Michael Buerk. Is obesity a disease?

Diane has said it well

I don't want to get in to the causes/reasons for overweight but I just want to say that my weight loss - pathetically it took me to the ripe old age of 74 to practice what I knew in my heart - has made such a positive change/improvement in my life that I had never even considered. I recommend it to everyone and I found it painless because I had a low weekly target loss over many months.

FlexibleFriend me too, i use to run three times a week or do aerobics but since my arthritis has become more intense i am actually afraid to do anything other than walking incase i make it worse. I have put on nearly a stone in two years due to lack of real hard exercise.{sad}

I’m overweight, always have been. Dad was big, mum v slim. Brother very slim.
I went on to marry a slim man, we have 4 children, eldest has my thick hair and thick build - he’s always been a big lad, he controls his weight with sport ( Rugby - my legs?) but it is always an issue. Daughter raised on identical meals has always been tall and slim, son no 2 - chunky, puts on weight easily, son 3 - very tall and slim. It’s genetic if one has a tendency to hold too much weight, just like red hair, poor eyesight, full lips, diabetics, MS, high cheekbones etc.
Anyone who does not realise that the this is stupid and just enjoys thinking that they’ve done something wonderful by being slim - I know this, and my mother knows this as we’ve both raised children on the same meals, same exercise, but they are totally different shapes.
Obviously the comments saying that overweight people are greedy and have no self control are hurtful as well as ignorant.
Depression also has a hereditary link - would you tell a depressive to just pull themselves together and stop moping around?
Nasty goody thread op - what’s you motive or you just unhappy and get a little rise from being a sanctimonious Pratt?

Eating has become a leisure activity.

And a reward
And a treat
And a consolation

Nasty goody thread op - what’s you motive or you just unhappy and get a little rise from being a sanctimonious Pratt?

Is that comment aimed at me, Tigertooth? because if it is, you've totally missed the point.

I was inviting people to comment on Michael Buerk's article. Did you bother to read it?

Please watch this and inwardly digest.

www.ted.com/talks/peter_attia_what_if_we_re_wrong_about_diabetes?language=en

You won't gain weight but you might be a little more sympathetic. I am genetically disposed to Diabetes, even the modest eaters with good exercise regimes don't escape. There is so much we don't yet understand about the body, the way it metabolises certain foods and the way we measure energy from our foods (Calories) is a very basic way of doing things.

There is a lot of food "cons" out there.

Those "baked" walkers.... about the same calories as regular walkers: the cals are just where fat was replaced by more carbs

"Skinny popcorn" : MORE calories than toffee popcorn. And 10 times less satisfying

And so on.

These diet cons make you fat.

People think wraps are "healthier" than sandwiches, but again, they are usually higher in calories.

Then there is diet clubs. I joined one of the most famous ones once (never again). The allowed foods were often heavily processed and not very nutritous. There was no emphasis at all on getting a good range of vitamins and minerals. The "talk" was all about how to work in treats and wine (daily!) And how to have cheat days to "treat" yourself, and where to find low calorie "treats" - totally unhealthy attitudes to food!. My goal weight was set at 1lb above underweight. When I objected saying that that was too low for me the leader accused me of wanting to cheat!

My son who is overweight lived with us for a few months while working nearby. I discovered just how difficult it was to lose weight and was shocked at how little he ate.

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It really makes my angry when people are judgemental about people's weight. Yes I am fat, neither sad or glad about it. I'm just me. Maybe I dont take care of myself as I should, maybe I over-indulge in something I shouldn't , maybe I am un-healthy but just because it shows in my appearance, slim people think they can comment on fat people's weight, more often than not to an audience. I am sure many slim people don't take care of themselves, they may over-indulge in something thats un-healthy for them, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, maybe they are un-healthy but their vice or weakmess can be hidden. I am aware of lots of slim people, paticularly ladies who are quite slim and proud to be slim but they are raging alcoholics who don't eat to keep slim and pop pills to stay slim. There are many reasons why people are fat, there are many reasons why people are alcoholics, there are many reasons why people are not perfect. I would say as long as you are happy with your own body, fat or slim, keep "helpful" unhelpful comments to yourself.

Nonnie- "did you see any fat people in concentration camps" All I can say to that is WOW how wrong and insensitive is that on so many levels.

The problem with hypothyroidism is there is a percentage of woman who can't lose weight due to the fact they are not on the correct medication.

We only rx Levo here, T4. Some pts taking this can't convert and need a dose of T3. A trip to an endocrinologist will reveal this. They do a far more extensive blood panel. We only do TSH. We used to be able to rx T3 along with T4 but the price was exorbitant. So it went on the NHS ban list . They have now relented slightly but GPs don't necessarily send pts to endos. Pts tend to have to demand to be referred.

So for a few patients no amount of calorie watching, exercise etc etc will work.

However this is a tiny proportion of women and of course many obese people have got this way due to over eating and little exercise.

Ah, the concentration camp has reared its ugly head.

With regard to hypothyroid pts it's quite simple. They would have died.

People die of UAT unless they are medicated so they would have been long gone.

Umm fat shaming. The operative word is SHAME. Another "helpful" comment. Just proves my point, there are a lot worse things to be than fat, you could be thick.

Well sad Nanoftwo.
I am overweight and unhappy with it, but this last year i have gone through a lot of family problems and still going through health issues.
I have a problem which usually makes you lose weight but in my case it makes my body think i am starving it so it makes more fat.
I have to be very careful what i eat all the time and most of my food is boring.
My sister on the other hand is as skinny as a rake because she is an alcoholic.
Never judge a book by its cover.

Having been prone to be chubby up til 2000 - a series of major shocks did something to up my metabolic rate and it has stuck there. Now I have to be sure to eat plenty. So I know it is not as simple as just what you eat. But the mix of nutrients and their quality along with ones activity level obviously affect health. And it is health rather than weight we need to focus on. We have far too much focus on appearance only today, from make up and fashion for children as well as the frank fattism of the media. We should be working for a society where it is possible to be healthy - the happy will follow.

It angers me when people make assumptions that because a person is overweight they are eating junk food endlessly , guzzling sugar fizzy drinks and are lazy ! My daily diet is 2 ryvita 1 banana ( breakfast) , water , one coffee with milk no sugar, avocado tomato cucumber ( lunch) chicken stir fry with 1 portion straight to wok noodles. No pasta , no potatoes, no rice, no biscuits /cakes /crisps , yes sometimes a Diet Coke or a mini bounty. I walk swim and live on a house with 3 floors. Take 50 mg thyroxine and recently got put on testosterone replacement which has certainly given me more energy. But I’m overweight and I’m unable to shift a kg. My 81 yr old mother ate the same as me for 10 days and lost 2 kg. It take enormous strength for me to maintain my health and I’m lucky to have excellent blood pressure, normal blood sugar etc, and recovered incredibly fast after a recent major op. However I do think anxiety and stress about my weight , being told I’m going to die , might make things worse. The NHS is always trying to cut costs and weight is the new smoking . Two of my aunts were huge and lived to 86. If anyone has ideas about weight loss I’m always grateful. I went to slimming world and followed a strict regime and didn’t lose a lb in the end the facilitator didn’t really want me there. I’m hoping with testosterone that when the heat dies down I can exercise even more. Something has to work. But accusing overweight people of being greedy and lazy is cruel when maybe it’s caused by child neglect , abuse, depression, alcoholic parents, genetics, family patterns. Who’s perfect ? Rant over.

PS I feel a lot better reading some ladies comments ! Thank you to all the lovely ladies on here.

Strange how people are anorexia and insomnia a disease and obesity is not say some.

Incidently I am not very thin anymore (getting older and health issues have seen too that) nor am I obese. Just slightly overweight

It is a disease! It's called comfort eating. There are reasons why people get like that. They need support and therapeutic impute. Working with mental health I see this alot

Also remember there are some illness such as Cushing's disease/under active thyroid etc that make people overweight

The concentration camp comparison may not have gone down well but it is still true. It was meant to shock to make a valid point. It was what an Endocrinologist said to me!

minnie anyone who needed medication would have died in a cc so not really relevant to a weight thread. Those who are hypothyroid could lose weight, with difficulty but they could by eating much less than normal. That was my point.

I think the problem is that too many of us make excuses for ourselves and others. That is of course on one hand very kind but is it helpful? Surely, just like smoking, we should have an open discussion about it. Our weight can be controlled if we try and telling people it is not their fault is actually harmful. I am by the way half a stone overweight, I know why and I take responsibility for it and don't blame it on any 'condition'

FC61 slimming world is a low fat lowish protein high carb diet and as such there are people who wont do well on it.

Your food looks whilst not at all excessive in quantity, quite carb dominated. How do you do on more protein heavy diets?

There are also certain (usually healthy) foods that people with thyroid issues should avoid if I remember correctly. Things like broccoli

Myfitnesspal app is good at showing you WHERE your carbs/proteins/fats are coming from and which vitamins and minerals you are not getting enough of from your whole food sources. Sometimes if you cut quantities without properly balancing your nutrition the weight doesnt come off.

You also need to make sure you arent over restricting. Which myfitnesspal wont let you do.

Obesty is a problem, one I have been battling with ever since the menopause. I swim and do the gym everyday. Eat only the food I cook, which does not come from a supermarket. I either grow my own or buy from a farm. These activities I have done all my adult life and never had an ounce of fat on me until I hit 55.
Last year I managed to lose 10kgs but due to the stress of house renovating this year I have put it all back on.
So what is the answer. At the gym they tell me I don't eat enough to replace the calories I use up everyday. Eating large meals is something I find difficult as I am not a big eater and I have never had the need to graze. I know I don't drink enough water like most people.
I would love to know the secret of my very active DIL and DD who seems to always be eating but have not an ounce of fat on them.

I wonder where I fit in. I use a wheelchair outside the house as I cannot walk or stand and taking exercise is not easy. I have been on a diet (self regulated)is for a month: less than 1500 calories a day - and yes I work out every mouthful - no sweets, fizzy drinks, takeaways, alcohol etc. And have put on 3lbs. Now I am fed up and wonder why I am bothering, it certainly doesn't seem to be working and I miss my g and t!

I don’t think overweight ppl are weak as such.i do believe it’s much more complex than that. Several factors addiction to sugary foods, comfort eating . Boredom, health issues. I am a big person 2 stone overweight. Despite health problems I’m as happy as a pig in .... , I also don’t judge ppl. Yes I was a size 10 when young , I don’t do aerobics etc as I simply cannot due tomobility probs. Also on steroids I exercise when I can, I neither drink nor smoke . I also don’t beat myself up on being overweight I’m grateful I wake up every morning to great family n friends