The Western world lives in a strange abundance, and of course it shows

On sports holiday, I went to eastern Finland where I went cross-country skiing every day. At most 20, i.e. at least ten kilometers per day. Skiing is the best exercise imaginable, as it works the whole body.

When I returned home, it turned out that I had gained one and a half kilograms.

I wasn't surprised. Because that's what it is like when you're middle-aged – you can ski and exercise as much as you want, but if you're having a beer after a sauna every night like I did for six days, it shows. Plus cocoa with whipped cream after a ski trip, some wine with the meal, and some chips in the evening. Thanks to skiing alone, I have not gained at least a kilogram.

I do not regret my immorality for a single second. When I have a ski holiday, I want to enjoy myself. Unfortunately, the consequences are inevitable when a person is equipped with genes like the undersigned and is also slowly approaching fifty.

nothing The secret of why we gain weight. Or how we get down.

However, it is very annoying that it should be unfair. Why can't my body reward me after a hundred kilometers of skiing?

Because it is programmed to provide me with reserves. Women have subcutaneous fat, and evolution has already done its work on this point. My body carefully takes care of each cocoa with whipped cream. And so it is with this thing.

For three weeks After the sports break, I took a daily walk for an hour in the morning in Kiev. I eat until I'm full every day – fortunately Ukraine is full of delicious foods. Sauerkraut, buckwheat groats with mushrooms, beets, chicken liver, herring and potatoes. I skipped breakfast and avoided bread and pasta. Limit sweets and alcohol to no more than twice a week. He frequents the Pilates and ballet studio.

Result: In three weeks I lost two kilograms. A bit annoying, but that's how it works. Gaining weight is fast, losing weight takes time.

Gaining weight is fast, losing weight takes time.

Who is this Weight control is good for me. You do your best, but you indulge a little every now and then. Pragmatism. A life that revolves around what I can and can't eat doesn't interest me at all. I want to be able to have a glass of wine and order dessert when I feel like it.

But I understand that if I go to excess, I gain extra kilograms. I cannot somehow rely on this irrevocable rule to not apply specifically to me.

At this point, something has gone wrong in the discussion about the right to avoid being overweight. Doctors are accused of blaming their patients if they suggest that certain health problems are directly linked to obesity. At the end of last year The Swedish Medicines Agency appealed Doctors should stop prescribing Ozempic to obese patients. Prescriptions have left chronically ill diabetics without their medications.

Not everyone has the same thing Conditions for maintaining weight. Obviously, some people gain weight more easily than others. But the idea that advice on how to change one's lifestyle amounts to moralizing and assigning blame is puzzling. The entire Western world lives in a huge glut of food, especially ultra-processed foods, which is a burden on the climate and natural resources. Our sedentary lifestyle has led to an increasing number of children who cannot even do a somersault.

So shouldn't we think about that?

Public information and education work has been excellent in reducing tobacco smoking, for example. When it comes to obesity in particular, public education, on the other hand, amounts to moralizing.

I think we consider whistleblowers ethical because we know they are right.

Read more texts by Anna Lina Loren