Has Ireland become fat like the US and UK?

4zn76tysfajdxp · 11-10-2015 12:26AM

Mr.Carter wrote: »

I watched a kid about 10 devour a jumbo-breakfast roll and carry a 1.5 litre of Coke as he walked into a local school one morning, and what he going to do for the next 6hrs...

Fart.

Wibbs · 11-10-2015 12:36AM

Meh, IMH this idea of the growing fatness is very much a localised scary meme we buy into. Yes, people are getting fatter in the west, but to the degree we require little motorised scooters to get around? Not so much. Unless; Merica. Even there the "threat" is overblown. Makes for good copy in the media mind you.

Take Europe. The Spanish have the fattest kids at the moment, yet they're apparently skinner than we are. Well they have the highest rates of anorexia and bulimia in the EU last time I looked. I did read an interesting stat looking at women's weight across age groups in Europe. Yes your Italian/Spanish/French woman at 20 is on average skinnier than the average Irish/British woman at that age, but fast forward to 30 or 40 and the weight results match up. Or put it another way, you'll get less of a shock if you marry an Irish woman as the years pass.

And that's before we look at the men. Men across Europe are likely in general to be more obese as far as the measurements go.

Tarzana2 · 11-10-2015 01:10AM

eminemlover wrote: »

Just curious as to weather Ireland has become like the US and UK considering weight gain. Like with so many talk aways amd people [especially children] not getting enough exercise and stayin in all day playing video games etc... And also not to mention the meals/food that today's society or Irish people eat. So, what are everyone's opinions on this topic? Or is it to controversial? If would be nice to hear peoples opinions though

Definitely not controversial, par for the course on AH. :pac:

We're nowhere close to the US and thank fook for that.

howdoyouknow · 11-10-2015 01:23AM

eminemlover wrote: »

Just curious as to weather Ireland has become like the US and UK considering weight gain. Like with so many talk aways amd people [especially children] not getting enough exercise and stayin in all day playing video games etc... And also not to mention the meals/food that today's society or Irish people eat. So, what are everyone's opinions on this topic? Or is it to controversial? If would be nice to hear peoples opinions though

Yes yeah aye and all other words of agreement with the opening post title

Tarzana2 · 11-10-2015 01:38AM

Mr.Carter wrote: »

Tis sad but crap food is cheaper and more available than health food.

Oh no you di'int!!!! You will be eaten alive for making that statement on AH.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 11-10-2015 01:41AM

Lia_lia wrote: »

Whenever I go to other countries (well, except the US and UK ) I do tend to notice how slim everyone is. Maybe if it was hotter we would be slimmer. That doesn't work for America really though!

My Dad (who has lived in France for 20+ years) is always saying how French people are "turning into Americans" and are getting much fatter. So it's not just here.

Generally speaking, the Irish (along with the UK and US) live more sedantary lifestlyes. Lots of driving and long hours at work, whereas the continentals walk and cycle a lot more and take more time off work. That, for me, is the big difference.

Tarzana2 · 11-10-2015 01:59AM

darkpagandeath wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/ireland-set-to-be-most-obese-country-in-europe-who-says-1.2201731

I thought Ireland was the Fattest country in the EU already. Well we nearly are.

From the article:

In 2030, the proportion of obese and overweight men in Ireland is projected to rise to 89 per cent with a corresponding 85 per cent of women falling into this category.

That seems unlikely. Hard to it seriously.

garrixfan · 11-10-2015 02:02AM

Not really, everyone and their mother seems to be part of the #irishfitfam movement these days. I rarely notice fat people tbh

Tarzana2 · 11-10-2015 02:05AM

BMJD wrote: »

I really don't believe those reports that claim we are a load of fat bastards. They seem to equate a slight beer belly on us with those enormous fat blubber monsters that are all over the US. Take a walk pretty much anywhere in the US and you will see morbidly obese people everywhere, over here it's nowhere near as common. In the UK, they aren't too far behind the Americans either, especially in poorer areas.

Well, obesity starts at lower weights than you'd think.

I'm not overweight, and I would only need to gain two stone to become obese, as I'm short.

But yeah, I still double take at the sight of morbidly obese people.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 11-10-2015 02:07AM

Tarzana2 wrote: »

From the article:

That seems unlikely. Hard to it seriously.

The definition is a bit unfair. Apparently, anything over 25% BMI is overweight and over 30% is obese.

To put that into persepective: if you're male and 5'9", you're overwieght at 12 stone 2; and obese at 14 stone 7.

Tarzana2 · 11-10-2015 02:11AM

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

The definition is a bit unfair. Apparently, anything over 25% BMI is overweight and over 30% is obese.

To put that into persepective: if you're male and 5'9", you're overwieght at 12 stone 2; and obese at 14 stone 7.

I dunno, people say BMI isn't an accurate barometer, but IMO, unless you're a pro athlete, it's a fairly good indicator. Certainly is for me anyway. When it says I've entered the overweight category, I correspondingly certainly look a bit chubby. And when I was tipping into the obese BMI category, I definitely looked very overweight. People think obese is being morbidly obese but it starts way before that.

petrolcan · 11-10-2015 02:23AM

When my son was 18 months old he was classed as overweight. The 'charts' didn't take into account his height for age.

Fúck BMI.

Tarzana2 · 11-10-2015 02:40AM

petrolcan wrote: »

When my son was 18 months old he was classed as overweight. The 'charts' didn't take into account his height for age.

Fúck BMI.

When you work it out for adults, they ask for your height. It's not perfect, but not way off like people make out.

KungPao · 11-10-2015 03:05AM

We are on our way. We drink way too much, eat too much rubbish, but we are not near the American levels yet. They are addicted to 'soda' and 'chips' and everything is full of corn syrup. Then they have scary portion sizes and are so blasé about being fat. Scary stuff.

And the 'less active' thing doesn't wash for me. I have been doing feck all exercise the last few months and have been losing weight. The magic trick? Drinking less alcohol and cutting out (well, 90% of it at least) takeaway rubbish. And pretty much giving up fizzy soft drinks.

Burning 200 calories is hard, hard work...work undone with one pint or a bag of crisps.

KungPao · 11-10-2015 03:13AM

I had a quick look at Walmart's site to maybe see why the US is so bad. This page is a default page showing the latest deals on "food". Good lord. ALL processed, high calorie garbage.

A similar page on Tesco or Aldi or whatever here would have deals on steak, veg, and some ****e of course, but way more balanced. Hopefully it stays that way.

garrixfan · 11-10-2015 03:22AM

KungPao wrote: »

I had a quick look at Walmart's site to maybe see why the US is so bad. This page is a default page showing the latest deals on "food". Good lord. ALL processed, high calorie garbage.

A similar page on Tesco or Aldi or whatever here would have deals on steak, veg, and some ****e of course, but way more balanced. Hopefully it stays that way.

Hahah yeh you literally cannot compare the two cultures, polar opposites, be a long long time until Ireland matched the US. You very very very very rarely see the tubs of lard that exist in the US in Ireland(or anywhere else in Europe..although apparently the Brits are getting there.

gormdubhgorm · 11-10-2015 03:31AM

I think Ireland is not as bad as the US but the problem is eh "growing".

The first level is a culture of what I call "fat acceptance" it can be seen in my discussions on the subject here on boards.ie. Then after the "fat acceptance" has reached it's zenith then Ireland will finally have reached US levels.

SeaDaily · 11-10-2015 03:47AM

A lot of people in this thread saying we aren't as bad as the US as if that's something to be proud of. I'd hope that we aren't as bad as the worst country in the world for obesity...

Tarzana2 · 11-10-2015 05:53AM

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

The first level is a culture of what I call "fat acceptance" it can be seen in my discussions on the subject here on boards.ie.

Give some recent examples. Or hell, even older examples. And examples of actual fat acceptance, not just examples where people are suggesting to not be dicks to people who are overweight. Because that's not fat acceptance. That's just having a modicum of empathy.

Chain Smoker · 11-10-2015 06:31AM

I dunno, I'm in the US right now and everyone here in this super-affluent-clearly-an-exception-to-the-norm-but-bear-with-me area is scarily healthy and fitness obsessed. It's very much an issue which is absolutely huge in specific states (*cough*Mississippi*cough*) but not so much in others, huge differences depending on your income levels and such too...

That being said, there's obviously something of an agenda regarding food producers not wanting people to know what they're eating, I was fairly shocked by how little information there is on the packaging compared to in the EU.

Tarzana2 · 11-10-2015 06:40AM

Chain Smoker wrote: »

I dunno, I'm in the US right now and everyone here in this super-affluent-clearly-an-exception-to-the-norm-but-bear-with-me area is scarily healthy and fitness obsessed.

You're either in New England or Southern California.

pmasterson95 · 11-10-2015 07:24AM

Tarzana2 wrote: »

Give some recent examples. Or hell, even older examples. And examples of actual fat acceptance, not just examples where people are suggesting to not be dicks to people who are overweight. Because that's not fat acceptance. That's just having a modicum of empathy.

Well heres one.

Tarzana2 · 11-10-2015 07:40AM

pmasterson95 wrote: »

Well heres one.

No, that's realising that someone who is overweight is also a human being. It's not fat acceptance, it's accepting that it's entirely up to an overweight person to do something about their weight and that their weight is not mine or yours to accept. They are just a person. Who is overweight.

Of course anyone on this forum who says that they should be able to belittle a person based on their weight would never actually do it, even if it was supposedly acceptable. It's all hot air.

And I honestly think some people would be secretly disappointed if everyone slimmed down and people stopped smoking. How on earth are they going to feel morally superior otherwise?

El_Duderino 09 · 11-10-2015 07:52AM

Tarzana2 wrote:

That seems unlikely. Hard to it seriously.

It's not likely to happen but it's relevant because it illustrates the trend. Irish are getting fatter at the fastest rate. Ireland and the UK. we're not at US levels yet but we're doing a great job of catching up.

strelok · 11-10-2015 07:55AM

Tarzana2 wrote: »

And I honestly think some people would be secretly disappointed if everyone slimmed down and people stopped smoking. How on earth are they going to feel morally superior otherwise?

the books we read, the music we listen to, the clothes we wear. we've got plenty of ways, don't worry about us

Of course anyone on this forum who says that they should be able to belittle a person based on their weight would never actually do it, even if it was supposedly acceptable. It's all hot air.

i agree, all those posts saying fat people should be put in cages in the middle of towns so everyone can point and laugh at them are bang out of order. i hope by the time everyone reads this post the after hours moderators have removed the offending posts so everyone wonders what the hell we are referring to.

pmasterson95 · 11-10-2015 08:01AM

Tarzana2 wrote: »

No, that's realising that someone who is overweight is also a human being. It's not fat acceptance, it's accepting that it's entirely up to an overweight person to do something about their weight and that their weight is not mine or yours to accept. They are just a person. Who is overweight.

Of course anyone on this forum who says that they should be able to belittle a person based on their weight would never actually do it, even if it was supposedly acceptable. It's all hot air.

And I honestly think some people would be secretly disappointed if everyone slimmed down and people stopped smoking. How on earth are they going to feel morally superior otherwise?

You have been disagreeing qith BMI claiming the categorizations are to harsh. You've been posting excuses the whole time.

Qualitymark · 11-10-2015 08:07AM

Are you fat? Simple way of finding out: your waist should measure less than half your height. In other words, if you're five feet tall, your waist should be less than 30 inches. If you're six feet tall, your waists should be less than 36 inches.

IMHO, we shouldn't be comparing ourselves with other countries; we should be looking at a solution to this. My first would be cycling clubs in every school, that go out for an hour a day on a nice loosening-out cycle, and every weekend for those who want for a long cycle.

For comparison with today: how kids used to be - skip to 1.40:

Tarzana2 · 11-10-2015 08:37AM

pmasterson95 wrote: »

You have been disagreeing qith BMI claiming the categorizations are to harsh. You've been posting excuses the whole time.

Wut? You're mixing me up with someone else here. I was actually defending BMI categorisations. I think they are broadly useful. Do read things properly before you start mashing your keyboard.

My posts in this thread on the subject:

Tarzana2 wrote: »

I dunno, people say BMI isn't an accurate barometer, but IMO, unless you're a pro athlete, it's a fairly good indicator. Certainly is for me anyway. When it says I've entered the overweight category, I correspondingly certainly look a bit chubby. And when I was tipping into the obese BMI category, I definitely looked very overweight. People think obese is being morbidly obese but it starts way before that.

Tarzana2 wrote: »

When you work it out for adults, they ask for your height. It's not perfect, but not way off like people make out.

Chain Smoker · 11-10-2015 08:38AM

Qualitymark wrote: »

For comparison with today: how kids used to be - skip to 1.40:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05k59EhMEEI

Is using footage of kids from Rocky Road to Dublin really the best source for a "this is what kids should be like!" argument? Ah yes, back when everyone was poor as f*ck and completely brainwashed by the church, the good ol' days!

Tarzana2 wrote: »

You're either in New England or Southern California.

Very very very close!

Qualitymark · 11-10-2015 08:47AM

Chain Smoker wrote: »

Is using footage of kids from Rocky Road to Dublin really the best source for a "this is what kids should be like!" argument? Ah yes, back when everyone was poor as f*ck and completely brainwashed by the church, the good ol' days!

Of course not. I'm not talking about the brainwashing or the poverty. But can you imagine any modern group of kids being able to race after a car like that for that amount of time? And repressed and miserable as the kids are, they laugh and jump in a way I've never seen in modern kids.

Has Ireland become fat like the US and UK?

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