Read this article...you may disagree, but I'd like to think most of you do not...

[Wanabe]

dailymail.co.uk/debate/arti...

Also today they are talking about a drug which gives 'better' results than diet and exercise. It's called Liraglutide (administered by injection daily) Once approved by The European Commission (which they say will go through in 2 months from now) the NHS will be able to supply this drug at a cost of £2.25 per day to it's overweight and obese patients. There is only one other drug available like this, Orlistat, and basically they are 'quick fixes' for lazy people (ouch!) OK there may be some who have medical problems which causes weight gain and these drugs may be beneficial and have their place, but is this really going to help our already overweight population and overstretched GP's? Personally I think this is another triumph for Pharmaceutical Companies to make loads of dosh from a massive niche in an ever growing market!!

[Salaisa]

Maybe the NHS have done their maths and this is costing them less than a) paying for gastric bypasses, b) treating all the overweight-related conditions later on? And I also blame marketing: it's easy to say do not pay attention, but those guys are very clever and know exactly how to present a message so that poor human brain cannot resist. In Supersize Me, there were some stats on the amount of advertising food to children. Basically, children are bombarded and they don't stand a chance. If the government were serious about nation's health, this kind of advertising should be banned just like tobacco advertising.

While I know where my extra pounds come from and I know I am solely responsible for them, I think it is oversimplification to just say people are responsible and should make healthy choices. It is hard in this world, and the psychological aspects should not be disregarded. It's like saying anyone can be a super-scientist/mathematician/writer... if only they applied themselves. That's not true. (Also, I am an addict. I have heard so many arguments how my smoking is the result of insufficient willpower, but it simply does not work just like that.) How many people here for example systematically teach their children to cook? (Thought inspired by a blog by an American lady whose 15 y old daughter is solely responsible for planning and cooking dinner for their family of 7.) So that when the child leaves home, they can take care of themselves?

I do agree with the author of the article that we should stop beating about the bush and offer some tough love, but together with some support. Definitely not injections.

[Wanabe in reply to Salaisa]

Yup...advertising does have it's effects. I can remember in my parent's generation doctors advertising cigarettes! Actually one printed (with doctor in white coat, stethoscope and fag in hand) 'More Doctors Smoke Camels Than Any Other Cigarette' !!! And everyone smoked then...the power of advertising! Our society has changed since then though with the power of the Internet, television documentaries and other programs offering information about health, nutrition and lifestyle affects. We have no excuse to be ignorant now! I personally think we have become a sofa slob population with our smart TV's, tablets, phones and an array of technology to keep us firmly in our seats and on our fat backsides! Kids no longer ride bikes, skateboards and climb trees, in fact they hardly communicate in person any more except in the virtual world of social networks. I'm not technophobic but hey ho...it's here to stay and there's no going back now! SO...it HAS to be about CHOICE...and that's up to us as individuals. If Asda chose to sell 24 iced donuts for 3 quid and we buy them for our kids then that's OUR choice, we cannot blame the giant supermarkets...it's hardly a 'supply on demand' situation..they are cashing in on the weak willed, NOT the poor. I get so annoyed when people say they can't afford fresh fruit, veg and healthy food to feed their family...I'll bet those same people have smart TV's and all the gadgets in their homes...can afford booze AND perhaps smoke! We have become a nation of excuses and moaners. Sorry about the rant, but every day I hear such rubbish on TV, radio and in the news from politicians and pen pushers who feed us the most ridiculous ideas, suggestions and untrue facts. Maybe it's my age and I'm becoming a grumpy old woman but common sense has to prevail at some point in this cynical negative world...or perhaps it is me who is cynical and negative?.......

[fibronfedup]

I think things like this and gastric bypasses should be used as a last resort after healthy eating and exercise, unless a medical condition is present really.

[FatbellyGutbucket]

I think it's another quick fix that won't address what is, usually, the real problem. Other than cases where there is a genuine health problem, such as a metabolism that's disrupted by steroids, we spend years over-eating (or eating foods that are bad for us thanks to the food industry), getting our metabolisms accustomed to portions that are too large, and rarely (if ever) being hungry. Often, we do sedentary work and don't get enough - or any - exercise to compensate for our lack of activity at work.

What I believe we have to do to get fit AND STAY FIT is re-train our metabolisms to expect less food, feed it foods that are healthier, allow ourselves to go hungry from time to time, and build manual activity into our work (or exercise enough to compensate). That is not going to happen overnight. It's a lifestyle change and it will take time to settle into a new lifestyle which may be very different from our old ones.

At best all any of the quick fixes (such as crash diets, fads, injections, gastric bands, etc) can do is give us a kick-start. Without the lifestyle change we'll be back to where we were (or worse) soon after the 'diet' or course of injections is over. With the lifestyle change the quick fix kick-start would be unnecessary.

[Wanabe]

Totally agree with you 100%, well put! I do however feel strongly about the pharmaceutical industry cashing in on a market which has been 'invented' by the media. It's all politics and about money at the end of the day. They put pressure on the medical profession to accept certain drugs and it then becomes a price war. Doctors have told me that they are encouraged to prescribe cheaper brands rather than those more expensive ones which produce better results in shorter term treatment. If you have the luxury (or rather money) to have private health care then the cards are so different. Money talks and for those (most of us) relying solely on expensive NHS treatment, there is little choice. That's why I feel strongly too about the NHS offering these weight loss injections, they can ill afford it and it's simply a win win result for the pharmaceutical industry. Losing weight is hardly rocket science, as you say, it's about lifestyle changes not quick fixes.

[cs783 in reply to Wanabe]

It's uplifting to see such good sense written here. Last year I followed an online free Reading Uni course about the causes of what I see as the often tragic and generally ruinous obesity epidemic. It discusses the many factors: psychological, physical, commercial, ... as citizens we have to be thoughtfully critical about all possible approaches.

The course isn't currently running (ha ha) but if anyone's interested keep an eye on FutureLearn (run by FutureLearn futurelearn.com/courses/cat... ) .

[Penel in reply to Wanabe]

No, it's hardly rocket science, it's much more complicated than that, especially when it goes wrong.