Health Secretary Alan Johnson says obesity is the biggest health challenge we facePosted on 11/11/2008 8:05:40 AM PST by BGHater
Overweight parents will be paid to walk their children to school under plans to tackle the obesity epidemic.
Those who attend keep-fit classes, weight-loss clubs or even go for a run in the park would also be eligible for rewards.
They will collect points on supermarket-style loyalty cards which would be redeemed against healthy food, sports equipment or gym sessions.
The scheme is part of a £30million drive to improve health which will begin next year in Manchester, one of England's unhealthiest cities. If successful, it could be rolled out nationwide.
However, critics believe that the payments are tantamount to bribery - and that the scheme is open to fraud.
Under the proposals, men and women will be invited to join exercise classes or slimming clubs.
Points would be given just for turning up, but participants can accrue more depending on how much weight they lose.
Walking children to school would count, as would using public transport, because it involves a walk to the bus stop or train station.
It is thought machines could be placed in schools and at stations so parents and commuters could swipe their cards, although details have yet to be finalised.
Going for a run could also be an earner. Joggers would swipe their cards at machines in parks and collect points given in accordance with the distance run.
Buying healthy food from chosen retailers would also earn rewards.
These could be redeemed against products and services such as sports equipment, more healthy food and free places on children's activity schemes.
Matthew Elliot, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'This whole scheme is so dubious because there is clearly potential for abuse and fraud.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson says obesity is the biggest health challenge we face
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Correct title is:
Pay the obese to take a walk: Now the nanny state offers rewards just for losing weight in £30m health drive
We are a dying civilization...no doubt about it.
Why not a 1,000 fine for being obese, then they can’t buy as much food???
(Just kidding)
i got to disagree on parts. breakfast is suppose to be the biggest meal of the day. if you eat right, breakfast is the largest meal, followed by lunch and some light dish (soup and salad) for supper.
we eat backwards, nothing for breakfast or black coffee and toast, lunch on the go and then cram our faces from starvation at supper. it is unhealthy to eat that way and causes your body to store more fat than you need.
now if i could follow my own advise.....
Actually we are hard-wired to eat as much as possible, store it as fat and get ready for the lean times. It’s just our brains evolve faster than our bodies.
And our politics don’t help either, check out “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” Before you go off into the “Liberal NY Writer Rant” the hero of the book is a Bob Jones Graduate.
I don’t believe that is true...but I guess you can rationalize anything. Are you overweight?
I agree that breakfast is the most important part of the day and that’s why it’s so important to eat the RIGHT foods. I have always had to watch my weight. I’m a 49 year old woman and today I wear a size 4. It wasn’t always that way. I’m telling you that every morning I have a small bowl of cereal with fruit. You TRAIN your body...it’s not the other way around. Is it difficult. YOU BETCHYA. Is it worth it...ABSOLUTELY.
Mrs. Chandler and I take advantage of those huge portions. We order one meal BETWEEN the two of us-one meal and an extra plate.
I am such a miser...
Americans used to read the newspaper, before the dawn of 24/7 cable news and the Internet. I used to read two or three a day.
‘I am currently in Amsterdam’
I will not imply anything. I will assume your at a hacker convention.
Yep. People don't appreciate the abundance we enjoy in the West. Modern farming, transportation and storage, all products of our evil Western capitalist system.
Now they point accusing fingers at us, tell us we're fat and use too many resources, all the while enjoying our unprecedented lack of famine.
Damned Leftists can go back to regular periods of starvation if they want. I'd rather have to worry about being fat than where the next meal is coming from.
Oh, I agree..here’s the secret..and like I said, I am the dieting expert...I’ve had to diet my whole life...CUT OUT CARBS. It’s as simple as that. Whenever I put on a few pounds, I just stop eating the carbs for a few days and it comes off. People make dieting so much more difficult than it really is. OH, and I don’t exercise...
£30m will buy a lot of treacle.
Decadent, yes. Dying, no.
no carbs? i would DIE! lol
Cut out carbs? You must have missed the new “food pyramid” that came in under Clinton. Big Grain lobbied for it (and Peta loved that it reduced meat and dairy to nearly nil).
Never made sense to take in more grains than fruit and veg.
We’ll see.
Wait, have you done any studies on Genetics? Have you ran some stats that nobody else is aware of, or is this something your snake handling preacher told you last week.
It’s a fact that we are hard wire (like every other animal) to overeat when times are good.
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