More Government Meddling.
 

Ruth Kelly thinks that the government can legislate for the type of food children eat.
Do you think these measure will have any effect on childhood obesity?

What measures do you think would be successful in curtailing the intake of 'Junk' food that children eat?

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So they are taking out all the snack machines, do they expect to force all corner shops to close as well? We didn't have a vending machine when I was at school but sweets and chocolate were in abundance.

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think you have to start somewhere! just a thought, the children who get free school meals will at least have a heathier diet at school.saying that food education should come from parents, but in many cases that will never happen.

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Exactly....... and where the hot school dinner was the norm when I went to school.....packed lunches seem to be the thing now. While you can put healthy food into a packed lunch...you can't always be sure that the healthy packed lunch went into the child...it could very easily have gone into the bin.

When I was at school, we didn't have a school kitchen that made the food......the food was made somewhere in Accrington and was transported to the various schools in insulated containers. I enjoyed school dinners.....it was the only hot food I received each day.

Ruth Kelly is talking about putting something like £280 million pounds into school meals...... but this will not be enough to provide all the schools with kitchen services.

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Put a hefty tax on fatty and sugary foodstuffs in the same way that they tax us poor smokers to the hilt.

Obese people should be made to pay twice as much as everyone else for everything and should not be allowed out in public during the hours of daylight. Sod their human rights; what about my human right not to have to be confronted with the revolting and puke-making sights that are now becoming commonplace on our streets?

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Cashman, I think the way forward is to re-introduce Cookery classes back into the curriculum......kids always seem keen to eat the food that they have cooked. It would also ensure a genration of kids would have cookery skills that would then be passed on to future children......but I think the current fascist attitude will serve no-one, and it may even drive kids away from healthy food. Kids will still get their sugary drinks, crisps and chocolate from outside the school.

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A-B, I don't even think that would work.....it doesn't seem to work at putting people off smoking.

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like the re-introduction of cookery lessons idea, but it was only the girls who had cookery in my day, think i would have rather swallowed WASPS than have to do it. maybe todays kids think differant?

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Simple. Local authority health inspectors have the power to shut down any food outlet which they deem hazardous to health (due to vermin infestation, etc). Macs, KFC, Burger King, Kebab joints,etc are similarily hazardous to health. So shut 'em down.

Easy when you know how!

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Tealeaf Idon't think these large food outlets would wear it......I'm sure they would spot the link and have their lawyers on the government in a flash......and then maybe the kids would cite their human rights......and Cashman, yes cookery lessons should be aimed at both boys and girls.....I think that many of them would find it acceptable because of the Jamie Oliver influence.....and lots of boys like cooking.....it's the washing up they hate.

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Have to say, when I was at Southport Junior Technical College (aged 13-15) I had the option of taking art lessons or cookery. I was always useless at drawing and painting and so I, along with about 4 of my mates, chose to take cookery. I never once regretted that decision. Generally speaking, I am home from work before my wife and have everything ready to eat by the time she gets home. My wife does like to cook however, and she usually gets her chance one night each weekend. :cool:

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What Link? I think there is enough medical evidence available now to prove beyond all reasonable doubt, the causal link between that the increasing level of childood obesity & the increased consumption of junk food. It is a simple matter of passing the neccessary legislation in parliament to halt the manufacture and retailing of this muck. The government either has the willpower to do it or it does not.

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Maybe limits should be placed on the fat, sugar and whatever else is supposed to be unhealthy this week, content of foods. It can't be that diffecult to say that all food sold should only contain 5% fat for example (might be interesting when you can't but butter/marg or veg oil). After all you can't sell food containing rat poison. Whats the difference? You could easily argue that fatty foods cause clogged arteries and is therefore poisoning you.

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This Government seems to think it can legislate for everything, which is pure cr*p.

Whatever happened to willpower? You can shut down as many fast food chains as you like, the problem lies with those who eat too many of their products. Perhaps we have been too pussy-footed - we mustn't hurt anybody's feelings, but we can shut down burger chains and throw thousands of people out of business, just because no-one wants to say -

"You are fat. Fat is not only bad for your health, it is very ugly. You are therefore ugly. You are ugly because you eat the wrong food, and too much of it. If you don't want to be ugly, change the way you eat."

Yep - I'm sure a lot of kids (and adults) would be very hurt indeed, but it is TRUE.

Perhaps it's time to try the truth, rather than kindness and respect for some esoteric notion of "Human Rights".

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Pendy, I could not agree more.

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Lets apply that logic to smokers

Smoking causes many medical conditions. You should be excluded from the NHS and not be allowed into any private medical care. If you become ill you can die - its your fault becasue you choose to smoke.
Smoking makes you smell disgusting. I find this offensive so you should not be allowing in any public places.
You should not be allowed to smoke anywhere except your own house incase you polute the air of any non smokers.

Yep - I'm sure a lot of adults (and kids) would be very hurt indeed, but it is TRUE.

Perhaps it's time to try the truth, rather than kindness and respect for some esoteric notion of "Human Rights".

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Tealeaf, I was NOT saying that the fast food firms would question the link between fast food and obesity.....That is proved beyond a shadow of a doubt.....what I meant was the link between the sending in of EHO's and the governments desire to stop kids eating fast food.

In many senses, we as parents must shoulder some of the blame.....if we take the kids to MC D's....or KFC....or the chip shop because we can't be bothered to cook.

And when you look at it children are at school for a very small part of the day.....do the government think that children only eat at School...?

The media send out mixed messages too. Recently there was an article in one of the newspapers (not a red top either) that said Diet coke was better nutritionally than a milk drink.
The producers of food label their products in such a way to make you believe that they are healthier for you.

It is going to take generations to deal with this problem.....and it is going to need effort on more than one front.
Bring back School kitchens.
Bring back Cookery lessons For all pupils....and from an early age....say 6
Bring back school playing fields......because diet alone isn't the answer to obesity....we must foster the habit of healthy exercise.

And Neil, I worked with a consultant who used shocking tactics to get his patients to give up smoking. He used to tell his patients that if the continued to effing smoke.....he would not effing treat them.....his initials were A.M. Maybe Lettie will confirm this story.

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Why bother? We already have more people than we can afford to treat on the NHS and it is obvious that we certainly cannot afford pensions for them all if they live longer through following a sensible diet and exercise regime.

Neil: I would be more than happy to cut the subsidy I provide for the NHS through taxation and seek whatever medical treatment I need privately, the amount in duty which I fork out annually would more than cover my costs. But, could the Government and the Country cope with the loss of an annual £20 billion in tax revenue if every smoker followed suit?

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Yes A-B, and that is the reason why the government do not put more effort into finding alternative sources of energy and serious means of getting smokers to quit.....heaven forbid that those two milk cows should run dry......the smoker and the driver are the two richest veins of revenue for the government.

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Sorry that was a bit of thread wandering there.

I know that the playing fields are gone.....housing estates now......and the chances of getting school kitchens back are very slim. But I am sure the strategies proposed by the government haven't a chance of working......they are going to be very hard to police anyway.

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Whereas, fat people cost the NHS lots of money to treat and the seriously obese contribute very little to the exchequer since most of them are on benefits because they are too fat to work.

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I never said I wanted you to stop smoking. I like the fact that you are paying so much tax. I am by no means anti smoking, just anti smoke where I am. Please do not stop smoking, I do not want to pay anymore taxes. I fact smoke more, the government might be able to reduce fuel tax then. Hypocrite who? Me? Yes your right I am.

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I think you may have inadvertently advanced the best reason for giving up smoking that I have heard for quite some time.

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Ignore me A-B your smoking is good for me.

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All this gvenment is good for is meedling they find it easier than tackling real issues. They are always going to take the easy option as they are not brave enough to take on the hard stuff.:D

As is pionted out the govenment makes a lot of money from smokers but attacks them because it is PC.
The food children eat is down to the hours people work so are the govenment going to tell parents to quit work so their kids eat healthy errr no they lose what they pay in tax and would have to pay state benifits. If on benifits not everyone could afford the foods they reckon we should eat.

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I think working parents can still provide healthy food for children. It takes very little time and planning to make healthy food available.

For instance this evening I made Cottage pie with very lean minced beef....we had steamed carrots and cabbage with it and it didn't take much longer than 30 minutes to cook.

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Certainly older children can be involved in cooking healthy meals. And if the children want a burger, then again it doesn't take very long to make your own and you know that there are no nasty additives in the food.

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Prohibition did more for the sales in alcohol.....and likewise banning foods and labelling them as 'Bad' may make them seem more attractive.

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Who gets the profit and/or rent from having vending machines in schools?

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Good post Willow. Generalisations are always bad.

I hope your threat not to come to a meeting again was as tounge in cheek as Pendy's comment.

When I was at school we had a cooked well balanced lunch, we were also also not allowed to leave the school premises, thus we couldn't spend money on sweets. An idea I think should be brought back. I don't go to my local shops at lunchtime when schools out, as I'm sick of being pushed and having to listen to their foul mouthed language.

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I find it hard to believe that this was said tongue in cheek Garinda, but at least now I know what Pendy thinks of me.

Willpower? Well if it were possible to go "cold turkey" never eat again and lose weight and stay healthy I'd do it. It isn't that easy and believe me I've tried. I used to be slim, I used to go to a gym 3 times a week when I was young free and single - but then I got married and had less free time with a home to run, but the rot really set in when I had an injury and inactivity led to a little weight gain.

I tried dieting and that was my downfall. I didn't know at the time that those diet drinks which I thought were a good thing were actually doing me more harm. The more I tried to diet the more weight I actually gained. I walked to work every day from Accrington to Church, Clayton le Moors or Rishton (and home again) You may choose not to believe it because it doesn't fit in with your image of a fat lazy person but I actually ate less than my thin friends too. I worked with someone who ate sweets all day long. She had a half pound bag of something or other under her till every day.

One of the lads could eat a 12" pizza and follow it up with fish and chips for his dinner so why was he a lanky beanpole when I was eating salad sandwiches and having an apple instead of sweets?

The older I get the more I have problems with my knee injuries and the less I am able to do which doesn't help so to have someone say how ugly I am for being fat when I would dearly love to be anything but really hurts, just as much as it hurts physically when I try to excercise, which I do still try to do. I'm not a defeatist but it isn't easy. Eating less just doesn't seem to be making much difference so in desperation in coming months it will have to be a case of kill or cure. (There have been times when I'd have settled for "kill" too.)

I could say the same sort of thing about smokers.

"Smoking is not only bad for your health it is ugly. You are therefore ugly. You are ugly because you stick rolled up leaves into your mouths and set fire to them. If you don't want to be ugly stop puffing on the disgusting things."

But actually if you want to kill yourselves with the dreaded weed then go ahead. It really isn't any of my business. I just don't like passive smoking that's all. If I choose to be somewhere where people are smoking and have to breathe in the second hand polution that's my choice. I do prefer places where I don't have to but if I want to be somewhere and I know there is smoke in the air I weigh up the odds and make a choice.

As I shan't be attending AccyWeb meetings in future in order not to offend any of you with the uglyness of my appearance that's one less place for me to have to worry about.

I actually felt terrible posting:
"Smoking is not only bad for your health it is ugly. You are therefore ugly. You are ugly because you stick rolled up leaves into your mouths and set fire to them. If you don't want to be ugly stop puffing on the disgusting things."
.....and wouldn't have done so but for a wish to show the smokers on here what it felt like to me reading what Pendy wrote.

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Sweeping generalisations are always wrong and should be avoided. Thanks for correcting me, Willow.

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Willow, wouldn't it be a dull world if everyone was the same stick thin shape....? And isn't it a very shallow person who will judge you on what you look like......Every single person has a right to feel valid......and these comments that were made can only make you feel LESS valid if you take notice of them. There is much danger in trying to artificially regulate what children eat.....the next news we will be reading will be about teenage girls and eating disorders......and the governemnt will then start to put their brains...well, the few they have....into trying to legislate against that problem too.

When I said about playing fields having disappeared.....well, Moorhead is one of the lucky schools to still have theirs.....lots of schools have lost their playing fields. Few schools still have kitchens.....although that shouldn't be a drawback to hot, healthy cooked meals. These could be done in a central kitchen and transported in Temperature controlled environments....that is how it was done when I was at school.

Like you, when I was at school, because I was from a large(poor) family we got free school meals. I have to say I enjoyed the school dinners, as during the week it was often the only hot meal I received. There was only one choice of school dinner.....you either ate it or went hungry. We got water to drink, both at home and in school. In winter we got cocoa before we went to bed.

I also enjoyed the Cookery lessons at school.....and although it wasn't saddled with the fancy name of 'Food Technology' we did learn the basic facts about a good balanced diet.

I do believe it was easier to eat healthily when we were younger.....there wasn't the same choice of fast food.....and fish and chips from the chippy were a rarity.

I did however, have a 4d bag of scraps from the chippy after I had been to Accy baths....very good they were too!

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I do hope you will change your mind about that. I hope you won't let the comments of narrow minded people influence your decision not to attend any more meetings.

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that sounds about right park381 i personally don't give a monkeys wether a persons fat,thin,ugly,their religion or colour,its the person that counts not the appearance. ;)

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Oh Willow, please don't take any notice of what Pendy wrote, I for one hope she was being ironic.:(

I've been hurt by what people have wrote on here, and I suspect I've probably hurt people as well, but I've decided that people are quite entitled to think what they like.

I like me, and people whose judgement I respect seem to like me too.

Please reconsider, a lot of people would miss you.

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Pendy if this isn't tongue in cheek it's really offensive. What is the definition of ugly? Who is going to decide. If so, although I take people as I find them, I can also be Queen bitch, and would like nothing more than to proclaim what I find ugly in people, namely prejudice.

Dawn French or Victoria Beckham? No contest about who is the nicer, more fun, and in my opinion the more attractive person.:)

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[QUOTE=Neil]Lets apply that logic to smokers

Smoking causes many medical conditions. You should be excluded from the NHS and not be allowed into any private medical care. If you become ill you can die - its your fault becasue you choose to smoke.
Smoking makes you smell disgusting. I find this offensive so you should not be allowing in any public places.
You should not be allowed to smoke anywhere except your own house incase you polute the air of any non smokers.



i sooo agree!!! i dont mind smokers..i know a lot but cmon smoke a little less around me please...i hate smelling of smoke, and coughing up half my lung after a night out!!

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Here Here :thumbsup: :D

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Willow, wouldn't it be a dull world if everyone was the same stick thin shape....?

This is quoted from you Margaret. I'm STICK thin shape, who says I like to be called STICK thin shape??
I wouldn't say to someone fat " oh wouldn't it be a horrible world if we were all "beach whale shape"??

What I'm saying is, just because you are slim, doesn't mean you have a fantastic life, and you are adored by everyone!!!!..........

I have always been very slim, and would do anything to gain a little weight, but I eat like a horse, much more than I should (I LOVE FOOD) but can never but weight on.

Do you see in magazines, does it ever say "1001 ways to gain weight"?? ..........NO!! it doesn't. It's always about bigger people, how to lose weight. So I think there is more help available for people to lose weight than to put it on.

Then you get people asking if you have a problem. My doctor when I was pregnant was always making comments that I was anorexic, which ginger thought was absolutely Hilarius, judging on the amount of food I eat.

So..........see us STICK thin people may not like it either!!!!!!!!!!!

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I learnt the true happiness is to be happy from within you & you can change this & that on the outside & still not be happy, ive known people have gone through addictions to change their apprearance & yet was still not happy!! I think the money spent on councelling therapy would of been more worth while. You are happy within what you are outside shines out too without drastric measures. Tho as with owt in life theres no quick fix & demands commitment.

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Slinky......I apologise unreservedly if I offended you by mentioning 'Stick' thin people.......it may cause you great anguish to be slim......however, I am sure you are comfortable in your own skin from the comments you have made in other threads.....people who are obese.....fat whatever you want to call it are exploited, they are made fun of, they are castigated for being the weight they are.....Whatever you say, fat poeple know they are fat..... and while you may not know it many are trying desperately to change the way they live, and with very little success. The media today portrays fat people as lazy and greedy........Slinky, they will never level that comment at you.

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Maybe I SHOULD have said...wouldn't it be boring if we were all the same shape, colour, and personality. I stand corrected.

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It winds me up no end when slim people say they eat like horses- sorry Slinky.

I am relatively slim now - lost two and a half stone early this year and am now back to my pre-baby weight - but I still have to be careful about what I eat.

It's all relative because my friend says that she eats like a horse but it must be one of those miniature ponies that she's talking about because from where I'm sitting she doesn't eat a lot.

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OO just to log back into site my isp homepage came up & guess what Claudia Shiffer is having dieting problems!! Why cant it be accepted that beauty comes in all shapes & sizes:)

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Oh what a sad thread, all this personal negativity :( ....... now what happened to beauty only being skin deep? Therer's more to a person than just appearance. Show me someone who's deemed 'perfect' because I've yet to meet one, and we'll all know who we should aspire to be. Some of the most beautiful, bubbly personalities live in large bodies and some of the most shallow personalities live in slim bodies and vice versa! Nobody is perfect and I think everyone has insecurities about their own bodies, regardless of who they are.

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Gayle it does happen u know im relatively slim & i wanted to put on a few pounds more & im struggling:eek: altho when i was a teen i was podgey but found that being bullied & other negative stresses in my life i lost the weight very easily tho that wasn't my intention at all. Tho sometimes its a case of self acceptance then it doesn't present such a big deal & even go deaf to the critics!! People have this big chip that everything is sooo tunnel visioned - well it didnt happen to me so how can it for you?! Some people eat like a horse & dont put weight on & some are more prone to what they eat - thats the way it is.

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:rolleyes: mmmmm why?

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Here Here:D !! been trying to tell em that!!

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Does it really matter what people eat as long as they are alive!!!!!!!!

There are other ways of supporting weight probs than comparing the amounts people on AW eat - we are all different sizes, height, bone structure, age, medical implications etc

This is only gonna further the cause of weight insecurities whether big-small-slim-fat whatever the shape of the person comparision shopping is the biggest creator of depression & insecurity!

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What happened was that Pendy decided to air her opinions on the ugliness of fat people and by doing so showed how ugly such a shallow minded attitude is and how narrow minded it is to assume that fat people don't actually care about being overweight and don't want to be slim, or do anything about it.

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What upsets me more about this is that my own daughter has picked up insecurities about her weight from school & she is a normal weight healthy child of nearly 10, she eats healthy & ive managed to reassure her but what i wanna know is where does the line of being called fat be drawn by small minded individuals?!?

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True i do agree assumptions are the major cause of stereotyping:(

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certainly hope this crap aint stressed you willow don't let it! i'm very lucky if it don't come out of a chip pan/frying pan it don't exist, and i never alter.mind you i would be stressed myself drinking dandelion tea. :)

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So without making a personal attack on Pendy, is she the 'perfect' we are all to aspire to being? No I think not Willow! Pendy will also have her own insecurities that she may keep well hidden but will haunt her in the quiet of her own mind. Maybe, just maybe, she needed to make such a bigoted generalisation to make her feel better about her insecurities :rolleyes:


EDIT: Pendy may also be upset herself when she reads this thread to see how much her comments you have taken personally and have hurt your feelings Willow :( Well I'm hoping she will

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Best way to get back at these small minded people aka like bullys is to carry on being you willow - do things cos you want to not what others tell you. I know these people are hurtful but they need to know that they wont beat ya Willow, they are showing themselves what cowards they are & that they are the one with the problem - not you.

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I know willow i was upset about it but ive put her straight, i do agree about healthy living & im a good girl im sat here munching sundried raisons mmmmmmm morish has same effect as popcorn once you start you cant stop - so proud its healthy but it wasn't the reason im eating them i just had a big craving for some maybe my body is telling me somnething lol:confused:

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Perhaps, Tinkerbelle, perhaps. But she did say:

Yep - I'm sure a lot of kids (and adults) would be very hurt indeed, but it is TRUE.

Perhaps it's time to try the truth, rather than kindness and respect for some esoteric notion of "Human Rights".

which really doesn't sound like it.

Perhaps in a way it's good to know the truth and to know what she really thinks of fat people like me. I'd been under a false impression up to now and yes it is very hurtful but probably better to have it out in the open than to have the thoughts hidden behind a polite smile which gives the impression that the person behind the smile actually likes me when in fact they despise me for no better reason than my size and shape.

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But what does it matter what people think? what about what you think or does that bear the influence?

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someone tell me to stop eating em now im feeling sick i ate that much lol:s_sick:

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Weight is such an emotive issue for women - and it is mostly women that have been posting on this thread.

No one seems to be entirely happy with the way they look but what's important is coming to terms with it and being comfortable at whatever is the right weight for you.

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Thing is if you do go cold turkey it would send your body into shock plus wouldnt be healthy either.

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Perhaps you took it a bit too personally, Willow. The only people's opinions that matter are your own and possibly your husband's and as you're a newly wed I'm guessing that he loves you just the way you are.

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Just a note Pendy is in Ossy this weekend and I don't think they have internet access up here. I hope her comments will be explained more fully when she realises how offensive her comments about fat being ugly are. She's quite entitled to her views about the health aspect of being overweight, but her observation that fat= ugly is wrong.

I could write a long, and probably very boring essay, on the ideals of beauty throughout the ages, and from differing cultures. Suffice to say it was only in the 1920's that the body type that women are supposed to aspire to is that of a prepubescent a boy.

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That's right, and you only have to look at a few Reubens and Titians to know that they prefered their women fuller figured.

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It is mostly women that have posted in this thread, but anorexia and bulemia is on the increase amongst teenage boys as well.

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Now you're going to have two unhappy women on this thread. Perhaps we should all leave it alone.

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No I like Pendy. What I don't like is people saying what seems to be intentionally hurtfull to other people. People in glass houses..... stones and all that.

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Oh Rind :( Pendy might not have meant it to be intentionally hurtful, let's give her the chance to explain first before we judge.

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I agree but I don't think Pendy's remark was meant personally at Willow. So I don't think we should start personally attacking Pendy now.

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Point taken.

As I earlier posted I hope she was trying to be funny. If she comes rattling my letter box tonight to have a cigarette I'll demand an explanation.:)

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Yes I know, that was the point I was trying to make. I do eat what I consider to be a fairly healthy diet (could probably do with a bit more fruit) but the result isn't what one would expect. If it was really just a simple case of willpower and avoiding some things and eating less than other people I ought to be as thin as a rake (no offence meant towards any garden implements)


Yes I suppose I did take it personally but that was because it was aimed at people like me and I do take your point that you consider it to be nobody's business but my own and my close family - which has been the prevailing attitude of society up to now really but it was suggested that it should now cease to be so, in favour of telling all people like me how ugly we are as if that is going to shock us into being thin. Sheesh if only it could do I'd line up for a few more insults.

I really do think that a lot of fat people would dearly love to be thin but a history of failed diets has lead us to gain more weight. Have you noticed that many "slimmer of the year" winners later bemoan how they have gained even more than they lost and subsequently find it even harder to lose?

Please, please do not do this to children. Introducing them to healthy food and a balanced diet is far far better than insulting them and thinking that will lead to them losing weight. It could lead to more problems if focussed on in that way. Just let them be children, encourage them to eat better food and provide better food in schools - which is what the thread was meant to be about. Yes there will still be McDonalds, but a McDonalds once a week with a healthy diet at school isn't going to be as bad as McDonalds style food being provided by the school with no healthy alternatives. (btw I think McD's have introduced some healthier alternatives too now.)

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I think we need chill pills all round. Beer sounds like a better idea.

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As long as it's a diat pils!!!!!

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Your round I think Neil ;) Make mine a low 'C' please

How ironic in a thread like this, low 'C' is a low calorie beer and my prefered drink because I was none to impressed with the weight gain from drinking other beers :rolleyes:

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Me i will have a tia maria & coke dont make it diet i need me cals LOL:)

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Where are we going then ladies?

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Oooo u taking us all out then Neil ????:D Drinks are on Neil everyone!!!!! :thepint: :drunk: :cheers:

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Like Willow, I rarely go out for meals because I am very conscious of the temptation of the calorie laden stuff that is served. I drink very little alcohol...maybe a glass of wine with Sunday tea......my meals are served on a 7" plate.....so that I don't overdo the portion size. I haven't taken sugar in my drinks for more than 30 years.....yet as I have got older my size has gone up from a petite size 12 to a matronly size 16......I haven't really dieted, but have always kept an eye on what I eat. As we get older our metabolic rate.....the rate at which our body burns calories effectively, slows down.....as we get older it becomes more difficult to exercise.....arthritis in the knees makes even walking a bit of a pain sometimes. So when you look at us lumpy jumpers......don't think we sit there every evening guzzling biscuits and choccies.....it is just the way we are.

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Well thats me really ugly cos I smoke and am well overweight!!! :eek: but then I'm not too bothered what others think apart from those close to home and myself of course and those who know me off here will know the battle I have with myself on that score!!!

Willow judging by what you listed you had eaten I actually do think you maybe don't eat enough to boost your metabolism. I am also a light eater but a lot of the wrong things sometimes. But when I stuff my face with the right things I lose weight!!! Go figure eh...

I would take being overweight every day of the week than live like a friend of mine does with a constant battle of keeping weight on... she eats some serious food but remains really thin. She has recently had a stomach bug and lost half a stone in 4 days, now this is weight she really could not afford to lose. she has to eat so much junk to increase her calorie intake and hi energy drinks which are doing her health no good at all. She's aware of any exercise she takes as she's afraid she may drop even more weight.... imagine living like that every day???? Not me... She's a higher risk of heart disease than I probably ever will be!!!!

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yeah well a big prob mine does happen to be lack of willpower especially when you get trouble makers like gayle starting threads about fave chocolate... how dare she... :rolleyes:


It is definately true that by eating more of the right things does boost your metabolism. But we are very good at doing the "feast and famine" bit... Eat loads, feel guilty and cut back big time and then back to eating loads again... Prob with that is your body doesn't know what the hell is going on so when you eat loads it stores the fat and when you eat next to nothing it is more likely to attack your muscle rather than the extra fat....

with all this knowledge I should be thin...alas not :rolleyes:

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red= if your really ugly,me and paris are BLIND. pmsl.

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Ok.............here goes rant time............sorry............. my husband is always calling himself fat, ugly, useless.........BLA BLAAAAAAAAA........and I hate hearing it. He is the most gentle loving man, he thinks himself FAT, I think he's great, he thinks himself useless, I think him great, he thinks he's ugly, I think he's the most wonderful.
I'm slim......yes I know a lot of bigger people would think it ideal to be slim, but we are who we are, no matter what size, how we look........whatever, it really is what we are as people.

I would never, ever, ever, ever, listen to someone call my hubby for being BIG or whatever you call it. He eats far less than me...................FAR less lol.........(I'm a greedy cow) but he is a big lad, would I change him?????????????? NO!!!! because he is the man I married.
Te only thing that gets me down is when he puts himself down.

I also have a friend that See's herself as being BIG............but she is the most honest, fantastic girl you would ever meet, and always talking about dieting...........................yes this really upsets me, when she starts saying how ugly she feels.............she's fantastic, and the most lovely, bubbly person, but it is society that puts her down, and makes her believe she ain't what she should be.........................WHO SHOULD WE BE?? (what should we look like)?? ............................................I think it's more what we should act like that matters!!!!! don't you??

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If the government are so concerned about what our children are eating, both in and out of school. If they are so worried abut the potential health problems and how the NHS is going to cope in the future then the answer is very simple......

Taxation on Mc D's, KFC, Burger King, Kebab shops, Fish and Chip shops etc. For every £1 we spend at these shops now the price should be raised to £1.15 and the extra 15p is given in tax. That way people can eat all the junk food they want and still pay for their health care..

Maybe our government could then take it a bit further and add tax to cakes and biscuits, crisps, chocolate and other such junk... Then where will it end...... They may get greedy and start charging tax on the butter, eggs, sugar and flour that goes to make the cakes. That way they can catch out all of the clever people who make their own....

It seems that some leisure activities are too expensive for families to do together. Things like horse riding, a day at the sports centre can cost a fortune, martial arts, football kits, hiking gear all cost a pretty penny. Many schools don't have the facilities that they once did, so maybe some of the tax could fund leisure activities in schools......

Or maybe the government should butt out, stop trying to tell people what to do all of the time, and credit people with some intelligence and let them have some responsibility for their own lifestyles.....:cool:

I am not getting involved in the fat/thin issue on here. It took me years to put on weight from being painfully thin as a teenager.....

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H.R......you are Sooooo right there.......as time goes by dieting leads to the loss of lean muscle leading to further fat deposits because fat burns nothing.......you need lean muscle to burn calories......the feast and famine thing is what causes all dieter to fail.

There are also some medical causes of a slow metabolism.....and these should be investigated......they are sometimes implicated in a fast metabolism too....Thyroid disease.

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well just to prove a point..im not fat and in not thin...im one of those inbetweeners lol
i went out last night had a great night...i was complimented on how i looked by a few people saying i looked nice etc...a couple of guys gave me some lovely long stares....but the thing that put me in my lace...a guy who id recently been out with that decided i wasnt right for him was out with his new gfriend..who was described as being old and frumpy by most of the people i asked...its not who you are or what you look like...its everyone else lol

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GP's should be able to prescribe exercise for people who have problems losing weight......and yes Lettie, the healthy activities should be made more accessible to families.

Parks could have walking tracks marked out so that people could gently increase their walking and actually see the benefits.......I would like to see local communities develop walking clubs...... so that people could walk in groups, this would be especially useful as the nights are drawing in now. I would go for a walk after tea most nights but I feel a bit vulnerable on my own.....even on streets that are well lit.

I do think that the government will have a tough job to make this system work.

What everyone should also realise is that there are 3 body types Endomorphs, Ectomorphs and Mesomorphs and your body type will be one of the factors that decides whether you will tend to be fat or whether you will be destined to be slim......and that factor you cannot influence. Lettie and Slinky......you must have the body type that is destined to be slim, whatever you eat.

At the end of the day.......a bad cliche, what we are as people, how we conduct ourselves, our personalities are FAR more important than what we look like.

I think this thread has done a wide wander from the original intent.

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i agree hun...the world has gone mad!!! and were still trying to be sane!!! i think we should just give in to the madness and live a little!!!

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Yes, shiny... there are lots of folk in the local cemeteries who would love to have a cuddly warm bum......Now, I hope I don't offend anyone with that comment.....it is said tongue in cheek!

This is NOT a dress rehearsal.....it is real life.

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lol...yes hun i agree...why spend every day looking in the mirror thinking..hmm i wish that bit wasnt there...ive done it we all have...ive now started the little red riding hood mirror chant!!! ooh shiny what big eyes you have!!! ooh shiny what nice teeth you have....lmao!! :D

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And anyway the lumpy bits don't matter to those that love us just as we are.......!

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very true!!! hmm now just to find people who love me...lol