"Illegal" to be fat - get fined or face higher premiums!

[GGG]

I am a big fan of user pays philosophies for things you can control. So if you are obese, out of shape, or otherwise act unhealthy paying more makes sense.

I would love to see fitness testing as a part of the taxation system in canada. Tax credits for the healthy. And also a junk food tax that goes to subsidize healthy meals in lower income area schools. I would support any revenue neutral program to modify peoples eating behavior.

Millions are spent to convince people to eat poorly and everyone pays for the consequences. Cigarette style taxes and warning labels on soft drinks and banning them from schools would help.

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by llama64

Oh dear, I hope you're kidding, or you at least you meant "in America".

Outlawing "being fat" has got to be one of the ultimate "first world problems".

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/876364-w...n-malnutrition

http://www.ifrc.org/en/publications-...eport/wdr2011/


There were 1.5billion dangerously overweight people worldwide last year, while 925million were underfed, according to the Red Cross.

The figures were denounced as a ‘shocking’ demonstration that the world produces enough food but people still go hungry.

The Red Cross called it a ‘double-edged’ scandal that fewer people died of starvation than were being killed by ‘excess nutrition’.


The organisation’s Bekele Geleta said: ‘If the free interplay of market forces has produced an outcome where 15 per cent of humanity are hungry while 20 per cent are overweight, something has gone wrong somewhere.’

The problem is highlighted in the organisation’s annual World Disasters Report, which says the world is facing a growing food crisis.

[TheSutterDynasty]

Originally Posted by blankall

The whole thing about x% of calories getting converted to fat is BS. Your body obeys the rules of thermodynamics. All excess calories you consume are converted to fat.

This.

The bad thing about high fructose corn syrup (besides being sugar..) is that fructose has a more pronounced negative effect on the lipid profile, or in other words, on your health than glucose or other simple sugars.

[Devils'Advocate]

This really, really bothers me.

First let me say that I do 3 or 4 presentations per month to weight loss groups helping people lose weight. I tell people about my own experience of losing 168 pounds in a calendar year, getting down to my goal weight of 170 lbs (thus the jokes about being half the man I used to be). I am absolutely ecstatic when someone comes up to me and says that they are so happy that I motivated them to getting back in shape.

You people seem to think that slamming people that are overweight (i.e. the OP's "people have no self control") is going to get them to start exercising and eating right. For me, it made me feel worse about myself and I'd eat to make the depression go away. It was like someone who takes drugs to escape from their crappy lives.

I've been to Overeaters Anonymous and I should go back.... I'm still struggling with the self control. I rarely see "some people have no self control" stated about alcoholics or drug users, but the same physiological and psychological needs are similar. You seem to suggest that it's easy for a fat person to lose weight... they just need some self control. It's bigger than that. As a guy, I'm far better at helping people with the logistical needs than the emotional needs, but I work with people on both.

On Monday, I am doing a presentation for my home weight-loss chapter where I'm going to show everyone my planned exercise regiment for the winter (swimming MWF mornings, boot camps TTh mornings, cardio-kickboxing W afternoon, aqua-turbo Th evenings, cross-country skiing on Sun, etc) and asking them to join me. It's the working together and supporting each other that gets people motivated to be healthier... and once I got started and saw the results, the motivation just grew. Positive reinforcement works so much better than the ####ty treatment fat people get from those that are fit.

[pylon]

As an ex-smoker, and an ex 30 to 40 pound overweight guy, I have zero issues with making high risk people have to pay a higher premium, and I would have zero issue with it if I was asked to pay it. What I do have a problem with however is how BMI is calculated.

At 6'1 230 with a 34 inch waist, my BMI calculates at obese at 30, when in reality I am probably around 13-15% BFI, which is nowhere near obese. If you are thick and muscular, you are automatically considered obese based on the calculation they use.

If they were to have a user pay or penalty style system, I believe they would have to have you assessed by some sort of expert, along with blood work etc, as opposed to using a simple BMI calculation, like many insurance systems use.

[V]

Whatever. I quit smoking. Fat people can put down the twinkie and go for a walk once in a while. Of they can pay for being fat. Either way works.

[ricosuave]

Lots of staggeringly ignorant comments here.

Surprised.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by ricosuave

Lots of staggeringly ignorant comments here.

Surprised.

What comments are ignorant?

The ones about people that neglect their bodies being made responsible for it?

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

I have a real hard time believeing those numbers about HFCS.
Anything you have to back that up. I'm not calling you out or anything, it just sort of seems like that's kind of one of those internet things that gets repeated, but no one really knows where it came from.

I watched a lecture documentary from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute if i recall correctly, which is where I got those numbers.

We can't actually digest fructose properly and the only way we can break it down is through the liver (similar to alcohol pretty much in every way except getting the buzz, but that's because alcohol gets metabolized in the brain, where fructose gets metabolized in the liver. If fructose got metabolized in the brain like alcohol does, we would get drunk off it as well.)

Because the liver isn't exactly great at digesting things (it's not supposed to but does get forced in that roll when we eat things that are not good for us) we are only able to convert 30% of the substance into actual energy and the rest gets converted into fat.

It is actually pretty terrible for you.

[Red Slinger]

Why doesn't the government simply place an additional tax on unhealthy foods like soft drinks, chips, candy, etc like they do with cigarettes and alcohol? I recognize that there would be a great debate regarding what is and isn't healthy but for some 'foods' it's abundantly clear that they have little to no nutritional value.

Also, if they are more expensive it would make it more difficult for kids to purchase junk food. This would have to be balanced with a more robust educational component. I'm not sure if cigarette use among young people has dropped because of the cost of cigarettes or public education or both, but it has dropped significantly.

[WilsonFourTwo]

Originally Posted by GGG

I am a big fan of user pays philosophies for things you can control. So if you are obese, out of shape, or otherwise act unhealthy paying more makes sense.

I agree with the user pay concept full force.

Just want to throw this out there......it has NEVER been easier to get calories, and it has NEVER been harder to eat simple, clean foods.

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by WilsonFourTwo

I agree with the user pay concept full force.

Just want to throw this out there......it has NEVER been easier to get calories, and it has NEVER been harder to eat simple, clean foods.

Bollocks. Cut the cable if not throw out the TV. Spend the saved money on "good" food, and with the extra time not spent doing nothing watching, um, do something else.

You burn more calories playing a game of Chess than watching TV, ffs.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by WilsonFourTwo

I agree with the user pay concept full force.

Just want to throw this out there......it has NEVER been easier to get calories, and it has NEVER been harder to eat simple, clean foods.

Fully agree with you. Not to mention all the ad money to convince you to eat poorly. Just look at happy meal toys. Why not put baseball cards back in ciggerette packs.

I think a two pronged approach is needed the first is make things more user pay and to tax bad choices. The second is to ensure is to spend some of money providing treatment and education to help people lose weight.

[Free Ben Hur!]

What if grocery stores had turnstiles that fired up flashing lights and sirens at each end of the pop / chips / cookies aisle ....

[Mtt48]

I'd rather the government stay out of the bedroom as well as my goddamn pantry. Nanny-state crap like this is a terrible idea.

[HOZ]

Originally Posted by TheyCallMeBruce

Japan's War On Terror as begun!

Classic! Don't forget the Korean stormtroopers...the SS (Super Skinny!)

[HOZ]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

This really, really bothers me.

First let me say that I do 3 or 4 presentations per month to weight loss groups helping people lose weight. I tell people about my own experience of losing 168 pounds in a calendar year, getting down to my goal weight of 170 lbs (thus the jokes about being half the man I used to be). I am absolutely ecstatic when someone comes up to me and says that they are so happy that I motivated them to getting back in shape.

You people seem to think that slamming people that are overweight (i.e. the OP's "people have no self control") is going to get them to start exercising and eating right. For me, it made me feel worse about myself and I'd eat to make the depression go away. It was like someone who takes drugs to escape from their crappy lives.

I've been to Overeaters Anonymous and I should go back.... I'm still struggling with the self control. I rarely see "some people have no self control" stated about alcoholics or drug users, but the same physiological and psychological needs are similar. You seem to suggest that it's easy for a fat person to lose weight... they just need some self control. It's bigger than that. As a guy, I'm far better at helping people with the logistical needs than the emotional needs, but I work with people on both.

On Monday, I am doing a presentation for my home weight-loss chapter where I'm going to show everyone my planned exercise regiment for the winter (swimming MWF mornings, boot camps TTh mornings, cardio-kickboxing W afternoon, aqua-turbo Th evenings, cross-country skiing on Sun, etc) and asking them to join me. It's the working together and supporting each other that gets people motivated to be healthier... and once I got started and saw the results, the motivation just grew. Positive reinforcement works so much better than the ####ty treatment fat people get from those that are fit.

This was a nice post to read. I wish you luck DA.

I read somewhere (I will see if I can find it) that said that it is far easier to stay "skinny" or never get fat than to ever lose the excess weight. Once the weight gets put on and then the person loses it, the body reacts as though you are starving. Basically, tempting you to put it on.

Get your kids on a healthy lifestyle to start with and they will find it easier to stay that way!

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by GGG

I am a big fan of user pays philosophies for things you can control. So if you are obese, out of shape, or otherwise act unhealthy paying more makes sense.

I would love to see fitness testing as a part of the taxation system in canada. Tax credits for the healthy. And also a junk food tax that goes to subsidize healthy meals in lower income area schools. I would support any revenue neutral program to modify peoples eating behavior.

Millions are spent to convince people to eat poorly and everyone pays for the consequences. Cigarette style taxes and warning labels on soft drinks and banning them from schools would help.

Ok.
Then lets do the same tax for those who drink or smoke weed as well.

[Bane]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

Ok.
Then lets do the same tax for those who drink or smoke weed as well.

And the same tax for those who have a history of cancer, heart disease, and any other sort of disease in their family tree. Look at how they abuse the health care system.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

Ok.
Then lets do the same tax for those who drink or smoke weed as well.

We already have an extra tax on alcohol, and we probably would on weed if it were legalized.