The big fat lie we’re telling ourselves: why being obese is the new normal

THE nation’s obesity problem is so severe that fat people don’t recognise they have a weight problem. And this is creating big issues for health advocates.

EXCLUSIVE

Being fat is the new normal. The nation’s obesity problem has become so severe fat people don’t even recognise they have a weight problem, according to a troubling new survey.

It is creating a major headache for public health advocates who say people can’t be motivated to change their habits if they think their weight is normal.

The Shape of Australia research from the Heart Foundation and Cancer Council Victoria Live Lighter project has found just one in four obese people (BMI over 30) see themselves as very overweight.

Two in three obese people thought they were just overweight and one in ten thought they were of average weight the survey of 2,000 Aussies aged 25-49 found

And astoundingly half the people who were overweight (BMI 25-29.9) described themselves of average weight.

Just one in four obese people consider themselves to be very overweight.

Live Lighter campaign manager and dietitian Alison McAleese says now two in three Australians are above a healthy weight “it is normal to be overweight”.

“You look around you and you see other people of higher weight and you think you look average,” she says.

“If you don’t realise you are above a healthy weight you are unlikely to be motivated to make a change,” she says.

McAleese says the best way to check if you are overweight is to measure your waist circumference.

Women are considered overweight and at greater risk of diabetes and heart disease if their waist circumference is 80cm or higher and at even higher risk if it is 88cm or more.

Men are in trouble if their waist circumference is 94cm or higher and are at greater risk of disease if their waist circumference is 102cm or more.

Men are in trouble if their waist measures over 94 centimetres.

Just one in five people surveyed met the guidelines for 30 minutes of exercise five times a week and one in seven did not exercise at all.

The most interesting finding was that older people, those aged 45-49 were more likely to get sufficient exercise than younger Australians.

Only one in ten people eat enough vegetables and one in four are not confident about managing their weight.

Mother of three Sally Stevens didn’t realise she had a weight problem until her 45 year old husband James suffered a massive heart attack last year.

James, a PE teacher who rides a bike for recreation and had just completed a 30 kilometre bike ride the day before his heart attack.

Melbourne mum Sally Stevens lost 20 kilos after her husband had a heart attack at age 45. She has been running for two years and just completed a marathon. Picture: Jay Town

“We thought we were fit and healthy, the kids were doing swimming, gymnastics, football and basketball but after the heart attack we had a dietitian look into our diet and we had a big issue with portion control, too much sugar and not enough fibre,” she said.

The 39-year-old Melbourne mum said she weighed 76 kilos and thought that was normal until her doctor measured her waist and it was well over 80cm.

She cut her ice cream, chocolate and alcohol consumption back to once a week, swapped white bread and pasta for wholegrains and cut the family’s portion sizes.

In January she started running and by April managed the five-kilometre Royal Children’s Hospital Run for the Kids, in July she did a half marathon and two weeks ago completed a full marathon.

Sally Stevens can now run a marathon. Picture: Jay Town

The lifestyle change saw her shed 20 kilos and she says she feels terrific. Even though gets up early to train.

McAleese says even small diet and exercise changes can make a difference.

Swapping unhealthy snacks for chopped vegetables, using the stairs instead of the lift could all make a difference, she said.