Is obesity a class thing?

My Dad and his siblings regarded them selves as upper class and were extremely tubby , Mum wasn't just as posh and stick thin . I am definitely fat , in spite of my efforts , I did one of those slimming clubs and lost 2 lb in a year D D went at the same time and lost 7 1/2 stone ! It is a mystery

Rosie Leah, if you are a lower class person living in a deprived area (your own description, in case anyone hasn't read all the posts), what ideas do you have about this subject, from your knowledge of your friends and neighbours?

I think it quite telling that my friend recently bought a cauliflower in the supermarket and had to tell the girl at the checkout what it was so that she could key it in and find the price..

roses I think there are loads of us on GN with under active thyroid, as it affects women of a certain age, yes some days I'd give my right arm for more energy.

Annie I had to look up Wednesday child and I see it's "full of woe", well replace that with "Wednesday Child is full of Wales" - the aliteration is still there but it's a better connotation, especially for you but make sure it's full of Wales as opposed to full of wails which is just as bad as being full of woe!

Yes, ab depression can cause either over eating or eating too little.
Terri I have the thyroid problem now and would prefer the energy over the weight gain, although I don't like that much either!

I think that one of the basic reasons is that so many people have no idea how to start cooking themselves a meal. There are now few schools giving proper cookery lessons - it did become food technology and all sorts of things went on and were discussed with very little actual cooking. It is also a generation thing - I grew up in a house where my mother was a good cook and was interested in cooking - she could also follow a recipe - you need to understand some cookery terms.
DH's youngest DS has a partner who never had cookery lessons at. School and her mother never cooked - she has no idea where to start - but as she has enjoyed some meals she has eaten with us she is interested to have a go at making them herself - so I have obliged and shown her. However she has never eaten vegetables or much fruit - says no but if questioned as to whether she has tried a certain thing the answer is usually no but she is loathe to take a chance and try something new!
Take aways are death to slimness as the sauces are very high calorie unfortunately. Also if you look at shopping trollies these people - often through necessity of needing easy to cook food which you just pop on a tray in the oven - are eating high calorie stuff instead of more slimline vegetables etc.
Experience of life and what goes on in a kitchen probably has more to do with it - all the younger family members who grew up with meals coming from veg which needed washing and cooking still seem to continue that way when they grow up.

Bring back basic cooking and DOMESTIC SCIENCE lessons I say!

Terry X I blame my mother for giving birth to me on a Wednesday !

When we age it becomes more difficult to shift the extra weight, metabolism slows down and we are less active. I played badminton into my 60s and walked everywhere but now I am fat and lumpy due to inactivity following major surgery.

I think you are patronising and ignorant. Obesity isn't class dependant in my opinion.

I am sorry Anniebach you have suffered some crushing losses in your life.

I was slim right up to my mid forties when I was diagnosed with under active thyroid, coupled with the menopause kicking in mid fifies with all the delights that has to offer. I am heavier than I would like to be now. I do exercise and eat sensibly (most of the time) but as discussed on previous threads on GN, there was a consensus that thyroxine does not restore energy levels. I envy those who stay slim as they age, my husband has kept the pounds off playing golf three times a week which involves a lot of walking. Certain conditions it seems contribute to weight gain as indeed some lucky souls' genetic make-up keep them slim without trying

Depression doesn't recognise social class or wealth

There is an interesting question in there from the OP though, as a long time ago poorer people were thinnner ( I was one of them) and never got enough to eat as a child really, always felt some hunger.
I do think it could be the type of food that people eat now, that is readily available as snacks that is causing the problem of obesity, and the amount of sugar consumed in drinks and chocolate.
Poorer people are always going to be at a disadvantage with food, as in the past it cost more ( the rise of supermarkets and basics ranges means that it's cheaper now) but at the same time parents are usually both working so have less time to make a meal that is both nutritious and healthy.
I don't believe anybody chooses to be obese, of any class, but that it just happens slowly.
I live in what could be called a very nice area, and the majority of teenagers are slim ( often very slim) that I see, but adults are a mixed bag, all kinds of sizes.

I'm not sure obesity was prevalent in any of the social classes before certain fast food outlets arrived from across the pond. Anyone who has visited America will know how it has affected the obesity levels there and perhaps it's worth mentioning that it is often cheaper there to buy a meal from certain food outlets than it is getting the ingredients together to cook a meal at home. The supersizing is another factor. Into that toxic mix add the fact that we move around a lot less than we did once before screens took over. I expect most of us remember how little tv there was for children when we were growing up. I know that many of us had more freedom to roam around and get ourselves dirty, hence my perception is that coupled with hardly any tv, and the fact that childhood leisure time wasn't monitered in the way it is today we were possibly healthier. My sibling and I spent a lot of our time out of the house when we weren't at school if I remember rightly. I guess we all ate less and moved more. I also imagine adults didn't imbibe the amount of alchol that as a nation we do today. In my house wine was something that we just had at Christmas time.

Some of the upper class Victorians and Edwardians were fat, if anyone has seen a sample of menus from the type of fayre that Queen Victoria and her offspring consumed, it's a wonder she lived to the ripe old age she did.

I live not too far from the estate that has been identified as the most deprived in Wales, and to some small extent I do agree with what Rosie says? But I think obesity affects all classes of society, we are what we eat!

Obesity is multifactorial- diet, exercise, genetics, upbringing, self esteem, education, depression, medication,alcohol,peers and finances all contribute. If you are unemployed, single and depressed eating may be one of your only pleasures. Life is difficult for so many people.

People who are obese choose to be so

And that's where you lose me !

Quite frankly Rosie load of bollocks !

And that's my contribution from lower down the social classes !

Being one of the lower class - I assume this is the working class fir the O/P

I am battling with depression.

Couldn't care less about clothes, make up, haven't been to hair dresser for years.

How come I am 5'7" and a size 8

I know my place. Born into a working class family, worked all my life as a nurse and we all know that's not as good as being a doctor and here I am overweight. Only got myself and my social inferiority to blame I suppose. Pass the pork pies!!

Rosie Leah I agree with you. We are getting more like America where being obese is the norm. The UK is the Fat Man/Woman of Europe. I'm working class but make an effort to exercise and eat healthy but all around me I see mainly obese women and obese young girls, but the boys and young men seen slim. Although you don't see so many smoking now. They seem to have no pride in their appearance and instead of wearing clothes to compliment them seem to wear the tightest most revealing ones which show off all their rolls of fat.

That dawned on me "Annie*.I really didn't want to come back but you've tempted me! I was wondering if these common people also frequent Shoezone.

Budge up, Anya, and pass the Pringles.

School ended recently for those waiting their A level results

ROSIELEAH you state you live in a deprived area and see many who are obese.It is maybe to do with the lack of money. If you have money you can pay a gym membership or hire a personnel trainer.You can afford to buy the correct sort of food to control weight. With out money you have to have the incentive to find a form of exercise which is free or costs very little, you have to be motivated to purchase the right kinds of food in your price bracket and prepare from scratch which may be costly in terms of using gas or electricity to cook the food. Without the finances it is easier to go and buy cheap food which requires very little preparation and cooking and fills you up but sadly is usually the worst you could eat for weight control and health. I feel sorry for children in these circumstances they really dont stand a chance as they have no control over what they have to eat.

Was it the Duchess of Windsor who commented that you cannot be too rich or too thin?
Sadly unlikely to be either.

(Pass the posh popcorn Anya)