's not a mental health issue though, and if adults cannot grasp the clear benefits of focusing on a healthy lifestyle instead of stuffing their faces with shite -  regardless of how much they love their job - then that's a problem that should not be dealt with by excuses but rather by being told the blunt truth and facing society-level carrots and sticks. 

You wouldn't let a five year old child behave like this, yet for some inexplicable reason in the 21st century we're now making excuses for a fully competent adult just not wanting to chuck some vegetables in a microwave and boil a pot of pasta for ten minutes. 

Edited by vikingTON
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I'll take your word for it. I can't claim to know very much about work cultures in the Far East.
What I will say though is that the culture in the West is that we get up, we go to work, we come home and then we make our main meal for the day. That was fine when there was only one member of the household working, and most households were the "traditional family" model of two adults in a relationship. One of you went to work, the other had the time to make meals from scratch.
But that's no longer really the case. There are far more single person households, and two adult households nowadays tend to have both adults working. Consequently, there are much less households that have the time to actually prepare meals. Given pre-prepared meals are also cheaper and significantly unhealthier, this is clearly an enormous contributory factor to the obesity epidemic. We can't beat it while we live like this.


I disagree here. If everyone who had a busy life had the same thoughts as this then obesity would be higher. As it is, a lot of people work round their lifestyle and remain fit and healthy. Again, people just look for excuses when the reality is they are being lazy (i am being very generalistic here)
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Do those who bully the overweight also bully the under weight?
I'm pretty unhealthily skinny. For years I've struggled to eat enough food each day and generally the food I eat is not healthy, which was a cycle that was started by depression. Obviously I am responsible for what goes in my body each day but it's not simply a case of me shoving more food down my throat, I don't have a big appetite, I also assume my stomach has shrunk in size given how little food I ate for so long. Some foods I can only have a few bites of before I feel full or sick. I've had numerous comments about how skinny I am when out with mates, I even had one business colleague mention it at an exhibition - laughs a plenty for everyone else whilst I am absolutely mortified and want the ground to swallow me up. Progress is slow and minimal, meaning a lot of hard work gets little reward, yet a small set back (losing weight one week) would blow my motivation altogether. 
I'm not looking to "blame" something else or someone else for the shape I'm in but I understand how I got here and what I need to do to get out of it, yet I still struggle to gain weight. I've come to accept that I probably need help with this, I probably do need someone motivating me and telling me things will be fine when I lose weight or don't hit a target. I suppose I have empathy for people who are overweight as I can see how this could easily affect other people and cause them to eat more rather than less. 


Depends on whether your lifestyle causes you health issues. Suppose it might catch up on you eventually which would be worry.

I do agree that, whilst we are banging on about magazines having obese girls on the front pages, it should also be said that it is a similar feeling when they plaster stick thin girls on the front pages.
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