OBESITY

I think I probably notice a lot because I am a people watcher, but people seem to be getting fatter. A lot of the visitors that we get here in France seem huge, not just widthways but heightwise as well. Do you think that changes in the way people eat and lack of exercise are responsible for obesity ?

Lack of excersise for me.

I hover around the 16stone mark despite efforts to lose it.

If I could excersise 30 mins every day I could get down to my ideal 14stone 6.

I am overweight as well but exercise regularly and am comfortable that the weight I am is what I always will be now, and got it confirmed by my sisters this weekend that I am actually the smallest in the family now, which with four sisters is quite good. One of them is Size 20, two of them are size 18 and I am size 14 !! I think a lot of their problems come from not taking time out to prepare food, and eating ready made packet stuff, plus having a corner shop, and always going there for sweets. Lucky for me, corner shops as such don't exist here.

I joined a gym and have been 4 times- havent got the time and have put loads of weight on since moving in with boyfriend!

spoilt_little_brat wrote:

I joined a gym and have been 4 times- havent got the time and have put loads of weight on since moving in with boyfriend!

Women do tend to pile on the pounds when they feel secure in a relationship. That is why men tend to dump them quite often to keep them on ther toes.

For me weight problems start at a young age with poor diet and lack of exercise, it will only get worse as things like PE at schools gets cut out for other curiculum requirements ad kids spend more time in front of the TV and video games.

atticusuk wrote:

For me weight problems start at a young age with poor diet and lack of exercise, it will only get worse as things like PE at schools gets cut out for other curiculum requirements and kids spend more time in front of the TV and video games.

I don't think PE helps anyway - it's just ritual embarrassment. In my own experience, it doesn't stress the need for exercise but helps to create another popularity contest i.e. the elite bunch of school kids who are most popular get picked first etc - by students and teachers alike.

Gotta agree with sam. We always just bunked off anyway

Educationally and health wise it has been proven that PE offers benefits to the pupils and the role of teachers is to ensure that there are options available for all to participate no matter what their ability.

PE at school opens up interests for pupils to follow up out of school.

Funny thing is most of the ids that avoided PE at my school are the fat adults wearing shell suits and way too tight t-shirts.

I think that the parents need to be responsible too for kids, as they should be involved in their kids activities, takign them to the park etc. Keep them active and encourage them to swim, cycle etc and they will learn that as a way of life.

I'm not saying ban all TV and games but certainly limit it and encourage other stuff.

I am about a stone overweight now but have absolutely no willpower to stop eating sweet stuff. Started smoking on hols again so am in process of giving up AGAION! Can't handle the sweet elimination as well!

spoilt_little_brat wrote:

Gotta agree with sam. We always just bunked off anyway

me too. I actually used to drive from the 6th year common room around to the PE block, just to tell the Teacher that I had forgot my kit.

Luckily I still had to sit in the changing rooms before and after......

atticusuk wrote:

Educationally and health wise it has been proven that PE offers benefits to the pupils and the role of teachers is to ensure that there are options available for all to participate no matter what their ability.

I don't disagree - PE offers benefits. But I knew very few people who took them. And in an ideal world PE teachers wouldn't favour those with better abilities and make them captains of teams, or whatever.
Also, there's very little choice in PE. In the early years of secondary school, you are told what kind of PE you are going to participate in during the terms - how crap is that? If you don't like or can't swim, hate football (easily the most common of all PE lessons...) or tennis or whatever - you have to spend 6 weeks doing it. No wonder people skive it and drop it after year 11.

drewboy wrote:

Luckily I still had to sit in the changing rooms before and after......

At least you were exercising your mind (and probably your right arm as well later that evening)

people just need to get up off their a*se and stop being so lazy....thats how i see it.....lol

IS it breeding season in France? Cos when I went last week it was full of these duck-waddling rather large up the duff ladies!

I think PE should be voluntary-whenever i was made to play footall or rugby (or in some cases basketball) i just sat down because of the chavs fouling. Especialy since i was in group 2. So i asked to be moved down to bottom group because it would be easy and all my friends were there because they were in last but one so well all decided together. Chavs there too-just lazy ones but less. Still-with chavs doing PE it is less fun because they dont seem to understand the word 'rules'. If you could just do PE with your friends who would play fair it would be fun. Otherwise it is offputting.

Going directly to the subject-yes people are getting fatter because they do less but look around my area-my area is a nice area (few kids-mostly OAPs) with a park. Chavs in the park, so i dont particuarly want to go out and get mugged-so less exercise. I am very thin still though-but that must be luck i suppose. Plus i am really addicted to consoles so i cant be bothered. So people are obese since they're lazy because of technology.

bit of a chav hater? eh? lol

I loved PE at school, who cares if chavs foul in games etc etc, it wasn't really an issue at my school. Some people were just ultra competitive but thats ok, i just loved doing some exercise and having a laugh. But once people find a sport they like then a wee competitive streak always comes out.

People don't just have to do loads of exercise to keep the weight off, they can just walk more instead of using their cars for everything. I hate the fact tax payers are paying for these people's health problems, when they can eat healthier and exercise more and stop being a drain on our healthservice. In most cases it's really as simple as that.

Yeah, i am a bit of a chav hater but when they're there trying to foul everyone just to get the ball it gets stupid-and lack of teamwork so i just gave up so when you could choose PE i chose none chav sports. Badminton and Table Tennis with my friends. The thing with sport is that it has to be fun and when you are playing with your mates you can

yeah definitely, i loved playing basketball at school but i would get really frustrated when the teachers would put people who couldn't be a*sed playing in my team. So then some of us would end up doing the jobs of two people, but hey i guess that made us exercise us even more. lol.

Yeah-but none of my friends are athletic at all-just me so if we were against a team of chavs who fouled-itd be me on my own. So i couldnt be bothered-which is why i think its best to play with your friends-its a lot more relaxed and enjoying, and if youre me you win.

When I was a child, many moons ago, there were very few fat children. Nowadays it seems quite normal to see chubby kids waddling down the street. I think fast food is too cheap and available and kids don't walk to school (or anywhere) like I used to do. A lot don't play out (its deemed too dangerous) and spend their leisure time slumped in front of games consoles.

Same as Susan really. My brother and i used to go off in the morning and come home for tea. We would go running in the park, swim in the sea, ride our bike etc etc.

Kids now tend to spend most of their time sat attatched to a games machine of some kind, or sat on the local bench swigging cheap booze when they are older.

Parents drop them at school, partly because they are on their way off to work and partly because it is safer these days. If they go out in the evening, they will ferry them about.

I would walk miles to friends houses and back, but it was safer to do so then.

At school I hated PE. I was only good at netball and badminton, but these were only for one half term a year. The rest of the time was hockey, volleyball and other sports I hated. I really hated hockey and in fact never got to play a 'proper' game. I was always stood watching on the side. It would have been so much better had I been able to choose something that interested me.

Maybe PE should be changed to a 15 minute exercise every morning and then at the ned of the school day, rather than compulsary. Then as an extra to those that would like to be more involved.