Sitting on a local train today, I watched as three larger-than-healthy people got on and found seats near me.
The gran, mum and son struggled to sit at a table designed for four, while I sat at the table on the other side of the aisle.
Gran was the smallest of the three, but had to be convinced that it would be okay for her to sit next to her grandson, rather than take a seat behind.
I noticed the Mum noticing me noticing them. She probably thought that I was rude, that I couldn’t possibly presume that her size was just possibly because she simply eats too much.
And then she opened a cool-bag (the size of a standard cool-box BTW) stuffed full of sandwiches, fizzy drinks and (I heard mention of) pork pies.
I’ve heard many people say that it’s not enough to just eat less, but this doesn’t mean continue eating too much.
With the recent discovery that there’s a gene which apparently contributes to an individual’s likelihood of becoming overweight, I am concerned that many may use this as an excuse. Fat people already claim it’s genetic, “well, Mum’s fat and so’s Dad, …”, never thinking that as a baby it was up to these people how much they ate, that as a child they were encouraged to finish their jumbo portions.
Eating is addictive, but because we HAVE to eat, it isn’t treated as something to do in moderation (as with alcohol consumption).
I’ve said it before, and I still think it – Fat people need to be reminded that they need to do something about their weight, not pitied for their struggle.
I will not deny that losing weight is difficult, and that getting overweight is easy, but there are good habits as well as bad habits.
Minutes after eating a couple of sandwiches, the Mum on the train had to go and get two seats to herself, and wheezed to herself for a bit. If this isn’t sending her signals, what will? A lecture from her GP? Doubt it. We, as a society, need to make obesity a taboo.
Society encourages and expects respect from others, and it ought to encourage self-respect too.
The BBC is today