LOCALS have slammed the UK’s “fattest town” where residents stuff themselves with up to three takeaways a day.
In the town of Ebbw Vale, in South Wales, a whopping four out of five people are overweight or obese.
Cheap booze shops and takeaways have turned Blaenau Gwent in Wales into the UK obesity capital
Nigel IskanderMum of two Elaine works around the clock and struggles to find time for healthy meals[/caption]
The town was once an industrial powerhouse of the British Empire
Some claim queues outside McDonald’s are so long they block people getting into their homes.
Others say it’s normal for families to scoff three takeaways a day, from a large range of different fast-food giants on the high street.
Residents can pick from more than a dozen fast food takeaways from burgers kebabs, chippies, Indian, Chinese, and Domino’s.
In comparison, there is only one greengrocers, where the average client base tends to be the over 50s.
One local, Elaine, told The Sun her nutritional choices have pushed her weight to a dangerously-high 17 stone – but she sees no way of getting it under control.
She said: “I know I’m way overweight but what can I do? I love my job but it leaves no time to prepare and cook decent food. I barely have enough time to go shopping for groceries, even.
“I’m absolutely exhausted when I get in at night, but also starving hungry, so I order a takeaway delivery most nights. It’s usually a curry or a pizza or kebab. Some days I’ll have all three.
“I know it’s not a healthy way to live. I’m already being monitored by my GP at the moment for diabetes because I’m on the verge of getting it, I’ve been told.”
Elaine added how there is a “clear link” between the ready availability of cheap, junk meals and obesity.
“It’s convenience,” she said. “There’s so much choice in Ebbw Vale, but none of the options are any good for you.
“I know a lot of people who aren’t in work and they get takeaways because they’re easy and cheap.
“We need to encourage people to move away from this kind of food and have the skills to cook fresh food instead, which can actually be much cheaper.
“The problem in my case is time, but for many people it’s just a lack of know-how. Perhaps if they taught kids in school how to cook, that would be a big step in the right direction.
“For me, I just need to finish work earlier. I have the skills and the will but I just don’t have the time.”
Jodie Hughes, a beautician who underwent the knife for a gastric band told the Mail she agreed obesity is “a problem” in the town.
NHS medical workers in the area say the obesity crisis is putting ‘intolerable’ pressure on the service
Nigel IskanderResident Kay says too many leisure facilities in the area have closed[/caption]
Google MapsThe town was also found to be the UK’s takeaway capital[/caption]
The 37-year-old, who has lost 16stone, blamed an abundance of “addictive” takeaways and fast food chains in the area.
“I should know, I got very big with the easy availability of food, it got totally out of hand,” she said.
Jodie has since sought help through therapy and is sworn off fast food to maintain her new weight loss.
She also blasted an economy where “everyone is overworked and underpaid”, suggesting it makes cheaper, quicker and unhealthy meals more attractive.
Jodie has also enrolled herself with Aneurin Bevan University Health Board’s Weight Management Service, which sees experts teach online courses on the psychology behind over-eating and dieting.
Meanwhile, fellow Ebbw Vale resident Scott, 55, said healthy, organic food comes at a higher cost.
The businessman added: “There is little encouragement to eat properly when convenience food is so cheap and easy to get hold of.”
Another local, 17-year-old Brontie Hannah, claimed her diet suffered after tests revealed she was allergic to fruit and veg.
The teen, who works two jobs and wants to join the navy, said she resorted to fast food, becoming “hooked on junk”.
THE UK’S ‘FATTEST TOWN’
By Nic North
RESEARCH by NHS prescription service Now Patient revealed the number one hotspot for tubby Brits is Blaenau Gwent, Wales, the local authority area in which Ebbw Vale is the largest town.
Four out of five people in the county borough are now classified as overweight or obese, defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher. The percentage of those with a BMI of 25 or above now stands at 79.9.
The unwelcome achievement marks a sad landmark for the town that was once the industrial powerhouse of the British Empire, employing at one point 34,000 local men in its steel plants.
The town’s streets nowadays bear the hallmarks of its decline, with a plethora of fast food outlets and takeaway shops springing up in recent years.
A 2018 report revealed that Blaenau Gwent in fact had the highest proportion of fast food outlets in the UK. It showed a staggering 73 per cent of food outlets in the area were selling fast food – more than any other part of Britain. Of the 75 restaurants in Blaenau Gwent at the time, 55 were in that category.
Just five miles from Ebbw Vale, and also in the Blaenau Gwent administrative area, is Tredegar, birthplace of the National Health Service and its founder Aneurin Bevan.
NHS medical workers we spoke to admitted the obesity epidemic in the area is putting “intolerable” pressure on the service.
One said: “Looking ahead five to ten years, the number of young and middle aged people we’re seeing who are so overweight is going to put huge pressure on our health service.
“It is already intolerable, but it will only get worse. Much worse.
“The consequences of carrying too much weight are well-known and people need to find a way of living healthier lifestyles now, before it is too late.
Retired pharmaceutical store worker Kay, who has two daughters and four grandchildren, blames a lack of sports and recreational facilities in the area for the rising obesity levels.
Kay, 75, was born in Ebbw Vale but now lives in Tredegar. She said: “It makes me so sad to walk around and see so many people overweight.
“What makes me sadder is that so many of them are young.
“They should be out doing sport, not gorging themselves on chips or a pizza in the street.
“The problem is that so many of the facilities where they could do activity have closed around here. There’s just nothing for them to do, other than buy cheap, fast food. All the youth clubs have closed and a trip to the gym costs a small fortune.
“When I was young, I was always out playing sport or doing some kind of healthy, recreational activity for free. Now there’s just nothing for them, I’m afraid.”
Luckily Brontie made the switch to healthier options such as home-made sandwiches and cereals after learning more about nutrition through social media.
But, Bryn Booth, had a much harsher reality check when he suffered a heart attack due to years of poor diet.
The 57-year-old recalled how he collapsed on Father’s Day, while visiting his own dad’s grave.
“They managed to revive me but it was a terrible shock,” he said.
Bryn also dubbed himself “the fattest man in Ebbw Vale” at at least five stone overweight.
But the ex-warehouse worker is hopeful for a brighter future after being offered a weight loss jab from a diabetes clinic.
The resident blamed fast food giants and claimed they’re “making people very ill”.
He claimed McDonald’s queues are so long he can’t even get into his house and branded the situation “tragic”.
Elsewhere in Ebbw, ex-chippie shop worker Angela Carpenter said she was gobsmacked at how lazy customers were.
She claimed people who lived behind the takeout would still order food to their door.
“They were so lazy, they couldn’t even be bothered to come and collect their own food. ‘How crazy is that?,” said the 68-year-old.
Angela was also shocked at how much locals spent on the massive portions – unable to finish one herself.
“There were two pieces of fish and lots of chips, I just couldn’t eat it all,” she said, calling it “madness” to waste half of the £11 meal.
Prof Tracy Daszkiewicz, Director of Public Health for Gwent said: “We need to think about healthy weight in terms of our food system. As a Public Health team, we want to look at this to make a fundamental change. For this we need to consider the commercial determinants of health.
“We want to influence the way unhealthy foods are advertised and promoted within our communities.
“It is also important to support our communities to ensure they have the information and support they need to stay healthy.
“This why this year as a Health Board we carried out engagement activities across our communities to understand from our residents what they need to stay healthy.
“This work is currently being analysed and will inform our 10 year strategy as a health board as we look to support our communities in ways that work for them to manage good health.”
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
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