Millions of us are in denial over being fat

WORRYING numbers of Britons are deluding themselves about their weight, researchers say.

A startling proportion of the overweight and obese are convinced they are perfectly healthy, according to public health experts.

The data, gathered from 14,000 people in seven European countries, appears to support the growing theory that obesity has become ‘normalised’ in Britain.

As more and more people pile on the pounds it has become socially acceptable to be obese, experts warn.

The figures, gathered by the European Association for the Study of Obesity and strategy firm Opinium, suggest that 21 per cent – one in five – of overweight people in Britain mistakenly believe they are of a healthy weight, compared to 16 per cent in France and 10 per cent in Italy.

And 36 per cent – more than one in three – of Britons who are clinically obese think they are merely overweight, compared to 28 per cent in France and 18 per cent in Italy.

The researchers found that overweight and obese people from Germany, Belgium, Denmark and Finland are also in denial about their weight. But their results suggest that Britons are among the most ignorant in Europe about the health impacts of obesity. Only 18 per cent think obesity is a disease – the lowest figure out of the seven countries surveyed.

The results will add urgency to the drive to combat Britain’s obesity crisis. More than 74 per cent of men and 64 per cent of women in the UK will be overweight by 2030, the World Health Organisation says. The epidemic is expected to cost the NHS £50billion by 2050.

The Government’s Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally Davies, has repeatedly warned that fat has become the ‘new normal’, thanks to poor lifestyle and diet.

Dame Sally said last year: ‘I am increasingly concerned that society may be normalising overweight. Average weight is now overweight.

‘It creeps up on you’

We have two-thirds of adults overweight or obese and one third of children overweight or obese.’

Sue Waldock, 62, weighed 21stone when her doctors told her she needed bariatric, or weight loss, surgery. The human resources professional, from Maidenhead, Berk- shire, was shocked. ‘I knew I was overweight but I was quite active,’ Mrs Waldock told the Daily Mail.

‘I thought surgery was for other people, not me. Yes, I was in denial about it – it creeps up on you.’

Mrs Waldock, who now weighs 11 stone after a £10,000 operation which she paid for privately, said she had struggled with her weight throughout her life. ‘It is only later in life you really see the impacts,’ she said. ‘In your 50s your joints strain, but I thought I was okay. When my doctor said I should consider surgery, it was really a shock.’

Professor Pinki Sahota of Leeds Beckett University, deputy chairman of the Association for the Study of Obesity, said: ‘Obesity is one of the fastest growing threats to the health and wellbeing of our society. And yet this survey shows that many people still appear to have little understanding of what equals a healthy weight.

‘The new government, policymakers and health authorities should be greatly concerned by the findings of this survey.

‘It confirms much greater effort is needed to educate people about the fact obesity is a disease.’

A Department of Health spokesman said: ‘We are serious about tackling obesity and have given local authorities the power and funding to make sure they can take action on obesity in their areas.

‘We are also working with industry to reduce fat, sugar and salt in foods, and our Change4Life campaign is helping consumers make healthier choices.’