ACCORDING TO MICHAEL Buerk’s 2019 article in the Radio Times, obese people are weak, not ill. To some, his uncompromising view is that of an anti-fat fascist. But he did have a point when he said that “Obesity and unhealthy lifestyles wouldn’t bankrupt the NHS” and that “People should be free to over-indulge and, if they die, they should be seen as weak rather than medically ill.”
He said: “Who can calculate how much an obese person would have cost if they were slim? How much would he or she cost if, instead of keeling over with a heart attack at 52, they live to a ripe, dementia-ridden old age, requiring decades of expensive care? (In any case, VAT on takeaways, confectionery and fizzy drinks more than covers it.).”
Buerk added: “Give them the facts to make informed decisions, by all means, ‘nudge’ all you like, but in the end – leave couch potatoes alone.” He added: “Obesity is not a ‘national emergency’ because it is just caused by eating too much.”
It’s a hotly debated topic that understandably can feel very loaded: can people be fit and healthy and overweight? And how do we deal with the so-called ‘obesity crisis’?
The new obesity figures highlight that weight and health are complex issues and not the one-size-fits-all ideal people think.
With figures from the Office of National Statistics and published by NHS Digital, the latest report shows obesity continues to be a significant health concern – no surprises there. There’s a wealth of evidence that weight can be a risk factor for a wide range of conditions and, of course, we can’t ignore that.
In terms of hospital admissions in England during 2019/20, there were just over one million admissions where obesity was recorded as a factor – a 17% increase on 2018/19 figures. The report acknowledges that the rise may partly be due to changes in how this data is recorded. And in terms of hospital admissions, where obesity was recorded as directly being a factor? Here there was a 3% decrease.
We’re not suggesting these findings aren’t essential or valuable. But it does go to show: top-line stats only tell part of the story.
What if we spent a bit more time looking at other parts of the picture – like are there ‘overweight’ people who are incredibly fit and eat very healthily? What about continuing with efforts to make fitness, the outdoors and nature more accessible to all? What about connecting more with the joy of movement and eating well, and ensuring that it’s affordable and accessible too?
The new obesity report comes less than a week after the UK government announced plans to extend calorie-labelling on a cafe, restaurant and takeaway menus, with rules set to come into force in England from April 2022.
The move has sparked a lot of backlashes. Calorie-counting and restricting are at the core of diet culture and, if this were a solution that worked, we probably wouldn’t still be having this conversation today, would we? Not to mention the fact it overlooks the importance of nutrition, which is also a very crucial indicator of long-term health.
Many think like Buerk, but they are wrong to say, simplistically, that obesity is caused by people simply overeating. One of my sons tends to gain weight quickly even though he does the same amount of exercise and eats the same food as his slim brothers.
For a Super-A, fitness is sustainable, and the vast majority of fat people would much rather be thinner, and many of them make endless attempts to be thinner. In most cases, the success of such efforts is relatively short-lived, and the weight goes back on again. Rather than dolling out the mantra of ‘eat less, move more’ – we need to encourage more people to adopt Super-A’s holistic approach to improve the lives of millions.
