So just HOW should 'the government' tackle obesity etc...??

Worried about the economic and social costs of obesity, Japan has instituted a national law forbidding waist lines larger than 33.5 inches for men and 34.5 inches for women.

Under a national law that came into effect two months ago, companies and local governments must now measure the waistlines of Japanese people between the ages of 40 and 74 as part of their annual checkups. That represents more than 56 million waistlines, or about 44 percent of the entire population.

Violators are given nutritional guidance and “further education” if they are still overweight after six months of dieting. The law has prompted companies to adopt nudges.

With the new law, Matsushita has to measure the waistlines of not only its employees but also of their families and retirees. As part of its intensifying efforts, the company has started giving its employees “metabo check” towels that double as tape measures.

“Nobody will want to be singled out as metabo,” Kimiko Shigeno, a company nurse, said of the campaign. “It’ll have the same effect as non-smoking campaigns where smokers are now looked at disapprovingly.”

Found this from 2008. Wonder if it works? Visions of stroppy overweight nurses reactions if this was made law in this country

Perhaps if there weren't so many fat and pudgy MPs, then any advice given by them might seem more credible. Maybe their tax-payer subsidised bars should be closed too. By the way, is it true that the House of Commons is exempt from the no smoking in the work place rule?

Report on Obesity December 2016

Don't know about the smoking Absent

Anya people only change their behaviour if they perceive some benefit in doing so.
They stopped smoking when it was made clear to them that they would be far less likely to die of lung cancer.
The messages about healthy life style perhaps need to be more positive - if you stiick to a healthy diet, you will remain a manageable weight and be able to do things you enjoy more easily. If you exercise your heart & circulation will stay healthy, your joints will benefit and as ffin says, there are mental health benefits from exercise too.
We need to get away from the bossy eat five a day, don't eat very much fat, reduce alcohol, reduce sugar type of message which doesn't motivate anyone.

Crossed posts anya I was replying to your earlier one.

Not to worry Jane

I agree that we have something to learn from the success of the Stop Smoking campaigne. It's now far more socially unacceptable to smoke. We all know the advantages and health risks of obesity but that doesn't seem to get through to some people or, as you say, motivate.

I like the idea of measuring MPs waistlines and some sort of consequence if they fail to lose weight though.

My grandchildren already do dance, gymnastics and trampolining (amongst many other sports) at school. My eldest GD has done cooking and learnt some good basic skills. I think it is unreasonable to expect schools to do it all. I think teaching children to get enough exercise and to shop, cook, prepare and serve food is a fundamental responsibility of parents. What could be done for schools is to provide a decent budget for a proper school meals service. I think it is perfectly possible for the vast majority of people to work full-time and provide a healthy diet. We did it and our children do it. Online food shopping has made it easier.
I agree that much of the problem is related to increased portion size, grazing and greed.
I would impose a sugar tax, ban the advertising of junk food and have a sustained public campaign based on a proper healthy diet which has not been dictated by the food industry and its lackeys. I would set up a service to get fresh food to areas of greater need where people live in poverty, have little access to transport and are poorly served by shops.
I think it is a fundamental responsibility of the state to support the health and wellbeing of the people it serves.

They should stop hectoring people all the time and telling them all the things they are doing wrong. It doesn't work with children so why should adults be any different?

Start singing the pleasures of being outside, even in a city there is so much variety in the architecture to be seen in city streets and nature too in parks and gardens.

Banish all TV cookery shows with chefs (including Jamie Oliver) making complicated dishes with 20 ingredients ten of them esoteric seasonings. I went back to one of my staple cookery books and the first thing I noticed was that the ingredient list for every dish was a third of the length of those you see in modern cookery books and recipes and the cooking instructions so much simpler.

Instead sing the joys of fresh food simply cooked. Of putting quality ahead of quantity It takes no more time to cook an omelette, grill a chop, or poach a piece of fish than it does to prepare a ready meal, add a quick side salad - delicious.

Stop making a healthy life style appear such a miserable life style full of sacrifice and deprivation instead. Instead make losing weight, taking exercise, eating well, drinking less to be a joyful and pleasurable activity, better than the alternative.

One thing that might, possibly, make people realise how costly their conditions are, worker be to send them a annual statement listing the costs of their individual treatments. This was mooted at one time but nothing more came of it

worker be would be

I'm thinking that perhaps some of our 'more cuddly' grans might be avoiding this thread. I started it because this is a serious subject which costs our NHS a lot of money and not to have a dig at those who fall into this category.

Your contribution would be welcome. Could you perhaps tell us what would incentivise you to lose weight/ get fit and what support you'd welcome perhaps?

I wish there were classes/gyms for the uncoordinated. I am so clumsy and awkward that I am too embarrassed to go where everyone is moving limbs without having to think about it. Even the yoga class was too fast for me to get myself in the right position!

"ban the advertisement of junk food"

First, define junk food. I think there are widely held, serious misconceptions out there about what food is junk and what isn't. My first on the list would be modern cupcakes that are more icing than cake (and rubbish cake at that). Many people would put McDonalds burgers first, which I wouldn't agree with even though I have eaten very few of them.

The general principle behind banning junk food advertising is sound though - providing there was agreement on what constitutes 'junk'. The example of the McD's burger omits the fact that these usually come as a Happy Meal, with a side dish of fries and a sugar laden milkshake (the strawberry one is delicious!) and all this is dirt cheap and served within minutes. This encourages such a meal to become a cheap substitute for real food too often (nothing wrong with it as an occasional treat).

I agree about modern cupcakes but again as an occasional treat - why not?

It's the habitual eating of 'junk' or perhaps 'food not made yourself from raw ingredients' that's the problem perhaps ?

I would say anything with excessive sugar or sweeteners, artificial flavouring and colouring, transfats, margarine and palm oil type fats.
Burgers fine as long as the meat is sourced properly, animal fats, butter, olive oil, dairy all good.

This 'cuddly gran' has been avoiding posting on this thread because of the patronising comments from the non cuddly grans!!

Jayanna sorry didn't spot your post. That's interesting. I've heard people say before they don't like going to such classes as they tend to be inhabited by Lycra-wearing skinnier who make one feel inferior.

Classes aimed at uncoordinated Wobblies? That's not meant to sound rude, I think you've got a point and if it was made clear that fit skinnies were totally banned it could work.

So Mumsy welcome and what would motivate you?

Sorry but I must get moving so excuse me if I don't respond to posts until I get a chance to come back on later today.

I don't think the habitual eating of so-called junk food is the problem, anya.

I read an interesting article recently about how, if one's weight goes up and stays up for a longish period (a year or two, or if it goes up gradually over a decade or so) our bodies adjust the weight equilibrium. I'll see if I can explain that and then I'll look for the article.

The idea seems to be that if one's weight goes up and stays up, one's body (brain, appetite-controlling organisms, stuff like that) adjusts and recodes as it were its weight maintaining equilibrium. This is what makes it so difficult to reduce weight and what makes dieting so hard, the article was arguing: our body messaging system has been put out of kilter but doesn't know it.

Essentially then, junk food bashing is on a hiding for nothing.

I eat a lot of stuff that is probably regarded as junk food, high animal fat stuff in particular. I always have. I've never been overweight.

Eskimos ditto.

I should say Eskimos on traditional Eskimo diets.

It's not lack of education, we all know when we are eating too much, and we all know when we aren't taking enough excercise.Any food, including so called junk food is ok if you are doing a very labour intensive job, but not if you work in an office.We all know these things.So, given that we know it, what could make us actually eat well, but less, and excercise more?If I knew that I would be a wealthy woman.Because the reasons are many and complex and not one size fits all (forgive the pun.)

Just a quick reply to bags before I head off. Do you therefore eat a lot of processed and/or bought in food rather than food you cook from scratch yourself?

And, I've no problem with fatty foods. It's as Mamie said sugar laden ones like your modern over-iced VIP cakes.

Roses I think the government's strategy is known as 'nudging'