Fighting Obesity - Thoughts?
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We all know obesity is killing millions of people and in far greater numbers than Covid, yet the Govt response is drastically different.
Do we really have control over our waistline or is big business nudging us to overeat without us even realising it.
Should chocolate bars be at the checkouts of every store you enter, should Coke be cheaper than water. Should companies be able to use cute characters, toys, cartoons etc to lure kids into eating sugary foods. Should fresh fruit and veg be cheaper than what it is.
Are there too many companies who benefit directly from obesity, drug companies, food industry, private healthcare etc etc
Is there any consensus on what causes obesity, is it genes, is it purely diet, lack of exercise?
I am overweight, I know the risks, yet I struggle to get my weight down. I am responsible for what goes in my mouth, yet I struggle to stop myself eating something I know leads to obesity. Clearly my brain is playing tricks on me as I wouldn't intentionally harm myself, yet long term that is exactly what I am doing.
Should Govt take more responsibility in creating policies to tackle obesity or can we really reverse it by trying to educate people about their choices?
Thoughts?
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Personal responsibility.
Every year citizens should be rounded up, waist measured and sent to fat camp.
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@antipodean I accept we have the responsibility but when I think of smoking that is also a personal responsibility yet the Govt clearly takes a lot of action to prevent or stop smoking.
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@chimoaus said in Fighting Obesity - Thoughts?:
We all know obesity is killing millions of people and in far greater numbers than Covid, yet the Govt response is drastically different.
Do we really have control over our waistline or is big business nudging us to overeat without us even realising it.
Should chocolate bars be at the checkouts of every store you enter, should Coke be cheaper than water. Should companies be able to use cute characters, toys, cartoons etc to lure kids into eating sugary foods. Should fresh fruit and veg be cheaper than what it is.
Are there too many companies who benefit directly from obesity, drug companies, food industry, private healthcare etc etc
Is there any consensus on what causes obesity, is it genes, is it purely diet, lack of exercise?
I am overweight, I know the risks, yet I struggle to get my weight down. I am responsible for what goes in my mouth, yet I struggle to stop myself eating something I know leads to obesity. Clearly my brain is playing tricks on me as I wouldn't intentionally harm myself, yet long term that is exactly what I am doing.
Should Govt take more responsibility in creating policies to tackle obesity or can we really reverse it by trying to educate people about their choices?
Thoughts?
Exercise more and eat less you fat fluffybunny.
Seriously, it’s far less simple than that overall. Issuing food stamps for ferals on benefits rather than money would be a start so they don’t blow it all on codys and smokes and can afford to give the family something other than white bread for dinner would be a start.
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Seriously there appears to be a real lack of understanding about calorie density in food these days. When wealthy people are generally thinner because they eat better, or have more time to prepare good quality food, more susceptible to peer pressure to put down the fork...
It simply comes to abundance. We produce "food" on unimaginable scale these days and it's cheap, plentiful and designed to keep you hungry. Look at photos of people back in the 80s they were still thin.
Now I look longingly at every food item I'd love to eat but deny myself knowing full well at my age I can't indulge anymore. Fuck knows how kids these days are obese. Don't parents care?
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shitty food is cheaper, so people on limited incomes will always go for it over the healthy options.
Fizzy drinks are cheap AF, especially the own brand full sugar shit...sure tap water is cheap, but depending where you are, it can taste terrible.
I am in the remove GST from fruit/vege/bottled water/fresh meat camp.
Even putting a 'sugar tax' on some of the cheap shit you can buy isnt going to stop people buying it either.
Personal responsibility is a huge part, but education and having healthier options being a bit better priced woudl help too.
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@antipodean said in Fighting Obesity - Thoughts?:
Seriously there appears to be a real lack of understanding about calorie density in food these days. When wealthy people are generally thinner because they eat better, or have more time to prepare good quality food, more susceptible to peer pressure to put down the fork...
It simply comes to abundance. We produce "food" on unimaginable scale these days and it's cheap, plentiful and designed to keep you hungry. Look at photos of people back in the 80s they were still thin.
Now I look longingly at every food item I'd love to eat but deny myself knowing full well at my age I can't indulge anymore. Fuck knows how kids these days are obese. Don't parents care?
My boys eat pretty much identically overall but the youngest is prone to be a bit chunkier than his bro. Genetics do play a part for sure.....but there is a limit. Personal responsibility is the biggest part of it
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@antipodean Agreed, however there are still plenty of obese wealthy people. Have you ever been on a cruise ship? Those are the definition of gluttony.
Yep, obese children are very upsetting to see yet it is bloody common.
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people aren't fucking vain enough, that's the problem
look in the mirror, and keep it real. then do something about it.
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@taniwharugby said in Fighting Obesity - Thoughts?:
Personal responsibility is a huge part, but education and having healthier options being a bit better priced woudl help too.
Totally agree, when I was in the Cops we had a lot of overweight Police, on nightshift you would often get pizza, maccas etc as it was quick and cheap. We had a nutritionist come and talk to us paid for by the force.
Whilst she was talking to us, I said have you seen all the vending machines in the station? Not a single healthy option in the place, full of chocolate, chips and crap. I made the suggestion that the Force needed to provide healthy options that were quick and always available so staff could go into the lunchroom and have a choice. Yes, we could prepare our own meals but during a 12 hour night shift you eat whatever is easiest. And when Maccas is open 24 hours and they give you 50% off everything, that was the default choice.
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@mariner4life said in Fighting Obesity - Thoughts?:
people aren't fucking vain enough, that's the problem
look in the mirror, and keep it real. then do something about it.
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@chimoaus said in Fighting Obesity - Thoughts?:
@taniwharugby said in Fighting Obesity - Thoughts?:
Personal responsibility is a huge part, but education and having healthier options being a bit better priced woudl help too.
Totally agree, when I was in the Cops we had a lot of overweight Police, on nightshift you would often get pizza, maccas etc as it was quick and cheap. We had a nutritionist come and talk to us paid for by the force.
Whilst she was talking to us, I said have you seen all the vending machines in the station? Not a single healthy option in the place, full of chocolate, chips and crap. I made the suggestion that the Force needed to provide healthy options that were quick and always available so staff could go into the lunchroom and have a choice. Yes, we could prepare our own meals but during a 12 hour night shift you eat whatever is easiest. And when Maccas is open 24 hours and they give you 50% off everything, that was the default choice.
At least Police are doing physical things more often than not. When I joined communications they warned everyone that ‘comms arse’ was inevitable....and in most cases it was. Shift work, inactivity, bad sleep and binge eating shit food ( as I mentioned on another thread sausage rolls were a particular favourite ) are a terrible combo
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As many of you know I live in Japan, and one of the key things here is the involvement of workplaces with the health of their workers.
This comes from the old lifetime career system, which has many problems, but one good point is that it is in companies' interest to keep their workers healthy. We have a health check every year, and as you get older and become at greater risk of different things (e.g., prostate cancer) new tests get added to your health check (e.g., PSA test). As a result, most everyone makes some effort to stay in reasonable enough shape - it is set up so that if you have problems, you have more shit to do, such as extra doctor visits, more tests etc etc. It certainly wastes money but IMO has some uncounted externalities, such as ppl being much healthier much older. You often pass 95 year olds walking (or cycling!) to the shops.
In my case, I had my health check last month (first week of October), and I actually went on a diet in August once I realised that I had put on 5 kgs during lockdown - much of that is me being a vain asshole, but it's also because I didn't want to have to explain to the doctor how it happened and have extra tests (3 kgs is the number at which they start to give you a hard time).
I got my results yesterday, and apart from a few issues with one compound in my liver (surprise surprise), my BMI is 23.2, I weighed in at 82.4 kgs (1 kg more than last year), and 188.5 cms and still got a warning for metabolical syndrome as my waist is 85.7cms (after 84.9 cms you get a warning). I'm pretty fucking skinny by NZ standards and I got a 'C' (A is the highest grade you can get).
Three years ago, that check-up identified the cancer that ending up killing my workmate, two years ago it identified the ongoing health issue with a colleague who is now fine.
This post got a lot longer than I planned, but I think that we put too much on individuals and their choices without putting people in situations where they are faced to front up to those choices at spaced intervals which highlight how much shit they might be in. In my case, although I now weigh 82 kgs, my trip from being 96 kgs and in trouble to 78.9 (at my lowest before I got sick in 2014) was going to my health check at work in 2009 and the doctor telling me, quite simply, that I was fat. I decided to stick it to that old fluffybunny by coming back next year skinnier, which I did. However, when I went in the next year at 84kgs he sent for extra tests because he thought I sick so I guess he still got the last laugh
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@gt12 said in Fighting Obesity - Thoughts?:
As many of you know I live in Japan, and one of the key things here is the involvement of workplaces with the health of their workers.
This comes from the old lifetime career system, which has many problems, but one good point is that it is in companies' interest to keep their workers healthy. We have a health check every year, and as you get older and become at greater risk of different things (e.g., prostate cancer) new tests get added to your health check (e.g., PSA test). As a result, most everyone makes some effort to stay in reasonable enough shape - it is set up so that if you have problems, you have more shit to do, such as extra doctor visits, more tests etc etc. It certainly wastes money but IMO has some uncounted externalities, such as ppl being much healthier much older. You often pass 95 year olds walking (or cycling!) to the shops.
In my case, I had my health check last month (first week of October), and I actually went on a diet in August once I realised that I had put on 5 kgs during lockdown - much of that is me being a vain asshole, but it's also because I didn't want to have to explain to the doctor how it happened and have extra tests (3 kgs is the number at which they start to give you a hard time).
I got my results yesterday, and apart from a few issues with one compound in my liver (surprise surprise), my BMI is 23.2, I weighed in at 82.4 kgs (1 kg more than last year), and 188.5 cms and still got a warning for metabolical syndrome as my waist is 85.7cms (after 84.9 cms you get a warning). I'm pretty fucking skinny by NZ standards and I got a 'C' (A is the highest grade you can get).
Three years ago, that check-up identified the cancer that ending up killing my workmate, two years ago it identified the ongoing health issue with a colleague who is now fine.
This post got a lot longer than I planned, but I think that we put too much on individuals and their choices without putting people in situations where they are faced to front up to those choices at spaced intervals which highlight how much shit they might be in. In my case, although I now weigh 82 kgs, my trip from being 96 kgs and in trouble to 78.9 (at my lowest before I got sick in 2014) was going to my health check at work in 2009 and the doctor telling me, quite simply, that I was fat. I decided to stick it to that old fluffybunny by coming back next year skinnier, which I did. However, when I went in the next year at 84kgs he sent for extra tests because he thought I sick so I guess he still got the last laugh
Surely you jest. I’m a tiny bit taller but I linger in and around the ton !! I’d get sent to fat camp right away.
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@MN5 said in Fighting Obesity - Thoughts?:
Surely you jest. I’m a tiny bit taller but I linger in and around the ton !! I’d get sent to fat camp right away.
@MN5 said in Fighting Obesity - Thoughts?:
Exercise more and eat less you fat fluffybunny.
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@gt12 Great post and an interesting insight into how a different culture approaches health. I am surprised so many Asians smoke though, is that not part of the health checks?
I think being accountable and having immediate consequences helps. The fittest I have been in my adult life was before joining the Cops, I worked bloody hard to be as fit as I could be to pass the tests etc. But once I was in, I never once had to do another fitness test to stay operational. I had to pass proficiency testing with firearms, high risk incidents etc etc but they never tested my health or fitness.
I understand some Police jurisdictions do test fitness and will not allow you to be operational unless you meet certain standards. If I had to pass a fitness test every year to stay operational and full pay, then I no doubt would have looked after myself better. I guess incentives can work in some scenarios.
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@mariner4life you know what though, somehow my kids, despite seeing thier mum always watching what she eats, going to the gym and thier dad doing plenty of exercise to keep in shape, that for them to lose a few kgs or get fit they just need to take a pill or protein shakes.
Miss 12 has struggled the past few years after being tiny most of her life, but is now becoming quite self conscious.
TR Jnr was always a bit on the chubby side, didnt matter what he did, but last year as he has started to grow, he has lost alot of the flab, and is realising if he wants that body he sees in the movies, he has to fucking work for it...although still struggles to motivate himself to do much
I guess that comes from TV & Social Media, which obviously doesnt help.
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tax the fuck out of chips, biscuits, lollies and coke. nobody needs to buy a lot of those, and it worked for ciggies. use that money to improve the public health system, or use it to offset not having GST on fruit and veg. win win.
that shit is always the first thing 'on special' at the supermarket, and you always see the fattest shoppers with trolleys full of them. it's fucking sad.