how do people react to being overweight in your country?

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  • EmCarroll1990
    EmCarroll1990 Posts: 2,849 Member
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    I live in Canada.. overweight people are not the "norm" here. There are a lot of them, but not enough for it to be the norm. I just look at them and feel sad for them. Sometimes I'd like to go talk to them and give a pep talk, like advice and maybe my phone number if they want help.

    This. I had friends come up from the States a few years ago and they were shocked. They're like, "You have big people, but you don't have FAT people." I found it interesting.
  • ByeByeBigGurl
    ByeByeBigGurl Posts: 35
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    I live on the East Coast in Canada, and just like in the US a good portion of people here are overweight or obese.
    Where I live has been deemed the Province with the highest rate of obesity, and also the highest rate of unemployment mainly because there isn't enough jobs at here for everyone. People here often eat what they can afford and unfortunately most of the time it's not the healthiest foods. We have more take-out and fast food places than we do places that serve healthy food.
    People here will still stare at you if you are overweight, and talk about you but just not to your face....but overall it's pretty much accepted.
  • Shawnda1730
    Shawnda1730 Posts: 38
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    Someone posted "Everyone in US is fat"

    Maybe it is just me, but people say some really "intelligent" things. Exactly how did that comment contribute to the conversation.
  • Il_DaniD_lI
    Il_DaniD_lI Posts: 1,593 Member
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    I live on the East Coast in Canada, and just like in the US a good portion of people here are overweight or obese.
    Where I live has been deemed the Province with the highest rate of obesity, and also the highest rate of unemployment mainly because there isn't enough jobs at here for everyone. People here often eat what they can afford and unfortunately most of the time it's not the healthiest foods. We have more take-out and fast food places than we do places that serve healthy food.
    People here will still stare at you if you are overweight, and talk about you but just not to your face....but overall it's pretty much accepted.

    You must be from Newfoundland?
  • sktllmdrhmz
    sktllmdrhmz Posts: 2,073 Member
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    Personally, I like to point and giggle.
  • skinnywithin
    skinnywithin Posts: 1,392 Member
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    Over here in the US we SUPER SIZE everything so yea ....we are all a bit over weight.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I live in the US. It's a big country, so you will find a lot of different reactions to overweight people. It is definitely more widely accepted that it was when I was younger (I'm 51). And sadly overweight children are now widely accepted as normal in the US.
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
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    When I was overweight (in the UK) only my (Japanese) dh was nasty about it. When I lost weight I got a lot of compliments, when I reached goal a lot of people told me not to lose any more, but when I gained a little a couple of people told me they preferred my new, heavier weight. What this tells me is that we tend to watch each others weight but will avoid saying anything to offend, however judgmental we are being internally.

    However, if a friend was underweight I might say something. If they were overweight I'd assume they knew.

    My experience of Japan was similarly polite, apart from a teacher screaming at a pupil that he was so fat he made others feel sick and over-hearing two girls discussing how big my butt was... which helped me to lose 10kg :P
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    It's becoming more and more common here in the UK, but us being a self-depricating lot like to make jokes at the expense of fatties. I get called fat from time to time, and especially the older people I know (ex-colleagues etc) see no harm in making the odd off-colour comment. The truth is I AM fat though, so meh, sticks and stones.
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
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    I live in one of the most obese states (Michigan). It is more common to be slightly overweight to obese here, and that is pretty socially accepted. Falling in the normal BMI is the next most common and is of course, acceptable. Being extremely obese, extremely thin, or extremely muscular is not "normal". But only being extremely obese would lead to any social ostracism where I live (which is a large university setting).
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
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    America has become a nation of fat, lazy crybabies.
    Being fat is almost seen as a civil right - people don't even like using the word "fat"...lol
    And excuses? MY GOD!
    I am ashamed of my nation when it comes to collective health and fitness.

    Yea & instead use the word "curvy" to make it sound better. I'm really offended whenever curvy is used for overweight people. I'm an hourglass shape at 34-26-35 with a rounded behind & am not even overweight. When I was at my heaviest weight, I was a big hourglass but nevertheless still an hourglass. See when your curvy, your curves will stay regardless of your size. However rolls of fat are NEVER curvy. I know the truth hurts (I've been there before) but if you want a major change in your body, learn to accept the F word as it is & never use curvy as an excuse unless you're a pear-shaped or hourglass shaped.
    I was just fat - F.A.T = FAT
    F is for FATAL A is for awful T is for terrible -- FAT!
    I felt horrible all the time, had no energy or libido.
    This is what our nation is coming to view as the norm, and the fat, unhealthy drones are all screaming for universal healthcare, because they want others to pay their medical bills,
    Pathetic.
  • Bastiencade
    Bastiencade Posts: 81
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    America has become a nation of fat, lazy crybabies.
    Being fat is almost seen as a civil right - people don't even like using the word "fat"...lol
    And excuses? MY GOD!
    I am ashamed of my nation when it comes to collective health and fitness.

    Are you confused or something? I live in South Carolina here in the U.S. and obesity is completely frowned upon. People say fat all the time, everywhere here in the U.S. You don't see famous +sized models or overweight people being called "hot" in the media. It's frowned upon, but is definitely a norm here. Junk food is "food" to a lot of Americans, and the cheapest foods are always the unhealthiest. For families on a budget trying to support a lot of children it's honestly hard to give your kids the proper nutritious meals they need. Childrens Menu's in restaraunts are a dead give away, even if you're eating Italian, the Childrens Menu will have cheeseburgers, fries, fried chicken etc... nothing healthy, just something that kids are supposed to eat apparently. It seems that junk food is an American love. The Brits aren't too far behind nowadays, though.

    It's pathetic and I have no respect for parents who allow their children to have such bad diets, a child should never be able to choose what they eat, they can't make the right decisions for themselves.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I'm really offended whenever curvy is used for overweight people.

    I'm not really offended by this, for overweight people certainly can be "curvy". But I get where you are coming from. If you are a curvy girl, you'll still be curvy when you are thin. If your curves go away when you lose weight then you really weren't curvy to begin with, you just has lumps of fat.

    Jennifer Hudson is a good example. She was curvy and fat, now she is curvy and thin.
  • Natashaa1991
    Natashaa1991 Posts: 866 Member
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    this thread is a joke, correct?

    what do you mean?
  • khedl85
    khedl85 Posts: 196 Member
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    this thread is a joke, correct?

    what do you mean?

    no offense but you come off as a rude b*tch. just the way you word things...."I cannot imagine living in such a country" then dont come here. not everyone here is fat. and just because not everyone is a size 2, doesnt make us digusting, Im a size 8. for someone who claims she isnt ignorant...you sound everything but intelligent.
  • TheChosenOne_
    TheChosenOne_ Posts: 72
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    Everyone in the US is fat.

    Eh, calling me fat? Thanks =)
  • khedl85
    khedl85 Posts: 196 Member
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    you and me both apparently.
    Everyone in the US is fat.

    Eh, calling me fat? Thanks =)
  • Natashaa1991
    Natashaa1991 Posts: 866 Member
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    I didn't say everyone in US is fat, other people said it. and it's not EVERYONE, it's two thirds of population which is a lot, you know ;) i said that in my country being healthy is better than being skinny or fat. In US people call themselves "curvy" when they're obviously fat, and media is promoting anorexia, everyone thinks that the skinnier you are the better. That's crazy. You guys from US, don't get offended, you KNOW that it's not how it's supposed to be, people from US are not healthy. I didn't call anyone fat or skinny... it's just things that other people wrote on this topic, not me.
    So read before you say anything :)
    Oh and I'm really not on that level to call you a stupid b****.
    have a nice day
  • ValiCaly
    ValiCaly Posts: 111
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    Everyone in the US is fat.

    Everyone?
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Some statistics...

    _44342178_global_obesity_map416.gif

    Hooray, us Aussies aren't quite as fat as US, UK and New Zealand!

    Sorry to gloat, I know that's not nice. Obesity is an increasing problem here, just like many other parts of the world.

    Its a few years now since I've been in the US, but I would say from a quick and general observation that there are probably not quite so many obese people -which these stats confirm. One of the things that struck me as bizarre were the bariatric (ie. very wide) sized wheelchairs in the airports. Wheelchairs that large aren't at all common in Australia, but they were in every airport I went through in the US (I used to work with wheelchairs so I notice such things). I made me assume that people in the US have bigger bottoms.

    Regarding how you get treated - I've been overweight and obese (according to BMI, though I would have only ever called myself overweight) and I don't think I get treated differently now I'm almost at a healthy weight. I can't speak for people who are much larger, because I haven't been in that situation.

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