Being Fat May be Against Law

[Emu]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=519&e=4&u=/ap/20031222/ap_on_re_us/states_battling_obesity_2

Fighting to shed a few pounds and control that waistline? For the soaring number of Americans who are becoming dangerously overweight, states and cities across the country want to help.



With the U.S. Surgeon General calling obesity an epidemic, legislators nationwide are offering measures to encourage healthy food choices and ban the worst temptations.


Skeptics say government should stay away from trying to legislate something as personal as what we eat. But supporters say they can't ignore a growing public health problem or how it drives the ever-rising cost of health care.


Few ideas have become law yet. But states have considered scores of bills this year that would, among other things: get kids exercising; warn restaurant eaters about fat, sugar and cholesterol on the menu; and, ban sugary sodas and fattening chips from school vending machines.


In a Louisiana experiment, the state will pay for a few government employees' gastric bypass surgery — or stomach stapling — to see if it reduces health care costs.

I wonder why the surgeon general is so much more concerned with obesity instead of dealing with things like anorexia or bulimia. They seem a lot more prevalent, or maybe I just don't have an eye for obese people.

[camacazio]

Obesity is much more prominent. People, for the most part, aren't very smart about staying healthy. Starving yourself or eating McDonalds for dinner every day are both incredibly stupid eating habits, yet an alarming amount of Americans chose one of the above. I think all around it's important to put more effort into teaching kids what eating healthy means--teaching about the food pyramid obviously isn't enough for stupid people.

[Emu]

I think the problem is that all the bullshit is too complicated. Like those weight watcher's programs. "Write down everything you eat and tally up the points and then see how many black pearls you'll need to feed to the dragon before you can sell him your soul to lose a pound by the end of the week(if it doesn't snow.)" That and people are frightened by technical jargon when it comes to weight loss. I'm still not quite sure exactly what a calorie is.

[Matt Harty]

Calories are types of energy for the body.

There's good and bad ones. Obese people eat alot of the bad ones.

But it's real easy to tell what kind because food labels show how many good, bad, and crazy calories they have.

[kahljorn]

They should card you at mcdonalds. They card you for alcohol because it's, "Unhealthy"... but our great scientists are finding out that just about everything is unhealthy for you. Cept Beef Jerkey and Top Ramen.

[Supafly345]

Austria already has something like this. Obese people don't get government health coverage there.

And the secret to staying in shape isn't a secret, it is just something people don't want to do. Exersise regularly and drink lots of water, while at the same time mataining a balenced diet without processed food (nothing that has ingredients that a 6th grader can't pronounce).

[Cosmo Electrolux]

Calories are types of energy for the body.

There's good and bad ones. Obese people eat alot of the bad ones.

But it's real easy to tell what kind because food labels show how many good, bad, and crazy calories they have.

I always suspected that you were a fucking idiot...now I'm sure.

[ScruU2wice]

I am ok with the whole aspect of trying to help me get thinner, but it's crossing the line when you try to regulate what foods i eat.

Once in our school i was in the lunch line and when i went to pay the lady told me that i had to take a cup of fruit, because it was federal regulations. I think she was bullshitting me but the idea of the government telling me what i can and cannot eat is too damn authoritative for me.

I agree obesity is a growing epidemic, but not something to sacrfice freedom over...

[UP_SHUT]

One of the biggest problems with obesity in our country is basic eating habits. People here are taught to engorge themselves with as much food as humanly possible 3 times a day, and then some. You're only supposed to eat when you're hungry. GEE, WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT BRIGHT IDEA. I hate it when I see parents forcing kids to lick everything off their plates. If a child is hungry, they'll eat, dammit. Too bad if they waste the food. Its called a refridgerator. If they're not they shouldn't be forcing them to stuff themselves like a friggin' sausage.

[Emu]

I hate it when parents use that excuse "some poor kid in Africa is starving for this food right now and you won't eat it." Well, then, send it to them, stupid bitch. Instead of giving me something I don't want, help the fucking Africans.

[ScruU2wice]

up shuts post was hilarious with her avatar... :lol

[cba1067950]

Few ideas have become law yet. But states have considered scores of bills this year that would, among other things: get kids exercising; warn restaurant eaters about fat, sugar and cholesterol on the menu; and, ban sugary sodas and fattening chips from school vending machines.

thats crap. the only time i get to eat bad food is at school. i hope its only for fat people.

[ziggytrix]

Skeptics say government should stay away from trying to legislate something as personal as what we eat. But supporters say they can't ignore a growing public health problem or how it drives the ever-rising cost of health care.

Just cuz the drug reform threads are making the rounds again...
I say government should stay away from trying to legislate something as personal as with what we intoxicate ourselves, too. Legislation is CLEARLY not the solution.

[The One and Only...]

Privatization of the health care system is.

[Suck 'n' Fuck]

How would privatizing the health care system be a solution to the obesity epidemic? It makes no fucking sense at all.

Where I come from, everyone has the right to health care, regardless of their income. In my humble opinion, socialized health care is a good thing.

[The One and Only...]

Healthcare would cost the obese more.

[Drew Katsikas]

Aren't you fat, yourself, OAO?


In my school they can only sell junk food in the vending machines before and after school. When they forget to turn 'em off during those hours kids have a field day.

[The One and Only...]

Yes, I am. That should not be society's problem.

[kellychaos]

Has anyone taken a serious look at the foods that school cafeterias offer? It's clear that they base their menu on profit (Kids like the junk food and will buy it) over what's actually good for them. And I think that equating obesity with will-power is a load of crap. People are just physiologically different and some people that have a faster metabolism will not necessarily be obese. Fat maybe, but not obese. It's subjective.

[Emu]

I know at my school they make the food so shitty that there's no way eating anything like that could possibly be healthy for you. We don't have macaroni and cheese. We have macaroni and yellow water.

[The One and Only...]

We have pizza :( .

I'm not that fat, really. I'm losing weight, which is suprising considering my diet normally consists of fast food daily...

[ScruU2wice]

If you take away our liberty to choose our own food, where can you really stop. I'm not willing to give up my civil liberties to get people thinner.