Obesity is a word which is often misused.  One in five British adults is obese while 13% of children are classified as obese. The reality is that fruit, vegetables, fish and soya products can be expensive, and for many people eating habits are becoming increasingly centred on pre-prepared foods and takeaways.

Adverts for fast foods such as MacDonald’s, target young people. Changes in our lifestyle are radically changing our eating habits and some people eat out while others order a take-away and eat in. Many children refuse to do any type of exercise and less than 5% of children now walk or cycle to school. A lot of children that I know who suffer from obesity have TVs, computers and videogames in their bedrooms which encourages them to stay in rather than play outside.

I had a friend in Spain who suffered from obesity due to being bullied at school. I on the other hand, suffered from Anorexia due to lack of self-esteem, bullying and the death of my eldest brother.  Normal eating is when a person eats if they’re hungry, stops eating when they’re full and has a varied and balanced diet.

The food industry spends a lot of money convincing us to eat more. We’re constantly surrounded by food and have a surfeit of choice. To maintain a healthy, slim body weight you do need to employ flexible restraint, you can’t eat everything that’s on offer to you, but at the same time you must be sensible about over restricting yourself.