Obesity - the win-lose situation

[Stewart]

America's getting quite fat, isn't it?



And other nations are following suit:

So how do we go about solving the problem of the fatties?

Increased prices on health insurance?
Teach the younger generation to eat properly so that when the current crop die out the next lot will be better educated in nutrition and exercise?
Regulate portions in eateries?
Stop selling clothes their size so they have to suffer the embarrassment of waddling down the street naked?
More?

 

[Litany]

Fewer sat on your arse jobs?

 

[abecedarian]

Have you seen Supersize Me? Aside from the cheap access to overprocessed, sugary, and fatty junk food for adults, our schoolkids now have fast food in the school cafeterias too. And for those inbetween meal snacks, there are vending machines with pop and candy available too.

I don't think insurance premiums should be higher for obese people, but I DO think they should cover preventative treatments, and gym memberships. Some do already, but from my experience with our new company, one would need a guru to figure out how to use the policies that are in place. We can't call the woman at my husband's workplace who handles insurance claims because she doesn't know anything-regardless of the question asked. Supposedly we have coverage for gym memberships, and it looks like it might be a good deal, but I can' t figure out how to utilize that coverage..and I can't afford to join a gym and then find out I can't get reimbursed.

 

[Stewart]

Have you seen Supersize Me? Aside from the cheap access to overprocessed, sugary, and fatty junk food for adults, our schoolkids now have fast food in the school cafeterias too. And for those inbetween meal snacks, there are vending machines with pop and candy available too.

Is it that hard to replace pop and candy with water, fruit juice, and cereal bars? Are the schools slave to corporates in what goes in these machines? Oh, and yes, I've seen Supersize Me.

I DO think they should cover preventative treatments, and gym memberships.

Gym memberships? How do you get Mr Fatty off the couch and into the gym?

 

[beer good]

Is it that hard to replace pop and candy with water, fruit juice, and cereal bars?

Apparently.

On 16th September 2006, Jamie Oliver and Rawmarsh Community School, South Yorkshire, UK made front page headlines after a group of parents revolted against Jamie Oliver's style lunches which meant all 1100 pupils on site were fed 2 portions of fruit and three veg every day. The parents said 'Our kids have the right to eat what they like'. They then began taking orders over the school fence for nearby sandwich and fast-food outlets. The food was then delivered hot over the fence to the waiting pupils. Jamie Oliver responded to this by saying 'I am tired of these fucking bastards', 'if they want to kill off their kids, let them do it.'.

 

[abecedarian]

I can remember school lunches before the school board took control of the menues. This was in elementary school and we had a lady named Mrs. Patterson, who made wonderfiul food-real food- that kids liked and seldom threw away. Everthing was prepared from fresh imgredients and we had a good variety of foods each week. She decided to retire when the board not only started dictating her menues,.but took over the supply end as well. Too bad, her hommade pizzas and kolaches were fine! But she didn't serve those every day..

 

[mehastings]

I know that a lot of schools around here are caving in and taking soda and junk food out of their vending machines. That really doesn't do much though when they are regularly serving chicken nuggets, steakum subs and pizza instead of healthier options.

For most of my childhood my mother made my lunch rather than letting me eat school food. I remember looking at my friends and their potato chips and pizza while I ate sandwiches and apple slices. My brothers and I weren't allowed to play inside when the weather was nice and we didn't get a video game system until the youngest of us was almost out of high school (I was already long since out of the house). I'm glad my parents were the way they were and I hope that we will be the same when my daughter gets older.

Abec, you may want to give your health plan's website a review. Many major plans have them and you might be able to find the gym info there. A lot of them do reimbursement type plans where you pay out and they repay a portion quarterly.

 

[abecedarian]

Abec, you may want to give your health plan's website a review. Many major plans have them and you might be able to find the gym info there. A lot of them do reimbursement type plans where you pay out and they repay a portion quarterly.

I probably will, but I when I tried a few months ago, It was a maze of little tidbits of information..but nowhere did just say "fill out this form and send it HERE and your life will be fine." I got very frustrated..

 

[Gem]

Is it that hard to replace pop and candy with water, fruit juice, and cereal bars?

Most of the schools in my area have done that. But my nephews tell me that the kebab shop down the road from their school is now doing excellent afterschool business. Which is why I think education starts at home. Kids should be allowed to eat the junk - but proportionately, not every day and not as replacement for the healthy stuff.

Gym memberships? How do you get Mr Fatty off the couch and into the gym?

Motivating someone into exercising is beyond difficult. It's easy to give in to making snide remarks and nagging, but that's only going to affect their self confidence and make them even less motivated. Getting a person off the couch and into the gym is going to take alot of patience and support by the persons loved ones.

My brother in law is a big fella, and has always refused to do anything about it.
A few months ago he had to have a health check and his results were appalling, But unbelievably he still refused to get off the sofa and get into shape. What finally motivated him was seeing me cry about it - he's a big softy and he promised to sort himself out. But we had to help him, his eldest son started jogging with him everyday, and I started to play tennis with him once a week (which was great for his ego because I'm woefully bad) and slowly as he started to feel the improvements his motivation increased. He's now a regular gym goer.

But I don't think that a gym is vital to getting fit. You can join walking groups, jogging or invest in a cheapish bicycle, there really is a multitude of activities that you can do that aren't expensive.

 

[MonkeyCatcher]

Is it that hard to replace pop and candy with water, fruit juice, and cereal bars?

Our school canteen (a canteen is basically a little shop - we don't do the whole cafeteria thing here) made that change this year. Lollies, fizz, hot chips, potato chips etc were replaced with juices, muslei bars, rice balls and sandwiches. The teachers have been commenting on the change in behaviour and energy after this was implimented.

As for solving the problem of obesity, I think that one of the major steps needed is to improve public awareness of the epidemic and just how serious it is. Things like reality programmes, ad campaigns etc could do wonders in helping the general public realise what a problem this is becoming. I don't think that bigger people really realise how fatal obesity can be, and just how deadly high cholesterol and blood pressure are. If the major health risks resulting from obesity are made extremely clear, I think that more people would be willing to do something about their weight. My mother was quite large and did nothing about it until her doctor told her straight up that she was going to die unless she did something. That's all the motivation she needed.

 

[Sofia]

Is it that hard to replace pop and candy with water, fruit juice, and cereal bars?

Several towns in my area are doing that already too. Also, they did an experiment involving kids, lunch and recess. Usually the kids here have lunch first then recess...and by that time they are too full (with processed crap, and tend to skip the fruit or vegees on their tray) to do much activity and/or running around. So they decided to have recess first, then lunch. They found the kids had lots more energy, and actually ate the fruit and vegees this time. Why they didn't stick with it I don't know. And the grammar schools here do not serve any pop/soda here at all. Your choice is white or chocolate milk....lowfat.

 

[Dogmatix]

I agree with everything you are all saying but there does have to be a bit of self-responsibiity and in the case of minors, parental responsibility. I'm not saying it's not terribly difficult to resist caving under so much outside pressure but nevertheless.

 

[Flor]

Increased prices on health insurance?

This would be a good start. I'm less and less sympathetic to this problem because of the underlying attitude many Americans have about food which is- We have so much, darn it we deserve to be full all the time. -Or something along those lines. It's almost a congratulatory thing at every meal in some homes. I fix simple food and serve sane portions. If my child doesn't like what I serve, he knows he can have a slice of whole wheat bread with some butter on it. Most times I leave the table still kind of unsatisfied but not hungry. And I pack my lunch to work, a sandwich and a peach, pear or plum. It would be awful if, as a nurse who works with women and children to provide nutrition information and education, I had to squeeze into the exam room. (Much better to be slender and slinky, eh?)
(Especially in hospitals where there's not much room and too many fat nurses!) Another thing, ooooh this is not good, a rant of sorts, but it costs so much money to eat all that junk! A bag of brown rice, really good, is cheap and real ingredients, simple ones, are plentiful and cheap. It just takes a little bit of mental effort to eat soundly.

Abc, if it were me, I'd hound those people or person until they did their job to make me quit calling them! Passivity gets us nowhere!! Sheesh now I'm sort of hungry and will probably dream of prime rib floating in a sea of au jus.

 

[MonkeyCatcher]

Also, they did an experiment involving kids, lunch and recess. Usually the kids here have lunch first then recess...

That's such a wierd way to have it! I've always had morning tea (recess) at about 11 and then lunch at 12:30 - having it around the other way doesn't make sense

 

[abecedarian]

That's such a wierd way to have it! I've always had morning tea (recess) at about 11 and then lunch at 12:30 - having it around the other way doesn't make sense

In elementary school, we had a short morning recess, then a long recess after lunch, and a short late afternoon recess. After our school hired a gym teacher, one of those recess periods became longer and was turned into "gym." In middle school and high school, recess was out and only the long lunch period, with nothing to do. Gym was one hour per day in middle school, and was a requirment only for 2 years in high school.

 

[MonkeyCatcher]

In elementary school, we had a short morning recess, then a long recess after lunch, and a short late afternoon recess. After our school hired a gym teacher, one of those recess periods became longer and was turned into "gym." In middle school and high school, recess was out and only the long lunch period, with nothing to do. Gym was one hour per day in middle school, and was a requirment only for 2 years in high school.

Thanks for the explination - I find it fascinating to learn the different way people do things in other countries. We had compulsory PE in primary school and for the first 2 years of high school, although this period was built into the school day and so was at various times. We had it about 3 times a week for an hour each time.

 

[abecedarian]

Thanks for the explination - I find it fascinating to learn the different way people do things in other countries. We had compulsory PE in primary school and for the first 2 years of high school, although this period was built into the school day and so was at various times. We had it about 3 times a week for an hour each time.

But you have to understand..this was in the dark ages...I graduated from high school in 1979..so I started grade school in the fall of 1966

 

[Justin91]

(Especially in hospitals where there's not much room and too many fat nurses!)

Flor, I have noticed nurses and doctors seem to be getting very large. You would think they would attempt to be in better shape since they should have more knowledge on the effects of obesity to one's body. Is it because of the fluctuating work schedule, lack of proper nutritious foods available at the workplace, stress or all the above?

 

[abecedarian]

Flor, I have noticed nurses and doctors seem to be getting very large. You would think they would attempt to be in better shape since they should have more knowledge on the effects of obesity to one's body. Is it because of the fluctuating work schedule, lack of proper nutritious foods available at the workplace, stress or all the above?

I'm not a nurse, although I can rig up a homemade bandaid pretty quickly, but I think part of the answer to your question stems from plain old human nature. Just as some folks can learn facts and apply them to their own lives as they help others do the same, there are those who merely learn facts to pass a test. That knowledge only sinks in so far and they never see the need to actually do something about it. Really, we are all like that on various topics. So, the medical people we see who are overwieght or half to have their smoke breaks, are like that on these issues.

 

[Justin91]

I'm not a nurse, although I can rig up a homemade bandaid pretty quickly, but I think part of the answer to your question stems from plain old human nature. Just as some folks can learn facts and apply them to their own lives as they help others do the same, there are those who merely learn facts to pass a test. That knowledge only sinks in so far and they never see the need to actually do something about it. Really, we are all like that on various topics. So, the medical people we see who are overwieght or half to have their smoke breaks, are like that on these issues.

I agree with you a hundred percent. From a marketing point of view, if I was a doctor I would want myself and my staff to be healthy, lead by example if you will. Would this be discrimination if this was my hiring practice?

I must say I do know several doctors socially and they are all very health conscious. There are a few I have seen that are not so. Mostly it is the nurses and staff that are over weight.

Also, I hate to sound like I am anti-fat, but I truly sympathize with everyone dealing with size issues. I also have struggled with my weight since high school. I work out a lot and really have to watch the amount I consume to maintain a healthy weight.