Fat people

fischerspooner

I do not wish to offend anyone who may have weight issues, but surely you've all noticed that Irish people seem to be getting fatter and fatter? Anytime I go to a shopping center, especially in the suburbs, all I can see is overweight men, overweight women, overweight couples, overweight kids, overweight families...
Do you think that it's going to keep getting worse and soon the majority of Irish people will be overweight? From what I can see the problem seems especially visible with our women. If you go to a bar in town you always see a lot of fat women but not many fat guys. Where are we heading?

ven0m

fischerspooner wrote:

I do not wish to offend anyone who may have weight issues, but surely you've all noticed that Irish people seem to be getting fatter and fatter? Anytime I go to a shopping center, especially in the suburbs, all I can see is overweight men, overweight women, overweight couples, overweight kids, overweight families...
Do you think that it's going to keep getting worse and soon the majority of Irish people will be overweight? From what I can see the problem seems especially visible with our women. If you go to a bar in town you always see a lot of fat women but not many fat guys. Where are we heading?

According to an article I saw recently, we're just behind the USA in terms of obesity levels which is frightening. As someone who in the last half a year decided to shift my bulk (just over 5 stone gone now!), cos frankly I was a fat bastard - I am appalled by how some people will let themselves go & let themselves get into such an unhealthy state. I mean - how can ANYONE enjoy walking & wheezing, or sweating like a prize racehorse from just walking a short distance???? It beggers belief!!! Maybe more doctors should give the warning I got; "Either you start addressing your health & weight, or start addressing for a 8x4x4 plot with a nice headstone & wooden surrounds in the next 4-5 years!" When my Dr put me on the same medication they give to severe heart attack victims to keep my blood pressure down, that was the kick in the ass that made me sort myself out, cos at 25 that's a scary thing to happen, cos you assume that only happens to 'older people'.....


::: ven0mous :::

Zulu

Brilliant!
que the PC police....





Fatty-fat-fat. fatty-fat.

fischerspooner

while we're bragging about losing weight, I've shifted 2 stone since august, down from 15 to 13! And fitter than I've ever been in my life! It's not that hard if you want it bad.

dudara

Lose the weight. You don't have to be thin, just not fatty-fat-fat.

I dropped 2 stone to go from 12 to 10 a while back, not a massive weight loss I know, but I feel ten times better for it.

You know how in England, and here, the government plans to educate people on the nutritional value of food because it appears people don't really have a clue. Is that really the case, or is it the case that nutritionally poor food is cheapest?

Spalk0

Maybe it aint that hard to some people!but to others it is!Its like giving something up for healthier lifestyle so you can compare it a bit to smoking and thats bloody hard to give up!Ive yet to suceed anyways!

I am fortunate in a way though that even though im trying, i cant put ON weight at all!

kenmc

Just don't eat so much! simple really. Thats all there is to it....If you eat less food than you burn, then you'll lose weight. Simple maths really. Go to bed peckish. when you wake up you'll want a good brekkie. walk to the shops, not to the car. Don't eat McDs, Burger King etc. Drink more water. eat more fruit. hell Celery, yeuchy as it is, contains NEGATIVE calories!!! (well before you dip it into something to make it taste nice!). Pay attention to whats on the back of the packets. Take "light" mayo instead of the full stuff - tastes exactly the same. Leave butter off sandwiches - you don't need it anyway! There's so many little things you can do that make a difference, but add them all up and it's a big difference. I really don't get it to be honest.
K

ven0m

dudara wrote:

Lose the weight. You don't have to be thin, just not fatty-fat-fat.

I dropped 2 stone to go from 12 to 10 a while back, not a massive weight loss I know, but I feel ten times better for it.

You know how in England, and here, the government plans to educate people on the nutritional value of food because it appears people don't really have a clue. Is that really the case, or is it the case that nutritionally poor food is cheapest?

Think about how a poorly nutrionally valued meal is cheaper than a well balanced meal & how it is quicker to get/cook & also more readily available..... that says it all really. We are becoming a nation that doesn't take time to eat properly & we 'stop-gap' with cheap, convenient, poorly nutrional foods, & then we also have the 'food junkie' aspect to our society, where things like chocolate etc etc are marketed in a way that plays on people & fools people who aren't observant. i.e. Mars Delight..... but when it comes down to it, people are responsible for their own diets & you can't really scapegoat companies like McDonalds or Mars or whoever - they don't hold guns to people's heads. People make choices, & if you make a choice - you live with the consequences whatever they may or may not be...


::: ven0mous :::

Spalk0

Actually i like cellary with a dab of salt!tis nice!Without it though, Ugggghhhh!

dudara

ven0m wrote:

people are responsible for their own diets & you can't really scapegoat companies like McDonalds or Mars or whoever - they don't hold guns to people's heads. People make choices, & if you make a choice - you live with the consequences whatever they may or may not be...


::: ven0mous :::

Wll said, that's it in a nutshell, but in order for people to be responsible, they need to know about food.

Conincidentally, while I was posting this, I got sent this link

fischerspooner

yeah but think about it, you see fat girls all over the place with their normal looking boyfriends tagging along with them. Irish men seem to put up with it it. If you ever go to spain and see how the women look after themselves there, or any country in europe really, you'll really question how things work here. Fat girlfriend, 400,000 mortgage for a duplex in the a*sehole of swords, fat kids? no thanks! I'm moving to Europe!!!

Nuttzz

its my glands, hormones and I'm big boned......

fischerspooner

what I meant to say is overweight women seem to be able to collar the doting boyfriends anyway, so what the hell do they care if they're fat or not? They still get the attention women crave, and still get to shove popcorn chicken down their necks whenever they want.

BrianD3

I'm pretty health conscious and into exercising etc. but I find most people are clueless idiots when it comes to diet and exercise despite all the talk there is about it in the media. A lot of people I know still haven't got their heads round the idea that obesity is a result of excessive calories in the diet. Lots of people fail to realise that if you stuff your face with carbohydrates you'll get fat even though you might not be taking in much/any actual fat!

Most people have also never heard of BMI and if they have heard of it they will dismiss it as being "worthless" because they heard that it doesn't apply to bodybuilders/athletes. Therefore it musn't apply to them either :rolleyes:

Also there are an awful lot of myths about exercise/diet going around too. Eg women who think if they lift a 2 kg dumbbell they'll turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger. People who think that you can "turn fat into muscle" and vice versa. People who think that the way to lose the fat off your belly is by doing hundreds of situps per day.

But going back to diet and obesity in society - I reckon one reason for it is modern consumerist culture. Just like everyone wants a big car and house and a 50 inch telly, everyone wants tasty food and lots of it and NOW. Being even slightly peckish is completely unacceptable to these people, they must feel full and satisfied at all times because "they're worth it" :rolleyes: Anyone here agree with this theory?

BrianD3

koneko

Irish people really aren't fat compared to Americans, I don't see how they could possibly be right behind them. I was in the States recently and the amount of obese people there is sickening. People here are skinny compared to people over in the States (this was in the Bible Belt mind you).

ven0m

BrianD3 wrote:

I reckon one reason for it is modern consumerist culture. Just like everyone wants a big car and house and a 50 inch telly, everyone wants tasty food and lots of it and NOW. Being even slightly peckish is completely unacceptable to these people, they must feel full and satisfied at all times because "they're worth it" :rolleyes: Anyone here agree with this theory?

BrianD3

Nail. Head. Hit.


::: ven0mous :::

BolBill

Can ye all shut up, Im eatin' !!!!!!

SoupyNorman

Dedication is a huge factor in losing weight, its either in you or its not, in the majority of people their whole lifestyle reflects their personal appearence and I dont just mean obese people.

I've been going to the gym regulary for the last 5 years and without fail every couple of weeks you see a new person male of female (mostly female) overweight coming in and you can see real determination on their faces, the training assistant shows them how to use all the machines and gives them a routine and so they tear into it like a bat out of hell. but without fail 90% of the time after about an hour the realisation sinks in of just how hard it is to lose weight.
You begin to notice how the next night the person attacks the workout with much less vigour and the next and so on until its down to a once a week appearence (at this stage they are wasting their own time and money)..give it another week and you dont see them again.

Its a harsh reality but weight gain is like sprinting downhill, weight loss can be like running up a mountain with a tyre tied round your waist.

What i mean is most people do not know this and think the gym, or "the atkins diet" is the quick fix.
As corny as the saying is its very true.."no pain, no gain"...

NZAI

This is what I've noticed:

Young Irish men are reasonably skinny
Young Irish women are carrying quite a few extra pounds...

I've also noticed that we are getting worse every year.

...

Do you ever notice the people who jog around Dublin city centre are always American?

kenmc

BrianD3 wrote:

But going back to diet and obesity in society - I reckon one reason for it is modern consumerist culture. Just like everyone wants a big car and house and a 50 inch telly, everyone wants tasty food and lots of it and NOW. Being even slightly peckish is completely unacceptable to these people, they must feel full and satisfied at all times because "they're worth it" :rolleyes: Anyone here agree with this theory?
BrianD3

Yep indeed. Myself and the girlf lived with another couple, and the other girl was always complaining "I'm so fat" and asking my girlf how she was so skinny and so on. She (other one) used go to the gym etc a fair bit, but then of an evening she'd sit in front of the TV drink a bottle of wine and eat a bag of doritos (and not the small one-person bag either!!!!!). The mind boggles.
She even had the audacity to call me rude cos I didn't want to eat something she cooked which all came out of jars, instead of using fresh veggies!!!!!
Needless to say that since we've moved out, we've not been in touch....
K

CathyMoran

Err, I have seen quite a few "cudley" men around the place with stunning (if annorexic) girls...I have no major problems with peoples weight per say (anorexic men are a turn off), the problem that I have is with the health isssues that accompanies it - Diabeties Type II risk is increased the more overweight you are...

NZAI

kenmc wrote:

Yep indeed. Myself and the girlf lived with another couple, and the other girl was always complaining "I'm so fat" and asking my girlf how she was so skinny and so on. She (other one) used go to the gym etc a fair bit, but then of an evening she'd sit in front of the TV drink a bottle of wine and eat a bag of doritos (and not the small one-person bag either!!!!!). The mind boggles.
She even had the audacity to call me rude cos I didn't want to eat something she cooked which all came out of jars, instead of using fresh veggies!!!!!
Needless to say that since we've moved out, we've not been in touch....
K

Hmmmm... An overweight, Irish bitch... Why does this ring a bell???

It reminds me of a girl I knew: she was massive. So massive that her breasts were a HH (no ****) and she wanted to get them reduced (of course, she never considered that the extra 10 stone she was carrying might be the cause of this problem...)

Anyway, she used to buy lots of low fat food, but would eat tons of it (for example, 3 packets of low fat biscuits.)

I often wonder is this stupidity or just... insanity.

monkeyfudge

koneko wrote:

Irish people really aren't fat compared to Americans, I don't see how they could possibly be right behind them. I was in the States recently and the amount of obese people there is sickening. People here are skinny compared to people over in the States (this was in the Bible Belt mind you).

I believe that Europe and the US have diferent weights that you have to be for being considered medically obese.

So in the US you can be alot heavier before you are considered obese. I worked with a guy from the US who had just moved over to Ireland, and he wasn't obese in the States, but was told by a doctor that he was obese here.

fischerspooner

ok then...

ixoy

monkeyfudge wrote:

I believe that Europe and the US have diferent weights that you have to be for being considered medically obese.

Not anymore, according to Wikipedia. In 1998, the US brought its definition of obesity into line with that defined by the WHO.

A person with a BMI over 25.0 kg/m2 is considered overweight; a BMI over 30.0 kg/m2 is considered obese. A further threshold at 40.0 kg/m2 is identified as urgent morbidity risk

So we should all be on the same page if we're using the same standard. You can also measure obesity in terms of body shape or % of body fact but it seems the BMI standard is the most universally accepted.

Sleepy

I'm sure there's something to the monkeyfudge.

I could definitely lose a couple of stone myself though I'm not quite at the fat stage yet. Personally what I find most restrictive about eating healthily is the cost factor. As a single bloke, living in shared accomodation it's extremely difficult to keep any decent amount of fresh fruit and veg in the fridge without imposing on your flatmates. And when you do make the effort it involves having to eat the same thing for a few days in a row or else having to throw out a lot of gone off food.

Then, when you're in the supermarket you hit more barriers. You can buy a loaf of White Sliced Pan in Tescos for 39c. A wholemeal loaf costs at least twice that. This can be seen almost right across the spectrum of foods too. The cheaper stuff is all unhealthy.

If the government were actually serious about this health drive, they'd knock all VAT off Fresh Fruit & Veg and healthy foods.

kenmc

NZAI wrote:

Anyway, she used to buy lots of low fat food, but would eat tons of it (for example, 3 packets of low fat biscuits.)

I often wonder is this stupidity or just... insanity.

Yeah I think we've probably all been in a checkout queue and seen some "fond-of-the-pies" shopper loading up with pizzas, burgers, microwave food etc, and then diet-coke! wtf!?!?!?!? the small print even says that "can assist in weight loss as part of a calorie controlled diet" or something along those lines....

Don't get me wrong though - I love junk food too, chips, burgers, pizza etc all get a viewing at least once a week. the difference is I make the burgers meself out of lean mince (or better still minced steak!) & have oven chips. It's all about moderation at the end of the day. No-one is supposed to behave like a saint.
Basically I don't eat chocolate/crisps/cakes/crap except on very rare occasions.and I don't feel I'm missing out on anything to be honest. It's all about conditioning.
Hey I've even heard of a girl who has gotten her kids used to getting broccoli as a reward for being good! Wicked eh? so instead of being rewarded with sweets or chocolate or whatever, they get given broccoli as a "treat"!!! thats bloody ingenious! (mental note has been inserted at back of brain!)

fischerspooner

no wait, stop going on about the price of healthy food. I live on fresh fish or poultry, frozen peas/brocolli/corn, and potatoes and rice, a few onions/peppers. Now you can do a lot of stuff with those foods and I spend a tiny percentage of my wage on my shopping bills. Also, bring your own healthy lunch to work instead of eating a spar roll in which they put about 4 tubs of coleslaw in when you ask for a little bit.

The Sweeper

I don't think anybody in Ireland, land of the public house culture, can point at another race and "they're so fat, why don't they do something about it".

Ireland is full of fat people. And Jebus do they dress badly...

kaimera

wish i could put on a stone...properly that is. not a ****ing beer gut.

Zulu

Fat-tax.

They tax cigarettes something astronomical, do the same with fat.

Nuttzz

Zulu wrote:

Fat-tax.

They tax cigarettes something astronomical, do the same with fat.

of course the atkins diet people will tell you that fat is wonderful for losing weight

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

I lost about 4 stone this year (i think) because I stopped drinking alcohol, and stopped eating sugary ****e every half hour. Instead of buying something sweet from the shop, I just got an apple.. or an orange or some other piece of fruity delight. I drank a lot of water, which kept my appetite under control some of the time.. and when I did eat I usually tried to eat well.

I didn't exercise once, it was just *that* easy. I'd been overweight since I was 15-16, and it wasn't until I was 20-21 that something finally happened about it. That being said, I think I've put on another half stone since I started eating somewhat sugary foods every now and again.. but I don't see any reason to worry about it. I just gotta exercise a lil bit of self control

totoal

Zulu wrote:

Fat-tax.

They tax cigarettes something astronomical, do the same with fat.

Well Sugar is a problem as well.
Gym equipment / membership should be tax free / deductible

fischerspooner

no, fat tax would not be fair on normal people. If I want to eat a big mac every now and again I should be able to without having to pay tax for the fry-eaters that clog our hospitals.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

lol

we have plenty of sidewalks, and afaik bicycles are cheap enough.

Zulu

Thanks to Bulb2K4 for the following negative rep!
Fat people: 17-11-2004 11:57: Blub2k4: I see you're still an idiot, enlightened however.


Bulb - this is after hours, please keep your petty and trivial grudges to their associated threads. :rolleyes: I understand I upset you by whooping your arse in an discussion about the travelling community, but thats all over and done with now. Get over it.

seamus

kenmc wrote:

Just don't eat so much! simple really. Thats all there is to it....If you eat less food than you burn, then you'll lose weight. Simple maths really.

Well, basically yes, but it's not the cause of the problem. People, especially those who have never been overweight, tend to be very much, "Just stop eating", or "Put down the fork, fatty", which while lovely and humourous, display a complete lack of understanding of the issue.

It's very possible to eat very little and maintain/gain weight. If a person was to spend time just not eating, or completely cutting out carbohydrates and fats, their body will do its damndest to hold onto the fats that it has. A person's body doesn't know its overweight, it doesn't know how much energy reserves a person has. If they stop eating, just cut out eating altogether, it'll assume something is wrong, and go into famine mode. A persons metabolism will change to use up the minimum of energy, muscle will begin being metabolised for energy while loads of flab sits there unused. Eventually, yes, the person will begin to lose weight, and lose it quickly, as the body has nowhere else to get energy from, but not before the person has put themselves in a seriously unhealthy position.

Healthy weight loss involves eating reasonable amounts of *everything* including carbs and fats, so that your body continues burning Calories at the same rate, essentially hiding the fact that there's less energy coming in.

And the problem there is what we eat. Processed foods are a killer. There are almost as many Calories in a Dolmio processed Bolognese sauce, than in an entire 2-person bolgnese meal, prepared with chopped tomatoes and water. Essentially, you are almost doubling the Calorific content of the meal by using a sauce that saves you at most 30 seconds extra.
As has been said, people just don't realise what's in the foods. People see "low fat", and they think it means "No fat". People see "healthy" and they think it means "eat as much as you want". Nutrition is not taught in Irish schools, and even classes that should deal with nutrition - Home Economics for example - don't deal with them in any relative form. I did Home Ec for the JC and came out with as much knowledge about dietary nutrition as the next man.

I don't know if it's just me, but I have noticed a lot more Irish people starting to cop on to what they're eating, and making a go of losing weight and succeeding - Men in particular. I myself have lost 1.5 stone (although the half stone took as long as the stone ), and I'm about halfway there. It involved a very simple change to a healthier diet (healthier on the wallet too), more water, and I've recently started going to the gym before work, 3 times a week. Even without the gym, the changes in health, appearance and overall "contentness" are palpable pretty much from the start.

logic1

seamus wrote:

it'll assume something is wrong, and go into famine mode.

lol more commonly known as starvation mode but good post.

.logic.

Coconut

NZAI wrote:

This is what I've noticed:

Young Irish men are reasonably skinny
Young Irish women are carrying quite a few extra pounds...

Not technically true, I'm afraid.

Since 1990, obesity (BMI > 30) in Ireland has more than doubled among men, and tripled in men aged 18-35.
Prevalence in women is 20% higher than it was then.

Perhaps its just that men are able to hide it better. Low-rise jeans and belly tops aren't as popular among men. And when they are, I'll be leaving the country.

Zulu

Coconut wrote:

Perhaps its just that men are able to hide it better. Low-rise jeans and belly tops aren't as popular among men. And when they are, I'll be leaving the country.

Low-rise jeans and belly tops shouldn't be worn by a percentage of the population. Kinda like wearing leather pants - you'd better be bloody sure you can pull it off.

Commissar

How is the BMI calculated?

pickarooney

Corpulence is a sign of opulence, always has been. Anyone who really wants to lose weight will; most people just like to complain about it and do nothing.

BMI checker here.

CathyMoran

BMI = (Height in M)(Height in M)
_______________________
Weight in KG

Coconut

Err, actually, its

weight in kgs
____________
(height in M)(height in M)

Normal range: 18.5 -24.9
Overweight range: 25- 29.9
Obese range: 30 +

logic1

CathyMoran wrote:

BMI = (Height in M)(Height in M)
_______________________
Weight in KG

Upside down..

.logic.

dudara

That post about Dolmio etc was interesting. I always make my own since I learned from an Italian. It's far tastier and cheaper. But I didn't know that about the calories. interesting

Spalk0

BMI of 21.7 and it says thats normal!?!?!

I honestly think i could do with an extra stone or so!

But yeah to seamus's post!I agree with it!I havnt got a clue what its like for people who are obese and how hard it is for them to lose weight!Its easy for us lightweighters to say "well just stop eating then" but im sure in no way is it as simple as that!I know i get annoyed at people who never smoked and they tell "well just stop smoking then!" because they just dont know whats it like so im sure they would be annoyed with us for saying the exact same thing!

seamus

dudara wrote:

That post about Dolmio etc was interesting. I always make my own since I learned from an Italian. It's far tastier and cheaper. But I didn't know that about the calories. interesting

Well obviously it does also depend on what else is in the meal.
If it's a standard bolognese of say, onions, carrots, peas, mince and <=100g of spaghetti, then it's about right.

CathyMoran

Doh! Thats what I get for doing an engineering assignment at the same time...did my Masters in Food Science back in 1997...

ktoal

For those of you that work in Pounds and Inches, here's how the BMI is caluated.

BMI = 703.07 * Weight in Pounds

---

Height in Inches Sq