its all in the jeans

Interesting point about Auschwitz.
But to be serious, my mother was moved to a camp (work not death) in the latter stages of the war. She always claimed that her metabolism was permanently damaged by living on subsistence rations over that period. She certainly struggled (unsuccessfully) with her weight ever after. But I also think her attitude to food changed - my father frankly could take it or leave it, he just ate to live, whereas Mum always abhorred waste, became an outstanding cook and appreciated what she prepared and ate. She was horrified at the size of portions regarded as “normal” whenever she visited my sister and her family in Canada- and by the amounts people left on their plates. She told me how she had once seen a camp inmate scoop up somebody’s vomit and eat it -a memory which haunted her to the end of her days.

petunia there was a programme on the tv the other day about this, I'm struggling to remember but it will come to me!

Nothing wrong with being a size 16 if you are tall as you get older. I was a size 10 but after 50 put on weight. I eat what I like, enjoy the wrong foods and dress well.
Lucky 6% the rest of us should enjoy and stop fretting. Off now to eat cheese and chocolate, both of which I l like.

I'm the same shape and size as my grandmothers and great aunts. My mother was slim but she was a very heavy smoker. I'm not keen to take up that weight loss method!

I have 2 sisters, one is always dead skinny but eats like a horse, use to eat peanut butter sandwiches with honey on, always had 3 sugars in her tea, yet my other sister was plumb from a baby. Mum always fed us all the same but the weight always piled on her and it was the same in later life. Both were active as well. Me, I can maintain my weight easily and stay a size 12. My gc out of 5 children was the only fat one in the family yet ate the same. Even went on a 6 week weight lose education programme but despite sticking to it only lost 2lb. Something to be said about genes.

I've got my dads genes unfortunately, which makes me vertically challenged and not quite tall enough for the extra weight I'm carrying .... maybe I'll have a growth spurt . I was always slim to underweight until I reached my late 40's it's been creeping on since then. I now feel like someone's sneaking up behind me only to realise it's my bum ! My mum and her brothers are all tall and slim, eat whatever they like and don't gain weight, however they are follicle challenged so you can't have it all

A young woman on the train today took up 2 seats reserved for people with mobility problems. She was morbidly obese. She ate nothing on the train but had a can of diet coke in front if her. I fear there are too many young people who are like her. That is not genetics but a psychological disorder I feel sure.
Whereas when I was at school there were hardly any really big children-
now there are plenty.
So yes genes play a part but it's not the whole story.
There is sedentary lifestyle, cars, processed food, lack of portion control, custom, boredom, greed, even entitlement.
There are some things we should change for the sake of our health.
i.e: Why do celebrations always revolve around food and drink?
How many of us have been buying chocolate eggs for our DGC? I know I have

Until I started having my children I was a skinny beanpole. Even after having my children I wasnt fat. Then at the age if 52 I had breast cancer and as a result og the medication I had to take for 5 years I put 6 stone on in 7th months and ever since have been fighting to get down to a reasonable. I am now in hospital having tests to find out 5he cayse if cancer in my spint. A female orderly came to take me by wheelchair for a thyroid scan. She looked me up and down and said in Portuguese " you must like your food". I just said see that lady there I was like her before I had to take tablets for cancer. She had the sense to shut up then.

Although thin when I was a child, I still had a thick waist. I had three big babies which a doctor told me was a warning that I could suffer from diabetes later in life. After the menopause weight did pile on and I finally went on a very strict 2 year diet to lose it. It is hard to keep it off, however, recently after a blood check to see if my half of a thyroid was working functioning, it was discovered I needed treatment which seems it may cause weight loss which it has ... for the moment

I read that people need between about 5 and 10 per cent fewer calories daily for every decade they live so unless this cut down is followed then people are going to get fatter as they age.

I have a very restricted calorific input in my sixties to maintain my figure and if I overindulge I skip the next meal or severely cut it down. I observe that others who gain weight do not like to disoblige their appetites.

It is easy to understand but painful to practice. If you eat too much and exercise too little you will gain weight.

I would eat double what I eat now as I love food but I know I would never get away with it.

Daisyboots I could have written part of your post. I too was slim all my life and only gained a little weight after having 3 children. Worked out 5 times a week and trained my dogs. Wardrobe full of size 12/14 clothes.

At 52 I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had treatment/was ill for 5 years. During that time I gained nearly 6 stones although I was only on hormone drugs for 8 months as they disagreed with me.

I don’t know why some people gain a lot of weight and others do not during treatment. We carry the BRCA gene in our family and out of 3 sisters, 2 of us gained a lot of weight during treatment whilst one did not. I did read an article once that suggested that in some people, when they are ill, the body goes into conserve mode.

So boy do I understand how unjust it is to be seen as greedy when it’s not your fault. I have eaten a lot less since illness. I have just started to try to lose it but it’s painstaking as I’m older now too. I’ve lost 25lbs since September but a long way to go still and it’s not easy.

I do hope your tests go well and you are soon home and well. If it helps, I was investigated as the hormone drugs triggered arthritis so they immediately suspected the cancer was in my spine. However, it turned out to be just the arthritis causing some pain and normal age related wear and tear and a slippage due to an accident so I hope it all turns out well for you

I like to wear jeans, but can find waist size is my problem , plus I do not like the slim design , rereferring a slightly wider fit.
mind you they tend to sit on the hip more so than where the actual waistline measurement is taken.

Mick

Morning. Many thanks for your many and varied comments. We are such a diverse bunch.

Daisy-your comment from the Portuguese orderly is a common one. One glance at an overweight person and everyone and his dog wades in to cast moral judgement. Why is that? Being overweight is due to many things, sometimes as daisy says, due to medication. Its not obvious to on lookers but those strangers feel the need to comment and advise. How crazy is that? If you come across a particularly short person in the supermarket trying to reach a high shelf, most people would offer to get the item. It would be very unlikely that fellow shoppers would comment on the height of that person in a negative way or offer advice about wearing high heels or whatever. Yet complete strangers feel that judging an overweight person is fair game.

Being overweight doesn't mean that person is morally corrupt, a bad person, a glutton, greedy and lazy.

Blimey, where did that come from on this lovely morning

[Auntieflo] the same happened to me. I had 2 children at 19 and 22 and within 3 months I was lighter in weight than I’d been before the pregnancies. After a 16 year gap I had the 3rd child expecting the same to occur. I was shocked to find the weight did not shift!

My late husband loved his food, especially chips and fry-ups. He always wanted cake or pudding after his meal, yet never put on weight. I ate much less than him, yet put on weight easily.
Two of our children take after him, and two after me.

I came across my antenatal cards the other day. Oh my!
40years ago when I was 8 months pregnant I weighed 8st 7lbs. (I’m 5’6”). Today I weigh 14st 7lbs. (I’m 64y).

So basically I’m me, giving another person a piggy back who weighs 6sts!

That is cruel Daisyboots in more ways than one. Sending healing hugs and
Medications can cause weight gain and loss.
My DH has been having cancer treatment and at first he lost 4stone. He quite liked being skinny but truly he looked sick. Now he's on a different drug which is reversing the cancer to some extent and his appetite is back and his weight with ìt.
I'm sure you are right Lilyflower and it is hard to do.

Don't forget the skinny Minnies who just don't eat very much.
That was me once - alas no longer! - I just had a small appetite and wasn't mad keen on sweet things, but people,often assumed I could eat loads and not put an ounce on.
Just not the case at all.

I`m probably what would be termed morbidly obese. When I married 56 years ago, I was 8st 3lbs. I put weight on after each baby, so by the time I had number 5 I weighed 10st.13lbs, and felt enormous. How I wish I was 10st 13lbs now! I weigh almost 18st, but don`t over eat, I just don`t get around too well, so can`t exercise.

Apparently, the population of the UK was at its healthiest during WW2 - because of the shortage of sugar! I think that genetics does play a part - in my family that's a problem with regulating blood sugar, leading to both weight problems and type 2 diabetes. If I eat sugar, I get a huge insulin spike, which leads to feeling weak and hungry and eat more, and put on weight, and so on. I know that I've felt a lot better since I've given up sugar and refined carbs (the weight has dropped off). I eat much more fat now (which keeps me full) and fibre, and hardly any carbs - my GP was horrified until she tested me after a year of this eating to find normal BP and cholesterol. We are all different and need to find what works for us as individuals.

Quite agree Petunia “fat shaming” makes me angry too! I don’t comment on anyone’s life style unless it impacts on their children or me! Or leads to anti social behaviour why do people feel they have a right to comment and judge over weight people ?

I always been fat. My father , paternal grandmother and maternal great aunt all were fat as older adults.
Mother had an amazing figure just stunning for the majority of her life . My maternal grandmother was always of slender build
Dad died at 80 due to a super bug he caught in hospital. Had all his mental faculties.
Mum died a dreadful death due to dementia
Mum and I used to say ' i got dad's fat hopefully dad's brain "
Fat relatives , dad, paternal grandmother and maternal great aunt did not have any form of dementia and all died in the 80s
Slender relatives mother and maternal grandmother both died of dementia

I agree to an extent but I can also tell you from.experience there are no overweight people in war torn countries

I’ve been searching for an excuse for years and maybe my genes are the issue but then maybe it’s simply I put too much fuel in and burn too little off? My husband is quite possibly one of the fortunate 6% and unfortunately I have eaten to keep up with him, hence obesity. I’m sitting by a swimming pool at the moment and observing a big family who’ve not stopped eating and drinking since they arrived a couple of hours ago. They are all colossal and it may well be their genes but surely it also has something to do with the vast quantity of food they are consuming?

No but the ones that were overweight to start with might survive longer.