You Are Fat And A Burden On The Health System

**superman** · 9th February 2012, 21:36

Where's the anti-obesity campaigns similar to the anti-smoking campaigns we see?

"When it comes to calculating the cost of obesity-related illness, we don't have any up-to-date figures but the World Health Organisation estimates the cost to be 7 per cent of a country's health budget.That's a cool $300 million, or thereabouts."

$300 million a year? For gluttonous buffoons?

Someone should really lobby for a fat tax...

A 2008/09 New Zealand Adult Nutrition Survey found that:

one in three adults were overweight (37.0%) and one in four were obese (27.8%).

(I'd hope a nutrition survey isn't stupid enough to only use BMI's)

So how do we solve yet another money-sharing issue? Seeing as supposedly 64.8% of us are either overweight or obese. Fat tax? Healthy school lunches? Nutrition classes? Or let it be... and let the joys of natural selection take its course? Non-communal health insurance? Or continue to have the entire population subsidise obesity-related costs for those who don't have enough will-power to fight their food addictions? Try and get everyone to grow their own veges/fruit?

So tell your hubby, wifey and mates that they're fatties (in a nice way if you want) because apparently it's the easiest way to improve an entire countries health and well being.

To compare ourselves to other nations (according to a Forbe's list) we are 17th in the world for our rate of 'overfedness', with places like the UK at 28th, Germany 43rd, U.S.A 9th, Sweden 90th.

**tigertim20** · 9th February 2012, 21:43

pretty sure they use a BMI to calculate it.
my idea, and your idea of a healthy size might be quite different, but equally safe and healthy

**Big Dave** · 9th February 2012, 21:47

Max! Sit on him.

**BMWST?** · 9th February 2012, 21:47

Originally Posted by superman

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Where's the anti-obesity campaigns similar to the anti-smoking campaigns we see?

$300 million a year? For gluttonous buffoons?

be careful....whats the difference between gluttonous buffoons and temporary kiwis.......

**Kickaha** · 9th February 2012, 21:59

Originally Posted by tigertim20

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pretty sure they use a BMI to calculate it.

BMI is a shit way of doing it, it was pointed out some time ago it is cheaper long term to provide gastric bypass than provide health care for the obese further down the track

**neels** · 9th February 2012, 22:06

Originally Posted by Kickaha

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BMI is a shit way of doing it, it was pointed out some time ago it is cheaper long term to provide gastric bypass than provide health care for the obese further down the track

Be even cheaper just to wire the greedy bastard's jaws shut.

**superman** · 9th February 2012, 22:06

Originally Posted by Kickaha

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BMI is a shit way of doing it, it was pointed out some time ago it is cheaper long term to provide gastric bypass than provide health care for the obese further down the track

Agreed BMI is far too simplistic, to truly get a grasp on a populations percentage of 'fat harbouring' you'd have to dunk a good sample into pools. But even then some people have no health problems holding more body fat and can be linked to genetic traits. Though I'm sure they'd be an absolute minority to the number of overweight and obese.

Cost-effect analysis are great aren't they... does the average obese person give more worth to an economy than they take out? I wonder...

**tigertim20** · 9th February 2012, 22:11

Originally Posted by Kickaha

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BMI is a shit way of doing it, it was pointed out some time ago it is cheaper long term to provide gastric bypass than provide health care for the obese further down the track

it sure is shit.

A person who was, until recently, a friend had the surgery. lost 50kgs. most of it is back on again now. its been about 2 years I think?. His diet basically never changed. the volumes did, but not the content.
So now thats thousands down the drain for surgery, follow=ups, personal trainers he wont go to see etc etc, and we are back at square one.
The surgery means fuckall unless you are prepared to DO something about it, and frankly, if youre genuinely prepared to DO something about it, you wouldnt need the surgery.

So we're fucked either way.

**GingerMidget** · 9th February 2012, 22:13

BMI is a crock of shit. For me, my BMI puts me as overweight. Those that know me, will laugh at that idea. I'm not called midget for nothing!

Fat tax. Make the bad shit expensive, and cut the gst on unprocessed foods, and fruit/veges.

I know I'd eat better if it was cheaper.

**Virago** · 9th February 2012, 22:15

Originally Posted by BMWST?

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be careful....whats the difference between gluttonous buffoons and temporary kiwis.......

Ed Zachary. All risk is relative, and it is too easy to judge others while being blind to hypocrisy.

By the way, bad photoshop job on the photo...

**superman** · 9th February 2012, 22:30

Originally Posted by GingerMidget

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Fat tax. Make the bad shit expensive, and cut the gst on unprocessed foods, and fruit/veges.

I know I'd eat better if it was cheaper.

That sounds like a cop out phrase 'if it were cheaper'...

Just grow it yourself, by far the cheapest way. People are just lazy, they drive to the dairy when they run out of milk, bread and instantly incur extra costs for just not planning ahead. Shopping efficiently, finding cheap stores rather than an expensive place that has everything. Farmers markets have very decent prices, if you grow your own you can deep freeze and store veges for ages.

Cutting tax on a specific type of food just creates a money pit for bureaucrats and creates all sorts of 'gst exemption' administration costs to businesses. They'd have to work out how many square feet of floor their unprocessed foods and fruit/veges sit on to get exemption, how much electricity is used to light that area, how much fuel is used to transport whatever fraction of their goods are unprocessed, fruit/veges, blah blah blah. WHAT A NIGHTMARE!

**superman** · 9th February 2012, 22:37

Originally Posted by Virago

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By the way, bad photoshop job on the photo...

Has more effect though! Would you prefer some exquisite breasts?...

**neels** · 9th February 2012, 23:02

Originally Posted by superman

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if you grow your own you can deep freeze and store veges for ages.

There is something very satisfying about growing veges, and a bit of googling will tell you the best way to store them. It's great to grab a bag of pre sliced carrots from the freezer for dinner, knowing that the next lot are growing away in the garden outside.

**GingerMidget** · 9th February 2012, 23:06

Originally Posted by superman

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That sounds like a cop out phrase 'if it were cheaper'...

Just grow it yourself, by far the cheapest way. People are just lazy, they drive to the dairy when they run out of milk, bread and instantly incur extra costs for just not planning ahead. Shopping efficiently, finding cheap stores rather than an expensive place that has everything. Farmers markets have very decent prices, if you grow your own you can deep freeze and store veges for ages.

Cutting tax on a specific type of food just creates a money pit for bureaucrats and creates all sorts of 'gst exemption' administration costs to businesses. They'd have to work out how many square feet of floor their unprocessed foods and fruit/veges sit on to get exemption, how much electricity is used to light that area, how much fuel is used to transport whatever fraction of their goods are unprocessed, fruit/veges, blah blah blah. WHAT A NIGHTMARE!

Grow it myself? I live in the middle of town, in an apartment building. Where exactly do you propse I grow my own vegetables?

As for the other waffle about working shit out, stop thinking about it. If Australia can change taxes on certain foods, why can't we clearly its not as hard as you think it is.

And the other waffle about people being lazy? I work six days a week, train at least 4 of those, and I still find time to make my own bread, yogurt and cook with mostly fresh veges. So please, stop marginalising people based on some flawed views of the world.