BMI = BODY MASS IGNORE
Obesity and a nation in denial

A quarter of the UK population (24%) has an obese Body Mass Index (BMI)*, yet a new survey shows that only six per cent of us believe that our weight problem is severe enough to be classified as ‘obese’.

Slimming World’s annual National Slimming Survey, conducted with YouGov, suggests that the rapid rise in obesity in recent years has caused weight problems to become ‘normalised’, meaning as many as 10 million people are unaware that their weight is placing their health at risk.

However, while the survey found that some three quarters of us with a severe weight problem are in denial about our true size and see ‘obesity’ as something that happens to other people, it also found that emotional worries about our weight still make us deeply unhappy. More than one in three people (36%) who are very overweight feel that weight is ‘the most important issue in life’ and up to half feel ‘embarrassed’, ‘ashamed’, ‘disgusted’ and ‘trapped’ by being overweight.

According to Slimming World we reject the ‘obese’ label because of how it makes us feel about ourselves and because constant worry and feelings of guilt and shame make slimming down and being in control feel impossible. So we put on a good show, denying that anything is wrong and telling ourselves that everyone’s getting bigger so it doesn’t matter. 

Dr Jacquie Lavin, Slimming World’s Head of Nutrition and Research, says: “This worrying new data reveals the complex psychological issues associated with being overweight. Many people – including many health professionals – believe that managing weight is just about energy balance, and that people simply need to ‘eat less and exercise more’. However, that approach can never work while so many people deny how severely their weight could be affecting their health by increasing their risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke or while they struggle with the emotional burden of being overweight, which can affect their confidence in their ability to make healthy lifestyle changes. As individuals, we need support to tackle the deep-rooted psychological issues around how we feel about our weight before we can begin to make those changes.”

Slimming World, the UK's leading weight management organisation, takes a holistic approach, tackling the psychological aspects of overweight through the support of a group led by a Consultant who has lost weight themselves, as well as providing a healthy, low fat eating plan and activity programme. Slimming World has developed a unique understanding of the psychology of overweight people, based on 42 years' experience, and tackles the emotional issues of being overweight by helping people at a deeper level.

Dr Lavin continues: “Studies of behaviour change show that helping people to lose weight is not just about giving them information and lecturing them on what they should and shouldn’t eat. It’s about encouraging and empowering people to want to make the change for themselves. When it comes to weight management, it’s as much about tackling deep-seated emotional and psychological issues as it is about providing practical help around diet and activity.  

“The right support will recognise the importance of tackling those feelings of low self-esteem, guilt and failure, helping people to understand why they are struggling, building confidence in and rewarding their ability to make changes and giving them realistic practical tools so that once they lose weight, they can keep it off for life.”  

Father of four Michael Drucker lost 14st at Slimming World after realising that his gradual weight gain was affecting his quality of life. At his heaviest he struggled with everyday tasks like putting his own socks on and suffered humliations like breaking chairs and getting stuck in fairground rides. Once he had decided to lose weight he says the emotional support of his slimming group helped keep him on track. 

“I didn’t really notice when I first started to become overweight,” says Michael. “I’m quite tall and so it didn’t show at first. Then when it did show I just felt helpless, like there wasn’t anything I could do about it. So I buried my head in the sand and pretended nothing was wrong. 

“Eventually though I ended up with this long list of things that I couldn’t do because of my weight, and I knew I had to do something about it. My wife Sharon took me along to the local Slimming World group. As a man, I thought slimming clubs were for women and that I’d feel humiliated by going to one, but nothing could have been further from the truth. Everyone made me feel welcome and it didn’t matter at all to them that I was a man, they just saw me as someone – like them – who needed support to lose weight. With their help I gained the confidence to really get to know myself and to work through my issues around food, finding new ways of eating and becoming more active that fit with my lifestyle. Without that deep emotional support I would never have been able to make those changes. Now though I’m 14st lighter and know that I will keep the weight off for life.

“When I was overweight I used to pretend to be confident, but losing weight has given me such a boost so I don’t have to pretend any more. I’m just me and I’ve become the person I always wanted to be.”

– ends –

* Y Claire Wang MD a , Prof Klim McPherson PhD b, Tim Marsh PG Dip d, Steven L Gortmaker PhD c, Martin Brown PhD d, The Lancet, Volume 378, Issue 9793, Pages 815 - 825, 27 August 2011

Stats Table

• 24% of people in the UK have an obese BMI
• Only 6% of people in the UK think they have an obese BMI
• 70% of people in the UK want to lose weigh

Feelings of people whose BMI places them in the ‘obese’ category:

• 75% of people with an obese BMI underestimate their weight category
• Yet 95% want to lose weight
• The average person with an obese BMI wants to lose 3st 11lb
• 36% ‘always’ or ‘usually’ see their weight as the most important issue in their life
• 59% ‘always’ or ‘usually’ feel fat
• 50% say their extra weight makes them feel ‘embarrassed’
• 37% say their extra weight makes them feel ‘awkward’
• 32% say their extra weight makes them feel ‘disgusted’
• 32% say their extra weight makes them feel ‘ashamed’
• 24% say their extra weight makes them feel ‘clumsy’
• 23% say their extra weight makes them feel ‘trapped’  

For further information please contact the Slimming World press office on 01773 546101, 01773 546037 or 07920 799106. Or you can email: public.relations@slimming-world.com or leighgreenwood@msn.com

Notes to Editors

• Slimming World is the largest and most advanced slimming organisation in the UK. Margaret Miles-Bramwell (OBE, FRSA) founded the company in 1969 and there are now more than 8,000 groups held weekly nationwide via a network of nearly 3,000 Slimming World trained Consultants.
• 400,000 members attend Slimming World every week and achieve outstanding success.
• Slimming World pioneered referral schemes in the UK and actively supports the building of partnerships with the NHS and local authorities to develop effective strategies to manage overweight and obesity in the community. Slimming World works with university researchers and specialists in an active research programme to further knowledge of the causes and treatment of obesity.
• Slimming World’s healthy eating plan, Food Optimising, and the principles behind Slimming World’s philosophy are based on a deep understanding of the challenges faced by overweight people. Slimming World integrates practical, up-to-date dietary advice with a highly developed support system.
• Slimming World Consultants receive specific training in dietary aspects and the role of physical activity in weight control. The highly developed training focuses on facilitating behaviour change in a group environment, acknowledged by experts as being the most effective way to support long-term weight management.