Government tackling obesity missing a key element

[HeeeeyDuggee]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53546151

Government have announced measures to tackle obesity

AIBU to think that although it’s all well and good banning buy 1 get 1 free and advertising before 21:00 what they really need to do is make fresh fruit and vegetables and good quality meat cheaper for people to buy.

It may be a regional thing but buying enough veg for the week here costs a fortune and it goes off within days. Where as you can buy a massive packet nuggets and chips for much less.

Pre covid it was bad enough for lots of families but given the ramifications on jobs and the economy I think lots more families will struggle to afford decent healthy food.

Ps not a fat persons bashing thread I myself am over weight

If you compare ingredients of the same foods, the American version are far higher in sugar.

This is so true. I had a sandwich out in the US and the bread tasted like cake. It was horrifically sweet and the fact that they're used to that is awful.
I imagine if the companies attempted to take the sugar out, sales would fall because of how accustomed they've gotten to things tasting sweet.

They should heavily promote not wasting food

Then prices can come down

They won't though the clowns

£93 for monthly membership? That's insane. My local gym membership only costs £32 and that's so I can use the pool AND gym (they have different types of memberships), and it's actually cheaper for me to be a member because as a casual user, I'd have to pay a tenner to use the gym. It reopened this week and I am so glad to have it back. Even though my arms hurt like hell from doing weights. I know people say exercise does bugger all for losing weight but I noticed that when I got really into Pokemon Go and went on long walks, I lost a couple of kilos over time. I am still overweight but not as bad as I used to be. I also think working from home has helped because when I worked in my last job, I'd eat more between meals and when people brought cake or whatever into the office, I'd end up eating it. At least now I'm less tempted.

American food is ridiculous. When I went on a family holiday in 2000, we went to places like Denny's where the portions were so big that even my stepdad at the time couldn't finish them, and he was a big eater. I think I put on weight while we were over there - we were there for about 3 weeks. There's a page called Eat This, Not That which is based in the US and some of its examples of terrible restaurant meals are ridiculous - salads with over 1000 calories because they've got fried/battered bits in them and are drenched in dressing. And high fructose corn syrup gets into EVERYTHING. We need that sort of thing here like a hole in the head.

@Catwaving totally agreed, my parents were born in the '50s and they're big on using up leftovers. I batch cook myself and I hate wasting food.

@PhilSwagielka

£93 for monthly membership? That's insane. My local gym membership only costs £32 and that's so I can use the pool AND gym (they have different types of memberships), and it's actually cheaper for me to be a member because as a casual user, I'd have to pay a tenner to use the gym. It reopened this week and I am so glad to have it back. Even though my arms hurt like hell from doing weights. I know people say exercise does bugger all for losing weight but I noticed that when I got really into Pokemon Go and went on long walks, I lost a couple of kilos over time. I am still overweight but not as bad as I used to be. I also think working from home has helped because when I worked in my last job, I'd eat more between meals and when people brought cake or whatever into the office, I'd end up eating it. At least now I'm less tempted.

American food is ridiculous. When I went on a family holiday in 2000, we went to places like Denny's where the portions were so big that even my stepdad at the time couldn't finish them, and he was a big eater. I think I put on weight while we were over there - we were there for about 3 weeks. There's a page called Eat This, Not That which is based in the US and some of its examples of terrible restaurant meals are ridiculous - salads with over 1000 calories because they've got fried/battered bits in them and are drenched in dressing. And high fructose corn syrup gets into EVERYTHING. We need that sort of thing here like a hole in the head.

I know. I looked up the fees for the gym nearest DP's home village - the same chain running council gyms, a purpose built, fancy as hell, all brand new top of the range equipment, better pool facilities, sauna, steam room, jacuzzis, coffee shop, creche, court hire, the lot; everything you'd expect from a top rate gym.

Thirty five quid a month.

I was more amused by the idea of doctors prescribing bike riding. All us who haven’t ridden a bike since we were a child and are overweight or obese suddenly getting on one seems a recipe for disaster. I have images of A&E being full of would be bike riders. In fact a relative of mine suddenly decided to take up bike riding in her 60’s to shed the excess pounds. She already did plenty of walking. She fell off and broke her ankle. The recovery process was long and her bid to increase her exercise had the opposite effect. I get what they are trying to achieve, but I think bike riding isn’t the safest thing to take up later in life.

I can't ride a bike. Mum tried to get me into riding a bike, claiming I'd be a huge fat blob if I didn't learn, and bought me a bike with stabilisers. Even with stabilisers on, I couldn't keep my balance and kept falling off, and at the time we were living in Brighton and as anyone who lives there will know, it's very hilly. That didn't help. I'd rather walk or use a stationary bike at the gym.

People could use shopping trolleys if they want to walk to a cheaper shop further away. Might take a couple of trips a week to get groceries for a family but you've got free exercise thrown in.

Some fruit/veg only has a few days expiry (3-4) so I changed going to the shops to twice a week rather than once.

Healthy food is available and at a good price, not as cheap as pasta or cheap ready meals/white bread etc but you shouldn't be eating too much of that anyway!

A nationwide tv recipe advertising campaign would be great - a different simple Recipie put together in 10 minutes every day using simple healthy ingredients and replacing sugar for honey and fried for air fried or grilled. Just a fun 10 mins, daily at the same time.

@BarbaraofSeville

People could use shopping trolleys if they want to walk to a cheaper shop further away. Might take a couple of trips a week to get groceries for a family but you've got free exercise thrown in.

I did this today, when I went to Home Bargains. Not because I don't have access to a car, I do, but because I've dropped my exercise no end since starting to work from home (no walk to / from the station at either end and no lunchtime walk).

It's just over 2 miles each way, so a nice little walk. Plus I was pulling a full trolley home with me!

Where does the government's eat out to help out fit in to this obesity strategy.
Yes I get the bit about the economy - but half price in fast food and calorific pizza chains is an actual joke when in the next breathe they are banning bogofs.
I hope they are banning the Just Eat adverts because they just encourage couch potato lifestyles.
With kids I find it really hard when both parents - especially when living separately- or both sets of grandparents aren't dealing with kids eating the same. GS is allowed to stuff his face and play Xbox all weekend at his dad's then mum tries to feed him veg and fruit and go for a walk when she's shattered after work only for the good work to be unravelled every weekend. GD allowed by her family to eat takeaway pizza every night and take a bottle of cherryade to bed every night (really). She's 10 I've asked her if she's heard of diabetes she said no I said Google it because you will be getting it if you carry on like that.
Why do people insist on letting kids have all these treats all day every day. Because its the easy way to shut kids up so they can sit on facebook. And be the favourite parent or grandparent. They are killing them. It's no different to giving them cigarettes for their life expectancy. It's not kindness it's cruelty.

It's almost as if you could have a meal on the dine out offer which is either not a deep fried mess, or even if it is, just not have them all the time.

Bluemoon, calling me a lazy, ugly, worthless fat bitch or whatever is not going to make me lose weight. Trust me on this. When I got abuse off random men on the internet for not being thin, my reaction was to stick my fingers down my throat. I've not binged and purged for ages and I would like it to stay that way.

And what do you mean, 'pride'? Proud of what, exactly? Even if I was thin - and when I was thin, I was at rock bottom mentally, it was the first time I seriously attempted suicide - it wouldn't make me walk around with my nose in the air looking down at people, and it wouldn't make me happier.

Obesity is a huge problem with people with mental ill health. Medications make you put on weight, life on a ward is mainly sedantry, food isn't great and psychiatrists don't take weight gain seriously.

UndertheCedartree
You are absolutely right. This issue is not talked about enough.

It's not the Government's job to stop you getting fat. It's yours. It's called personal responsibility. The Government can't give you willpower or volition. That's on you.

@UndertheCedartree

Agreed. I mentioned anti-depressants upthread. I was actually a normal weight for my height until I went on Citalopram and then boom, my weight shot up. I later switched to Venlafaxine and had trouble losing weight on it, whereas now I'm on Sertraline and I've lost weight. I admit my diet could be better but in my first year of uni I ate loads of crap and went out drinking every week, and I was a normal weight.

I wonder if the meds make you hungry. I had a friend who said anti-depressants made her crave carbs. I also have quite a few friends with MH issues, and a lot of them are overweight or obese. I'm not saying all fat people are mentally ill or vice versa, but it does not surprise me. And then there's comfort/emotional eating. When my brother had cancer, I binged and purged a lot, same when my mum had a drink problem. I have to be careful even now about certain foods in the house because I worry I'll go mad and eat the whole lot.

YouTube viral clip - When dad hacks a closed McDs 1m+ views

This is a classic example of a UK lockdown viral clip viewed over 1 million times that sums up the real psychological and root cultural issue today regarding basic healthy living.

Essentially two polarising interpretations (diversity of infinite views in between)

(1) wow what an amazing dad, such a hero pushing the boat out to be so loving to his child

(2) what a foolish man normalising junk as a treat and starting his family off on this slippery slope of "toxic" fast ultra processed cuisine dressed up as food and all the "mainstream popularism" that goes with it.

So essentially - as adults do you need to be spoon feed in all senses or are are you capable of making basic fundamental life decisions? I trust you don't need Boris or your doctor to tell you to think a little bit about what you put into your mouth and that of your child who obviously is lead and influenced by the parent?

We need to simply think and learn (if required) and basically forced love and getting use to an alternative healthy lifestyle as found in non obese first world developed nations.

However caveat it is not quite as simple as the may be medical issues impacting obesity but in the whole for the majority of the obese nation we need to go back to pre fat times and do what our previous generations done right and those in many other countries. Some European countries don't even have these international fast food outlets and high calories coffee shops. Healthy tasty food is not necessarily more expensive but takes prep so less screen time etc.

@PhilSwagielka - I find quetiapine the worst for making you crave sweet food. I'm also on venlafaxine. Also mirtazapine which is known to increase a person's weight. It can be tough!

I'm in North Wales and a weeks fresh fruit, veg, dairy, meat and bread from the farm shop is about £45 for 2 adults, toddler and baby.

Tax the fuck out of fast food. If you can’t make healthy cheaper, make crap more expensive

Agree entirely. This is a minimal effort by the government. However making in season British fruit and veg cheaper isn’t the answer - giving people a living wage (it’s not bloody living if you can’t afford to buy fruit and veg!!) and not the poor excuse “minimum” wage is the answer.

As an aside - chicken nuggets not anywhere near as bad as some on here seem to think and you can buy frozen veg a little cheaper (picked and frozen at its freshest!).

This is exactly what I think the 'sugar tax' should be used for - subsidising fresh fruit and veg

One of the biggest issues is portion sizes. Too many people eat too much. If people weighed their pasta or rice before cooking, and only cooked the recommended portion size, it would make a huge difference. Same for cereal and fruit juice - the recommended serving size is surprisingly small. These kinds of small changes would make a huge difference.