Being overweight 'seen as the norm'.

[Workingman]

So says England's chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies.

She is probably right, considering what I see when I look in the mirror or walk down the street, but what can be done about it? Tax sugar, tax "unhealthy foods" (whatever they are) tax fatty foods, have a minimum price per unit of alcohol?

Haranguing people about being fat or obese can only make the problem worse, imo. Like it or not our lifestyles have changed, and that is probably more where the problem lies. We are now an office based, computer screen watching, driven everywhere, eat on the hoof society; where we once were a manual labour, walk to work, eat at home society.

The price of food is already going up, don't tax it out of existence, but by all means get us to change our lifestyles by persuading us to be more active. If that means cost-free regulation, so be it.

[cruiser2]

Too much processed food, not enough exercise.

Youngsters think they should go everywhere in a car. When I went to school, I rode a bike over two miles. There was a long hill, easy going down in the morning.

Even road sweeping is now done mechanically which easily misses small pieces of dirt and cannot brush round the bottom of lamp posts

[KateLMead]

When I visited my late son and his family in Maine USA in 2008 I was shocked at the common sight of unbelievable obese men women and children that was a common sight. "And I mean obese"
I was informed by my son that people who are fat are given invalidity benefits.
I thought at the time that this would be the situation in UK as we generally follow the American example as we do, good bad or indifferent.

[Workingman]

It is not so much the size we have become, but the methods the control freaks want to employ to get us back in shape. Every single one of them involves making money for the exchequer either by raising costs for this or increasing tax for that.

If it is a problem, and I suppose it is, then why not make some activities cheaper, especially family oriented ones; and why not create situations where using a car is not an option? Banning cars, except for those of residents, within 500m of schools could be a start.

[pederito1]

It is said that no obese person has ever lived to be 100.

[cromwell]

It is not so much the size we have become, but the methods the control freaks want to employ to get us back in shape. Every single one of them involves making money for the exchequer either by raising costs for this or increasing tax for that.

Bang on.
There is a movement afoot in the state, most prevalent in the Labour party but not exclusive to them.
Which is - It's For Your Own Good.

You will pay a minimum price for alcohol - it's for your own good.
There will be a tax on fatty foods and fizzy drinks - it's for your own good.
You will pay more for petrol - It's for your own good.
There will be a ban on advertising junk food - it's for your own good.

Etc, etc.
I don't like it very much!

[Diflower]

I agree, it's a damned cheek isn't it!
Especially as one who's not overweight, I don't expect to have to pay more for my bars of chocolate
I'd prefer to pay less for my veggies
And yes, sports etc are expensive, they started the free swimming for under-16s but then withdrew it - not to mention all those school sports fields forever gone, and sport in schools now being almost non-existent.

[TheOstrich]

I come at this from a slightly different angle and question the medical profession's whole concept and approach to overweight. Several years ago, I was given a target weight to achieve that, frankly, was a stone less than anything I'd been since I was a teenager. This was no figure plucked out of thin air, this is what they medically said I should be.

Not only was it impossible to reach and maintain without me becoming anorexic or living entirely on liquids, it was so crazy a notion that after a couple of mega-diet sessions (which got me to within that stone but no further), I didn't bother to try again.

I accept that there are folk who could do with losing a bit of weight for their own sakes, but for goodness sake, let's be realistic in what we are trying to achieve.

[Workingman]

Agree Ossie.

Unless I live on air and water I am never, ever, going to be 12st 12lbs (81.6kg) and that is at the very top of my ideal weight.

[Kaz]

Yes I was told at New Year by my GP that I was three and a half stone overweight! I was wearing a size 14/16 at the time....... That would have taken me down to a weight somewhat lower than I reached about 12 years ago when my marriage was breaking up, I was ill, and a size 8 in jeans, as my 10s were hanging off my hip bones Not a good look for a large boned woman of 5ft 7 Two stone over the ideal I would have accepted, but three and a half? Never................... They are using totally unrealistic targets

The lack of sports in school these days, added to the general lack of every day walking in modern life has a lot to answer for IMHO