The food culture/education plays an important role here. I like to remember an old story in a small italian city where McDonald was forced to close because of the excellent bread, pizza, focaccia made by local shops.
In the 50s war was between the priest Don Camillo and the communist mayor Peppone. Today it's good & healthy food against the fast food culture.

Not in Portugal, that' s for sure.

I'm still living in England at the moment (moving to Zurich in August), and everyday I see overweight/obese families, taking their chubby kids into McDonalds and I think, do you know what you're doing to your kids? You're killing them!

We've become a culture of convience and subsequently cooking is seen as a chore and people are living off of ready meals and junk food. Not only it is unhealthy to be obese, it's a drain of NHS resources and sets a bad example for the next 'ready meal' generation.

I'm sure that if people stopped buying ready meals and started cooking then the pounds would drop off! I'm a student on a budget and I eat really well, cooking in bulk and freezing the rest for later! It's healthier and cheaper than buying ready meals, and tastes better too. People who say that it's too expensive to cook from scratch are lying!

Maybe the government should make fresh food cheaper and ready meals more expensive?

Oh, what do I know, I'm only 22 after all. Maybe I'm biased as I was brought up on home cooked meals and a takeaway maybe once every 3 weeks as a TREAT.

Rant over.

That's not obesity, that's morbidity

Dear Lord, will ya'll find a new flipping picture PLEASE!

EVERY stinking time one of these discussions comes up, someone trundles out this picture.

Yes, I know it is "readily available" on the internet, BUT I assure you, the ladies in the picture were NOT posing for a "This is what fat looks like" photo shoot!

They were at an event held to socialize and help with esteem issues (as well as possibly get laid by someone in the FA crowd) - I am pretty sure I have met at least one of those gals in person even.

My British woman doesn't swill beer, ever! Maybe that is why she isn't ugly. Good thing that she doesn't read this forum.

The most enjoyable part of grocery shopping is to have a peek at what other people are buying. I love to look at the food choices made by others in front of us.

You see a huge difference between what people buy here in Switzerland compared to what people buy in Germany.

Yesterday, we had a family of 3 in front of us and everything was junk food. Chips, crips, cookies, chocolats, ready meal, soft drinks, ready potatoes, ready meat (already in sauce and spices) loads of cold sliced meat, etc.

Some may think it is for a party, but this is what I see every single week and I doubt so many parties are going on every week...

We can not blame the kids to just want to eat junk food when this is the only things they are used to eat.

That's true. I notice that mainly larger families and young singles tend to buy junk food...has anybody else noticed that too?

Gosh, why is it okay to talk about overweight people in such a scornful and judgmental way? What if I substituted the word 'disabled' or 'Jewish'? Some of these posts are just rude and/or cruel. Those are people with feelings ffs!

Seems socially acceptable to complain about anything these days. Pick on who or what you like as long as you fit the boring normal stereotype.

Too many morons who watch x factor, who's got talent shite then feel they have the right to insult who they want.

I did not open this thread to be judgmental about overweight people..but more as a wake up call ( including myself and what I tend to feed my kids with sometimes) . Again, is this study could push the governement in the UK for instance to increase campaigns in order to fight this problem. I know it has already started in what is on offer on school menu. Now if posters decide to put pictures and make jokes about it, they know what they 're doing..

This should apply on everything. Talking about religion, politics, beliefs. Overweight bashing isn't better or more acceptable than any other subject, but yet, people do it anyway!

Most people don't choose to become disabled or Jewish (though there are exceptions in both cases).

Most fat peple, however, have got this way because we eat too much.

Being fat is also, in most cases, reversible.

And that's even without bringing Hitler into the argument...

No they weren't posing for a "this is what fat looks like" photo shoot. You are correct. They are posing for "this is what morbid obesity" looks like.They probably got laid too. LOL

Actually, there is evidence that obesity can be a symptom of insulin resistance, a precursor of diabetes. The causal arrow points the other way.

There is no question that people are heavier, lack of physical exercise and changes in diet contribute to this. Processed foods are too calorie rich. Bodies have evolved to be efficient when there is not enough food, so that when you diet and then eat normally some people tend to pack it on. Yoyo dieting is far more dangerous than simply being fat, and active. And yes, there are fat active people.

But no, fat is not always easily reversed, although being active and eating well is always possible.

One would hope that being judgmental, poorly informed and downright cruel is reversible, but it appears not to be the case either.

Stop playing the victim. You're not.
Stop putting up excuses.

You alone can decide whether you want to do anything about it. And if you don't - then fine. But, stop playing the victim.

This has been posted before but is fitting after comments like yours:

Because I don't go along with the mob, I am a victim? Snort

I am not a victim. You have no idea what I do or don't do or how I live, but I am so tired of people being denigrated for their weight, sick of fat talk, misinformation and the stupid prejudices that are so pervasive. Hmmm... Guess I'm taking a flounce.

Flounce away!! You are maintaining your stance with great dignity

It was the plural 'You' and wasn't personal. I suppose I should have used 'one' instead but that always sounds a bit pretentious.

In the interests of fair disclosure, I should declare that I'm fat. I might even be obese, but I've never been bothered to check.

I would like to lose weight, but my fondness for supplementary ale and chocolate means that my regular diet of good homecooked food, with plenty of fruit and vegetables, is never going to keep me svelte. I also walk a lot, but that hasn't seemed to make much difference.

So what? It's my decision. Other people decide to forgo certain pleasures, to torture themselves in lycra, to pick at bits of lettuce, to hike up boggy hillsides in the rain. Good for them! I can criticise them for being sanctimonious gits, they can criticise me for being a drain upon the health system, and then we can sit down for a stange/mineral ohne and talk about the weather.

I've said it in the religion threads, and I'll say it here: live how you want, say what you want, and accept the consequences of your decisions. If you don't want people to look and comment, then buy a burqa and stay indoors. Don't, for goodness' sake, complain that people are being people.

And the same goes for smoking on railway station platforms. You've got legs, aint yer? Well, what's stopping you from walking a few metres away?

The world seems to be turning into a kindergarten. I blame Derek.