<p>You're full of ****. You never went through school as the "fat kid" if you don't think kids are made fun of. Eat a dick, 10jarsle.</p>
<p>I agree with Private_Joker. I think that our culture needs to be swayed away from the idea of convenience eating and being lazy. If we can instill the idea of exercising and eating right at a young age, we're much more likely to combat obesity. There are people in America that will eat fast food no matter what you do / say to them; they're a "lost cause" of sorts. However, when dealing with young children, they're much more likely to respond to what you have to say.</p>
<p>bobbobbob, you could make that kind of argument about thousands of things, that what someone does to him or herself has emotional effects on family and friends. Because someone could kill himself with a knife thus emotionally harming family and friends, should ginzus be outlawed or govt. regulated. Because someone could kill herself with a toaster and a bathtub, should toasters and bathtubs be outlawed or govt. regulated. I think food is another case where all of the physical effects are contained within the eater. </p>
<p>I think the country is on the fence between two mindsets (and one of them is not that the solution to obesity is to make fun of fat children, to whatever fool said that): that obesity is a result of personal choices and thus, the effects (such as insurance, disability, etc) should be paid by the individual and the other is that it is something out of his/her hands so the government should regulate it and pay insurance, disability, etc. You can't successfully buy into both mindsets about obesity. I do believe that food addictions and other psychological relationships to food can develop which puts obesity beyond personal choice and responsibility, but until it gets to that point, I think obesity is personal and none of the government's business. I have no problems with PE classes or voluntary weight loss support groups or whatever, but when the government gets involved making food choices mandatory, that's crossing the line, in my opinion.</p>
<p>My solution: absolutely nothing. Unfortunately, you can do nothing about the commericialization of "junk" food, and the consumption of junk food. One can not shut down the sugared food companies, nor can we go to the pantries and eliminate the food stuffs. It is not the governments responsibility to delcare what we can and can not eat. The parents, not government, should institute good eating habits from the beginning.</p>
<pre><code> Secondly, I believe we should institute gym every single day with rigorous aerobic and strength building activities, thus bringing forth a healthy lifestyle.
</code></pre>
<p>That is really all we can do to stop the obesity epidemic for now. AS I said before, we can not simply shut down the candy and fat industries, or tell families what we can and can not eat. A parent should promote the healthy lifestyle, not a government school system.</p>
<p>""I think the country is on the fence between two mindsets (and one of them is not that the solution to obesity is to make fun of fat children, to whatever fool said that): that obesity is a result of personal choices and thus, the effects (such as insurance, disability, etc) should be paid by the individual and the other is that it is something out of his/her hands so the government should regulate it and pay insurance, disability, etc. "</p>
<p>IMO, obesity is a personal decision, the personal costs of which effect the whole community.</p>
<p>Ed: ""I think the country is on the fence between two mindsets (and one of them is not that the solution to obesity is to make fun of fat children, to whatever fool said that): that obesity is a result of personal choices and thus, the effects (such as insurance, disability, etc) should be paid by the individual and the other is that it is something out of his/her hands so the government should regulate it and pay insurance, disability, etc. "</p>
<p>IMO, obesity is a personal/individual decision that bears community/collective costs. It is not just the obese person's insurance that goes up; it's everyone else's as well. It is not just the obese person who is uncomfortable on a flight, it is their neighbor(s), too. Everyone pays, in some way or another, for obesity. (This is true for any other major health problem, too.) Which is why it bears some consideration.</p>
<p>I never said the government should handle it. Studies show that any public health initiative is much, much more effective in every sense of the word at the community level than anything else.</p>
<p>I havent read this entire thread so if I repeat...whatever.</p>
<p>The government shouldnt regulate anything. As been said, in MOST cases, being obese is a choice. I'm all for raising the insurance of people who chose to eat themselves to the weight equivalent of an entire family. I'm all for making obese people buy the entire row of tickets on an airplane if they are gonna take up more than one seat. If obese people complain about this, too bad. Perhaps they should spring some cheap change once a month for a gym membership. Skip out on a couple trips to McDonalds to get in shape, it's not too much to demand.</p>
<p>Speaking of McDonalds and fast food, I am soososooooo ****ed off at most fast food joints nowadays. Offering all their healthy alternatives and doing the absolute worst thing...giving smaller portions on regular meals. First, the majority of obese people won't touch the salad with a 100 foot fork unless it was fried and dipped in grease, they will still go after the burgers and fries. Secondly, why should IIIIII have to suffer because some people can't control themselves? I used to love McDonalds when their super size fries were so big when you got done with the fry container, you could fill it with water and swim in it afterwards. Now, the super size fries is the size of the old medium. Damn obese people.</p>
<p>I actually shouldnt use the term "obese" since I'm technically "obese" at my current height and weight if you go by the beloved BMI that many here love...I should just say FAT...but that's not PC.</p>
<p>It has very little to do w. being PC or not PC. This thread was intended to discuss the specific public health concerns raised by obesity--and possible solutions to it--in the most precise fashion possible. Such a discussion needs a strictly medical definition of the problem, and one that is clearly understood by as many ppl possible.</p>
<p>Therefore, the use of the term "obese" (instead of "fat") is the most appropriate: 1) it's the medical term for the condition; 2) it's not nearly as relative a term as "fat". In New York and LA, a size 6 or size 8 are fat; when in reality, it's totally a normal weight. A size 8 woman doesn't get diabetes b.c. she weighs too much; a size 16 does. There's a damned big difference.</p>
<p>Did we not already say that we would like Medicare, Medicaid, welfare, welfare-for-fat-people, etc, abolished? So how are there going to be any community or collective costs?</p>
<p>For starters, loss of productivity due to obesity costs businesses money. Increases in obesity-related health expenses drives private health insurance premiums up for everyone, even those who eat responsibly and exercise.</p>
<p>bobbobbob, you could make that kind of argument about thousands of things, that what someone does to him or herself has emotional effects on family and friends. Because someone could kill himself with a knife thus emotionally harming family and friends, should ginzus be outlawed or govt. regulated. Because someone could kill herself with a toaster and a bathtub, should toasters and bathtubs be outlawed or govt. regulated. I think food is another case where all of the physical effects are contained within the eater.</p>
<hr>
<p>But the difference is taht toasters and bathtubs serve a purpose in our society. While not wearing seatbelts and doing drugs for example, serve no positive purpose in our society. What purpose do french fries serve that an apple and lean chicken couldnt?</p>
<p>It doesn't matter what purpose it serves to society. If one individual wants to do it, and it doesn't harm another individual, then hell with what society thinks.</p>
<p>but thats the point, obesity, and what results from it, does harm other people both economically and emotionally.</p>
<p>
[quote]
r starters, loss of productivity due to obesity costs businesses money. Increases in obesity-related health expenses drives private health insurance premiums up for everyone, even those who eat responsibly and exercise.
[/quote]
Loss of productivity due to obesity? Businesses have (err, should have) free reign whether to fire fat employees. Problem solved there. </p>
<p>Increases in health related expenses? I need to see a concrete example of this before commenting.</p>
<p>""Obesity is one of the most daunting health challenges of the 21st century," assert George L. Blackburn and W. Allan Walker of Harvard Medical School. Health effects associated with excess weight include up to 400,000 early deaths each year in the United States, they note, and cost society almost $120 billion. As these staggering figures confirm, they say, obesity is no longer an issue of aesthetics but a national crisis."</p>
<p>Yea, yea...I am curious to what this $120 billion goes to...Like, what portion of that chunk goes to health care costs, how much to decreased productivity, etc..</p>
<p>Obesity will never go away. The only way to do it would be to ship all obese people to the rain forests or the deserts to fast. Even then, they will probably try and eat the trees. We live in a world of excess, until that excess is gone, people will always be greedy and try to have(or eat) it all.</p>
<p>Personally I think its stupid to force things on people. I hated the fact I had to take P.E in school I am not an obese person but yet I was forced to against my will to take that crap class. If people want to be fat let them! Forcing things doesnt really help the situation look how long p.e has been mandatory but yet kids are still fat.</p>
<p>It must be hard to lose weight after childbirth so I can understand that. But those really big people like on Maury shows often had some sort of life event that lead them into depression and used food as their outlet.</p>
<p>"depression and used food as their outlet."</p>
<p>And that's such a screwed up mentality. Instead of trying to make a situation better by say...venting out your depression/anger by exercising...people sit around, mope and eat themselves to an even worse state. People anger me...</p>