Being overweight increases incidence of cancer

I agree re moderation Anya. I try my best. I'm 65 and never been ill (she says touching wood), not really overweight, don't get colds, sore throats, headaches ever, so perhaps moderation is the key. is my only vice and I'm waiting for the health police to start on that one.

Jane it was BBC 1 I think 9 - 10.00 pm

Not totally forgiven by all KatyK

The role of fats in heart disease seems to be very complicated. But it does now appear that some saturated fats are less heart clogging than had initially been suggested. The general medical advice is not to take this as the all clear for all fats and indulge in a feeding frenzy.

Moderation is never going to hurt!

Transfats (sometimes lurking under other names) are a definate NoNo.

mamie which channel was the programme on?

Sugar is the new devil incarnate. It used to be fat, but fat's been forgiven now apparently.

30 years ago DH had a suspected stomach ulcer and his Dr put him on a reduced sugar diet. As he already didn't put sugar in drinks or on cereal, we researched the hidden sugars in food and were amazed, even sausages had sugar.

He certainly lost weight on this eating regime, he was thin to start with, but it seemed to sort the problem.

Reduced sugar products such as jam are easier to get nowadays. I didn't like reduced sugar peanut butter!

x

I absolutely agree with you JaneA.
Did anyone watch the programme about sugar last night? Horrific, especially the hidden sugars in processed "savoury" food.

Bags I may be wrong but I imagine that the majority of your 'treats' have been made in your own kitchen and that your decision to eat them is based on a logical thought process and not the result of impulse

Many people do however base their eating decisions on impulse and many of those decisions include a feeling of reward or consolation for the various miseries of life.

It's my personal view that advertisers and marketing people have exploited some people's insecurities and self-esteem issues by implying that we somehow deserve these rewards for coping with what life throws at us, or helping us to get over life's little disappointments, or even big ones.

I think this is one factor in the increase in obesity levels.

I'm sure you don't bags but people, and women in particular, are bombarded with this and I don't suppose the advertisers would do it if it didn't work on some of the people, some of the time.
Katyk just because those who are overweight are more prone to certain illnesses does not mean that everyone who gets those illnesses is overweight.

I don't eat my treats because "I'm worth it". I eat them because I like them but janea is right, they are part of my whole diet, not extras. I still regard them as treats though. If I were as poor as many people in the world, I wouldn't get them. I appreciate my luck in being able to eat nice and nourishing food every day.

Jess yes, I agree about the marketing ploy and it's not confined to food.
I had another oxymoronic moment this morning when I got an email from Uniqlo advertising 'everyday luxury' in the form of silk shirts.
It would be interesting to trace the origins of this modern idea that we are all 'worth it'.

Yes, about 10-20% of people with type 2 diabetes are normal weight and 80-90% are overweight or obese apparently.

My DH, who was treated for cancer last year, is, and always has been, as thin as a rake. He has type 2 diabetes too.

lol

They must have similar goodies in NHS staff rooms. I was stuck behind two broad beamed chubby nurses waddling walking side by side in a hospital corridor recently and had to ask them to move so I could overtake them.

Yes jess. My teacher DD has that contend with - loads of tempting cake and biscuits readily available in the staff room.

Janeainsworth there is a great big marketing machine telling us that we "deserve" "treats" all the time.
In most offices these days there is a non-stop confectionary fest. (Staff bringing in cakes, biscuits, sweets because of birthdays, holidays etc etc. Managers dishing them out in meetings. Charity bake-offs etc). If you buy a sandwich there is a smorgasbord of confectionery displayed before you, right up to the moment you pay. Pastries are deliberately displayed without wrapping to tempt you in petrol stations and supermarkets.
And sitting at home in the evening - it's easy to get in the habit of "treats" like chocolate and wine.
I sat on a 2 hour, mid afternoon, train journey during which a mother and child consumed 5 snacks EACH.

Husband was starting to pile on the weight so decided to take action - he has a good breakfast, medium sized helping of main course at lunch. Fruit for afters, then nothing more until the next day. Though he does like a beer or a fruit cordial in the evening, and maybe one square of chocolate..
I don't know how he does it, but it has worked.

janea,

The "my body telling me" thing worked with salt too. When I was breastfeeding Minibags I wanted to eat crisps every day, so I did. I presumed it was my body telling me I needed the salt (one doesn't eat crisps for any other reason, right? ) and, sure enough, when I stopped BF I didn't want crisps any more. I can (and do) go months, years, without wanting a crisp now.

It was DD1 who first used the "my body is telling me" phrase, when she was about thirteen and I commented that she was drinking a lot of orange juice and asked if she really needed it. It was a short orange juice phase she had so I guess she was right.

Isn't a daily treat an oxymoron?
I mean if you have something every day it's a normal part of your diet.
<pedant moment>

Some people can eat more than others for sure. If you are tall, very active, have high proportion of lean muscle to fat, young, and so on you need more food. If you are smaller, past the menopause, don't move much and tend to put on weight easily then you need less.

It's hard, but that's life.

You only put on weight if you eat more than your body needs. If you eat a little bit more than you need to, you'll put on a little extra weight. If you eat a lot more than your body needs, you'll put on a lot of weight.

So people who are overweight (unless they have a metabolic disorder) are, quite simply, eating more than their body needs in relation to their height, age, activity levels, etc.. You may not be eating all that much, but for you it is too much.

Exactly, jess and ana. As I said, it's quantity that matters. I think we need to stop worrying and fussing about the details of what we eat so much and think about how much. I saw some statistics recently (possibly from Max Roser but I can't remember the source) showing that on average people eat a great deal more now than they did a hundred and two hundred years ago.

It's not cool to want sugar nowadays but when I am really hungry I want something sweet first. I always have. I think this is my body telling me what I need, not that I'm addicted to sugar.

A whole packet of chocolate digestives isn't a 'treat', it's a binge!

I agree with thatbags, but I suppose I'm lucky in that I don't much care for sweet things and my idea of a treat is a small(ish!) piece of cheese.

I conclude your daily treats are moderate in size then bags - not a whole packet of chocolate digestives / a huge portion of cake with generous dollop of cream / 3 scoops of ice cream?

I don't agree, jess. I have treats every day and I'm not overweight. It's the how much rather than the what that's significant, I think.