Obesity Rates have Doubled Since 1993

[Andy in Germany]

I think what we have is a couple of generations who grew up with too many ping diners and easy access to fast food. That stuff is so normalised i know people in their 30s who's culinary limits are making a bacon butty or putting a pie in the microwave. When i suggest they learn to cook a few basic meals (casserole, sunday roast, omelette & veg) because it's cheaper, healthier and really fecking easy, they have no interest whatsoever. They can't see point of home cooking.

[edit to add] My parents grew up in the time when school meals had to be nutritious and balanced because lots of kids weren't getting fed properly at home and being a school dinner lady, my mum's home cooking reflected that; meat and three or four veg everyday.

To be fair I have zero interest in cooking: I can see the point; I just have more interesting things to do.

I get through a lot of salads.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

They can't see point of home cooking.

A healthier and longer lifespan?

 

[oxoman]

Going back a few pages to various comments and observations made me think. When I was at secondary school in the late 70s there was only 1 fat kid in our year of approx 300 kids. We walked or biked home from school, went out to play football as soon as we got home. We didn't constantly snack as we couldn't afford to have stuff in the house. At wkends and school holidays we were never in. Nowadays kids can't go anywhere on there own safely. Portion control is non existent. I was working with a yank when he was over in the UK. I had to take him to Macshite's and looked at me gone out when his food turned up, he thought it was a kiddies portion. And yes he was a big lad even though only 5ft 8. I currently have a lad in our maintenance department who's 6ft 4 and weighs 186kg which is over twice my weight and i'm overweight. Frightening times.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Nowadays kids can't go anywhere on there own safely.

They could if their parents let them. Instead parents drive them contributing to…

 

[oxoman]

They could if their parents let them. Instead parents drive them contributing to…

Not much chance of that. Luckily my 2 lads walked to school and college up until they learnt to drive.

 

[MontyVeda]

A healthier and longer lifespan?

They don't consider their current diet as unhealthy.
We live in a world in which the government puts tax on sugary drinks and people bleat 'nanny state'.
One of my nieces claimed that McD's is healthy and nutritious because a pamphlet in McDonalds said it was.

 

[fossyant]

Just watching 'Big Chicken' documentary on Netflix. Frightening. The US and now the UK have what is called a food desert - i.e. no-where where you can pop in a store and buy fresh fruit/veg and meat - only fast food in the area.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

They don't consider their current diet as unhealthy.
We live in a world in which the government puts tax on sugary drinks and people bleat 'nanny state'.
One of my nieces claimed that McD's is healthy and nutritious because a pamphlet in McDonalds said it was.

Maybe she needs to see what has happened to Ronald McDonald?

 

[gbb]

Not really relevant, just a singular observation but I saw a lad last week, maybe 18 years old, BIG lad, carrying a lot of weight and was using a walking stick.
Christ I thought, if the alarm bells aren't already ringing for ya... Will they ever?

 

[Phil4000]

Big part of the problem is that politically we have to accept obesity and not speak out against it, or we face consequences.

The result is a strain on the NHS, a decrease in the fighting efficiency of armed forces should the national draft ever be implemented.

 

[Phil4000]

Going back a few pages to various comments and observations made me think. When I was at secondary school in the late 70s there was only 1 fat kid in our year of approx 300 kids. We walked or biked home from school, went out to play football as soon as we got home. We didn't constantly snack as we couldn't afford to have stuff in the house. At wkends and school holidays we were never in. Nowadays kids can't go anywhere on there own safely. Portion control is non existent. I was working with a yank when he was over in the UK. I had to take him to Macshite's and looked at me gone out when his food turned up, he thought it was a kiddies portion. And yes he was a big lad even though only 5ft 8. I currently have a lad in our maintenance department who's 6ft 4 and weighs 186kg which is over twice my weight and i'm overweight. Frightening times.

I understand what you are saying; by my generation it wasn't safe to go anywhere anymore.

So we went to martial arts classes. Several times per week, after school. Or life for you meant getting mugged and beaten up. Also at that age, you want to look good for the girls and back then being out of shape meant no girlfriend.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I understand what you are saying; by my generation it wasn't safe to go anywhere anymore.

When (or where) did you grow up?

And are we talking about traffic (statistically dangerous) or "stranger danger"? Last time I checked, you were more likely to be attacked by someone you know.

Beautiful Daughter was most confused this year when visiting York and seeing the massive fences in front of schools: Playgrounds here have no fences, in fact it's not unusual for cycleways and (heavily traffic controlled) roads to go through school campuses which can be a bit annoying at lunchtimes.

 

[slowereveryyear]

Big part of the problem is that politically we have to accept obesity and not speak out against it, or we face consequences.

The result is a strain on the NHS, a decrease in the fighting efficiency of armed forces should the national draft ever be implemented.

I don't think obese people should be unduly singled out for criticism but at the same time it shouldn't be looked at as being normal. Unless in 10 years all the population is the same.
As a fat child I faced a lot of ridicule but rather than complain it's not fair I decided to eat a little less. Mum thought I must be ill but I stuck to my decision and got to an average weight.
I'm 6 feet and nowadays weigh 85kg. My weight has gone up as I've got older. In my twenties it was always 78kg.
I eat well, quite large portions in fact, but not junk food. I cycle at least 10 miles each day and I'm fairly active.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Not really relevant, just a singular observation but I saw a lad last week, maybe 18 years old, BIG lad, carrying a lot of weight and was using a walking stick.
Christ I thought, if the alarm bells aren't already ringing for ya... Will they ever?

This is quite a serious problem in the long term mental health field. One of my colleagues describes some of our clients of low mental intelligence as "Werbungs-opfer" or "Advert victims". As he puts it, they can't discern what is healthy and what isn't, but they do want to be cool, especially when thy have a mental age in the early teens. They buy what adverts claim makes them cool. As a result they drink cola instead of water, because they saw it on an advert. Then they wonder why they have type 2 diabetes at 43.

I have a couple of lads who will bring a couple of litres of cola and/or energy drinks to work every day and drink the lot, along with any sweets they can reach. They also move as little as possible, as a result they have trouble walking to the bus stop and back and complain of ankle and knee pain all the time. They also complain bitterly about it taking three quarters of an hour to get to the main bus station by bus. I have pointed out that it takes me ten minutes to cover the same distance by bike...

 

[Gillstay]

Ironically, the Communist lifestyle seems to have the same problems.

Sure it wasn't just the vodka ?