Too fat to farm?

[ollie989898]

you are very lucky , our grandson would spend his life on the sofa playing Fortnite with his friends on line

There are worse things kids get involved with, things like gang culture, knife crime, petty theft, vandalism or similar.

 

[yoki]

and as they get fatter so they expend less energy so they put on more weight.
our obesity crisis is caused by one thing and one thing only, we are becoming a sedentary society and high energy food is so easily available and exceedingly good to eat.
We like to blame big industry but I dare anyone to visit our local baker all hand made from the very best local ingredients ( well excluding the spices raisins etc etc ) Woosters to those in the know, I swear I put on weight just going in there

What's the three main ingredients of home baking?

Butter, flour, sugar!

 

[Jameshampstead]

I have quite a few youngsters help me at various times of year. Vet students, 15 year old work experience kids, ag college students, the odd NEET from the county council.

Most are ok, some are very good, some are muppets. However the thread that runs between nearly all the youngsters that are hard going is that they are overweight. The heavy ones can’t keep up, can’t do the work, need to sit down and are generally a liability. If you can’t muck out 5 lambing pens without needing a rest you have a problem. Or if you can’t keep up as we walk a flock of sheep a mile down the road. These are both incidents I’ve had in the past month.

In some ways I feel sorry for them, if you’re 5 stone overweight by the age of 18 and don’t have many academic qualifications I’d say you’re virtually unemployable.

How does society sort out the physical shape of today’s youth? Do we put so much emphasis on classroom education that children don’t do enough exercise? Realistically sport at school should be daily and compulsory. Healthy body, healthy mind. Or is it time for a form of national service?

Fitter people would benefit all sectors of the economy- especially farming!

National guard won’t do anything, all of the young people are already overweight and education is preaching only tolerance, not balance. It would likely be classed as fat shaming and hurt the feelings of this new generation of young people! The agenda of “everyone must be free to choose and be who they want to be” is pushed heavily.
My ten year old son was asked to sit next to a girl in class - they were asked to be partners - she then proceeded to tell my son how she is “now a lesbian and likes girls” at ten! Should I go on? I’m unapologetic here, I do not think my son should be considering anything about who or what he is, or is not right now. He should be running about playing pretend gun games like cop and robber, playing king of the hill and fighting with his best buds… yet to think this way is now said to be toxic.

Anyway, my point being…. It’s not really the children’s fault - that isn’t to excuse the blame - I’m not a farmer, never have farmed, I do not have a clue about it’s way of life or the challenges or problems you face, but from a stereotypical understanding, it’s men & their families, going out and doing the heavy lifting at 5am, working the fields and creating a yield of finances from the farm… It’s graft, it’s honest work that repays the favours, it’s the fruit of your labour, right? Well, unfortunately, our private school educated politicians government not longer want that thought in our education system. The traditional, Old English values are no more. It doesn’t set young people up for understanding vital parts of life, it doesn’t educate them on good money management as one example… it’s failing our children, hence why I’ve taken the tough choice to home educate; it has it’s own challenges, yet for me, the pro’s far outweigh the cons.

Regarding the weight of our children. I am an overweight, almost middle aged man, yes it’s a choice, I’m essentially over run with children and haven’t the time or the capacity to consider my personal health at the moment as almost every living, breathing moment is giving unto them, but… that said… my children are not! My eldest is training weekly, kick boxing, skateboarding, scooting and football classes, monthly karting outings, skipping for charity, all different types of extra curricular stuff, he is active and stimulated in all areas. This is something young people aren’t doing any more. Very sedentary lives, games consoles and phones taking up their mental energy with short one minute videos that are having a detrimental effect on their mental health; truthfully a vast amount of young people are depressed and show all the signs of it, yet neglected and seen as just lazy teenagers! It isn’t the case, it’s a societal problem, and issue that is happening not just within our education, but in parenting choices and in every day life, just looking at the produce within the supermarkets and the levels of unhealthy ingredients - like sugar - pumped into cheap, mass marketed produce, it is causing real harm. I say all this because, I have fallen victim as well. It’s a matter of being able to afford to live better now and believe me the vast amount of the general public, can not and haven’t been educated to think or want anything different. I am
Screaming to get out of it now, because I see everything you have said to only get worse over the next ten years.

 

[O'Reilly]

My Mrs says she has put on weight because she's had two children. When she borrowed my truck for a week, it was very enlightening to see the array of wrappers and cans that collected there!
As someone up thread said, it's the snacks. And the normality of it now.

 

[ollie989898]

National guard won’t do anything, all of the young people are already overweight and education is preaching only tolerance, not balance. It would likely be classed as fat shaming and hurt the feelings of this new generation of young people! The agenda of “everyone must be free to choose and be who they want to be” is pushed heavily.
My ten year old son was asked to sit next to a girl in class - they were asked to be partners - she then proceeded to tell my son how she is “now a lesbian and likes girls” at ten! Should I go on? I’m unapologetic here, I do not think my son should be considering anything about who or what he is, or is not right now. He should be running about playing pretend gun games like cop and robber, playing king of the hill and fighting with his best buds… yet to think this way is now said to be toxic.

Anyway, my point being…. It’s not really the children’s fault - that isn’t to excuse the blame - I’m not a farmer, never have farmed, I do not have a clue about it’s way of life or the challenges or problems you face, but from a stereotypical understanding, it’s men & their families, going out and doing the heavy lifting at 5am, working the fields and creating a yield of finances from the farm… It’s graft, it’s honest work that repays the favours, it’s the fruit of your labour, right? Well, unfortunately, our private school educated politicians government not longer want that thought in our education system. The traditional, Old English values are no more. It doesn’t set young people up for understanding vital parts of life, it doesn’t educate them on good money management as one example… it’s failing our children, hence why I’ve taken the tough choice to home educate; it has it’s own challenges, yet for me, the pro’s far outweigh the cons.

Regarding the weight of our children. I am an overweight, almost middle aged man, yes it’s a choice, I’m essentially over run with children and haven’t the time or the capacity to consider my personal health at the moment as almost every living, breathing moment is giving unto them, but… that said… my children are not! My eldest is training weekly, kick boxing, skateboarding, scooting and football classes, monthly karting outings, skipping for charity, all different types of extra curricular stuff, he is active and stimulated in all areas. This is something young people aren’t doing any more. Very sedentary lives, games consoles and phones taking up their mental energy with short one minute videos that are having a detrimental effect on their mental health; truthfully a vast amount of young people are depressed and show all the signs of it, yet neglected and seen as just lazy teenagers! It isn’t the case, it’s a societal problem, and issue that is happening not just within our education, but in parenting choices and in every day life, just looking at the produce within the supermarkets and the levels of unhealthy ingredients - like sugar - pumped into cheap, mass marketed produce, it is causing real harm. I say all this because, I have fallen victim as well. It’s a matter of being able to afford to live better now and believe me the vast amount of the general public, can not and haven’t been educated to think or want anything different. I am
Screaming to get out of it now, because I see everything you have said to only get worse over the next ten years.

The MOD doesn't want anything to do with conscription. It is a waste of resources largely and the British army has been a volunteer force for eons now. 1000 well motivated guys is far preferable to 100,000 people who don't want to be there. Look at the Russian progress in Ukraine if you want evidence for this.

 

[SilliamWhale]

There is of course another big killer to the argument that sugar causes obesity

We eat less than half the sugar today than 60 years ago. That is fact and includes glucose syrup but not sugar substitutes NSS

Sugar is not good for you

 

[Campbell]

Chuffers abound it seems. Latest NHS figures say its costing us £6.5bn / yr to treat obesity related illness....

 

[warksfarmer]

I have quite a few youngsters help me at various times of year. Vet students, 15 year old work experience kids, ag college students, the odd NEET from the county council.

Most are ok, some are very good, some are muppets. However the thread that runs between nearly all the youngsters that are hard going is that they are overweight. The heavy ones can’t keep up, can’t do the work, need to sit down and are generally a liability. If you can’t muck out 5 lambing pens without needing a rest you have a problem. Or if you can’t keep up as we walk a flock of sheep a mile down the road. These are both incidents I’ve had in the past month.

In some ways I feel sorry for them, if you’re 5 stone overweight by the age of 18 and don’t have many academic qualifications I’d say you’re virtually unemployable.

How does society sort out the physical shape of today’s youth? Do we put so much emphasis on classroom education that children don’t do enough exercise? Realistically sport at school should be daily and compulsory. Healthy body, healthy mind. Or is it time for a form of national service?

Fitter people would benefit all sectors of the economy- especially farming!

Processed foods are the problem. They should be heavily taxed so they cant afford them and get them back to meat, veg, fruit and water.

 

[ollie989898]

Chuffers abound it seems. Latest NHS figures say its costing us £6.5bn / yr to treat obesity related illness....

If you accumulate enough population and numbers you end up with similarly impressive numbers for everything though. I can't tell you if 6.5 billion is a lot or not relative to what is involved.

 

[ollie989898]

Processed foods are the problem. They should be heavily taxed so they cant afford them and get them back to meat, veg, fruit and water.

I'd say there should be an enhanced rate of VAT on luxury or unhealthy goods. Costa coffee, fast food and the like to attract more VAT.

 

[bluebell]

So much as changed in main stream school education, alot if nearly all for the worst, like not having to compete? try to be the best?, do things you dont like or eat? Eat your greens up they are good for you? Not wearing a school uniform, or if you did, been "inspected" to see how you are turned?, Have you done your tie up correctly? Your shoes need a polish? Most contentious,was in my day "corpral punishment", knowing and we all did, do "bad things" what the consquences would be? Then parents, have parents, who would also give you a good "highding or telling off?

 

[Northeastfarmer]

A lot of it is to do with people now leading a sedentary lifestyle….where as 50/60 years ago most jobs were manual and hard work….most people now get out of bed, drive to work, press a few keys on the keyboard and back home to eat sugar and carbs before going to bed

 

[J 1177]

Iv been to the gym, fed the bulls. Now im sat on my arse on my mates digger. Trouble is iv already eaten half my corned beef sandwiches .
Yesterday i was at a rugby event the food was tremendous, sat opposite me and the missus was an couple in their 50s and their daughter. They sat down, diddnt even have the common decency to say hello.
This daughter was probably about 17 or 18, whale size, proceeded to whinge the entire time about anything and everything to the point that she thought 50 pound wasnt unreasonable for daddy to pay for her false nails. Insisted she was vegan but would have the halomi burger, left most of it and ate half of daddys chicken parmo. Mum said nothing dad looked sick of life. Most of their home cooked food was left and they were discussing what chineese takeway to have on the night. Im probably being judgemental but if she was my daughter my missus would firmly put her in her place way before id get the chance. Entilted generation.

 

[Paddington]

We walked or cycled to school, if you were given a lift you got your parents to drop you off away from the school gates to avoid derisory remarks. Weren't allowed to sit inside at the weekends unless it was raining heavily. Fat kids were rare, usually well to do parents or your father was a butcher. One of the PE teachers at school always remarked how skinny English kids were compared to their French and German contemporaries.

 

[TelesnaAg]

I have quite a few youngsters help me at various times of year. Vet students, 15 year old work experience kids, ag college students, the odd NEET from the county council.

Most are ok, some are very good, some are muppets. However the thread that runs between nearly all the youngsters that are hard going is that they are overweight. The heavy ones can’t keep up, can’t do the work, need to sit down and are generally a liability. If you can’t muck out 5 lambing pens without needing a rest you have a problem. Or if you can’t keep up as we walk a flock of sheep a mile down the road. These are both incidents I’ve had in the past month.

In some ways I feel sorry for them, if you’re 5 stone overweight by the age of 18 and don’t have many academic qualifications I’d say you’re virtually unemployable.

How does society sort out the physical shape of today’s youth? Do we put so much emphasis on classroom education that children don’t do enough exercise? Realistically sport at school should be daily and compulsory. Healthy body, healthy mind. Or is it time for a form of national service?

Fitter people would benefit all sectors of the economy- especially farming!

According to the pundits AI will solve all of this.....???

Ant...

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I just have this wonderful vision of a cow with a can

And a pig with a can of Red Bull, doing backflips on a BMX and landing in the midden.

It's not just you

 

[Clive]

According to the pundits AI will solve all of this.....???

Ant...

actually Ozempic will !

buy shares in them

 

[bluebell]

So where will all this end? We have gone from being "normal" size nation in the UK, 40 odd years ago to most classed "oboise" with the most concern of the young 5-18 being the most over weight?

 

[stroller]

Bring back conscription and give them an army diet for three years

Be racing snakes

When I left 10 years ago sodexho had taken over the catering, it was no longer done by army chefs, the meals were like school ones, chips pizza burgers. When I joined in the 90's the food was great, the cookhouse in Brecon was excellent and one could have as much as one wanted the only trouble was the small plates and not much time, so everyone tended to wolf it down as fast as possible, like a labrador.

 

[Johnnyboxer]

Went for a curry with some friends a while back all of us have passed the 49 and 12 month milestone. I will admit I’m guilty of putting a bit too much much middle age spread on my toast but one lad there with shirt buttons under severe tension was ordering and downing cans of full fat coke two at a time. He hadn’t seen his feet for some years either!

Will he see 59 and 12 months?

Each can has about 5-6 teaspoons of refined sugar in it