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EVER noticed your jeans shrink just as you blow out those birthday candles?
Turns out, it’s not just in your head – and your washing machine is probably fine.
Stark new figures reveal that with each passing decade, Brits are adding more ‘cushioning’ around their waistline – until they reach a certain age.
It also showed rates of obesity among adults have stagnated, having not fallen since 2019.
Eight in ten men in England aged 55 to 64 are now overweight or obese.
By comparison, a third of men between the ages of 16 and 24 fall into the same category, according to the NHS.
Carrying a lot of extra weight or being obese can increase the risk for all sorts of health problems, from diabetes to different types of cancer.
The newly published data, for 2022, covers the period in which Britain was plunged into a cost-of-living crisis and emerged from a series of lockdowns.
Both situations, experts have warned could trigger weight gain.
Obesity and overweight rates also remained high among men over 30, with exactly three-quarters of those aged 35 to 44 falling in the category.
This was just two per cent lower in those 45 to 54 – at 73 per cent.
From 65 onwards, men appear to begin shifting the pounds, the data suggests. with just 78 per cent carrying a dangerous amount of weight.
And by the age of 75, just seven in ten men fall into the overweight or obese category.
The data, based on the Health Survey for England, surveyed almost 8,000 adults aged 16 and over.
Waistlines were also wide among women, with more than two-thirds (69 per cent) of those aged 55 to 64, falling in the obese or overweight category.
Weight gain for women appears to peak between the ages of 65 to 74, when 69 per cent are considered overweight or obese.
Like with their male counterparts, weight gain drops when they reach 75, with just 64 per cent of women at that age or older overweight or obese.
Just over a third of women aged 16 to 24 (38 per cent) fall into this category, which increases significantly to 57 per cent for those aged 35 to 44.
Dr Clare Hambling, NHS England’s director for diabetes and obesity, said: “Obesity is one of the biggest threats to health in the UK – it affects every human organ system and can have a major impact on people’s lives.
“Obesity increases people’s risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, mental ill health and many other illnesses which can lead to shorter lives, or affect quality of life, with greater need for healthcare.
“Today’s figures show the importance of supporting people who are overweight or living with obesity to reach a healthier weight.
“The NHS can play its part in that, alongside local councils, but we need to work with the rest of society to tackle the issues that contribute to obesity to help people remain as healthy as possible.”
Cost-of-living and lockdown weight
The average woman needs to eat around 2,000 calories a day to maintain a healthy weight, while the figure is 2,500 for men.
Weight gain occurs when a person, over time, consumes more calories than they burn.
How to lose weight safely
Losing weight should be a long-term commitment to healthier living, rather than any drastic measures.
The NHS tips – which can be adopted slowly – include:
- Get active for 150 minutes a week – you can break this up into shorter sessions
- Aim to get your 5 A Day – 80g of fresh, canned or frozen fruit or vegetables count as 1 portion
- Aim to lose 1 to 2lbs, or 0.5 to 1kg, a week
- Read food labels – products with more green colour coding than amber and red are often a healthier option
- Swap sugary drinks for water – if you do not like the taste, add slices of lemon or lime for flavour
- Cut down on food that’s high in sugar and fat – start by swapping sugary cereal for wholegrain alternatives
- Share your weight loss plan with someone you trust – they can help motivate you when you have a bad day
Read about:
- The five fat loss foundations
- The calorie formula for weight loss
- The perfect portion sizes for meals to lose weight
- Sun Health’s 8-week weight loss kick start plan
Research conducted in 2022, found that more than half of Brits believed the increased cost of living had made it harder for them to make healthy food and drink choices.
A poll of 2,000 adults found more than a fifth (23 per cent) weighed more in 2022 compared to a year before that, while 58 per cent of these believe the financial crisis has contributed to their weight gain.
Figures from 2021, suggested 40 per cent of British adults gained an average of 3kg during the pandemic.
They said this was because people tended to move less during prolonged periods of lockdown, with emotional eating and gym closures intensifying the trend.
Obesity has been well established as increasing the risk of serious health conditions that can damage the heart, such as high blood pressure, as well as cancers.
Being too fat has been estimated to cause one in 20 cancer cases in Britain, according to Cancer Research UK.
Britain’s obesity crisis is also estimated to cost the nation nearly £100billion per year.
All the ways obesity can KILL you
Being overweight doesn’t mean you’ll automatically kill you.
But from having a “spare tyre” to being “apple-shaped”, carrying excess fat is associated with lots fo health problems.
Firstly, there’s heart disease.
Extra body fat can lead to high blood pressure and cholesterol, raising the chances of heart attacks.
Then we have type 2 diabetes.
Carrying excess weight makes your body resistant to insulin, resulting in high blood sugar levels and complications like kidney failure.
Obesity is also linked to 13 different cancers, which includes:
- Adenocarcinoma of the esophagus
- Breast cancer in postmenopausal women
- Colon and rectum cancer
- Uterus cancer
- Gallbladder cancer
- Upper stomach cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Liver cancer
- Ovaries cancer
- Pancreas cancer
- Thyroid cancer
- Meningioma, a type of brain cancer
- Multiple myeloma
Sleep apnea, which disrupts breathing during sleep and can make people snore, is another risk.
Not being able to breathe properly can lead to a sudden drop in oxygen levels, which can be bad for the heart.
Moreover, obesity affects mental health, often leading to depression and anxiety due to stigma and discrimination.
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