Main causes of obesity

pathtofreedom wrote: »

Not all of us are lucky enough to have people to cook / clean for us in these situations. Sometimes you just have to do what you can to get by. I'd love to eat more healthy, eat clean or whatever, but I hardly have enough energy to work full time, let alone cook or clean or walk or whatever when I'm not working. That is even with job I can work from home a lot, so can save energy by not getting out of bed while working. So I do live on a mix of ready meals and take aways as sometimes you just have to do what you can to survive to keep working so you don't end up homeless.

Oh, yes, I totally appreciate that I am lucky to have the help. I am going through an extremely rough patch with hubby at the minute, mainly down to the effect my illnesses have on life, and it does worry me that I will end up on my own with no help..although I do still have friends. I don't actually think it will get that far, but it's a struggle.

I had to give up work and I now get PIP, and just about to have my ESA assessment (contributions based). And I HATE not working. I have worked since my first 2 paper rounds at 13 and cannot stand being bored, yet am too ill to do anything. I only really manage on here by dictating most of my posts. You're right about ready meals and takeaways - if they get you through the days, then so be it. We often have ready prepped things too.

.Gigolo_Aunt wrote: »

If your job gets you in to such a state that you can't spend 15 minutes to half an hour preparing a meal you need to rethink your priorities.

It isn't my job that is stopping me it is my health, I don't really want to list all my medical history on a public forum though.

With all the changes to benefits etc, I don't really have a choice as to how I live. I can work and sleep and that's about it, to try and pay my mortgage off and save up some pension before my body gives out fully and I can't work any more. Or I can be homeless basically, which I don't see as much choice. So if you were in my situation what would you do? Not everyone has family and friends and partners who can help them do these things. I did have a cleaner at one point who'd help me with cooking, but my current cleaners won't. Social services where I used to live at least (I haven't checked if social services here have different options) just advised to get meals from Wiltshire farm foods as they couldn't help. I'd rather just buy food from iceland though, and get it delivered that way as they have a better selection.

Unless you have a chronic health condition / disability I don't think you can fully understand just how debilitating it can be. It isn't just the conditions that cause me problems but the side affects of the medication too. I could be on much stronger pain killers for example, but again the side affects impact your memory etc which would make it even harder to work / drive, and as my condition worsens I don't want to develop a tolerance which means I run out off options too soon.

I also can't get income protection insurance etc due to some of my conditions being genetic, so unless you can buy income protection before birth? that was never an option so I have to struggle on as they were always pre-existing.

pathtofreedom wrote: »

Not all of us are lucky enough to have people to cook / clean for us in these situations. Sometimes you just have to do what you can to get by. I'd love to eat more healthy, eat clean or whatever, but I hardly have enough energy to work full time, let alone cook or clean or walk or whatever when I'm not working. That is even with job I can work from home a lot, so can save energy by not getting out of bed while working. So I do live on a mix of ready meals and take aways as sometimes you just have to do what you can to survive to keep working so you don't end up homeless.

Yes, similar here. I'm up at 5 am and don't get back home until 7 pm Monday to Friday. I don't want to spend what little time is left going to a gym or cooking so it's generally a yellow-sticker ready meal then bed. Although I usually get out and about at weekends, the weight has still gone on. It's easy for people to say get busy exercising but after a working day, it's the last thing I'd want to do. Anyway, I read recently that giving up alcohol reduces body weight so I'm going to try to abstain for six weeks..

.Gigolo_Aunt wrote: »

It's disgraceful, the cuts that have been made and the way sick and disabled claimants are treated. If you are genuinely unable to work you should be getting ESA.

Esa is either 102 or 109 a week depending which group you get put in. It can take years for a claim to go through, so before that it is 73 if you're over 25 which I am. That wouldn't pay my utilities, let alone my health costs, or car costs, even with claiming pip as well.

I moved to a bungalow recently to try and be in the best position for when I need a wheelchair full time, so I can make this place as accessible as possible too. Trying to get the same from the council can take years or just never happen.

My story isn't unique millions of people live this way in the uk. Media stories of scroungers which just aren't true, or are twisted our of context means there is a lot of hate against sick and disabled people assuming they get free houses, cars and cash and it isn't as simple as that at all.

If you are healthy I highly recommend income protection insurance if you can afford it. As everyone is one car crash or cancer or ms diagnosis away from being in poverty, as the welfare state and nhs is dismantled more and more each year. Closing the independent living fund for example has been deviasting to so many, but they don't have a voice to protest and bake off and celebrity divorces sell more papers than the reality of the poor sick and disabled. People being left for hours in dirty adult nappies instead of funding the care they need, isn't as interesting as who is shagging who or that week.

So yes I am obese but it doesn't actually impact my health yet, and if anyone reading this wants to help me, or your neighbours, you are very welcome to ask what you might do to help, even little things make a huge difference like taking the bins out or offering to cut their hedge when you do yours, but you won't. You'll just carry on judging when you see someone fat in a mobility scooter, or someone using disabled parking with an invisible illness, and in your world of good health and energy judge rather than see how you might help. Then troll on some website to make yourself feel above others somehow. I hope you are proud of yourselves and the country you are creating, as when the tables turn and you or your family are hit by illness / disability you will soon see the reality isn't the big screen TV and free money and adapted housing you'd been led to believe.