The UK is a nation of -porkers- discuss

Or a combination of the two, of course.

I agree with jings that it's about eating less. This is because whenever I have wanted to lose some weight I have eaten less and lost the weight. I haven't done it by changing my diet but by reducing my diet.

Saw a graph recently of how calorific intake has increased since about 1800. I'll see if I can find it. We simply eat more now, on average, than we used to eat.

Here it is

why does no one like to be called what they are, ie porkers. I am overweight and freely admit it, I am losing slowly though and its hard so I understand that it is lovely to sit down to munch a packet of crisps, a cake or biscuit and when you haven't go t will power you get fat.

The temptation also is that the cheapest foods are the worst being calorie laden and sugary usually. The other thing is that people on benefits (like me at present) have their money in their hand, it is so easy to buy sweets or rubbish when it costs so little. If the government were to give out food vouchers instead of money we might be better off. I allow myself £1.00 per day in my pocket to help stop buying extra food but I can still buy kids sweets with the £1.00. If I need to buy real food or household items I use my debit card and I find it helps me stop and think before I buy.
Yes we are becoming a nation of 'porkers'.

We are a nation of fatties. Everywhere you look, there are overweight people. We eat too much and of the wrong sort. Kids, right from infancy are encouraged to graze- must have their snacks. Far too much choice in the ready food department. Bring back Domestic Science, teach the kids how to cook, sod the science of it, teach them basic cooking,from,scratch with fresh food. I got overweight by eating too many naughty things, I ate when I was depressed (not clinically), just life. I have recently lost 1.5stone with another stone to loose. Now I don't snack, I eat fresh, home cooked food. Rant over!

It was very noticeable on the beaches last time I went to Cornwall. Whole families of overweight people.
Apart from snacking, fizzy drinks etc - portion sizes are far too big. I had a pub meal today and had far too much on the plate. I had to leave about a third of it.

I have not posted before on this thread but I am a porker.

I am not proud of saying so but equally I do not take offence at the word neccesarily. It depends on the timing of where/when and in what context the term is used. I refuse to take offence when none was ever intended.

I eat too much and good food does not cost more than rubbish/sweets. A I kg bag of carrots and 2 apples will cost no more than a bag of sweets for £1 in most areas of the country where they have any supermarket. A bag of sweets or a bar of chocolate tastes better but is not necessarily cheaper than a banana, apple, vegetables , yogurt etc. It is a personal choice , not monetary.

I don't exercise due to health issues and I know what I should eat but I don't. It's not anybodies fault but my own.

There are some poor souls who have a mental issue , will even lightbulbs, glass but in general we are a nation of over weight people and getting bigger .

Calling it how it is is not unsympathetic nor showing a lack of empathy as I am positive those who stand accused of being so are talking of a generalisation re obesity levels and would know and never make light of cases where there is a given menatal issue.

But there are definitely lots of overweight children these days, far more than there were even 10 years ago. I can't remember any obese ones when I was growing up. That is diet, but it is also a lack of exercise. It is all a vicious circle- an obese child is less likely to exercise because it is far more difficult.

We're down in London for a few days, and our perception is that Londoners are definitely less weighty than us lardy Northerners. The larger folk usually turn out to be tourists. Would anyone agree with this?

Not just the North- we moved much further away from London and definitely more fatter people around.

I was in an area that I normally don't visit for an all day workshop and had forgotten my lunch. The local shops were a hairdressers ,tanning shop, dog grooming,but only one food shop -a sandwich shop. Cakes were all accompanied by an enormous dollop of cream, sandwiches low on protein but high on mayonnaise type filler and the tomato and lettuce meanly shared. The queue was out the door and they were locals who couldn't be bothered to put a sandwich together in their own homes. I felt quite sad for some reason. The sandwich was sickly but not inedible as DH ,the resident beanpole , wolfed the remainder when I got home. Lack of transport to decent shops IMO and no money to do a big sensible shop perhaps make people fat.

There are relatively cheap temptations of food everywhere. No ones' fault.
Not eating them is often difficult. Unfortunately.

Having said no ones' fault[cant for the life of me think how to spell that], is it? More regulation?

Regulation of what?

Just did a bit of crowd scanning as I was shopping in the next town. Most people were overweight but, those that weren't tended to be the older ones [ie 60+]. Of young people, they were either very slim or rather chubby; middle aged people tended to be fat. People can aford to eat out more now. I can remember feeling quite excited about the fact that I reached a point in my life when I could afford to have a coffee when out shopping, and I never had enough money to buy the children anything when we were out. Once a year a friend of the family took us all out for a pub meal because he wanted the children to know how to eat properly in public. However, my weight problems started with dieting when I was in my teens which resulted in my weight yo yo'ing throughout my life, partly as a result of the problem you get when crash dieting ie completely messing up your metabolism.

Adverts, where sweet stuff can be sold, taxes?

Not being allowed to put flopping high fat mayo in everything, to start with.

It's nice to have a sandwich out sometimes, one that you haven't made yourself. But the high fat extras spoil it.

Independent bakers' shops can be a good place to buy. They don't always add mayo and the like.

'flipping'. Not 'flopping' Though it can make a sarnie do just that.

A tax on foods with sugar in would be a good start. (Including hidden sugar)

Elderly people at the checkout behind me were stick thin. I'd bought carrots, watercress and bleach; they'd bought cans and cans of beer .

Go, elderly people!
Hope they didn't have to show ID!

Taxing consumables with sugar would be undemocratic. Not everyone believes sugar is the toxic demon some scientists make it out to be. It is a food. A good source of quick energy.

Undemocratic- you can be so funny jingl!?!

But won't bite this time- three bags full dear- discussed the addictive nature of sugar just too many times now.

. Or rather, WTF?!

How far can you, fairly, take food policing?