Benefits Britain 100 Stone and on the Dole

[Music] britain has the highest level of obesity in western europe and it's estimated to be costing the country around 47 billion pounds a year you do have healthy stuff in the burger because they do put lettuce in it and tomorrow for some being overweight means a lifetime on benefits i am modernly obese physically i just can't work meet the 30 stone woman who's struggling with diabetes but her benefits diet is a major health hazard i'm just sort of doing everything that i can trying to eat healthily the wannabe model who's awake killer my doctor told me this time next year you're going to be dead the 31 stone agrophobic who's forcing himself out to work selling door-to-door davon the company for women sold by a man and the overweight house-bound man who takes his very outdoor hobby indoors [Music] between them they top the scales at over a hundred stone but can they ever lose weight with their benefits lifestyle i don't want my husband having to bury me you know because of my obesity [Music] it's estimated that one in four people in britain are obese unemployed 30 year old sarah lives in the market town of long sutton in lincolnshire with husband anthony and 10 year old son alfie are you jumping we've got bread milk tin and peas and sweet corn um alfie got himself a carrot cake sarah is five foot one and weighs 27 stone which is around 17 stone heavier than the average healthy weight for her height my doctor told me this time next year you're gonna be dead i ate because i was depressed i was bored and the only thing that was my comfort was food the doctor would like me to be a size 12 because that's what i should be for my ideal weight i think you should be the size that you want to be as long as you're comfortable and happy then you be what you want to be will be anthony hasn't worked for six years since he lost his job working in a fishing tackle shop i think life is easier on benefits but at the same time you're also restricted i'd rather be working than sat at home the family claimed nearly 27 000 pounds a year in benefits which includes disability benefits for alfie who suffers from autism right well we've got oh my god what is this excellent sarah is alpha's registered carer and so around three grand of their benefits is made up of her carers allowance today she and anthony are making a lasagna from scratch it's not something we have all the time but it's nice we haven't really eaten a great deal this week but because we got a bit of money today we thought bugger it we'll we'll have something nice and fill in sarah is keen to lose weight and claim she prefers home-cut food to ready meals and takeaways [Music] um basing stoke hampshire is home to unemployed 44 year old kathleen and husband james well at the moment i weigh probably about 198 kilograms which is roughly about 30 stone it is a lot of weight to carry around and it is frustrating kathleen's weight related health issues forced her to give up work five years ago and she now claims around 10 000 pounds in sickness and disability benefits a year i used to work as a school escort for hampshire county council but obviously as my health started deteriorating which affected everything in everyday life i'd love to go back to work but i just know that i can't do it kathleen was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 13 years ago it's a condition that can be caused by being severely overweight this is my little office where i keep all my medication i'm taking my morning tablets which as you can see is a little bit of a concoction has metformin glickenside iron antibiotics remote brazil blood pressure so there's quite a few in the morning there which i have to take kathleen also needs regular injections to regulate her blood sugar levels and then i have to do um 90 units of insulin it's due to the size and obviously health um and basically just keeping me alive [Music] because she's on benefits kathleen is exempt from paying for her prescription if i had to pay for prescriptions you'd be looking at like 1300 pounds probably a year i wouldn't be able to afford to do it so i would be really really poorly on it kathleen's unemployed son stephen lives in a hostel nearby today he's joining his mum and her husband james on a walk with their three border collies however kathleen struggles to exercise because of her weight hi that's such an effort my back is now hurting as i'm walking i can feel my breath going walking the dogs gets kathleen out and about but at 30 stone she struggles to get very far unaided oh that's better now i'm on this no more walking james works four days a week in a warehouse which kathleen says leaves her virtually housebound she wants to go places but can't because she's limited to where she can go and what she can do off you go come on every day is different i have more bad days than good days with james being back at work tomorrow there's no chance of me going out so my son will come up to keep me company for a few hours going uphill it's really hard on an uneven surface and bumpy road i'm worn out after half an hour a tired kathleen decides it's time to head home i said i'm back in my corner effort [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] brighton on the south east coast oh bloody let's get the out this hit in the van 49 year old brian was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 16 and ever since he's been putting on weight it's got worse as the years have progressed before i could walk i could do various different things i just can't do very much for myself due to his ms brian had no choice other than to give up his engineering career 18 years ago i was a electrical engineer working on old manual machinery i couldn't keep up with the workload the businesses wanted since then brian has been completely dependent on benefits he claims around twenty thousand pounds a year out of which he pays his rent and bills but says it's not enough i get approximately 378 pounds to live on that is supposed to last for two weeks and it rarely ever does you're lucky if it lasts two days he relies on a mobility scooter when he ventures outside i mean i'm on the third floor flat for christ's sake i should be on the ground level the fire never broke out i'd be buggered he shares his two-bedroom flat with his son who works full-time oh god i'm struggling to stand up right okay there's a seat behind me good [Laughter] the reason why i can't stand up is because my legs are got a very poor circulation i can fall over quite easily so that's why i have now decided to sit down brian's ms makes it almost impossible to exercise as a result he's piled on the pounds and now weighs around 21 stone the other problem is is actually burning the calories off so that i am of a stable weight i can't do it he also claims living a life on benefits makes it difficult to eat healthily the reason for the jelly belly right is because i am forced to eat certain foods within which are not good for me i can understand that a lot of you are saying why don't you eat these fat free diets um basically i can't afford to i can't afford to buy these fat free i can't afford it coming up sarah's hoping her surprising alter ego could get her off benefits for good i've been modelling for the last seven years i've got big ambitions and big goals that i want to do brian's benefit lifestyle is having an impact on his diet oh look at that oh crap and we meet 31 stone james who feels trapped in his home but is determined to get out just because you see a fat guy doesn't mean that i'm a lazy ass [Music] in britain it's estimated that by 2050 more than half the population will be obese back in lincolnshire 27 stone sarah dreams of getting off benefits by using her weight to her advantage i've been modelling for the last seven years i've lived every bit of it i've got big ambitions and big goals that i want to do as an amateur plus size model sarah is determined to build a career and a brand for herself this is my baby dream page it's basically just giving my fans an update of my everyday life she's created a portfolio for her alter ego baby jane this is a little bit of what i've done she currently has her own website where she uploads photos from amateur photo shoots she's done this one was my very first model shoot these ones are in my brow and knickers i love showing off my curves and i think my boobs do give me more attention modeling makes me feel good about myself it makes me feel sexy and just brings my personality out and i like the two sides of me i like the sarah and i like the baby jane but i enjoy baby chatting because she she's just so much fun sarah hopes one day to be hired as a plus size model who could be featured in clothing catalogs my husband anthony has always took my photos i would like to make some money from my modelling career at the moment i don't get anything for it sarah has been signed up with an agent but is still waiting for her big break until then anthony has set her up on a webcam chat room site where fans can pay to talk with her i basically sat here a little bit cleavage showing one guy says can you stand up and show your figure so i basically had to stand up and show my figure i didn't earn any money on my first night but hopefully we'll see where it goes not everyone has been supportive of sarah's career plans i've been called some harsh things but now if anyone says if it's me it's like look just get away from me i'm just gonna rip your head off despite the negativity anthony will always be her number one fan i'm very proud of sarah for what she does it's a bit of a an ego boost it can be when you know you've got guys saying how good looking your wife is and sarah is determined to follow her dreams i'm hoping my model career is going to take me to a point where i'm going to get up every day and feel like there's something exciting that's going to happen and not having to rely on the benefits all the time because not everybody likes being on benefits i certainly don't [Music] in suburban leicester i'm into the lego i like the big big collections big pieces liv's 35 year old james my little pride and joy it's something that i've been wanting for a long time cost me about 70 pounds and so got on the credit card james weighs around 31 stone and has been unemployed for nearly all of his adult life there's been occasions when i probably have been pre-judged for being on benefits and being the size i am i feel like i'm actually fitter than most massages just because you see a fat guy doesn't mean that i'm a lazy ass james shares his three-bedroom privately rented house with best mate kelly whose physical and mental health issues means she's also relying on benefits our neighbors when she first moved in the one of the first things they kept saying was oh he's killing your girlfriend nor are you going to get married i said nash we're just friends she's the sister i never had i don't have any family and kelly became it when she moved in james was sacked from his last job in a video shop at the age of 20 and says he hasn't been able to find work since i was on job seekers on and off for a long time and then we worked out that there wasn't that much of a financial change between job seeking and the carers allowance james became kelly's carer two years ago and receives carers allowance for looking after her it's about 250 quid a month it's enough for me to live off because i use my money to pay for half of the bills and then kelly uses her benefits to pay for the rest of the bills and the food shopping here we go having just made kelly her lunch at 31 stone james claims to be watching what he eats i've just not been feeling well so you know i'll probably might have something a bit later but i'm not one of those that eats for the sake of eating although you look at me and you probably think yeah right it's rather unusual that you're not rather than usual because it's usually me it's not eating yes true but uh you know struggle to get me to eat yes it is or struggle for you to decide what to eat in beijing stoke it's 9 a.m having a day in today can't be bothered to get dressed kathleen's son stephen has popped around for his regular visit i basically come up and i'll help with like housework general um day-to-day helping out with the house thank you at 30 stone kathleen struggles with the most basic tasks can you bring them plates out for me please stephen so i can wash them up but just try to do a bit around the house it can be hard work obviously if i was standing up my back would be really hurting me now and that's why i sit down i have my days where i feel really depressed and really down but i just keep going have a lot of support with family which is which is good kathleen's on 11 different types of medication because of her weight and diabetes drowsiness is a major side effect and she's already in need of a mid-morning nap all right i'm gonna have a little sleep now so he's worn out oh um stephen i need you to go into town for me to pick up prescription from the chemist and then um just sit and chill watch tv for the afternoon okay [Music] in brighton 21 stone brian struggles to get out of his third floor flat due to his multiple sclerosis his condition means he struggles to cook for himself out for lunch and i'm gonna go and get probably a burger and chips today he's off to his favorite local takeaway on the outside to eat a double regular and fries brian says he can't afford to eat out every day on his benefits but he does like the occasional treat i like it to be a good standard and uh edible as opposed to unedible so that's why i come here [Music] just wanted to get my license out of the package [Music] brian says he feels trapped in his third floor council flat going out for lunch affords him the opportunity to break up his day [Applause] oh look at that oh crap oh my god it's like heaven i feel my steven started salivating before i've eaten it oh absolutely gorgeous i have all of the burgers i have eaten over the years if i if it was marked out of 10 it would be 15 because it is absolutely the best [Music] [Applause] [Music] in lincolnshire so i'm really slow 27 stone sarah an unemployed husband anthony have lived in their privately rented home for just over a year this is the master bedroom this is our room there's no bed uh this is because sarah prefers to sleep on something solid i prefer sleep on two matches on the floor because it it helps my back and it's easy to get up because of her weight sarah has developed a condition called sleep apnea which causes her to stop breathing when she's asleep when she went for the the initial test she was told that she stopped breathing 79 times within an hour and the doctors were that concerned they pushed through her getting the machine because she's running the risk of sort of dying into sleep for the sake of her health sarah knows she needs to lose weight but until she does her oxygen machine is a potential lifesaver so i basically put that on my face at night that's how you switch it on and then obviously you get air coming out sarah's sleep apnea is also having an effect on anthony when i'm in a sleeping position i'm pretty much like this because i can be quite a fidget even thought of an option of buying two single beds just until i've lost my weight and kind of get off my machine because i've been so bad at nighttime that anthony doesn't actually sleep much you know it's got a lot better since she's had the machine but it's what you put up with when you really love somebody in it really coming up agrophobic james leaves the house for the first time in a week as long as i don't have my panic attacks i'm okay sarah faces losing her life-saving breathing apparatus i can't be without my machine i need it to keep me alive really and 30-stone kathleen is struggling to change her bad food habits diet stuff sometimes the sugar content is a lot higher than the normal stuff it's just a no-win situation [Music] it's lunchtime in beijing stoke and kathleen has got up from her morning nap [Music] with husband james at work son stephen is keeping her company stephen's gonna get my lunch in a minute and check my blood sugars and i might watch a bit of tv just chill out generally for the afternoon in it like his mum stephen is dependent on benefits and also has problems with his weight the last time i got weighed by the doctor i was 22 stone and he said i could do with losing some weight because i tend to have like takeouts pretty much every other night so last night it was like 25 pounds for two large pizzas garlic bread potato wedgies cookies and a bottle of drink but that was for three of us but i didn't eat the large pizza which to myself well it would be cheaper if we went to the supermarket and bought pizza instead of keep buying out but it doesn't taste the same no but it's a lot cheaper i think a lot of these youngsters do waste money to be honest because they're just lazy can't be bothered can you yeah to cook right would you like to go make me some lunch please i don't know what's in the fridge i think there's ham in there although kathleen is happy with just a ham sandwich for lunch steven is tempting her with a porky treat you like a couple of sausage rolls mom just one place kathleen claims she's trying to lose weight in order to improve her health just sort of doing everything that i can trying to eat healthily you go around shopping and look at all the sugar contents on certain things and diet stuff sometimes the sugar content is a lot higher than the normal stuff it's just a no-win situation would you like a packet of crisps there you go mum thank you don't forget my tablet yeah with james at work kathleen won't be leaving the house today can't really go out because i'd struggle um obviously james makes me go out if the car's there just going for a ride just just getting fresh air plus it gets really cold at night as well now so i'd rather stay in [Music] in brighton it's dinner time my son cooked some dinner last night and there's enough for a dinner for today brian's ms and 21 stone weight means he struggles to move around his flat and it's almost impossible to cook himself dinner oh now i'm going to go into the kitchen and hopefully not fall over brian struggles to stand unaided just do that so i've got something to sit whilst on here because otherwise it's awkward when his son goes to work he cooks for brian today's pre-prepared meal is a chili con carne two minutes right and just wait for that to cook having only been on his feet for a matter of minutes brian is struggling with the pain there's a pressure building up in my lower spine as you can see i'm holding on to just about everything to manipulate so i can get back to this uh i nearly forgot my fork this can be quite tasky just to do a simple thing like put a dinner in a microwave to heat up again probably by the time i get to the chair and sit down and eat it it's bloody cold oh dear anyway bon appetit not bad with his ms getting worse brian isn't confident he will ever lose his excess weight not only a problem with trying to do any kind of exercise there's also the diet as well within which i cannot modify so what am i supposed to do [Music] in lincolnshire hello good morning sarah's doctors have told her that she's morbidly obese and at around 17 stone overweight it's putting her life at risk i got real bad to me today i've been up all night chronic stomach ache i don't know why sarah suffers from sleep apnea which means she's at risk of stopping breathing in the night the only way it will improve is if she slims down it's really important that i lose weight i'm not getting any younger i don't want my husband having to bury me you know because of my obesity and because i don't want to die of being big sarah relies on an oxygen machine to help her breathe at night right i'll see you later her local hospital have been in touch and they've asked sarah to give her machine back in a rush today sarah's offer an appointment at her doctors i missed a couple of hospital appointments because my letters were like going to my old house and i wasn't actually receiving them i can't be without my machine you know i can't generally sleep without it and i need it to keep me alive really sarah wants her doctor to contact the hospital to let them know she's still dependent on her machine and uses it every night [Music] appointment over it's the good news she was hoping for it went okay my sleep apnea machine i can keep it it's just misunderstanding they had the wrong address definitely worth the trip coming down i'll be able to sleep well and not now have to worry about whether they're going to take it or not so yeah it's all good in leicester james has been struggling with his weight for most of his life he also suffers from agrophobia meaning he rarely leaves the house he shares with best mate kelly to supplement his eight grand a year benefits he has a part-time door-to-door sales job he can do this without leaving the estate it's avonday i've had a few customers orders for this for this month so uh i'm going to see what i've got uh so the company for women sold by a man somebody ordered shoes after double check that order from what i can tell they look nice delivering the goods gets james out of the house for the first time in days i don't always make money from it unfortunately but sometimes i do and sometimes i don't even notice that i do yeah well packed off minutes ago see that kill see it's only just literally around the block you know it gets me out of the house and as long as i don't have my panic attacks i'm okay and i'll just try not to think about it if i can just post it through honestly i haven't ventured out this state fully in well over a year because because of the anxieties it's it's it's like it's a psychological thing it's all in the head it's ridiculous to think this is the first time i've actually been out the house in over a week and the fathers have been away from the housing over a week [Applause] just 15 minutes later and james has finished all his deliveries well the plan now is back to doing what i normally do during the day is you know uh uh internet browse watch tv and help out kellyanne with whatever she needs to do next [Music] back in brighton brian says his health has meant he hasn't been able to work in the last 18 years [Music] if i could still work i would but i can't i know i can't even leaving his third floor flat is a struggle all i seem to do is sit here 24 7 in prisons in my own home because i can't do anything else but brian has taken up an unusual hobby one that normally requires a lot of open space archery is a sport which i do tend to enjoy because it gives me a sense of freedom everybody has to have a hobby and my hobby just happens to be this he saved up his benefits to get himself out with three bows two crossbows and a load of arrows i bought them online and paid a very reasonable price for them brian's not letting the lack of space stop him from practicing his hobby i've set up a small target in the home so i can do something [Music] this is a another little toy that i have i enjoy it and relaxes me it's something i can do on my own without any interference from anyone and basically have fun it does help if you have the safety off there we go that's all the hits i've done over the past couple of months [Music] coming up with money tight sarah and anthony look to increase their benefits claim i don't work because i am morbidly obese physically i just can't work and ms suffer brian struggles to see a life of benefits it just makes me feel sick that i've had no choice but to claim state benefits [Music] back in lincolnshire it's benefits day and sarah is packing away two weeks of frozen food shopping anthony does this be nice to have some food in the house oh why'd you have to land on my head come here no not my head because if you poop on me they're not gonna be happy even though she's desperate to lose weight she finds it hard to stick to a healthy diet it's spent in total 54 pound 42 bargain wise got these four chicken pies for like one pound fifty also um we buy these which is pretty much enough for myself and anthony i know that probably some of this stuff isn't good for me that i don't eat it every day i just have to get what i can and just put up with what i have with sarah's modelling not yet bringing in any cash dyslexic oh yeah that's all right that is that up she's decided to apply for more state help to top up the family's 27 000 pounds a year benefits by the time you rack everything up it's gone she's applying for personal independence payments which are designed to cover the extra costs caused by long-term ill health or a disability we were suggested to apply for it due to the ever increasing amount of health issues that sarah has if we get awarded pip it'll be an additional benefit on top of what we already get it's not an easy form to fill out i mean it's got 40 pages so it's a lot with son alfie to care for and her weight issues sarah says it's impossible to go out and find a regular job a lot of people just think people are on benefits because they're lazy and they can't be bothered i don't work because i am morbidly obese physically i just can't work i personally don't think that i am morbidly obese you know and because there is bigger people than me sarah's made a start on filling out the application form my feet get very swollen how do you smell swollen but has decided the rest can wait till another day i'm gonna finish off this off a little bit later so i'm just gonna have a break for now so i'll do that bit later [Music] over in beijing stoke tonight kathleen has left husband james in charge of dinner dinner james is off out to get their takeaway tea she hasn't really had the confidence to cook a meal for herself and so when i come in from work at six o'clock it is a relief probably for her so she knows she's getting a meal in her good evening can i have um a medium cheese feast meal please and could also have another festive cheese face meal i have that large though please can also have a double cheeseburger as well please thank you very much bye-bye yeah that was a total of 14.47 dinner is served as i say actually i better do my blood sugars before i have that i would as a type 2 diabetic kathleen has to keep an eye on her blood sugar levels by 8.6 so that's not too bad oh dear it's nice to sit down get on my feet all day if my sugars are high um and i eat this then it makes me really thirsty and i do actually feel quite sick but when it's sort of in a normal range which is good for me it's fine so i can kind of get away with it remind you you do have healthy stuff in the burger because they do put lettuce in it and tomato we probably eat the same but i can manage to burn it off quicker it's a shame really because you enjoy your food don't you well you used to yeah enough of her wow i think i might go upstairs we'll go have my bath and then have a lay down because my head is banging all right okay [Music] in leicester 31 stone james hasn't left his housing estate in over six months what keeps me in the house at the moment is i have anxiety-based ibs james says he can't go to the supermarket so he and housemate kelly get their groceries delivered i do all my shopping online because i can't go out to places [Music] today's food delivery should last them two weeks james likes to buy in bulk to save money if you see plenty of the same thing that's because it's it's easier and sometimes more economical really well we're after a big tin of uh quality street instead we've got two boxes of roses yum so beneficial really oh god my back now that i've got the next task of putting everything away which i love you love you love seeing me struggle with is what you i know i do after 15 years on benefits james is used to budgeting carefully this particular shop cost us about 200 quid and usually our shopping is about 110 but because we like got an extra week's worth cost a little bit more there's a few treats here and there cookies [Music] and packets of crisps and stuff like that that tends to be our lunch sometimes if i'm not having my fish finger sandwiches or whatever it's a couple of crisps and a drink i'm sure as you've probably seen by the size of me it's also it's also expensive to eat healthily as well so you know we just we just get what we get to live buys with their food shopping finally all packed away james says the rest of the afternoon to himself i would probably be watching the tv while i'm watching while i'm having me lunch or checking facebook and stuff like that while james says he can't leave the house due to his anxieties [Music] for brian getting out of his flat is more of a physical challenge but today he's determined to get out i don't think i need my glasses right away we go however getting out the front door is a struggle at the moment i find it an extreme difficulty to do that fortunately the council are coming they're changing this door and they're putting an electric opener on the front door just waiting for them to do that when brian needs some fresh air he heads to his local park yeah my uh place of peace is up there it's out of the way just having a bit of time for myself oh morehead quite unusual bird to be in here normally i would come in the summer just like this the scent and the smells and uh there's normally quite a lot of wildlife here but as you can see we've got our friendly neighborhood vagrant brian's ms means there's little prospect of him ever coming off benefits it just makes me feel sick that i've had no choice but to claim state benefits if i could work i would but a man of my age now has got very little hope of getting any sort of employment especially with my condition there's nothing i can do i'm gonna make my way home because it is getting bloody cold [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] you can let out your home but do you really know who you're letting in nightmare telling slum landlords is back for a new series starting next they're half the size but double the trouble and they're watching onto five star stage next catch brand new baby ballroom [Music]

Channel: Galactic Defender

Views: 1,585,361

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Id: mAp1SxzM7vc

Length: 45min 13sec (2713 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 26 2022