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?

Why?
It's been shown repeatedly to be true

The right exercise does aid muscle gain and fat loss though I agree that diet is absolutely the main factor.

I have been lighter than I am wth my waist 2/3" bigger than it is now, because I now do more weight bearing exercise and high energy cardio than I used to.

A few years ago though going to the gym just made me ill and more fat as I was very stressed and it was just increasing cortisol.

Exercise is required for overall good health though.

Put the ACTUAL calorie content on food packaging, in quite big numbers. None of this 'only 100 calories per portion', when the portion size is so small that no sensible human is ever going to eat just that portion. Tell us what the WHOLE chocolate bar/packet of crisps/pack of sanwiches contains and print it VERY BIG across the front of the packet. It won't stop people picking up high calorie food, but it might make them more aware - and there's a shame factor at being seen to have an entire basket full of food that is SCREAMING that it is high calorie, which might make people think twice. And yes, I know shaming isn't good and nobody loses weight out of shame, but sometimes being stopped in your tracks is enough.

PPs who say exercise won't lead to weight loss as much as dietary change have a point, but equally if a person stops exercising and eats the same they will put on weight. This happened to me. I used to get out and about, lived in an area that was nice to walk in for exercise, it was safe to cycle places. Then I moved somewhere where traffic hurtles past right next a narrow pavement, no cycle lanes etc. There is only one grotty leisure centre that is 30 mins away. I put on several stone while eating no worse, perhaps better.

What would help people like me is improved cycling/pedestrian infrastructure, human-only parks (with separate areas/parks for dogs, as is usual in e.g. USA). Apart from better diets, these other European countries usually have better cycling lanes, pedestrian areas, parks, and so many more swimming pools (e.g. I once visited a central European country and my local town had 3 outdoor pools).

Lack of exercise does lead to weight gain, so preventatively encouraging people to be more active in their daily lives without needing a gym membership will improve physical and mental health.

By extension, better mental health provision will also help people will lose weight. Nothing like feeling anxious and depressed to make many people find comfort in food.

Great thread OP. I'm with you and the stick approach. There needs to be more information given out via health checks. Annual weigh ins and waist measurements, in the same way you get screening checks. Loads of great suggestions above.

I feel extremely worried when you see the size of younger people. What state are they going to be in when they get to 50?

A cultural shift on snacking, people need to know what hunger feels like rather than snacking every couple of hours. Ditch the American sizing. Ban sizing up. Gigantic coffee portions (desserts) from Starbucks should be portioned down and prices cut. You'd never see portion sizes like that in Spain or Italy.

Cookery classes should focus on basic nutrition. My kids have learned how to make sponge cakes, cookies and cupcakes. What about basics like chopping an onion, making soups, lentil dhal, bolognaise, omelettes... that just hasn't happened.

It's just really depressing.

Oh yes, and banning the word 'snack'. It's not a 'snack', it's 'eating between meals.' If you eat decent meals then you don't need a 'snack'. Nowadays it seems that people treat feeling hungry as though it is a sensation which must be stopped at all costs - as though even a small amount of discomfort is simply not to be borne.

With the exception of a few medical conditions, feeling hungry is good. It tells us we're getting ready for our next meal. It is not telling us that we'd better shove in a 'snack' just in case our stomach rumbles.

Yep. That's what I'm up against too. I tread on eggshells around my DD.

Ban stretchy clothes.
I’m a size 14, probably even a 16 if I’m honest, yet I can still shoe horn myself into size 12 sometimes even size 10 thanks to the magic that is Lycra…Levis jeans of my 8st 20’s were not even slightly forgiving so you couldn’t kid yourself!

put criminals behind bars forever and come down hard on antisocial behavior.
a park outing shouldn’t include dog shit everywhere (fund free baggies), or groups of people terrorizing and intimidating passersby’s. Children should be able to walk to school play outside without a parent worrying they will be abducted or sexually abused.

Enormous mental health link and normalisation of poor diets

I disagree. It’s actually good for a lot of people to have fewer smaller meals. Three big meals a day often causes people to overeat.

Can I just point out that some of us rely on our cars for our jobs not just because we are lazy or love to drive everywhere. I work In community nursing covering a wide rural area, public transport it not going to cut it there I’m afraid no matter how many buses they put on.

the 15 minute cities thing will not work even here either. They are trying to make 20 minute towns around me attempting to link villages miles away from nearest towns together, taking parking away from high streets and side roads where people have no choice but to park as there are no drives etc. it’s all very short sighted and just will not lead to as many people giving up cars as they want

I didn't mention three meals a day. However many meals you eat - they're meals. Several small meals a day are fine. Just don't snack in between, and let yourself feel hungry before eating.

There is some evidence that it does.

Emerging evidence shows that the levy is having an impact by encouraging reformulation and decreasing the volume of sugar purchased through soft drinks. One study found positive associations between the levy and a reduction in obesity among girls aged 10 and 11 years old, with the greatest reduction among the most deprived children. And it is estimated that the tax was associated with preventing over 5,000 cases of obesity in girls in Year Six in England. This is something we should celebrate, as the tax seems to be achieving what it set out to do.

https://www.wcrf.org/looking-back-at-5-years-of-the-uk-soft-drinks-industry-levy/

In an ideal world, make fruit, veg & whole foods the same price as upf? But how can that realistically happen. Eating convenience foods does seem to be engrained in our culture. I like how European countries prioritise proper lunches with fresh food in restaurants, but I can't see that happening in the UK.

It’s a vicious cycle though isn’t it. Poor nutrition and a lack of physical activity is a huge contributor to depression.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow This is a massive issue for many people and actually a lot of common medications cause weight gain.

There is one that fits that bill - bupropion, an NDRI - and it's the most widely prescribed antidepressant in other countries comparable to the UK. It's not approved here as an AD, only as a short term smoking cessation treatment. They were weird about it because at very high doses it lowered the seizure threshold (far more than standard clinical doses, and actually it was virtually no different to SSRIs in that respect). I had it when I was living overseas and it was great, effective for anxiety and no effect on weight or sexual sensation, libido etc. Think I actually lost weight. Wish they'd review it in the UK but I doubt they ever will.

And they’ll move to more intense farming methods to keep profit margins. Then the fruit and veg will be tasteless.

Align more to European eating habits rather than US. While we are at it no access to our food market by big American companies.

Proper subsidised healthy school meals cooked on site.

I don’t think the cost of whole foods is the whole issue, although it’s clearly a contributor. There’s no heavy marketing or product development for an Apple. Because you can’t make an apple a better, more appealing apple. You can’t optimise apples.

What can you optimise- foods made in a lab!

I agree, I'm not sure the cost of whole foods is the determining factor. Should UPFs carry health warnings or even be legislated against?

I think a huge reason for this is back 40+ years ago, when we compare things to, mothers generally stayed at home, walked their kids to school, were active cleaning the house, prepared healthy, homemade food etc.

Now, many mothers work and simply don't have the time to walk to places with their kids, spend hours cooking healthy fresh meals etc. also, it only takes a generation of convenience foods & fast food to lose the skills

This reminds me I grew up with advertising for an apple

Also mushrooms and steak

I still remember the tag lines

We get hung up on dress sizes. A size 14 would be within a normal weight range for a woman who was 5ft 9, not ‘plus size’ at all. Similarly a woman who is barely 5ft tall might have a similar body fat ratio and be a size 6.

People eat them knowing they are bad for you.

If they were banned I can’t see it being voted for.

Domestic Science lessons in school. It's ridiculous that children are not taught to cook or budget for food.

I have never eaten much processed food I think because of doing Home Economics 'A' Level which was mainly about food science- so the use of additives, the history of bread making for example, also the calorific value of food and how much you need.