Rather than a bus, it's often a taxi for the supermarket in any case, so that more can be carried at a time, with less far to lug stuff at either end: on the other hand this means even less exercise.

  But that's the power of advertising for you, and the insidious nature of commercial food companies: having made their money out of selling cheap rubbish to customers thereby helping them pile on the pounds, they then make even more by selling them these slimmers' 'solutions' at a premium.

This is all so true. It is actually very simple, at least if there aren't big psychological problems. I'm constantly astonished by the contents of some people's trolleys in supermarkets - mountains of junk food and junk soft drinks. I'm also amazed that people aren't more vain. I wouldn't allow myself to get fat, because it would sap my confidence hugely. People aren't careful what they wear, either, so we see great rolls of fat clearly displayed in sleeveless tops, T-shirts and tight jeans, which would be much less visible (though still there, of course) in different clothes. Do they never look in a mirror?

God that's true!  Some of the sights to be seen round here are embarrassing in the extreme.  Young girls too!  I often think that if they're that big between 15 and 25, surely they're never going to get rid of the extra weight?  I was talking to a youngster the other day when a very very large young friend came up to us, pushing a toddler in a buggy.  She joyously announced to her friend that she was expecting another.  How times have changed.  When I was having my children (many moons ago) it was dinged into us that we were not to eat for two and that we were not to put on loads of extra weight.  We were more than encouraged to shed the baby weight very quickly after the birth too - although I found that breast-feeding does that for you.

I don't understand what on earth has happened really.  We're only talking about what's happened in the last 20-30 years.  Of my generation, all my friends without exception whose children are the same age as mine, are slim to medium.  There is no-one who could be classed as obese at all.  Funnily enough though, going on from there....none of the offspring are either.  My family are all slim too.  So are we talking about genetics here?  Post code? Education? Luck? 

I'm not all that gentle, Ron! You are right about the "talent" shows, of course, and I suspect that, as with obesity, there is a connection between self-deception and education, postcode and (whisper it) social class.

The greatly increased use of the car must make a big difference, too. My kids walked (miles) to school, with me before they were old enough to go alone. So did most of their friends. Now, there are traffic jams outside the school.

Our walk to school would be within reason I suppose - two miles - but the weather has been so appalling this year I couldn't make him trudge all that way with a heavy school bag and PE kit and sit in wet clothes all day.  Then tired out, to have to walk home. 

Fortunately he's sporty and active anyway and my exercise is running the home and walking the dog.   It just seems so easy really.  You eat it up, you burn it up......

given his essentially simian provenance, as illustrated by steve bell, isn't it in fact a climbing frame?

When poverty comes in the door, love flies out of the window.  That's how I remember the quote.  Money worries certainly put intolerable stress on family situations.  I remember that from my "matrimonial years" in the legal office.  I hated that time.  It was five years of unmitigated misery. 

A bit of all of those I suspect.  I'm sure there are a myriad of reasons but from where I live I can see a clear link between poverty and weight. I know my comment above about uphill Lincoln was made slightly jokingly, but it's actually true - people are noticeably trimmer up the hill.  It probably has more to do with the fact that the houses are significantly more expensive in the cathedral quarter. 

I think the psychological element also includes comparison.  If your friends and family are quite big, then it becomes normal to be quite big too.  My ex's mum and sister are quite large and were perpetually telling me I was going to waste away, even when I went up to size 14 for a bit - I was just small by comparison.

Other comments about cheap food being the rubbish are absolutely true too - If you're trying to feed a family on benefits it's going to be tricky to resist a BOGOF on oven chips or chicken nuggets.  I think it's a vicious circle as well - once you start eating rubbish and taking no exercise you don't have the energy or motivation to do anything else.