Why have we become obsessed with obesity? Fat people know what healthy foods they should eat, that they should exercise more, they do not need educating about it. They simply lack the motivation and their cravings are fuelled by emotional needs and stress.
I hope the Europeon conference on obesity will take this into account when drawing up its long-term strategy for health. It is scrutinising the role of physical activity in the obese instead of concentrating on food intake.
My second message to them is to enforce that all schools with sports facilities, playing fields, gyms, swimming pools, tennis courts, football, rugby and cricket pitches, should open them up to the community in the evenings, weekends and school holidays. Allow our young people to use them throughout the whole year. I am always amazed at this waste of our superb resources funded by the taxpayer that bored youngsters could be enjoying. Put money into energising our young people and this will moderate the time they spend on addictive computer games.
The EU Observer is this week focusing on health and informs us that obesity costs the EU a staggering 59 billion euros a year.
I feel the only health warnings we need should be about life threatening ingreidents, such as nuts, which many people are seriously allergic to. These warnings need to be very visibly displayed.
By the way, did you know that alcohol can be bad for you and may carry a health warning? Will this make any difference to your daily intake? These were the findings of a European Commission report. We have been advised about recommended units numerous times, but all that happens is that wine glasses get bigger, with no info on how many units each one contains.
If you want to find out what happened to the fat lady in the pic, and others like her, one of whom was so gross that he displayed himself in fairs as a warning to others, read the fat lady link.

very fat! im afraid
Elle
Excellent picture of a very fat person. I confess to sharing your feelings re people who allow themselves to become mega overweight. It’s always a struggle but I sometimes feel there is too much tolerance of over-indulgence and not enough straight talking. I’m becoming less tolerant as I grwo older I fear.
How do people remain fat once they are too big to walk to the fridge?
Ellee, I can’t be doing with all this bullying and discrimination of fat people. It seems to me that since laws have been in place, quite rightly, to end discrimination against gays, ethnic minorities, women and so on, there’s no one left to bully. Yes there is – fat people.
I am preparing a dissertation at the moment: ‘Are Fat Kids The New Speccy-Four-Eyes’.
I believe the intolerance of fat people has gone too far and would like to see laws in place as soon as possible to end it.
If you want to bully someone, bully dwarfs. At least fat people can get thinner.
Larry, is there a fine dividing line between being fat and obese? I would suggest there is. Being obese certainly has a considerable impact on the person’s health and well being – the woman in the pic died as a result.
I would be interested in reading your dissertation, I feel very sad for young people who are bullied, whatever the reason.
Incidentally, I was as a kid – and still am – “a speccy four eyes”.
I agree with much of your post and love the idea of opening sports facilities up to the public of an evening.
I also think when it gets to obesity, it’s an illness..a sickness.
Never mind the food fascists, what about the anti-smoking Daleks:
“Patients at Doncaster Royal Infirmary have complained about the extension of a smoking ban to the hospital grounds. The ban means staff and patients – some in wheelchairs and even with drips – are lining nearby residential streets when they want a cigarette.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/5056360.stm
What happens if the staff or patients want a quick drag in the middle of an operation? I think we should know.