http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17705228




Puritans, Ho Hum ...

I think I may be the only thing you loathe but haven't compared with the Third Reich (tm) yet.

I'd agree with their objective, but it strikes me the article suggests they're planning to use the same tactic the authorities are using in attempting to combat smoking and alcohol abuse, which anyone wandering the real world will tell you are having very limited effect, if any at all. How many times can you try the same thing and basically fail before you become a problem yourself?

Plus I find the whole notion of extra tax on things 'we' want to stop people doing rather unpleasant. Essentially it is the government saying 'This thing you are doing is wrong, it's unpleasant and we want you to stop. But given you're doing it we might as well make some more money out of you while you are'. I don't see how you can maintain the moral high ground while pulling a trick like that...

Jon

Maybe the government could start with Eric Pickles.

What a f*cking Crock!

Funny how all these organisations claim to represent all doctors but I don't recall one of them approaching me, asking for my opinion or even informing me about what they are going to do and why. The first I heard was in the above link!

Obesity is a problem and it's a more difficult one to address because you have to change the attitudes of everyone. Stopping smoking, alcoholism etc is far easier because it's a smaller group of people. You have to change the nation as a whole.

So the doctors want to pick on fat people do they?

And with smoking and alcohol, you can go completely cold turkey. People still have to eat. This makes dealing with it far harder, imo.

Indeed. I've been fighting a loosing battle with my weight for ten years now.

We're a nation of greedy people like most of the western world. It's diet and culture. You don't really hear of fat Japanese or Chinese unless they're living here and have access to a lot of fatty take away foods.

Sumo wrestlers say hello .

Actually, my old Tai Chi instructor (who was Chinese) said he was taught the idea of any meal having to be 'one third animal, one third vegetable, one third empty' and that he was equally taught as a child that eating until you were stuffed was seen as very uncouth. I suspect in a country as big as China that didn't hold for everyone, it was regional custom.

Jon

I'm not greedy, I'm lazy.
I'm fat because I do almost no exercise, not because I eat too much.

I'm fat because I have a genetic condition meaning that regardless what I do I put on weight.
And the NHS doesn't care at all.