I couldn't help but comment on this story today:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7047244.stm
Are headlines like this what's wrong with Britain today? Admittedly in the article they seem to look at it the other way that the government could be doing more to reduce fatty foods which may be a good point. So the headline maybe doesn't reflect the report very well.
Telling people that their weight problems are "not their fault" is a very dangerous statement. Anyone in Britain today can control their weight through exercise and cutting out ready made meals its just a lot of people are too lazy to do this. I know many people who tend to put on weight very fast that have such a successful exercise programme that they don't need to worry about what they eat. I think people need to be told more firmly if you don't want to die or have serious problems with your health then they will need to seriously listen to what their doctor is saying about diet and exercise.
Obesity
Moderators: [nope] cartel, team nopesport
43 posts
• Page 1 of 3 • 1, 2, 3
Re: Obesity
I used to think obese people should be shot but now it wouldnt work as there would be nobody left to operate the country.
-
pyrat - [nope] cartel
- Posts: 2556
- Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2003 12:02 am
Re: Obesity
Currently on holiday in Sardinia - only able to take holiday during term time after completing my contract as a researcher on Gateshead Millennium Study, looking at food, activity and obesity in children born 1999 / 2000 and their families. For me an interesting byproduct of the study was introducing 2 colleagues, women aged late 20s and late 40s, plus their respective fiance / husband to orienteering. One couple enjoyed it so much, they returned the follwoing weekend to another race - but woman returned saying she was going to get lost without her husband in the future! My personnal opinion is that children are not allowed enough freedom to go out and enjoy themselves actively, as my sister & I were (born 1967 & 1965), with other neighbouring children, some older, some younger - as our mum said, her mum didn't know where she or her 3 younger brothers (born 1939 to 1947) were most of the time, although she thought she did, and so she (our mum) thought we should be the same. I don't have any children of my own, but lodged with a single mother and her 4 year old daughter in Tynemouth - the daughter regularly played in the garden / pavement / house next door with neighbours children a few years older. I think that mixed age groups of children are good places to be children. All these opinions are personal!
- Copepod
- green
- Posts: 304
- Joined: Wed May 19, 2004 7:36 pm
- Location: Leeds, England, UK
Re: Obesity
Meat Market wrote:Are headlines like this what's wrong with Britain today?
Yes, in the sense that it's a lazy stupid journalistic misrepresentation of the conclusions of a sensible study.
Obesity is a massive (sorry) problem which costs us all - the question is should it be left to us as individuals to make the "correct" choices (= "let the market decide"), or should the state intervene (through legislation, taxation etc) on our behalf, as it is doing with smoking?
I particularly like the recommendation to "make towns more physically demanding" - although i'm not quite sure what this means: replacing pavements with deep sticky mud? releasing packs of wolves to hunt down the slow and weak?
I would also like to see:
a ban on all oversize clothing
very narrow doors fitted to all food shops
airplane baggage allowances calculated to reflect body weight
-
greywolf - addict
- Posts: 1416
- Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2007 12:45 pm
- Location: far far away
Re: Obesity
i'm incl;ined to agree with Copepod - street play could be the panacea as regards kids. we have been very fortunate in that regard - rural cul-de-sac leading straight onto Malvern hills, 6 houses. astonishingly 13 children only one of which is not allowed "out to play" - and guess what - he's the only one who is fat! sometimes it's been impossible to drive down the road for abandoned bikes and football goals.
while they are out playing they are not only exercising but are unlikely to be eating.
Had to go to hospital yesterday it was absolutely full of fat people
Greywold said
Went walking in the Peak District at weekend - some of those stone stiles are a bit tight - and I'm not exactly a large person - what do the fat people do? (don't go walking in the Peak District I suspect)
while they are out playing they are not only exercising but are unlikely to be eating.
Had to go to hospital yesterday it was absolutely full of fat people
Greywold said
Now you're talking.airplane baggage allowances calculated to reflect body weight
Went walking in the Peak District at weekend - some of those stone stiles are a bit tight - and I'm not exactly a large person - what do the fat people do? (don't go walking in the Peak District I suspect)
-
Mrs H - god
- Posts: 2971
- Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 3:30 pm
Re: Obesity
Personally I think obesity should be treated just like smoking, on the basis that it causes great harm to individuals and costs the country billions. The trouble is that it took decades to do anything about smoking, even after most of the planet accepted that it was a major killer. The smoking industry remains a very powerful lobbyist, and has simply moved into the third world where it can carry on killing millions of people without nasty regulations getting in the way (go on sue me!!). There are still people out there who deny the link between smoking and several nasty deaths, just as some don't see obesity as a problem. But then there are also people who deny the holocaust and believe in creationism, so we'll just treat them with the contempt they deserve and move on.
The food industry is even more powerful, especially elements like sugar producers, but governments must tackle them head on. They should be taxed to the hilt, so that families can't live purely on junk like they can now. There should be more proactive initiatives like the Ian Wright one last year with fat kids. It is hard work at first, but early all the kids will benefit in so many different ways, not just weight loss. And any money spent at the front end on these sorts of programmes will be saved umpteen fold in the long term.
No doubt the media will whip up hysteria about infringing civil liberties, political correctness, the nanny state and an individuals right to manage their own lives. But I don't see why an individual should have the right to cost the rest of us billions in extra taxes because they can't be bothered to eat sensibly or do some exercise. And yes I know that opens the floodgates for arguments about alcohol, driving, and wearing loud shirts in a built up area after dark!
The food industry is even more powerful, especially elements like sugar producers, but governments must tackle them head on. They should be taxed to the hilt, so that families can't live purely on junk like they can now. There should be more proactive initiatives like the Ian Wright one last year with fat kids. It is hard work at first, but early all the kids will benefit in so many different ways, not just weight loss. And any money spent at the front end on these sorts of programmes will be saved umpteen fold in the long term.
No doubt the media will whip up hysteria about infringing civil liberties, political correctness, the nanny state and an individuals right to manage their own lives. But I don't see why an individual should have the right to cost the rest of us billions in extra taxes because they can't be bothered to eat sensibly or do some exercise. And yes I know that opens the floodgates for arguments about alcohol, driving, and wearing loud shirts in a built up area after dark!
http://www.mysportstream.com Share Your Passion
-
johnloguk - green
- Posts: 382
- Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2005 11:23 pm
Re: Obesity
johnloguk wrote:But I don't see why an individual should have the right to cost the rest of us billions in extra taxes because they can't be bothered to eat sensibly or do some exercise.
Somehow I don't see an individual costing anybody 'billions'..........
Go orienteering in Lithuania......... best in the world:)
Real Name - Gross
http://www.scottishotours.info
Real Name - Gross
http://www.scottishotours.info
-
Gross - god
- Posts: 2693
- Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 11:13 am
- Location: Heading back to Scotland
Re: Obesity
I think you know what I meant, I should have put down my egg custard while I was typing
http://www.mysportstream.com Share Your Passion
-
johnloguk - green
- Posts: 382
- Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2005 11:23 pm
Re: Obesity
Mrs H wrote:Went walking in the Peak District at weekend - some of those stone stiles are a bit tight - and I'm not exactly a large person - what do the fat people do? (don't go walking in the Peak District I suspect)
Yes they are tight, can't get my thighs through some of them! Fortunately I am fit enough to climb over the walls though.
greywolf wrote:airplane baggage allowances calculated to reflect body weight
On a serious note, (but changing the subject completely) yes they should, but the opposite way to you are suggesting. Bigger clothes weigh more! Size 12 ski boots for example weigh about 3kg each
Back to the subject. I am absolutely fed up of the all this banging on about obseity and talking about cutting out that midday snack, fatty foods blah blah. Very few times do you hear the word exercise mentioned. Of course the other problem is most people's idea of exercise is driving to a place where they do 10 mins on a rower then sit in the sauna.
-
FatBoy - addict
- Posts: 1042
- Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 1:46 pm
Re: Obesity
FatBoy wrote: can't get my thighs through some of them!
Thighs They come up past my bum
On the other hand my Size 12 ski suit weighs next to nothing
-
Mrs H - god
- Posts: 2971
- Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 3:30 pm
Re: Obesity
I hate to say it, but in my experience, parental ignorance play a large part in childhood obesity.
The mother of the last 20 stone 12 year old referred to me from an "exclusive" part of my patch thought she was doing the right thing by letting him have a chicken kebeb burger every night for supper because it was grilled. And she drove him the half mile to school every morning because otherwise he'd be late.
She's pretty typical. Parents
The mother of the last 20 stone 12 year old referred to me from an "exclusive" part of my patch thought she was doing the right thing by letting him have a chicken kebeb burger every night for supper because it was grilled. And she drove him the half mile to school every morning because otherwise he'd be late.
She's pretty typical. Parents
Make the most of life - you're a long time dead.
-
Stodgetta - brown
- Posts: 569
- Joined: Fri May 07, 2004 2:55 pm
- Location: north of brum, south of manchester
Re: Obesity
greywolf wrote:I particularly like the recommendation to "make towns more physically demanding" - although i'm not quite sure what this means: replacing pavements with deep sticky mud? releasing packs of wolves to hunt down the slow and weak?
I've long advocated getting rid of escalators in tube stations - should put an end to obesity in London pretty quickly...
Now I just have to try not to feel too guilty about the kebab I'm about to have for tea.
British Orienteering Director | Opinions expressed on here are entirely my own, and do not represent the views of British Orienteering.
"If only you were younger and better..."
"If only you were younger and better..."
-
Scott - god
- Posts: 2383
- Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2007 4:43 am
- Location: in the queue for the ice-cream van
Re: Obesity
well thought out scott. perhaps if you become mayor of london, then you can get rid of all the escalators, so that when you are 80yrs old and frail you can't use the underground because you can't handle the 100+ steps down to the tube station platform when you have all your shopping bags to carry. yup, genius.
-
bendover - addict
- Posts: 1459
- Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2003 5:00 am
- Location: London
Re: Obesity
using Gross' terminology, the latest "findings" can only be described as b******s. Obesity 'not individuals' fault' - yeah right. Like they're told to eat the wrong things and do no exercise. The school run alone accounts for 10%+ of car journeys between 8.30 and 9am - most of which are <1 mile and easily walkable. Get them to walk! I can't understand how the parents allow this to happen, it's not like they were driven to school as kids...
-
distracted - addict
- Posts: 1194
- Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2004 12:15 am
Re: Obesity
distracted wrote: Get them to walk! I can't understand how the parents allow this to happen, it's not like they were driven to school as kids...
They're afraid they might get run over by a 4x4 full of school kids
- Gnitworp
- addict
- Posts: 1093
- Joined: Wed Mar 22, 2006 1:20 am
43 posts
• Page 1 of 3 • 1, 2, 3
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests