80% off middle aged Britons are overweight, inactive or drink too much !

We went to a party the other evening and one of the guests was an ex professional footballer. He was huge with rolls of fat. I was quite shocked as I hadn't seem him for a while.

My OH has put on weight but this is because of arthritis making it difficult for him to walk. He finds it very frustrating.

Some of us are still Spring chickens - being in the 40 - 60 age range!

@Anya

I'm sure you're right. I've researched this in the past, but couldn't be bothered to look for the information again. I thought I remembered that weight tends to drop with the most elderly, but I was obviously wrong. I'm pretty sure the pattern is slightly different for men and women. I do know that there's a strong correlation with socio-economic status.

The reason I've looked this up in the past is that people often start off by criticising the young for eating fast food, when that's not quite true. Young people might be storing up problems for the future, but they're least likely to be overweight.

Presumably what happens is that people overeat slightly throughout their lives. Even a half a kilo rise per year from the age of 20 means that an 80 year old could be 30 kilos overweight!

Ooh..another thread?..--writes off another few hours--

Elainel does anybody ever sit down with these people and tell them straight 'this is your own fault, because you are obese' and tell them in no uncertain terms where it will lead them health wise and the cost to the NHS.

I suspect not.

Gettingonabit that's why I started the other thread.

elaine do you think the Govt should be doing more?

There is a lot of information about this subject but people are unwilling to apply the situation and results to themselves. In my job as a health professional I have to treat increasing numbers of people with leaky legs, leg ulcers, cellulitis, potentially life changing/threatening conditions. It prevents other people from treatments as is time consuming for health professionals and most of the people I see refuse/ignore/reject any help to loose weight or change their lifestyle. it costs millions of pounds for dressings/bandages/nurse time. Also continence problems. An average dressing costs about £3.50/£5 each and usage per person can be x 60 plus bandages plus nursing time per person if they heal. More if not so a huge cost to NHS never mind other health problems such as diabetes, heart disease etc. I am not saying this is the only cause but is an increasing cause and frustrating if people do not try to help themselves.

Couldn't get Chart 2 to copy.

I don't think that's correct DD - at least not according to a 2016 government report on obesity.

"The age group most likely to be overweight or obese is age 75-84, but only by a small margin. Prevalence of overweight and obesity is between 74% and 76% among all age groups from 55 to 84. Age 75-84 is the only category with less than a quarter of adults at normal weight. The adult age group least likely to be obese is 16-24 year olds, with almost 61% at normal weight and only 32% overweight or obese. Chart 2 (overleaf) illustrates this."

Obesity rates increase until about the age of 75-80, then they fall. Maybe that's because the elderly lose their appetites. I don't know why.

Maybe the focus is on 40-60 year olds, because the effects take some years to show. Although people are living longer, the age at which people start to have health problems has remained stubbornly consistent.

Yes, we may now be as smug as we like (pass the scones please!)

It's the not moving that does it Jalima I agree. People underestimate the effect that moving has on the body and the cumulative number of calories burned over a week.

I have to admit I'm pleased to see the focus move to 40-60 year olds as I'm sick of us 'baby boomers' being always blamed for the state of the NHS

I know I've put on weight with not being able to move around for a few weeks - I did try to eat less too.

Sometimes it's a Catch 22 situation - especially if people have mobility problems as they get older.
However, they are talking about 40-60 year olds - are we not included because we don't matter or because we are good?

Exercise is not my scene but now I don't have a dog which forced me outside I do go swimming most days and attend a regular Pilates class and I find I'm not eating as much - partly because I have to be careful anyway on what I eat these days because of IBS.

However I WOULD go out and about more if there were toilets available! For me the lack of facilities involves planning to the extent of a military campaign. No loos available means I don't go - simples. I'm not alone. There are a lot of people around with 'hidden' disabilities which means that they too have to base their outings on toilet availability.

Just been on the Diabetes UK website to check my risk. I was delighted to find my BMI is fine, and whilst they classed me as slight risk (can't remember the exact wording) the only thing making me so was my age, and I can't do much about that! I certainly move around and take more exercise since retiring than I ever did while working. One less thing to worry about, anyway .

One of our english neighbours here is HUGE - he used to be a rugby player. They spend some time in Florida and he says he feels thin when he's there, in comparison with the Americans.
He hardly drinks at all, but they do eat a lot of fried food, and big helpings.

I have a friend like that, too, anya. She's newly diagnosed with Type 1 but seems to both drink and eat to excess. She claims it's ok (she's overweight too).

I'm feeling very smug and pleased with myself at the moment because I've managed to lose more than a stone in the past year. I've turned into one of those awful condescending diet bores. Whenever I meet up with my old school pals I take great delight in being the slimmest one even though I'm still overweight.

It's hard, but not impossible, to be slim(ish). I really envy the ones who seem to be able to keep weight off naturally; however for most it's an ongoing battle, given the availability of cheap food and our sedentary lifestyles.

However I DO object to the Govt finger-wagging. And, whilst I agree that people are responsible for their own lifestyles and wellbeing, being fit, healthy and active requires a lot of hard work, application, focus and discipline. Most people in my experience aren't prepared for this.

Exactly FarNorth

I watched an obese diabetic stuffing herself with chocolates, mince pies, downing the alcohol as if it was going out of fashion this Christmas. OK, it's her look out, but as you said they are reducing the services available to everyone else.

One of the things I read in this report was that we know longer recognise a 'normal' weight surrounded as we are by morbid obesity. Size 16 is now the most common size for adult women. My health scare of this year has certainly made me focus on my lifestyle choices. I was told that excess weight in women aids the excess production of progesterone which acts negatively on the uterus and is a great concern to gynaecologists causing their workload to have increased significantly over the last few years. I also used the Diabetes UK risk calculator and the result was something of a shock. After seeing the obesity post mortem a few weeks before Christmas all this has been enough for me. We had a few days off for Christmas but are now keen to get straight back on our healthy eating plan

They don't just dig their own grave and hop in. They cause distress to their families by being ill, they cost the country money it can't afford to treat them and they reduce the nhs services available to everyone else.

Most of those doing it can't see the problem, though.

As far as I'm concerned if people want to dig their own early grave then let them...but for one reason. This is breaking an already over-stretched NHS.

Don't think it could be classed as scaremongering, it is true and people with unhealthy lifestyles are a problem for the NHS. Diabetes for example has all sorts of complications requiring treatment.
Unfortunately the advice given is often seen as patronising and Nanny overkill. Not sure what the answer is.

Oh, and next week it will be something different. You'd have thought they'd had enough news this last week, wouldn't you, without scaremongering yet again.

It said people between 40 and 60 (the middle-aged).

I must be elderly, am I excused?

Well I have to walk my large dog, tend a large garden and an even larger allotment, I weigh about 8 stones so guess what my vice is? And no. I am not relinquishing my evening Merlot just to please the Government advisors and NHS so called experts. As a recently retired health professional I have met many "game old birds" like myself but reaching their 80s and 90s. I intend to follow their precedent ?