So, the experts have spoken: obesity is 'not individuals' fault' because we live in an 'obesogenic' environment.
According to the BBC, "Individuals can no longer be held responsible for obesity so government must act to stop Britain "sleepwalking" into a crisis, a report has concluded. The largest ever UK study into obesity, backed by government and compiled by 250 experts, said excess weight was now the norm in our "obesogenic" society."
Since starting LighterLife, I am already seeing how much of an impact my lifestyle has on my weight. And when you add work (long hours and all that) in the mix, the outcome is not great.
My husband is back home now; he leaves at 6.30am, drives to the station (10 miles away), gets the train into London, works all day and comes home at 8pm. He is unlikely to have done 10,000 steps or been to the gym. When he was client-side, he was working 18 hour days, with meals provided and no chance of a trip to the gym. Hmmmmm.
For me, I can see how one day's bad eating can easily morph into three days' poor food choices, if I am not careful. On Sunday, I did an all-day training course. I wasn't organised (essential to keep weight gain at bay) so did not bring my own snacks/food. Lunch was a lardy chicken, cheese and pasta mess or vegetable hotpot. By the afternoon, I felt a slump - went in search of fruit but there was none. Just the vending machines. I bought some sweets. Poor choice but at least it wasn't chocolate. I came home very late and didn't feel like a healthy option meal. I wanted comfort.
Sunday was typical of a working day for many people; our whole lifestyle is NOT geared up to taking care of ourselves. I'm still not in my own home but, when I do get back in there (two weeks and counting), I really believe that my eating habits will have changed fundamentally. Eating bad food makes me feel...bad. Of course, some would argue that no food is bad but I'm talking about poor food choices. And those choices are usually fairly addictive.
"Obesity, the authors concluded, was an inevitable consequence of a society in which energy-dense, cheap foods, labour-saving devices, motorised transport and sedentary work were rife."
Apparently, there is talk of passive-obesity, too; by not really changing your lifestyle but by consuming an extra biscuit or even an extra apple, more or less every day, you will get bigger over time.
It strikes me as ironic; for the first time in my adult life, I am working hard to be slim while, in the meantime, everyone else is getting bigger! (Well, not EVERYONE!)
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