We keep hearing figures of how many people are OWO (Overweight or Obese) - and while we are on it I wish they'd break these figures down, overweight at BMI of 25.1 is a whole other thing from obese at 41 if they are talking about concerns over hospital bed weight limits - and it's meant to be 1 in 3 just now, but where are all these people? In any group I always feel like the only fatty, like all my friends are little skinnies and I'm the only one that doesn't look like that. I know we are programmed to be somewhat introspective and that if I think about it yes there were probably a few others in my various workplaces and colleges of the past who were heavy, but not in the numbers that statistics are claiming. How's it possible to have 1 in 3 people OWO and still (regularly) be the only chubby one in a group of 6 people?

That's funny Rose because just earlier this evening I was thinking just the opposite. It seems like everywhere I go lately there are overweight people. I'm not talking a few pounds overweight either.

DH's workplace has just recently started a fitness program where you can be paid to exercise, eat right, etc. You have to be willing to subject yourself to an initial weigh in and fitness tests. They put out a survey that said that of over 325 people who were participating, 89% of them were in the overweight category, with 66% of those being obese. Wow, those are some huge numbers.

I knew it was getting bad here in the US, but I guess I had no idea how really bad it is.

In the US, and I assume the UK, there are enormous differences in obesity rates across social class, education levels, and geographic location. (This is well demonstrated in the empirical literature, not just me making it up!)

If you go to Palo Alto, California, home of Stanford University, a bunch of high-tech companies, and people who think nothing of dropping $1.5 million on a starter home, you will rarely see obese people or even overweight people. By contrast, if you go to a comparably sized non-university town in the midwest or south, you see much more obesity. Heck, even the Houston airport is noticeably different than the San Francisco airport.

You mentioned various colleges. This probably means the people in your social network are disproportionately (note I didn't say exclusively) college-educated. It doesn't surprise me, then, that it seems to you that there are fewer obese people than the statistics suggest.

//b. strong

I think that you are just not recognizing what is considered to be overweight/obese. A lot of overweight people do not look overweight. I feel the same way though, so i know what you mean.

Actually I was going to comment that circle is likely college-AGE which may be a large factor on the current sizes. All of my middle aged friends that are overweight or obese are college educated.

I see more fat people now that've lost a good chunk of weight. When I was heavier I thought overweight people were average and that average people were skinny. XD Now that I'm a little over half way done with my goal, I'm about the same weight as a lot of my overweight family members and friends. They try and convince me I'm good now and that I should stop losing but I still feel like I have a long way to go before I'll be happy. Chances are there are fat people around but you just aren't recognizing them.

It's definitely a noticeable problem where I live. Like Niafabo pointed out, I think it has to do with our perception of "overweight" as well. I'm still considered overweight and even I don't think I look it! And I'm my own worst critic! "Normal" is actually quite small.

I've never been to the UK, but I've always had the impression that there were fewer obese/overweight people there than in the US. Maybe that's because we're constantly inundated with images of the stereotypical "fat American."

Case in point - One of my good friends moved to a village outside of London when she was 16. She told me the story of meeting an older English woman at church who took one look at her and her sister - both slim, with small waists - and said, "But I thought all Americans were fat!"

Others found that story hilarious. I was obese at the time and found it rather mortifying.

Personally, in the US, it's easier for me to see and recognize the geographic variation. I live in the South, where food=love. I'm not kidding about that. I don't blink an eye at overweight people, and really only notice morbidy obese people, which I see a few times a week as I'm out and about.

Contrast that to the Pacific NW (Oregon and Washington) where I've been twice in the past year to visit friends and attend a wedding. The first time I went I was still around 175 pounds and felt VERY conspicuously overweight. There were other overweight people around, but I was in the minority. I didn't see one visibly morbidly obese person the whole time I was there. The second time I went I was at 150 pounds, still overweight, but was wearing size 8/10 clothes and felt I "blended" much more easily. Now, sure, a lot of that is based on my feelings and impressions, and is completely anecdotal, so take it as you will.

I went to a restaurant yesterday. Every person was overweight, including the children. I guess food is inexpensive and high in calories in this country, compared to other countries.
It looks like overweight goes hand in hand with labor-saving gadgets, improved farming methods, and inexpensive food.
I see food prices going up, but people seem to be able to afford being overweight.

I agree, it's a regional thing too. Over here, not as many significant overweight or obese people. In my group of friends, I'm the only one who is overweight.

But when I travel and I go to the midwest, I feel "skinny" compared to the groups of people there.

I don't want to generalize but I see it differently: it's much cheaper to eat unhealthy. I don't know if white pasta still sells for $.99 per bag (I haven't bought white pasta since whole wheat pasta became available) and I don't eat a whole lot of pasta anyway, but it would be a good example: the cheaper brands of white pasta used to cost $.99 per a fairly large bag, in comparison, a box of Catelli's Healthy Harvest past (whole wheat) for around $2.49 for about a THIRD of the white pasta's bag.

Finally, Greek yogurt made it to Canada. But holy moly, it's $5.00 for a 500 gram tub! (for that amount of money, I get get TWO tubs, of 750 grams each, of the sugar-packed fruit flavoured yogurt.

Salmon - don't get me started on that. And I could go on and on about this.

I agree -- it is definitely much cheaper to eat in an unhealthy manner. My husband and I used to be able to spend $50-75 in groceries when we ate horribly, and just last week we spent $150 (and $11 was on a little bit of salmon!!).

Plus, fast food places are so convenient and cheap, and they can load you up with food. Grabbing a 2 cheeseburger meal and fries at McD's costs probably $4, but if you go out and get turkey meat for burgers, wheat buns, potatoes to cut into strips to make your own baked fries, etc., it will end up costing you close to $10. It's no wonder that the U.S. is so overweight.

And I know what you mean about "where are all the overweight/obese people!" Sometimes when I go out with my girlfriends I feel like I am the only overweight one in an area where there are 50 people. It can be frustrating, but I have to remember how far I've come.

I'm never the only fat one in the room except when I'm with my husbands immediate family. He, his mom, dad, sister and BIL are all normal weight (his BIL might be a little over but I'm not sure he'd classify as overweight?). But pretty much any other time I am not the only one. Standing in line at the grocery stor on Monday I looked around to see how many people were overweight. It was at least half and some of those were obese. But, I live in the Midwest.

It's true, it's perception too. People in the "northwest" (ie Washington state) are said to be some of the slimmer and healthier ones but I gotta say.... as a Canadian... they are still "bigger" than people up here. I think American perception of the average person is no the same as those of us outside the US. Canada is not much better but it's different.

You know what is weird is that back in Atlanta I was one of the largest around because most people there are very very skinny but here in this small NC town I am SUPER duper skinny!! Most people and all women are really overweight. Part of it is that most of the people here are of the Lumbee tribe or of the Tuscarora nation, and its genetic. But the diet here doesn't help any. And here most people here actually expect to have diabetes one day.

So honestly, having been in both situations and trying to be healthy for myself, I'd rather be with the skinnier group of people, people who also try to be healthy rather than people who scoff at healthy eating as a whole and expect to get diseases and don't try to do anything to stop getting them.

I feel like such a snob, though, for thinking that way!