Little rant to feel better ( sorry)

[Askepot]

Hi what do you all think and feel about Mr Boris new plan to fight obesity?

Prescribed bicycle use and more Gp involvement?

I think it is a positive step but he seems to forget the underlying issues for most people not to be able to loose weight.

Self esteem and self motivation are difficult to find when you are obese and have struggled with body image and constant negative feedback from society in general for many years.

Simply telling people what to do does not solve the problem. Many people who struggle with their weight has underlying psychological issues usually caused by low self esteem and society’s attitude to obese people. ( poverty is an issue for many too , working long hours for little money, trying to keep the family afloat is difficult at the best of times but to then find the energy and time to look after oneself can be really difficult for many.)

I completely understand why he is doing it , I too worry about this winter coming and the risk I am facing with my bmi and the treat of coronavirus combined with the flu, but I hope he looks at a combination of different support to be offered.

Last year I tried to sign up for the nhs pre diabetic course. Sounded really good

and I was really motivated unfortunately it took them 8 weeks to respond to me, and when I finally got to see someone ( a dietitian/ assignment professional) I was far from motivated and it was not made better by the young girl ( early 20) talking patronising to me and in general just going through the motions.

But I carried on , the next step was to join the exercise classes which was what I was looking for in the first place, again had to wait 6 weeks before I had any more information, which turned out to be chair exercise classes, I was not impressed, as I am still able to move around safely ( I work full time and on my feet all day) then to top it up they wanted me to attend a group situated 1,1/2 hrs away from my home.

I had to argue to get it changed to my local area but then had to wait a further 4 weeks for classes to start . Needless to say I did not get started on those sessions as my motivation had completely disappeared by then, my self esteem was in the boots.

( I work for the NHS and love the system but surely there could be a much better system in place to avoid loosing people along the way?)

Well fingers crossed Mr Boris can iron out the finer details .

[Askepot]

If DPP is the pre diabetic thing then some prompt response and engagement from the nhs, waiting weeks for a group etc kills any enthusiasm you may have found at the time. Strike whilst the iron is hot.

[SofaJockey]

I was looking at the initial news reports about the government initiative and it appears to have some good ideas and some issues. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-...

Good ideas:

Restrict 'Buy one get one free'.

Restrict promotion of sugary foods

Ban on junk food advertising (definition of 'junk' will be interesting)

Mixed idea:

Calories on restaurant menus (could help assess portion-size, but misses the point that not all calories are the same) and may encourage more food processing, additives and tasteless unsatisfying food).

Restrict promotion of fatty food (misses that healthy fats are good for addressing hunger and may increase sales of unhealthy tasteless and additive filled low-fat foods).

Missed opportunities:

No sign of the importance of cutting back on carbs and fruit and an over-reliance on the flawed 'low-fat calorie counting' weight-loss method.

In summary, a beneficial initiative whose impact may be less that it could be by not being up-to-date with the science.

[Hidden in reply to SofaJockey]

I wish I could be more optimistic. It's just another round of rearranging the deckchairs And looks like the views of the Health Secretary (an lchf-er, I heard) has been pushed aside in favour of big business.

I firmly believe that we can't expect any changes from the top (too many fingers already stuck in the pie) and real change is going to be from the bottom up with places like this great community leading the way. It's gonna take a while though, probably not in my lifetime...

[Hidden in reply to SofaJockey]

I believe the government should take sugar and salt out of foods. Let’s go back to eating real foods with no junk in them. LCHF all the way I say.🌻🌻🌻

[Hidden]

You poor thing, having to wait for so long, I can understand your frustrations!! I also identify with what you say about self esteem and also the demands on many of us which sometimes make keeping an eye on our food planning harder. I am keen to avoid type 2 as well, although my Dr says my bloods are 'fine'. I need to get the actual details which I intend to do at some point.

I haven't yet looked at the news, but I will.

Wishing you all the best.

[IndigoBlue61]

I don’t see any mention of better nutritional education for GPs and medical staff dealing with this at the front line . . . ☹️

(As far as I know Doctors receive just one afternoon of nutrition education during their training)

[Hidden in reply to IndigoBlue61]

That might not be a bad thing. I imagine their "training" would only be emphasizing current guidelines of the Eatwell Plate and the 12-week plan.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

Sadly, it's all going to be based on the old idea of 'eat less, move more' that we all know just doesn't work! healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

[Hidden in reply to moreless]

That’s so true moreless, I’ve tried it for year but I found LCHF is the way to go.🌻🌻

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Hidden]

Me too, Iwilldoit22.

[Askepot]

Definitely much more information than what was offered to me at the NHS pre diabetic program.

Which was not my cup of tea at all! Despite apparently having a big success rate 🤔

[Askepot]

Is xpert health only for people diagnosed with diabetes??

[PurpleFlyer 7lbs]

I had not seen the details of his plan when I decided I needed to get this extra weight off and make some healthy chances in my life. You are absolutely right--my weight gain is not just 'what' I eat, but rather 'why' I eat it. I'm an emotional eater. I eat when I'm happy, and when I'm sad, when I'm worried or anxious about something. I comfort eat, and that typically means carbs. In addition, I have health issues that cause my body to be bigger than it should be, especially on my lower half, with abnormal fat that can only be removed surgically.

I had only heard that he wanted to encourage everyone to lose weight over the next four months. Just hearing that inspired me to find this site and join. Hopefully those who are trying to get healthy and are working with their GPs will be able to find this site, or one that is similar, and receive the emotional support they need.

[Manchegaenlondres]

Just to say your post does touch issues that do bother me.

Of course any initiative that helps people be healthier and fitter is welcome, but I worry that this is making a public spectacle of people who might be really struggling both physically and mentally. It would be much easier to address the issue sensitively through the GP practice.

I was diagnosed wit diabetes about 8 years ago and was at the time already obese. General advice was given to me and I did attend a diabetes workshop, but I wish either then or in any later check ups I had been more proactively directed to the NHS weight loss plan, C25K or even this forum. Instead I was just given medication which actually contributed to increase my weight and somehow left to my own devices.

Thankfully time on my hands during lockdown enabled me to search the net and find all the above by myself. I have since lost a lot of weight, reduced my sugar levels and medication and given praise by the diabetic nurse on my last check up appointment.

Please do not despair and try and learn ways taking control of your own health and weight, without dismissing the doctor altogether.

Good luck and hope to “see you around” in here.