American women getting bigger .

We found the largest individuals we have ever seen were in the southern states of America.
Fried food, sugar and portion size is the problem.
I think it's best to cook your own food for one thing you know what goes into it.
Takeaways are fine as is drinking alcohol but not everyday.

Jura2 Tuesday 22.06
I think you’ll find that point was made up thread we can’t just point the finger at the UScan we?

People get fat and obese because they take in more calories than they use. Exercise can help with losing weight, but it has to be conjoined with eating less. Exercise alone will not do it. Snacking and grazing, fast food and sugar laden drinks are the enemy. Watching television while you eat takes your mind off the food you are shovelling into your mouth so that the trigger in your brain that says your tummy is full is ignored. Eating rubbish food all the time means that eating is not really a pleasure and it is full of things that are not good to eat day after day after day. The occasional fast food meal is not a problem for anyone, but it should not be a part – or several parts – of the weekly diet. Also, getting middle aged or old doesn't mean getting fat, although it may mean that muscles begin to sag.

I do not think you can generalise about peoples life choices. I make a choice not to eat desert when out, and leave half of any serving of potatoes or chips. We have just returned from visiting my DD and family in US. I saw very few overweight people compared to here in the UK. DD lives in a reasonably prosperous area outside NY, it may be different in less well off areas. We did not see oversized people, and the portions when eating out were similar to those served here.

Sports are a very important part of their lifestyle. The children we saw were a healthy weight and active members of sports squads and clubs.
There is lots of choice when shopping much more than here and plenty of fresh healthy food which DD buys at reasonable prices. Products do come in bigger containers but when shopping for a family fewer trips to the shops are helpful.

I think it is sad that a generation of busy time starved UK families seem to be exisiting on ready meals which it are not as healthy as cooking your own ingredients from fresh. I have no quick solution, but lets hope that the option of ready meals and eating out improve so eating healtly meals is affordable and easy to find.

I belong to an American cookery group on Facebook where the members post photos of meals they have cooked. Generally speaking the food is spilling over the edge of the plate and is around 75% carbs. A typical meal might be a steak with a large portion of mashed potato (they seem to have mash with everything) a good dollop of macaroni cheese and a buttered roll to fill in the gaps. Salads and green vegetables seem very rare.

why talk about American women. British women are getting bigger too- and even French women are (as well as kids).

I buy a lot of my fruit frozen, but I still don't feel it's exactly cheap. We get through 9 bags of frozen blueberries, raspberries and cherries every 2wks, which works out at £7.50 a week when they are on offer and that's just the fruit to go on our breakfast!

They are probably better in terms of vitamin content, too, humptydumpty.

Big bags of frozen veg in Iceland are a pound each - and no wastage.

I agree with you, mumofmadboys, processed foods and ready meals are more expensive than fresh or frozen veg. And, according to some scientists, we (generally speaking), eat too much meat and should cut down the quantity we eat at each meal ( generally speaking).

No, I disagree. Some meat and fish is a lot more expensive than vegetables. I think too, it can depend upon where you do your shopping, and the time of day. Some veg is sold at a lower price at the end of the day or towards the end of its sell by date. This can be blanched and frozen( not watery veg, of course) or used to make tasty soups and sauces, which can also be frozen if you make more than one serving. This can be quite cost effective.

I think fruit and veg are cheap compared to processed food. Cutting down on meat and eating more lentils and nuts etc will save money. Homemade veg soup is filling and nutritious and very cheap to make

No, it is expensive to eat healthy and I dread trying to do it on a pension when the time comes.

You say fruit & get are cheap. I disagree. OK if you can afford them as optional extras but not when you have to choose between them and protein and carbs. 'Meat & potato' are gonna have to come first in order not to feel hungry.

MEGA portions in America in the 60s. The same thing crept into the UK in the 80s - we once ordered a starter in a country pub and cancelled the rest of our order, as did the people at the adjacent table. Think this is to do with food commerce and advertising, all inspired by the US. My guy had a theory that it began with immigrants coming from countries where people were starving, and then just continued.

And this is hugely politically incorrect, and will doubtless offend, but the re-introduction of a three letter word beginning with an 'F' and ending with a 'T' might help. Also, we really don't need snack food in so many outlets, like eg. WH Smiths, where I was once offered a mega Toblerone - ugh! I had a lovely auntie, when I was little, who was plump and cuddly, but I can't equate her with these creatures who look like overstuffed sofas on legs.

www.bbc.com/ideas/videos/is-the-obesity-crisis-overblown/p057q8bh

How ironic that I am sat reading this eating a rather delicious raspberry and white chocolate ice cream! But in my defence a few weeks ago I decided to use an app that logs calories and so everything I eat gets put into my phone/iPad and adds them up throughout the day. I know what weight I want to achieve and when by and the app has worked out my allowance. So far I have eaten all the things I like and have lost a steady 2+ lbs a week. I am already feeling the benefit and in the last 3 weeks have walked to work at least once a week (usually drive). As I lose more and the weather improves I shall walk to and from work at least twice a week. I have arthritis in my knee and a painful heel problem so walking is not the easiest thing to do but losing weight is helping. I know normal diets won't work so thought I would give this a go and so far so good. Oh and I had homemade pasta bolognaise for dinner and homemade soup for lunch

Today I visited the local surgery (not my surgery) for hearing aid batteries. On the counter was a sort of raffle in aid of the local hospice (presumably organised by the hospice). On the counter was a squared sheet and it cost £1 to sign a square. Next to it was what I took to be the prize - a glass vase with a 'flower' arrangement in it surrounded in cellophane, just like something posh from the florist. But the 'flowers' were actually chocolate - lots and lots and lots of chocolate bars on sticks and arranged just like a flower arrangement. I wish I'd asked the receptionist if this really is the prize, I might go back tomorrow and comment in view of the emphasis on healthy eating and cutting back on sugar.

In the mid-60s I was an overweight, spotty teenager. Then I went to France for six months to improve my French and worked as an au pair. I loved the food prepared by mothers, grandmothers and aunts and ate everything served to me with relish, even from the boucherie chevaline! When my mother met me off the boat train she didn't recognise me as my skin had improved and I'd lost nearly 2 stone, probably due to being more active but also I think because I had no chance to snack on biscuits, crisps and sweets. Sad to think that French cuisine is now going the ready-meal route.

When my friend and I were in the States and Canada, we asked to share meals. No one turned a hair and served up one meal on two plates.

I have never eaten large meals my tummy seems to get full quickly.

And don’t get me started about the nurses in the NHS!

And there are so many fat people on TV too making it seem the norm, for example James Corden, most of the Chasers, that bloke who does the PlusNet advert and so on.

Parents are now encouraged to give their children so many snacks a day, surely that must contribute to expecting to eat between meals as the child gets older as they are then in the habit of it.

There is so much on TV, newspapers, magazines and the internet nowadays about what is good for you and what isn't, although it does change regularly, that people can't say they don't know what is healthy and what isn't and as other posters have said fresh food isn't always expensive, certainly no more than buying KFC or MacDonalds.

I think a lot of good advice has been given . I think all the grazing and snacking is a bad idea. And I think ready meals can be a problem. And the lack of exercise.

In the early nineties, my daughter studied at an American university for a year. When I went to meet her when she came home, I was shocked at how much weight she'd piled on. I told my son not to mention it, as she was sure too realise. Turned out they'd been eating cheap fast food, huge portions, at every meal. After about 2 months of normal food she was back to her normal slim size. I think the obesity now is due to the same problem, big portions of cheap fast food added to no exercise - bad news.

Considering portion sizes, not eating any snacks between meals and cutting back on the daily amount of alcohol drunk might help some people with their weight. I've just returned from an all inclusive holiday and was shocked at how greedy so many holiday makers were both at the bar and in the restaurant.