Keir Starmer at it again..

[Tredman]

Hooking people on drugs is never going to be good.

The cost to the NHS becuase of obesity is also not good. Not saying this is the correct answer but it needs tackling desperately.

 

[Johnny75]

The cost to the NHS becuase of obesity is also not good. Not saying this is the correct answer but it needs tackling desperately.

I agree with that, I don't think hooking people on drugs is the answer.

Has to be lifestyle but to do that you've got to make cooking and eating actual produce cheaper than a Greggs sausage roll.

 

[Boozad]

Tbf that drug is going to be in demand regardless of any lobbying, as was viagra and as would be hairloss treatment

I really wish there was a way of promoting hair loss. I’m sick of shaving my canister.

 

[Dire Wolf]

Tbf that drug is going to be in demand regardless of any lobbying, as was viagra and as would be hairloss treatment

Going to be in demand, maybe. Bought and paid for by the NHS? Probably not.

 

[Del Woppio]

Going to be in demand, maybe. Bought and paid for by the NHS? Probably not.

If you can get stiffy pills then weight loss treatment in a no brainer, it has a much impact on the NHS. I agree it should be based on diet and exercise but, well, people are lazy and shit. But an overweight lazy shit is easier and cheaper to manage than an obese lazy shit

 

[Dire Wolf]

The cost to the NHS becuase of obesity is also not good. Not saying this is the correct answer but it needs tackling desperately.

I agree. But maybe tackling the issues created by the food industry would be a good place to start. Deregulation of laws on food quality and a headlong rush to open more and more fast food outlets is a surefire way to increase obesity and stress the NHS. But those are things that we have done, why? Because those companies and the food industry have lobbied hard to make it happen. The Sugar Tax is good, but it's like sticking your finger in a dam that's holding back an ocean.

Accepting lobbying from a Pharma company to provide a solution is NOT a solution, it's creating another ocean that someone else will have to build a dam against. And this is exactly the issue with the economic system we have. Capitalism doesn't give a fuck about the future and the fires it creates, and it doesn't give a fuck about who has to stick their finger in the dam or fight that fire. It only cares about who gets wealthy, and that isn't you, me, or the fat person hooked on a weight loss drug to make them employable.

 

[Lupo]

Mrs Lupo has received a letter from the HOC about losing the WFA - she's 56, works full time and doesn't claim a penny from anywhere!

 

[Tredman]

I agree. But maybe tackling the issues created by the food industry would be a good place to start. Deregulation of laws on food quality and a headlong rush to open more and more fast food outlets is a surefire way to increase obesity and stress the NHS. But those are things that we have done, why? Because those companies and the food industry have lobbied hard to make it happen. The Sugar Tax is good, but it's like sticking your finger in a dam that's holding back an ocean.

Accepting lobbying from a Pharma company to provide a solution is NOT a solution, it's creating another ocean that someone else will have to build a dam against. And this is exactly the issue with the economic system we have. Capitalism doesn't give a fuck about the future and the fires it creates, and it doesn't give a fuck about who has to stick their finger in the dam or fight that fire. It only cares about who gets wealthy, and that isn't you, me, or the fat person hooked on a weight loss drug to make them employable.

Fast Food outlets also offer much needed jobs..

 

[Johnny75]

Fast Food outlets also offer much needed jobs..

And not everybody who eats fast food is a lazy shit*


*Del's phrase not mine

 

[Dire Wolf]

Hang on, I'm confused. Are we now saying there is no correlation between the massive rise in fast food outlets and the massive rise in obesity? It's just coincidental?

 

[Tom Hark]

And not everybody who eats fast food is a lazy shit*


*Del's phrase not mine

That's true, but are all the obese lazy shits hooked on fast food/Gregg's sausage rolls?

 

[Tredman]

Hang on, I'm confused. Are we now saying there is no correlation between the massive rise in fast food outlets and the massive rise in obesity? It's just coincidental?

I think the correlation is probably stronger with sugar content and processed foods.

Despite what the daily mail would have you believe unemployed people are not out eating McDonald’s everyday.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

Ultra processed foods full of sugar eaten are a far bigger problem than the occasional Big Mac and fries. I don’t like the fact a company that has been lobbying Government is getting the contract but weight loss drugs will make a huge difference to many people. If exercise and diet alone was an easy solution over a quarter of the adult population wouldn’t be obese. Targeting people who’s weight is preventing them getting employment seems a win-win, less burden on the taxpayer and longer term less burden on the NHS.

 

[Dire Wolf]

I think the correlation is probably stronger with sugar content and processed foods.

Despite what the daily mail would have you believe unemployed people are not out eating McDonald’s everyday.

I agree. It's why I referenced the food industry as a whole in an earlier post. When you are poor the quality of food you are able to afford is significantly reduced and you rely on cheaper, less healthy options. Healthier options need to be cheaper at the supermarkets, but they are not.

Instead of relying on a food industry dictated by profits, the only ACTUAL solution to a lot of problems from obesity, to animal welfare, to climate change, is having a food industry that is non-profit and based on need. But that would be an overhaul of the capitalist economic model, and well, we can't have that, it's just too socialist. Far better we have wealthy corporations and a fucked up population and a fucked up planet so they can hoard wealth and appease their shareholders.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

Next up maybe the Labour Government could fund some mental health measures to help the huge number of mental health patients improve, unemployed or not. The current waiting list for any help is shameful.

 

[Tredman]

I agree. It's why I referenced the food industry as a whole in an earlier post. When you are poor the quality of food you are able to afford is significantly reduced and you rely on cheaper, less healthy options. Healthier options need to be cheaper at the supermarkets, but they are not.

Instead of relying on a food industry dictated by profits, the only ACTUAL solution to a lot of problems from obesity, to animal welfare, to climate change, is having a food industry that is non-profit and based on need. But that would be an overhaul of the capitalist economic model, and well, we can't have that, it's just too socialist. Far better we have wealthy corporations and a fucked up population and a fucked up planet so they can hoard wealth and appease their shareholders.

Have we EVER had a non-profit food producer in history? Profit is not always bad..

I suppose Soviet Russia was technically non-profit once the Kulaks got theirs.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Next up maybe the Labour Government could fund some mental health measures to help the huge number of mental health patients improve, unemployed or not. The current waiting list for any help is shameful.

I'm fortunate in that I'm now in a position whereby my condition is effectively medicated, manageable and to be honest, doesn't particularly impact on me day-to-day (either that or I'm just used to it!).

Starting from scratch right now with a MH condition would be horrific as the support simply isn't there.

 

[Johnny75]

Ultra processed foods full of sugar eaten are a far bigger problem than the occasional Big Mac and fries. I don’t like the fact a company that has been lobbying Government is getting the contract but weight loss drugs will make a huge difference to many people. If exercise and diet alone was an easy solution over a quarter of the adult population wouldn’t be obese. Targeting people who’s weight is preventing them getting employment seems a win-win, less burden on the taxpayer and longer term less burden on the NHS.

The PR around this targeting people who aren't working as lazy and obese is wrong.

That kind of messaging is really poor and pretty dystopian.

That's before you get to what is classified as clinically obese which is based on weight and the professionally derided measurement of BMI.

Anthony Joshua v Daniel Dubouis would be 2 clinically obese males fighting according to the silly BMI measure.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

The PR around this targeting people who aren't working as lazy and obese is wrong.

That kind of messaging is really poor and pretty dystopian.

That's before you get to what is classified as clinically obese which is based on weight and the professionally derided measurement of BMI.

Anthony Joshua v Daniel Dubouis would be 2 clinically obese males fighting according to the silly BMI measure.

Can’t disagree re using BMI as definition of obese in some cases but the eye test tells me there are a lot of very fat people about. I was very careful in my wording and referred to those where their weight is stopping them getting employment. Obviously most overweight people can and do work.

 

[machin05]

This is a really hot topic at the moment. And one that is way more complex than first expected.

The old agade of eat healthier and exercise more is just not realistic or effective. Access to healthy food, fresh food etc if you are living in poverty is extremely difficult. Time pressures force people into eating too much fast food and ultra processed/easy options. Basic culinary skills are being lost etc. The data is there. Eating healthy is becoming more of an unobtainable option for ever increasing numbers of people.
Plus, meaningful exercise is easier said than done. Walking helps, but it's not enough to make a difference for most. Time to dedicate to running is hard to come by. Cost of equipment, gym memberships can't be ignored. And finally, some people can eat well, exercise a decent amount but still struggle to shift weight. I'm no expert, but metabolism and physiology just count against some.

Whilst drugs might not be the best answer, something needs to be done. The NHS is on its knees and if we can reduce the obesity related treatments in ways other than 'eat better and exercise more' slogans, then that has to be explored in a meaningful way.