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Why is it normal/OK to be obese in Ireland?.

Stonedpilot

A genuine question.

The amount of people that are gargantuan on this Island is so high I'm surprised the island doesn't sink. It's seen as like a disease by many. I remember living in a houseshare with Eastern European girls and they often commented at how absurdly fat they thought Irish women are.

It's bizarre to me that in other countries it's seen as a problem and thus people try and sort it but here the people whom are tremendously overweight are seen to have an ailment,disease, are poor unfortunates etc like its the same as leukemia or something.

I remember Katie Hopkins was on the Late Late Show making the point you can't be happy and fat (I don't know I don't care frankly) but they cut to a obese lady in the audience who had only just opened her mouth and the audience were in rapturous applause. No matter what she said they would have clapped.
Katie asked the question 'Why are you clapping?. Are you clapping because she is overweight is that it?.'

That kinda sums up the attitude here. Being fat, unhealthy and obese is something to be proud of and God forbid anyone point out it's lunacy to be the size of a manatee.
Strange. Now I will say I have all the respect in the World for people who do something about it work out, eat healthy, get involved in classes, long walks etc. Fair play to them and well done. But then there are other folk whom see it as a God given right to be obese and to be angry with everyone, and to take up a seat and a half everytime they sit on a plane,bus or train squishing whomever is unfortunately beside them.
Had a few incidents recently where I seen very overweight people be angry with total strangers.

I mean I attended a talk recently and the guy doing it was so overweight he got tired standing up and walking around the lecture room!.

As far as I'm aware no country is as tolerant to obesity as Ireland, no way does France,Italy,Spain etc see it as the norm here.

Odd.

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flaneur

whoopsadoodles wrote: »

How do you know they were struggling with joint pain

They were wincing with every step as they walked and complaining loudly of sore knees to anyone who'd listen.

The Caveman

I take the luas twice a day for 30 min each way, I find that quite often, when I sit in the window seat , an overweight person will sit next to me, and they will not fit in the seat than, they will adjust themselves, so they take some of my seat as well... or the other way around, they sit first, and you can not fit next to them

That is not ok, I know a lot of overweight people say they are happy with your weight, dont care, they have issues that lead them to eating, you find it sexy ,etc, but if you onto fit in a standard seat, please stand.

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

Dial Hard wrote: »

But then a Facebook acquaintance posted photos from a wedding she was at and literally every single person in the pics was fat. It was bananas to see.

Post it up here, will you?

Stonedpilot

LadyMacBeth_ wrote: »

I'm fat. I'm not proud but I have recently decided that I am not going to let people like the OP shame me either. A couple of years ago I'd managed to lose five stone; and it was fcuking hard. It involved deprivation and misery. It was zero craic. I did it and I felt good, I still wasn't skinny, about a size 12-14 but it suited me. Then my health worsened and my marriage fell apart and my life went into the sh1tter. Piled most of the weight back on, binge eating, which wasn't something that was an issue before actually, not to this extent. I am well aware of my weight, I don't need to be reminded or shamed and not one fat person needs to be told that they are fat, they already know it. I got back with the missus and now I finally feel in a place to tackle the weight, even though my health is at its worst, I started dieting again a couple of weeks ago and I am determined. But it is not for people like you that I am doing this OP, or for people who'd like me to feel ashamed and hide away (which is what I have been doing up to recently), I'm doing this for myself. So I feel good. And you know what? I hear some men on boards fatty bashing away but the reality is that the male attention that I receive hasn't changed in the slightest, even though now I'd be anything from a size 14-18 in clothes. My missus is a size 14-16 and I think she looks fcuking amazing, and she is very healthy and active, she runs, she plays squash, she's strong and sexy and I'd be gutted if she lost a lot of weight because she has a cracking pair of tits and an arse and thighs to die for.

I'm not fat shaming you pal how could I? Don't know who you are. Don't be silly.

Even if I did it's just an opinion and my opinion means nothing same as yours, opinions are just words to provoke debate and reinforce the ego and see what's peoples perceptions on things are but ultimately it means nothing.
Absolutely nothing in the long run. The people who think their opinion is desperately important on a anonymous internet forum is mentally ill, in my opinion!. :cool:

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Stonedpilot wrote: »

Yep, we are far worse, in terms of median average head of population.

Like random 100 people in America and 100 Irish picked at random Irish will be far fatter.

Not so. WHO figures have USA at 32.1% Ireland at 13% (UK 23% Australia 22% Greece 22%).

Hitman3000

Stonedpilot wrote:

As far as I'm aware no country is as tolerant to obesity as Ireland, no way does France,Italy,Spain etc see it as the norm here.

Not sure how you feel it's the norm. There are fat French, Italians and Spanish don't even look at our American friends.

GLaDOS

Interesting the number of posts targeting Irish women.

More Irish men are obese than Irish women (source), but I guess men are judged less on their looks so get away with it a bit more.

givyjoe

GLaDOS wrote: »

Interesting the number of posts targeting Irish women.

More Irish men are obese than Irish women (source), but I guess men are judged less on their looks so get away with it a bit more.

By a whopping 1%.

Dial Hard

givyjoe wrote: »

By a whopping 1%.

He has a point, though. How often do you see an AH thread started specifically to whinge about how all Irish men are fat/ugly/stuck-up/insert imprecation of choice?

RHJ

This post has been deleted.

GLaDOS

givyjoe wrote: »

By a whopping 1%.

My point was some posts would give you the impression that obesity is a problem particularly effecting Irish women, when the reality is men are worse, if only by a small amount.

Stonedpilot

Royce Witty Tinder wrote: »

Not so. WHO figures have USA at 32.1% Ireland at 13% (UK 23% Australia 22% Greece 22%).

I stand corrected, fair enough. Thanks pal.

LirW

somehow this thread developed targeting women, I don't exactly know why. Maybe because women need to justify themselves more for their looks? But it indeed is a problem that equally targets men and women.

A good thing is though that a lot of sports clubs now target on recruiting girls and boys equally. Also cooking doesn't only target women anymore but both and more importantly singles. Plenty of singles tend to have a horrible diet because many find it's too much effort to cook for themselves, especially in the tiny kitchens that single accommodations have.

givyjoe

Dial Hard wrote: »

He has a point, though. How often do you see an AH thread started specifically to whinge about how all Irish men are fat/ugly/stuck-up/insert imprecation of choice?

It didn't start calling out women, the opening line specifically starts with 'the amount of people that are gargantuan..'. Not sure how you're making out it was specifically set up to 'whinge' about fat women.

Also, maybe some specifically called out women because lets face it.. there are a large number of overweight women who like to 'justify' being overweight. Insisting they are still beautiful (maybe they are), i shouldn't have to be stick thin etc. In general making all sorts of excuses as to why its ok. I don't think you find men describing themselves BBM (Big beautiful Men)!

pauliebdub

It must be in our DNA, I struggle with my weight despite not eating much junk and regularly going to the gym I'm still about 2 Stone overweight. Beer doesn't help much.

Stonedpilot

LirW wrote: »

somehow this thread developed targeting women, I don't exactly know why. Maybe because women need to justify themselves more for their looks? But it indeed is a problem that equally targets men and women.

A good thing is though that a lot of sports clubs now target on recruiting girls and boys equally. Also cooking doesn't only target women anymore but both and more importantly singles. Plenty of singles tend to have a horrible diet because many find it's too much effort to cook for themselves, especially in the tiny kitchens that single accommodations have.

Women are judged more on looks always will be (mainly judge themselves by the way), goes back to the simple biological rationale of survive and replication. Just the way it is in society. Maybe there are more fat women, who knows?.

However men are judged on 10 times more things than looks ie status, etc.

[Deleted User]

tedpan wrote: »

Hmmm, I don't know about that. There are too many excuses these days. An excessive amount of food and drink is the reason in 99.9% of cases.

I used to be very obese and decided to change my ways.(still have some weight to lose) Anyone who says different is kidding themselves.

I am not sure where you are getting your statistics but there have been so many counter examples found - that the idea it is simply excess food and drink is not really supported.

For example an anthropologist from Havard - Called Russel I think or Wallace - not sure which I just remember it was a name that reminded me of Charles Darwin because Darwin also knew a russel and a wallace I think - spent over half a year studying the Pima Indians around 1900.

The tribe had had decades of famine and were being homed on a state reservation at the time. At the time he found Women were doing most of the manual labour - farming and carrying yet were the most obese. So less food and more physical activity was not the cause of their obesity issues.

But more examples have been found since 1900 of obesity parallel with poverty and famine. They found diets with 2000 calories and 20% fat daily - and yet their obesity was a medical issue.

This was also found in areas of Chile and Mexico. And these were all not people with reality tv and computer games to sit around on.

There are other studies of stress - something many deal with these days - that suggest stress hormones have an effect on fat tissue and cells - that work similar to insulin. Not to mention how stress works on our ability to choose the rights foods rather than comfort foods.

There are those who think sugar is the problem. But the anti-carbers for example tend to cite evidence suggesting that carbs are stimulating the over production of insulin to deal with the carbs, and that insulin is then meeting the refined sugars in our diet and laying it down as fat. So rather than sugar being the problem per se - they believe the problem is the sugar is being taken in a carb rich environment. And I believe that had one culture they like to cite to back that up but I can not think of it now. Will find it if anyone asks though. But in said culture they had a very high sugar diet but very low carbs and the effect of sugar on obesity was not even remotely close to elsewhere because of it.

And since people often like to make posts like this with a personal anecdote like "This person in my office" or "This guy I saw down the gym" I will give my own anecdote. I am very healthy and active and not a shred of excess weight on me. But I eat an _obscene_ amount of food. I love food and I love cooking. When I am not at a meal I am grazing or snacking.

If I am making eggs for breakfast for example I would put 6 in for my girlfriends and 6 just for me. Usually with cheese melted in and slices of chirizo on top. Then I would walk out the door with a banana in my hand and an apple in my pocket. I am a short guy compared to the average so it is not even that there is a lot of me to feed.

Yet despite the constant and large array of food going into me - I am the perfect weight. Why? Because not only am I more active than most people - but I am very very aware of _what_ food I eat and in what combinations.

And I worked through an obesity issue with someone I know too who sought advice and help on it. And I feel for LadyMacbeth who tells us above that her weight loss was hard won through "deprivation and misery" because it was anything but with my friend. My friend ate himself silly getting to stuff loads of food into his "cakehole/face" losing weight all the while and reaching his target weight much quicker than he expected. So his experience was the exact opposite of LadyMacbeth. His weight loss was not only easily won - but was immensely pleasurable as an experience.

So there is a diversity of evidence and opinion out there but what it does show is that the only ones "kidding themselves" are the ones who make out it is straight forward and simple with advice like "just put less in your cake hole" or that they have a "stuffing their face issue" and other snippets of "wisdom" like that. Rather the user flaneur above is likely more on the ball with the quantity of food not being the issue - but the type and variety of food you eat - and a lot about your lifestyle in terms of physical activity, stress, and so forth.

If "putting less food in your cake hole" works - and I have no doubt it often does - it potentially is often merely a coincidence based on what food the person happens to inject less of - rather than merely the fact of ingesting less.

pilly

Stonedpilot wrote: »

A genuine question.

The amount of people that are gargantuan on this Island is so high I'm surprised the island doesn't sink. It's seen as like a disease by many. I remember living in a houseshare with Eastern European girls and they often commented at how absurdly fat they thought Irish women are.

It's bizarre to me that in other countries it's seen as a problem and thus people try and sort it but here the people whom are tremendously overweight are seen to have an ailment,disease, are poor unfortunates etc like its the same as leukemia or something.

I remember Katie Hopkins was on the Late Late Show making the point you can't be happy and fat (I don't know I don't care frankly) but they cut to a obese lady in the audience who had only just opened her mouth and the audience were in rapturous applause. No matter what she said they would have clapped.
Katie asked the question 'Why are you clapping?. Are you clapping because she is overweight is that it?.'

That kinda sums up the attitude here. Being fat, unhealthy and obese is something to be proud of and God forbid anyone point out it's lunacy to be the size of a manatee.
Strange. Now I will say I have all the respect in the World for people who do something about it work out, eat healthy, get involved in classes, long walks etc. Fair play to them and well done. But then there are other folk whom see it as a God given right to be obese and to be angry with everyone, and to take up a seat and a half everytime they sit on a plane,bus or train squishing whomever is unfortunately beside them.
Had a few incidents recently where I seen very overweight people be angry with total strangers.

I mean I attended a talk recently and the guy doing it was so overweight he got tired standing up and walking around the lecture room!.

As far as I'm aware no country is as tolerant to obesity as Ireland, no way does France,Italy,Spain etc see it as the norm here.

Odd.

If you don't know and don't care why the thread?

pilly

Stonedpilot wrote: »

Yep, we are far worse, in terms of median average head of population.

Like random 100 people in America and 100 Irish picked at random Irish will be far fatter.

You totally made that up.

BattleCorp

Stonedpilot wrote: »

Yep, we are far worse, in terms of median average head of population.

Like random 100 people in America and 100 Irish picked at random Irish will be far fatter.

Eh No.

pilly

Stonedpilot wrote: »

Statistical is how it's spelt.

Maybe I don't have a clue, so what?. Not offering medical advice or anything pal.

Cue some long winded snide holier than thou response.

If you don't have a clue you can't go around making sh1t up "pal".

RobertKK

Some people choose to put themselves at higher risk for diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart disease by not controlling their weight which they could do if they applied themselves to do it.
Sugar is the bad thing, it is not fat and the less sugar one intakes the better it is for them.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/large-study-suggests-carbs-not-fats-bad-for-you/

munster87

pilly wrote: »

If you don't have a clue you can't go around making sh1t up "pal".

If I randomly picked 100 people from the USA, 57 of them would be women

pumpkin4life

I'll post this again (classic Irish begrudgery but what the hey) there.

If you want to lose weight (and I'm a former fatty who struggled with weight for most of my life and have been skinny/athletic for the past couple of years*, so I'm not some lad parroting other people "calories in calories out" and he is skinny fat himself; that kind of benny) this is what you do.

1: Cut carbs. Diet: Cheese, Meat, Fish, Green Veg, Nuts. Normal, healthy nutritionally dense food. Forget counting calories. That uses up willpower and you're more likely to fail. It also ignores why some people are skinny and can eat pizzas all the time, and the same kind of person is on scooter time. Without boring you lads, it comes down to hormones; insulin and leptin in partuicular.

2: Lift weights.

3: Profit.

Interestingly enough, I've gotten more snappy and passive aggressive comments as an athletic pumpkin (from people who knew me as a fatty) than when I was a fat pumpkin. Funny how they're fat bastards themselves lol.

*skin in the game.

afatbollix

Most of the time its because we eat too much and don't exercise enough.

Also, Feck off and mind your own business. Are you going to start a no smoking thread too?

pilly

pumpkin4life wrote: »

I'll post this again (classic Irish begrudgery but what the hey) there.

If you want to lose weight (and I'm a former fatty who struggled with weight for most of my life and have been skinny/athletic for the past couple of years*, so I'm not some lad parroting other people "calories in calories out" and he is skinny fat himself; that kind of benny) this is what you do.

1: Cut carbs. Diet: Cheese, Meat, Fish, Green Veg, Nuts. Normal, healthy nutritionally dense food. Forget counting calories. That uses up willpower and you're more likely to fail. It also ignores why some people are skinny and can eat pizzas all the time, and the same kind of person is on scooter time. Without boring you lads, it comes down to hormones; insulin and leptin in partuicular.

2: Lift weights.

3: Profit.

Interestingly enough, I've gotten more snappy and passive aggressive comments as an athletic pumpkin (from people who knew me as a fatty) than when I was a fat pumpkin. Funny how they're fat bastards themselves lol.

*skin in the game.

How do you mean profit?

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

Hammer89

Stonedpilot wrote: »

I mean I attended a talk recently and the guy doing it was so overweight he got tired standing up and walking around the lecture room!.

Was the talk called 'Conquering your inner idiot by learning about a subject before you spark a debate on it?'

wakka12

Plenty of countries, UK canada USa to name a few, are easily as accepting of it.
Who says nobody cares about the obesity in ireland? Id bet my life every single obese person in Ireland has been verybally abused by drunk strangers several times in their life, and I bet many of their friends and family make snide remarks or pokes about their weight or imply mean things.
I used to be obese as a child and people commented on it regularly, men women children young old, everyones thinks its their problem too when youre fat. And they arent nice about it, make no mistake

pilly

Hammer89 wrote: »

Was the talk called 'Conquering your inner idiot by learning about a subject before you spark a debate on it?'

:D:D:D:D:D