WHO: Governments should regulate fast food to slow obesity

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  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
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    :yawn:
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Well we have seen how well out-lawing drugs has worked.....

    We don't have any on the streets here in the USA.

    RIP Phillip Seymour Hoffman

    To be fair, I've never heard the argument that legalizing hard drugs would decrease their use.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    Well we have seen how well out-lawing drugs has worked.....

    We don't have any on the streets here in the USA.

    RIP Phillip Seymour Hoffman

    To be fair, I've never heard the argument that legalizing hard drugs would decrease their use.

    Ok
    So then why do we need to have government regulate fast food?

    Did government regulations help you lose all the weight you did?
  • SCV34
    SCV34 Posts: 2,048 Member
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    ~considers our little country~

    Okay, so we have a KFC and a few generic 'fast' food places, but when it comes down to it, they're not getting enough business to be responsible for the level of obesity we have here.

    What people are cooking at home, now, that's another matter.

    Personally, if they want to regulate fast food, they should also regulate the size of portions served in ALL restaurants, because it's absolutely insane. We don't eat out often, except when we travel, and I'm always floored by the amount of food served.

    I love getting a big portion. I will never eat all of what is put in front of me in one sitting. But, that's ok because I will get at least two more meals out of the one meal I just ordered.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
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    Cigarettes have put the risks on the pack for years. People still smoke. Hell, I just quit and I'm fit and eat 100% whole food diet.

    People do what they want. Blaming advertising is a joke. Blaming fast food is a scapegoat for fat lazy ****s.

    /thread

    Not as much as they used to. Years and years of taxes, campaigning, and demonization have paid off to some degree.

    744d3maa3uqlxcitxabzxw.gif

    The percentage of people smoking is down, the number of smokers is not. Cutting the rate in half is negated by a doubling of the population.

    No idea what point you're trying to make.

    exactly.... the population of Wisconsin, for example, has not doubled, and less than 20% of the population of Wisconsin now smokes. This is similar for many states, which is why the smoking bans are passing so easily. much larger portions of the populations now support the bans.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Well we have seen how well out-lawing drugs has worked.....

    We don't have any on the streets here in the USA.

    RIP Phillip Seymour Hoffman

    To be fair, I've never heard the argument that legalizing hard drugs would decrease their use.

    Ok
    So then why do we need to have government regulate fast food?

    Did government regulations help you lose all the weight you did?

    I didn't say we do need government to regulate fast food. However, chances are that heavily regulating the food service industry would probably eventually have a positive effect on obesity rates.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    Cigarettes have put the risks on the pack for years. People still smoke. Hell, I just quit and I'm fit and eat 100% whole food diet.

    People do what they want. Blaming advertising is a joke. Blaming fast food is a scapegoat for fat lazy ****s.

    /thread

    Not as much as they used to. Years and years of taxes, campaigning, and demonization have paid off to some degree.


    The percentage of people smoking is down, the number of smokers is not. Cutting the rate in half is negated by a doubling of the population.

    No idea what point you're trying to make.

    The bolded part of your statement is false. A smaller percentage of Americans smoke, but just as many people smoke with just as much product sold as in decades past.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    Well we have seen how well out-lawing drugs has worked.....

    We don't have any on the streets here in the USA.

    RIP Phillip Seymour Hoffman

    To be fair, I've never heard the argument that legalizing hard drugs would decrease their use.

    Ok
    So then why do we need to have government regulate fast food?

    Did government regulations help you lose all the weight you did?

    I didn't say we do need government to regulate fast food. However, chances are that heavily regulating the food service industry would probably eventually have a positive effect on obesity rates.

    Well I am not willing to take those chances personally.....I like my dollars in my pocket.

    Let people do like you did and make the right choices.

    I don't need government or anyone else telling me what I can or cannot eat.....

    Let people screw themselves with the bad choices they make.....
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    Perhaps if they make healthy food more affordable people would buy that with their last dollar instead of the cheeseburger..
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
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    If anything needs to be regulated it's the weight-loss industry. This is by far the biggest and most vocal source of 'weight-loss' information available to the average person, and it's 99% BS. It specifically glosses over the basic concept of eat less and move more, drowning out any government funded education attempts by promising easy, 'buy yourself skinny' fixes that are attractive to people who are already under-active and over-consuming.

    And if you try to tell someone matter of fact 'you are overweight because you eat too much, and move too little', they get offended and say you are 'shaming' them. Sorry, that's not an insult - it's just a simple statement of scientific fact.

    Not that I agree with true fat-shaming, of course. I'd never support 'point and laugh' type behavior. But hiding the truth doesn't help anyone.

    People need to become aware that you can choose your size.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    Perhaps if they make healthy food more affordable people would buy that with their last dollar instead of the cheeseburger..

    :huh: :huh: :huh: :huh:

    I will let Johnnythan take that one.
  • RhonndaJ
    RhonndaJ Posts: 1,615 Member
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    Personally, if they want to regulate fast food, they should also regulate the size of portions served in ALL restaurants, because it's absolutely insane. We don't eat out often, except when we travel, and I'm always floored by the amount of food served.

    You couldn't regulate how much of the food you ate?

    We need government to do that??

    ~laughs~
    If I could have regulated how much I ate, I wouldn't have got to the size I did. Self control was never my strong suit.

    Now, that said, no, under no circumstances would I advocate for Government involvement in the matter.

    I was just saying that if they did, there are many, many areas in which to turn their attention.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    If anything needs to be regulated it's the weight-loss industry. This is by far the biggest and most vocal source of 'weight-loss' information available to the average person, and it's 99% BS. It specifically glosses over the basic concept of eat less and move more, drowning out any government funded education attempts by promising easy, 'buy yourself skinny' fixes that are attractive to people who are already under-active and over-consuming.

    And if you try to tell someone matter of fact 'you are overweight because you eat too much, and move too little', they get offended and say you are 'shaming' them. Sorry, that's not an insult - it's just a simple statement of scientific fact.

    Not that I agree with true fat-shaming, of course. I'd never support 'point and laugh' type behavior. But hiding the truth doesn't help anyone.

    People need to become aware that you can choose your size.

    No one is forcing you to buy their product.....

    We don't need regulations....
    People need to learn to regulate themselves.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Perhaps if they make healthy food more affordable people would buy that with their last dollar instead of the cheeseburger..

    "Healthy" food isn't really any more expensive. It just requires more prep time and doesn't taste as good.
  • F00LofaT00K
    F00LofaT00K Posts: 688 Member
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    My thoughts are: Total rubbish. I hardly ever ate fast food and was 230Lbs at my heaviest. Caloric surpluses cause obesity (and in some cases, medical conditions) but not eating fast food. Sure, most people who eat mostly/only fast food are probably getting too many calories, but if fast food wasn't available, does anybody think for a second that those same people would suddenly start shedding pounds? No. They would still overeat just the same. There are plenty of people (some MFP members can attest) who eat fast food DAILY but make wise choices and continue to lose weight/maintain a healthy weight. Also, I'm fairly certain many, if not MOST sit-down restaurants/diners have a decent selection of menu items that out-calorie a Big Mac. Are we going to regulate those as well?? It's up to the individual what they do with their diet, not the government.
  • Mr_Excitement
    Mr_Excitement Posts: 833 Member
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    I do think it would be good to prohibit the advertising of certain foods to children.
  • jill604
    jill604 Posts: 21 Member
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    I think governments should use education, not regulation, to battle obesity.

    This. Although research has shown that publishing the calories of each dish in fast food and restaurant menus has not changed what people order. Baffles me, as it totally changed what I order! I guess even armed with information, people will only change their behavior when they are willing to do so.

    It has changed what I order as well! Yes I may want a Big Mac but when I look at how many calories I have I'm not wasting it on something that has that much. People will only change when they want and at least these restaurants publishing the calories has had an impact on a few people. Can't win them all.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    People need to learn to regulate

    That's a nice sentiment, but it's not a goal or a process. It's not a plan. Waving your hands in the air and saying "oh people should just lose weight" is not an actual method for reducing the average BMI of a populace.
  • blytheandbonnie
    blytheandbonnie Posts: 3,275 Member
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    There are exactly zero fast food chains where I live. Look at me all fat. What are they going to do to us? Take away our grocery store?
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    People need to learn to regulate

    That's a nice sentiment, but it's not a goal or a process. It's not a plan. Waving your hands in the air and saying "oh people should just lose weight" is not an actual method for reducing the average BMI of a populace.

    I fail to see why the US government needs to take my tax dollars and to it then....

    They regulate enough here as it is.....they need to stop.

    But as I said earlier....
    Some how you managed to regulate yourself and lost a lot of weight, and are no on here educating people to do the right thing.....

    Didn't need government for that did you.....

    I am trying to do the same thing......
    So I am not "waving my hands"...