What should the government do to reduce obesity at the societal level?

[waistchallenge]

We're the fattest country in Europe and the upshot is what you see here: people posting threads in desperation about their weight loss struggles. I think we can probably all agree it would be easier to never have gotten overweight in the first place and to never have had to go through these weight loss efforts and experiences.

Apart from the sugar tax, I cannot see that the government has done much, if anything, to reduce obesity in this country; it's higher than ever.

I'm asking here because we all have experience of this to be on here, what-if anything- should the government do to reduce obesity in this country? What would have helped you? Or is it all just ultimately a question of personal responsibility?

You contradict yourself here. On the one hand you say steroids don’t cause weight gain, they cause increased appetite and peoplexeay more than usual. Then you say when on steroids you have to change your usual way of eating to avoid weight gain. Which is it?

Eh? There's no contradiction there! @FrangipaniBlue has said that they increase appetite - therefore she moderates what she eats, to stop herself eating more. Increased appetite (from steroids) = drive to eat more = likely weight gain.

Increased appetite + resisting eating more than usual = prevention of any weight gain.

It's not the steroids themselves, rather the potential impact that they have on appetite.

Anyway. What this thread demonstrates all too clearly is how complicated an issue this is. Undoubtedly there are some things the government might do. Undoubtedly there's an issue with taking (or the lack of taking) personal responsibility. But there's not going to be one single thing that will work.

The government may have to some things; we, as a population, will have to do others.

What I meant was that people trot out things like "but steroids, but medication" as though it's beyond their control, as though it's the medication causing weight gain (ie they're not eating more) and not the fact they are actually overeating (thus causing the weight gain).

For the majority of people it's a case of education and willingness (or not) to adapt to a change in circumstances.

Not overeating doesn't have to mean "feeling hungry" or "living miserably". Different food types have different density and have a different effect on appetite. Adaptation can be as simple as changing the TYPES of food people eat to try and stave off the hunger.

But I agree it's not that simple, it's a whole culture and attitude to food change that's needed to change the obesity crisis at a societal level in the UK.

No one thing will fix it, but alongside government intervention people do have to take responsibility ASWELL and stop taking the path of least resistance all the time.

predominantly
: for the most part : mainly

I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard to come up with a set of protocols for this.

Including saturated fat is contentious, though. It's important not to discourage people from buying natural, non-UPF foods such as coconut cream, butter, whole milk, nuts, eggs and yoghurt. We've been there before in the past when fat was vilified which led to the promotion of high-sugar, highly processed foods that turned out to be detrimental to people's health and weight.

What I meant was that people trot out things like "but steroids, but medication" as though it's beyond their control, as though it's the medication causing weight gain (ie they're not eating more) and not the fact they are actually overeating (thus causing the weight gain).

Or the easy availability of food, or the lack of swimming pools or parks, or HRT, or being too busy etc. YES, these things make it harder, but we all can try to eat a little less and more in season, and most of us can try to walk a little more. I feel that we all need to take more personal responsibility for our own health.

Actually there are other mechanisms that cause weight gain when using steroids that go beyond increased appetite, changing the way that the body processes carbohydrates, fats and proteins. It also changes where the body stores fat. Unless you think that moon face is a product of poor will power?

Or the easy availability of food, or the lack of swimming pools or parks, or HRT, or being too busy etc. YES, these things make it harder, but we all can try to eat a little less and more in season, and most of us can try to walk a little more. I feel that we all need to take more personal responsibility for our own health.

I think most of us eat a little bit less on some days and more on others. Personally I find eating the right amount of "less", than my body needs - not too little less so that I have no energy or feel like eating too much to compensate, consistently over a long period of time to sustain a healthy level of weight loss - pretty hard. Or at least that it is far easier to eat slightly too much all the time and gradually gain weight if I don't consistently record my food, drink and exercise in an app. My natural appetite for food is slightly larger than my body actually needs.

And I certainly do take responsibility for my health. I am healthy on all measures except BMI - I am a stone too heavy.

There is a growing number of studies showing links between gut microbiome and mood. There are several studies showing prevalence of different (not beneficial) gut bacteria in people with depression and other studies showing links between gut microbes and feeling of hunger/overeating. It’s a growing area of research and, at least for me, quite fascinating. Nobody has suggested that eating well would cure depression but there are many more links between our diet and health being discovered daily.

It’s of course a purely anecdotal evidence but I was at my lowest weight ever when depressed and then on antidepressants. I felt crap and definitely not interested in eating anything.

Personally I find eating the right amount of "less", than my body needs - not too little less so that I have no energy or feel like eating too much to compensate, consistently over a long period of time to sustain a healthy level of weight loss - pretty hard.

Yes, it IS hard. We've evolved to crave food and put on reserves of fat when food is abundant!

Unfortunately there's no option but to eat less, eat more healthy/seasonal foods and exercise as much as we can - that can be a walk, running up some stairs and/or doing sit ups and press ups at home. We owe it to our health imo.

I don’t disagree with you, about personal responsibility, @shearwater2 - I am fully aware of my responsibility for my weight.

But it is not news that people should be taking personal responsibility, and clearly it isn’t happening at anywhere near the level needed to affect how obese we are as a society, which is why I think there does need to be something done at a societal level - through public policy, offers on fresh fruit and veg in supermarkets, provision of public sports facilities, teaching cookery in school etc etc.

If we need Government interference to get things moving in the right direction, then I think it is better to accept that, and put the policies in place, than to hang on and hope that enough people will take personal responsibility.

What we are doing (or not doing) now, isn’t working, so we need to do something different.

Whether we ‘should’ all be keeping ourselves healthy and slim is irrelevant, as a nation we are not. This is expensive for the NHS so if there is anything government can do they should. It is their fiscal duty even you discount their moral duty.

There have to be incentives for people to be slim and healthy and penalties if they become overweight and unhealthy.

How that is implemented I'm not sure, but we can learn a lot from the Japanese!

Longer healthier life isn’t incentive enough.

I think there are too many stresses on some people to prioritise it. I include myself in that.

I agree, @Pinkfluffypencilcase - I do my best, but there is just so much weighing me down mentally.

Also the amount of weight I need to lose seems impossible to achieve, which depresses me, which makes thinking about healthy eating that bit harder. And I know how stupid that sounds (don't worry, I beat myself up for my negative thinking too) - but that does add to the mental weight.

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius

Totally understand. That mental load is just too much at times.
But don’t give yourself the double whammy of being annoyed at yourself. Hard to do I know!

Yeah, I'm still pissed off at the comments about steroids. Nobody who has been prescribed oral steroids is having a fun time of things, you know? It's a powerful drug that keeps people going and when the significant side effects, you know, ones that go beyond inflicting weight gain on society, is secondary to the illness it is treating.

You can be assured, that people taking oral steroids most likely already have their - how much shit you can endure in life - cup pretty much full before some know-all comes along and decides that they should put a little more effort into enduring hunger with more stoic grit on top of it all.

Get to fuck, the lot of you.

Very hard, @Pinkfluffypencilcase - beating myself up is one of my major skills. 🙁But one I am trying to unlearn.

That’s how I feel about my mental health meds. Some sanctimonious posters on this thread.

Sugar is addictive and there are the same mechanisms at play like in any addiction. Nobody tells an alcoholic to give a bit booze to their children “because they are not addicted”, yet I had comments on this board telling me that it’s fine to give kids sweet treats daily because they are not obese.

Agreed. And when we are walking around we get the same judgement as anyone else who is larger, and it's horrible. And honestly noone deserves it no matter why they are that size.

Interestingly my new meds have had a different side effect - they have made my hair fall out. That of course elicits pity rather than judgement. And presumably it would be similar if the medication caused weight loss.

Quite!!

But people would rather be ignorant and smug than inform themselves.