Quote:
Originally Posted by GGG
I would agree that obesity is a health concern. The questions becomes whether shaming is an effective way of fighting it. The success rate of people losing and keeping off weight is abysmal. We know there is a psychological / depression aspect in many people's issues.
The question we should be asking is what is the most effective way to get people to lose and keep off weight. If shaming people and having fit health ministers turns out to be the most effective way then sign me up. I suspect that isn't the case.
|
People need to be educated on weight loss, plain and simple. So many people underestimate their caloric intake and daily requirements. They overestimate the amount of calories burned by their activities. And people lack the motivation or willpower to change their lifestyle, which is the key to losing weight, getting fit and staying that way.
The other problem is we have fools like Virgie Tovar, Ragan Chastain and their legions of Tumblr/FA/HAES followers who are basically trying to normalize obesity and mental illness. They have gotten so many people believing that it is offensive to point out when someone is sick that a lot of people are not willing to do so or have no idea what it looks like.
More places that sell food need to follow the example that McDonalds has taken. Caloric information on the menu board, right next to the food item and in large print. People need to be looking at their BMI, TDEE and their actual caloric intake every day. It sucks the first time you take a hard look at yourself, but the benefits long term outweigh the initial discomfort.