Meet the Chawner family….
From left to right: daughter Samantha (age 21, weighs 18 stone), mum Audrey (age 57, weighs 24 stone), dad Philip (age 53, weighs 24 stone), and daughter Emma (age 19, weighs 17 stone).
This is the British family who say they’re “too fat to work.”
But, that’s not the only claim they make. They also say the £22,508 they receive each year in benefits is not enough for them to live on.
I’d love to hear from you guys on this one…do you empathise? Or, does this just make you angry?
Apparently the Chawners haven’t worked in 11 years, stating their weight problem is a hereditary condition preventing them from being a normal weight.
Here’s what Mr Chawner said:
“What we get barely covers the bills and puts food on the table. It’s not our fault we can’t work. We deserve more.”
Normally I have every sympathy for those struggling with their weight, but I do find this defeatist kind of attitude annoying.
If I stop and think about it, I’m pretty sure I could come up with a whole host of things that I deserve, but I won’t get them, unless I get up off my behind and help myself first.
It’s reported that the daughters struggle to find work, feeling they are frequently turned down because of their size. This really is a sickening thought, and in this day of so-called ‘equal rights,’ it definitely shouldn’t be so.
Regardless, rolling over and admitting defeat is not the answer.
In fact, I’ve seen many overweight, nay even obese, individuals working in shops, as door welcomers, or driving taxis, to name but a few.
The youngest daughter, Emma, is apparently training to be a hairdresser, and this is extremely commendable. My only hope is that she can get out of the destructive cycle the rest of her family have fallen into.
But, she is reported to have said:
“I’m a student and don’t have time to exercise.”
For me, that sends alarm bells ringing! Many of us were students too, and we also managed to study, hold down part time jobs, have fun, and exercise into the bargain.
So, what exactly are the Chawner’s eating?
The family spend around £50 (???) a week on food, and chow down a whopping 3,000 calories each a day. This is well above the recommended maximum intake of 2,000 for women, and 2,500 for men.
Daily meals are made up of:
- Cereal for breakfast
- Bacon butties for lunch
- Microwave pies with mashed potato or chips for dinner
It appears there’s not a green veggie in sight (but perhaps this isn’t representative of every day??) Regardless, it’s definitely not a recipe for weight loss.
Isn’t it obvious that eating this stuff on a regular basis will lead to excessive weight gain and health problems? Never mind blaming it on a hereditary family condition.
Audrey Chawner goes on to say:
“All that healthy food, like fruit and veg, is too expensive. We’re fat because it’s in our genes. Our whole family is overweight.”
I’m sick of hearing people say that healthy food is so expensive! If you really stop and look around your supermarket you can find cheap healthy food that won’t break the bank.
Here are two examples…
Instead of bacon butties, lunch could be homemade lentil soup with wholegrain bread rolls:
- 500g red split lentils £0.88
- 1kg of Tesco value carrots £0.79
- 3 pack of onions £0.76
- 8 pack of crusty granary rolls, special offer £1.00
Total cost £3.43
And, rather than pie and chips for dinner they could have a hearty meal of bolognese with rice and stir-fried veg:
- 1kg easy cook brown rice £1.34
- 500g turkey mince £1.78
- 400g Tesco value kidney beans £0.14
- 400g Tesco value tinned tomatoes £0.33
- 610g Tesco family stir-fry pack £1.50
Total cost £5.09
Can anyone reading this say these examples are too expensive for a family of four adults?
It really makes me sick and very sad, to think that people feel there’s no way out for them. It’s as if they’re somehow destined to be overweight, which is simply not the case.
What are your thoughts? What can we do to fix this type of thinking?
If you believe healthy food is too expensive, here are a few tips on low cost eating:
- Cheap healthy snacks for under one dollar
- Tips to reduce waste and save money
- 30+ ways to recession proof your family budget
- 25 meals with 5 ingredients or less
To transform the lifestyles of a diet-obsessed world by teaching people how to eat healthy and make healthy eating a habit for life.
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“The family spend around £50 a week on food”
Are you sure this is right? Or is it £50 each/week?
Whatever the case, this post is simply a further sign of the crumbling morals of the UK. If our socialist government would wise up, then men like Mr. Chawner would have to work!
This is worth reading — healthy (or at least not junky) eating on a dollar a day. It IS possible:
http://lessisenough.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/a-few-lessons/
Hey Armen,
I think it’s simply a gross underestimation on their part as to how much they spend on food.
I agree that our government doesn’t help situations like this. The benefits you can get in this country are more than enough to live on, and if you’re that way inclined, it certainly doesn’t inspire you to go out and work hard for your living.
The simple fact is that working for your living can actually improve your quality of life, it also gives more opportunities to move around and get exercise, and socially it helps you to make friends and mix with people. All round it’s a win win situation.
Bowl of Plenty,
Thank you for linking to this post, it’s really a useful read – I’m thinking now I may write further on this subject too.
Wow! It’s amazing what excuses people come up with to not lose weight. Excuses are “rationalizations” that they probably kept telling themselves all these years! Obesity is not a disease – it’s not even contagious (in the proper sense of the word).
On the other hand, I also see people everyday who go through some amazing transformations from fat to fit.
This just goes to say that the mind is a powerful thing. We can tell it what we want to it to believe.
Thanks for posting this. I hope that it will be eye opener to some people.
fitness-siren’s last blog post..My Second Turbulence Training Transformation Results
Hey Fitness-siren,
I totally agree, the mind is so powerful. I really wish people could realise the potential they have to change their lives if they could only change their mind-set.
well, what they spend on food is about what me, my husband and our son spend on food in a week,so that’s the biggest underestimate ive ever seen. That is also the worst excuse for why they don’t WANT to work. My husband is handicap and insists on working (even if he walks with a cain and a limb) AND microwave pies for dinner??? they cost more then a 3 course homemade meal would!! 1 never fills you up there to processed with things that make you obese and hungry. UGH! what has our world come to….. that family needs serious help.
In my view any student can exercise easily. Simple things like when using public transport get off one stop early and walk the rest. (Or run it…) use the stairs in stead of the elevator whenever possible. (4 stories? better hurry) Perhaps even walk all the way or go by bike.
Almost every weight issue can be solved by a change of mind and a radical drop in calorie intake. Go to something like 1500 calories a day and stay there till your body has used it’s reserves.
This does take a lot of discipline though and should be done under supervision but still… It’s all a mind game.
ChristiaanH’s last blog post..The three essentials of an uphill struggle
Hi Jenny,
Yes, you are echoing my frustrations there in your comment!! Very disturbing to read the excuses they make about not working, and it annoys me that their bad attitude has now passed onto their daughters – so on goes this cycle.
Hi ChristiaanH,
I totally agree, it’s all about the mind set. Without changing that you can forget about being successful in losing weight long-term.
WOW! While the look to be overweight (or obese) as a “Yank” I had to look up the equivalency for a stone (about 14 pounds or 6.35 kilograms). Therefore, these family members weigh about 250, 340, 340, and 240 pounds, respectively. They are obviously well overweight but I have worked with people that look (and probably are) much heavier and it did not prevent them from making a living.
While it is commendably that Emma is learning a trade, every hairdresser I have every know complains about being on their feet all day, which probably makes this a poor choice of a profession for someone with her “disability.”
An understanding that decisions have consequences and lessons in rational decision making are probably what this family could use the most. Life is full of challenges and the rewards only come from meeting and working through these challenges.
Doug’s last blog post..Open letter to Governor Schwarzenegger
Hey Doug,
You know you’re absolutely right! We could go to this family with the latest weight loss plan and try to help them that way, but it would do very little help. As we said in one of the previous comments, it’s all about the mind-set..that needs to change first and foremost!
It’s just very sad though.
This is disturbing on so many levels!!
Lara (Thinspired)’s last blog post..Running with Randomness