UK government obesity strategy

KNoceros

Ok everyone, what are your thoughts on the newly announced UK (?just England as health is devolved) anti-obesity strategy.

For those who haven’t seen it or are not based here the gist is:
The government are stressed that as a population we’re just too big (over 60% of the population are at least overweight and nearly 25% are obese). The given reason for the timing of these measures is that the obese do disproportionately badly if they get CoVID.

The plan involves:
Banning adverts for “unhealthy” food (their term not mine, encompassing high fat, sugar and/ salt food) before 9pm.
Also banning multi-buy offers on these foods.
Sweets and chocolate to be removed from till displays in supermarkets (TBH I thought this had been announced years ago anyway and quietly “forgotten”...)

Restaurants and takeaways to publish calorie counts on dishes (only for chains with more than 250 employees)

Calorie counts to be put on alcoholic drink labels.

There was discussion about a “12 week” weight loss plan to be promoted by GPs. This seems to have vanished already and there was no explanation as to why 12 weeks which in my opinion promotes “diet culture” and “quick fix” mentality rather than sustained change...

My feelings are that these are unlikely to really make
I’d be interested to hear other people’s take on this. Has something similar been tried where you are? Do you think it made any difference?


Also, for those interested here is a link to the official document.

Tackling obesity: government strategy

KNoceros

Link to government document didn’t work.
Here it is again.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-obesity-government-strategy

KNoceros

Spotted a couple of typos and for whatever reason can’t edit sorry about that.

I had meant to say, I don’t think it’ll make much difference generally and may even do harm as it seems to be about demonising “bad” foods and does nothing to address the “calories out” side of the equation.

LockdownLoser23

I think it is a good thing - it is a step in the right direction and makes people consider what they are eating. Further food and drinks labeling a again a good thing. The nation can't even cope with being told to wear a mask, you think they will actively start counting calories. They should be pushing the couch to 5k and other such programmes, making cycling safer and arranging park walks or something.
I don't buy the whole 'demonsing' food

KNoceros

LockdownLoser23 wrote: »

. They should be pushing the couch to 5k and other such programmes, making cycling safer and arranging park walks or something.

This is what I meant by the “not addressing calories out”. Expecting the public en masse to calorie count is, as you say, a non starter. But let’s try to increase activity levels. Even by a teeny bit.
It’ll help not only with weight but also cardiovascular reserve (aka fitness).

steveko89

I can't speak to UK culture but we're seeing a prime example of a "don't try to tell me what to do/how to live" attitude in the US right now as it pertains to COVID guidelines.

janejellyroll

As someone from the US, I would love to see calorie counts on alcoholic beverage labels (yes, I know it's relatively easy to figure out once you research the basics, but it would still be handy when trying something new).

That said, I wouldn't expect it to make much of a difference for weight loss efforts. When I was overweight, seeing the calorie count on the side of my beer wouldn't have made a difference. The calories in drinks only became relevant to me once I starting trying to hit a particular calorie goal and I was willing to limit my intake to meet that goal.

Onedaywriter

I don’t think it will make too much difference but it’s a start at least. I do like the calorie publication of big chain restaurants. I don’t think many people realize just how many calories some of this stuff they serve has.
My own experience is that when my wife and daughter saw how many calories are in “Aussie Cheese Fries” we now order a half portion to split three ways and all know it is a super splurge.
In my opinion it might help those who are already motivated but won’t reach unmotivated folks.

lemurcat2

I would guess that the rule about commercials before 9 and no candy at the checkout line (if I am interpreting correctly) are related to kids, and could be somewhat helpful for parents.

I don't think the calorie count stuff really gets people to lose weight, for the reasons jane said, but it's very helpful for people who are counting/paying attention.

I saw something about a 12-week NHS app this morning and wonder if that's related to the 12-week diet mentioned in the OP. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/start-the-nhs-weight-loss-plan/

It actually looks like a reasonable approach -- aiming for .5-1 kg per week depending on weight. It has average cal totals in the explanation, which I don't like, but you can set your own cal target based on your own numbers (perhaps similar to MFP?). It has challenges and stuff and weekly support and tips. It might be motivating for some who want to lose weight but don't know where to start. Maybe kind of a free version of Noom?

I also agree that focusing on how to increase activity would be a great thing.

KNoceros

@lemurcat2 thanks for finding that link. It does actually (as you say) look a pretty sensible and balanced plan. And isn’t a 1200/1500 plan either.
They’re suggesting a “typical” female / male total might be 1400 / 1900. With suggested recipes (except I can’t get them to download) and ways of increasing CO.

I retract my statement that it sounded a bit crash-diety.

spiriteagle99

Advertising calories will help those who are making a conscious effort to lose weight, but most people will just ignore it. I've talked to my husband about it. At restaurants, I pick entrees based in part on calorie count. I'll usually skip certain favorites (i.e. 'loaded baked potato') when I get a look at the calories involved. I stopped eating dessert out after seeing how high the dessert calories are, even split between two people. My husband, OTOH, doesn't care at all. He eats what he wants to eat and completely ignores how many calories it has.

Geneveremfp

KNoceros wrote: »

@lemurcat2 thanks for finding that link. It does actually (as you say) look a pretty sensible and balanced plan. And isn’t a 1200/1500 plan either.
They’re suggesting a “typical” female / male total might be 1400 / 1900. With suggested recipes (except I can’t get them to download) and ways of increasing CO.

I retract my statement that it sounded a bit crash-diety.

I was pleasantly surprised by the sensible advice on the NHS website when I used it to check my bmi. I think nutrition and health advice is gradually getting better. I'm not sure if it is getting to the gp level yet though.

I think something needs to be done. I feel a bigger impact on obesity might be to tackle poverty and people having to work long unstable hours just to survive. Better mental health support would also go a long way... It would take a while to see results though and doesn't feel like it's tackling stuff directly so would never get done.

FitterFifteen

I think the calorie labels will help a little - not so much as making people notice, but companies reducing the calories to show lower numbers.

MikePfirrman

Just from a cultural standpoint, I have a ton of UK friends on Facebook (I do a very silly niche sport of indoor rowing and I've gotten to know a lot of UK rowers, both indoor and real rowers -- it's a lot bigger in the UK than here).

At least according to my buddies, as I've seen numerous posts about it, docs there will sit you down and go over why you need to lose weight and be straight with you. Here in the US, if a doc brings up your weight, people go crazy and say it's "fat shaming". I think Americans need to be able to take criticism and someone that's actually trying to help them without going ballistic.

lemurcat2

FitterFifteen wrote: »

I think the calorie labels will help a little - not so much as making people notice, but companies reducing the calories to show lower numbers.

Yeah, I definitely think it makes restaurants at least more likely to have lower cal options.

MarttaHP

In my mind I'm comparing this to the way tobacco has been legislated in my country. Advertising cigarettes hasn't been allowed for several decades now, but it's been only a couple of years since they banned images of cigarette logos at checkouts. Just decreasing the visibility of these products, I imagine, will have affected their attractiveness. The same might apply to candy at the checkout, reducing impulse buys.

They also added graphic warning labels on cigarette packaging. That might be equivalent of posting calorie labels in restaurants - "eat this and here is the consequence".

The share of smoking male population decreased from 23% to 16% and the female population from 16% to 12% since these new rules came into effect.

(However, the biggest impact on reducing smoking in my country has probably been the ban in bars and restaurants, which has been in effect for over a decade now. I guess no one will be proposing prohibiting the public consumption of snack foods any time soon.)

ms_maruska

It seems like a step in the right direction.

But I think it should be thought of as collective awareness raising and understanding of nutrition and exercise rather than just introducing restrictions upon restrictions.

watts6151

Most uk GP’s haven’t a clue on nutrition

I went in with a raised ALT liver reading
The Dr informed me to cut my saturated fat
While stuffing his face with a bag of walkers crisps. When I pointed out my total fats are .75grams per kilo of body weight he seemed totally lost.

Only then did he check my bp which he said was perfect. Don’t think he appreciated me pointing out the amount of sat fat in his crisps

Geneveremfp

watts6151 wrote: »

Most uk GP’s haven’t a clue on nutrition

I went in with a raised ALT liver reading
The Dr informed me to cut my saturated fat
While stuffing his face with a bag of walkers crisps. When I pointed out my total fats are .75grams per kilo of body weight he seemed totally lost.

Only then did he check my bp which he said was perfect. Don’t think he appreciated me pointing out the amount of sat fat in his crisps

It is very variable. I think the education of gps is getting better but a lot of them are very stuck in their ways. Anecdotally when I've had a younger gp they've known their stuff a lot more - although this is obviously a small sample size.

I also think it's interesting that the way our health service runs its workers into the ground means a lot of them have poor habits around food already.

4legsRbetterthan2

Sounds like they are trying to get stores to help through the "out of sight out of mind" rule. I don't think it will solve obesity, but the concept does make sense to me to a point, it's definitely a method I use around my own house to help me out. They are trying to help people minimize impulse buying these snack foods. However, curious what they will be replacing these items with. Probably yummy looking "protein" bars and such that are just as easy to impulse buy and overeat.

I am a big fan of making calorie information easier to obtain (what MFPer isn't!). It's been done to some extent in the US already. Again, not a miracle solution, but I do think it allows casually curious people (the type that look at these numbers but wouldn't out in the effort to track down the info themselves) to realize little restaurant tricks, like sometimes a "healthy salad" has more calories than an "unhealthy hamburger".

Agree the 12 week recommendation for the diet it weird. Most people don't reach goal in 3 months, not sure why they threw that number out there.

AnnPT77

In anything like this, I think there's a bit of "turning the battleship" involved.

Any of these things are quite small, and arguably of little influence. But they can bring the subject into popular conversation, maybe normalize the idea of trying to achieve a healthier weight in sensible ways.

The calories on labels aren't going to matter for people who don't want to lose weight, or who don't want to count calories, but making it easier for people who want to lose by counting to do so, can put an additional feather's weight pressure on making it more likely people will stick to calorie reduction, and see self-reinforcing success, rather than give it up as too difficult. If some succeed, perhaps others will follow.

Humans are very norm driven, generally - many like to be doing the things that others do, wearing the fashionable clothes (not something eccentric), listening to the popular music, wanting to be able to discuss the popular TV shows and movies, etc. Creating the impression that people ought to and want to manage their weight, and can, is quite difficult, but could be incrementally helpful.

It's been interesting to see smoking go from utterly ubiquitous and popular in my childhood (1950s-60s) to rather looked down on now, and marginalized. It's not wiped out now, by any means, but much less widely practiced (at least here in the US). It's been a slow, incremental thing.