#Obesity - soft love or tough love or a brutal reality (non PC)

I return to the subject of obesity - see Obesity and Intelligence blog written 12/6/14

The NHS is a hot and important topic. The new head of the NHS has identified a massive funding gap and has issued a 5 year plan. He has stated more focus needs to be on prevention rather than just cure as a way of improving the health of the nation and particularly as a way of balancing the NHS budget. He specifically referred to the obesity time bomb - the certain knowledge that the NHS will be overwhelmed with health problems which have their root cause in obesity. The challenge is to get the preventative message across - you must lose weight!

The question is how to get the message across to get to where we need to get.

THE SOFT LOVE APPROACH

• Obesity is a type of mental illness.
• It is about peoples complex relationship with food and we need to understand that.
• The answer may even lay with gene make-up.
• Many obese people have self esteem problems - they need love and understanding - they cannot do it on their own.
• Individuals need counselling and support. It is a shared problem.
• The NHS must use its resources to provide the professional care and support needed.
• It is a public health issue which doctors and the NHS are responsible for solving.
• It is cheaper (hotly disputed) to buy junk food than healthy food and many obese people are on limited incomes - and this issue needs to be addressed by the government.
• A gastric band might be simpler.

THE TOUGH LOVE APPROACH

• Obesity is bad for your long term health prospects and you need to reduce your weight - otherwise diabetes and heart problems are definitely on your horizon.
• You are taking in more calories than you are burning. You need to reduce your intake by improving your diet.
• You need to do some regular exercise.
• It is your responsibility - you can do something about it if you try so get on with it and stop letting yourself and your family down.

THE BRUTAL REALITY APPROACH (NON PC)

• You are obese because you are ignorant, weak willed and lazy. You should be ashamed of yourself.
• You are an embarrassment to yourself and everyone else because you are fat and overweight.
• You are a terrible role model as a parent.
• You are anti social - as a result of your self indulgence you are very likely to be a burden on the NHS. Some people feel if you are obese you shouldn't be treated for subsequent health problems like diabetes because they are self inflicted and could have been prevented by you if you were not so indolent.
• Here are some pictures of people whose lives have been dramatically limited by resultant heart problems, diabetes related problems - like loss of sight and amputations. This is your prospect.
• Stop thinking about yourself - think about your family, your children and your grandchildren. 
• You say you love your kids. You are killing them by letting them get fat. It is child abuse.
• It is your problem - sort it - they don't have this problem in Africa - because they are not mollycoddled or indulged. Get off the couch.

The soft love approach will likely prevail and so will our deficit. Vast amounts of NHS money will be spent on counselling and "initiatives". The reality is it is actually a simple problem. Almost always it is a personal issue. You are taking in more calories than you are burning - so take in less calories and help by burning some more by exercise. Simple and responsible - and the old truth THE LESS YOU DO THE LESS YOU FEEL LIKE DOING. GETTING STARTED IS THE HARD PART.