Should It Be Illegal To Be Fat?

[Anonymous]

In the United States, more than two-thirds (68.8 percent) of adults are considered to be overweight or obese. More than one-third (35.7 percent) of adults are considered to be obese. More than 1 in 20 (6.3 percent) have extreme obesity. Almost 3 in 4 men (74 percent) are considered to be overweight or obese.

Contrast this number with the number of obese persons in Japan at a very low 3%. Well in case you don't bother to see the video above, in 2008 Japan passed a law called the Metabo Law, named after metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions, including high blood pressure and excess body fat, that can increase the risk of serious medical ailments. The law affects Japanese men aged 45-74 with waistlines larger than 35.4 inches and Japanese women aged 45-74 with waistlines larger than 31.5 inches.

People exceeding these governmental limits, which are identical to the measurements established by the International Diabetes Federation in 2006, may be required to go to counseling sessions or converse with a health expert about dietary options. Unlike individuals, however, companies and local governments can be assessed financial penalties if the citizens in their charge do not meet government standards. Japan's Health Ministry says that curbing widening waistlines will rein in a rapidly aging society's ballooning health care costs, one of the most serious and politically delicate problems facing Japan today.

Basically you go to your job, and along with your own health regime, your job is basically in charge of helping keep you in check alongside your yearly mandatory doctors visit and waistline check. A vast majority of employers require that its employees do at least 30 minutes of exercise with the company during your working hours as well. If your job doesn't comply with these regulations, they can face some really stiff fines for you straying off the thin line.

My two thoughts on this are thus: firstly, the US has a terrible obesity problem that's only getting worse each year with seemingly so many just throwing their hands up and saying, we should all be able to do whatever we want which is nothing and eat what we want and hope our problems get solved or rather pretend they don't exist. That's not everyone of course, but with the rates of obesity we do have, there are far more doing nothing than doing something, so I do think that some government intervention and some intervention from your job along with stiff fines for lax employers may actually help at least get people to start moving more (if the exercise is of course mandatory) and with the addition of mandatory counseling for those failing to meet health standards, it may give those individuals the much needed help they need to get in gear. Also the law would only in earnest affect those above the age of 45 I'm assuming so as to exclude pregnant women, growing children, etc.

The other thought is, we're dealing with two vastly different cultures. In the US, we live in a very individualistic society where it's every man, woman, and child for themselves. We do not function as a solid unit where the failure of the one is the failure of all. We also largely hate government intervention of any kind, and you start fining companies and telling them they are actually somewhat responsible for their overweight employees own individual choices, and people would lose their minds. It's actually almost laughable to think this could even be a thing that would ever even be potentially entered in for a vote, because the public outrage would be absolutely massive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous female. 30-35 years old. Writing about Health & Fitness with a condescending tone of voice without considering the social aspects of obesity. I think I know who you are.

As for the topic, I believe that fatness is a subjective term. BMI is a poor indicator of overweightness. Some people are very muscular or have greater bone density and mass. So does the hip-to-waist ratio. Some women just don't have the curves, even when they are slim. I think the best thing is to look at fat distribution and fat percentage. The waist circumference may be the only thing that is relevant; however, I wouldn't rely too strongly on it, because some people just have a bigger body proportionally.

[Fathoms77]

Illegal?

Nah, unnecessary. One of two things will fix the problem: Make people who refuse to take care of themselves pay for their own healthcare (so they can stop crippling an entire country), or do the more positive thing and start issuing tax incentives to those who take care of themselves. 10% tax break for those who hit maybe at least 2 of 3 main criteria; BMI, cholesterol count, and resting heart rate. Watch how fast people start taking an interest in their own health.

... and I''m only half-kidding. :P

[myTake Owner]

Oooo, like those car insurance plans that reward those for not getting into accidents. That would be kind of amazing though because I mean if the prevailing thought is we are all responsible once we are adults, for our own health in terms of our weight, and some people simply don't care, but don't mind hiking up the rates for everyone else... than why not have them pay their own way for their own lifestyle choice? You are free to not take care of yourself, but you're also free to pay for your own choice.

[Fathoms77]

Exactly correct. You're free to be the biggest slob on the planet if you like. But if you think everyone else should be paying for your care - of which you will require a significant amount - you're out of your mind. The safety net of "healthcare for everyone" in a truly diseased country is killing us; eventually, there will be more unhealthy people than healthy (as there is currently far more incentive to be unhealthy than healthy), and then the minority will have to magically care for the majority.

That really can't work, now can it?

[Library]

You know, that's a better idea than making fat illegal ^ (seriously)

[JohnDoe3000]

@Fathoms77

... or the state could just tax food and drinks that are high in sugar and fat. This would tackle the root of the problem without expensive and intrusive spying on people by the state or insurance companies.

[Prof_Don]

I like the positive verbage of this. A tax break is WAY more appealing, than an added tax or a penalty, and is more likely to pass.

[myTake Owner]

I believe some states are already taxing sodas and some snack foods at a higher rate but of course those soda companies and John Q public are outraged and it probably won't last long.

[NatashaJ]

Well the government shouldn't tax instead just put in a sugar cut law on these companies to cut back a certain % of salt and sugar in their products.

[JohnDoe3000]

@NatashaJ

That would mean banning lots of existing food, even food that has been around for centuries.

[Fathoms77]

@NatashaJ You don't punish companies for adhering to the law of supply and demand. If the people wouldn't buy that crap, the companies couldn't sell it and would be forced to either adapt or go out of business.

It begins and ends with the consumer. It's our fault, not the fault of those who furnish us with the product.

[NatashaJ]

No they choose to put way more then needed to get people addicted to it. Look it up on youtube and you can see how food companies doing this. They don't care for your health they just want your money they even lie about their products sugar free is healthier then add tons of salt to make up for the loss of sugar. Food is a big part of obesity and if you want to make a change a change food will impact greatly.

[Fathoms77]

@NatashaJ No. You bought it and the idea that you can't stop because you're addicted is nothing but laziness talking. Nothing they ever put in is clinically addictive like heroin or something; it's just garbage the body actually has to get used to, as those with healthy diets can't even eat it without feeling sick.

If you are unhealthy and obese, it is YOUR doing. Nobody else's, and certainly not the doing of these companies. You bought their junk and you kept buying it; hence, there is only one entity to blame. Want the companies to stop issuing food that doesn't even qualify as food? STOP BUYING IT. Try eating real food.

[NatashaJ]

Not true if your brain is craving for these products you going to buy it because of it. Its not lazy its true and stop blaming people for their weight you should blame then and the food companies.

[NatashaJ]

Look at American they are literally putting sugar in milk and you wonder why there fat kids and you going to blame the kid or the parents instead. Not the kid, parents and the schools.

[Fathoms77]

@NatashaJ You honestly believe overweight people are NOT at fault? That the "addictive" nature of poor food is so bad that they're FORCED to go buy it, or they'll go through withdrawals or something?

This better not be what they're teaching kids in school these days, though I fear it might be. This is just sad. Though it certainly falls in line with the current educational agenda, which is "nothing is anyone's fault." That's working out real well for us, by the way. 'sarcasm'

[NatashaJ]

I said blame all three people like you just want to call people fat asses and laugh at them. While not realizing what's happening to your food. Its sad you just want to ignore the facts that milk is having sugar added to it. When these low fats soups have low sugar they have a ton of salt instead. You think its ok because they making money off of it typical.

[NatashaJ]

Personally you think its ok to add ton of crap into food and then complain when others are getting fat because of this is ridiculous.

[Fathoms77]

@NatashaJ Where did I say it was okay to add chemicals and other completely disgusting stuff to food? When did I say I laugh at or mock overweight people? The former offends me and I've never done the latter.

I'm talking about personal responsibility. It's up to you what you eat. It's up to you what you do. We're not brainwashed robots; we can think for ourselves. The companies in question have absolutely no power... none whatsoever. They can't force us to do anything we don't WANT to do; they don't put heroin-level addictive stuff in the food, nor do they hold a gun to our heads if we wish to eat healthy and be a normal, functioning human.

Personal responsibility. It's your life. It's no surprise to anyone that those who believe they have no power or control are, shocker of shocker, LAZY. It's an excuse. A way to point the finger anywhere but where it belongs: At themselves.

[NatashaJ]

I was not saying its not the person fault but you also have to count it what they add into the food as well.

[NatashaJ]

Since you treated me like I was stupid or something ( I got that impression from what you said). Don't be surprise I'm assume other things from your comments because you making me believe that.

[TheWaterBear]

Refined sugar is 8 times more addictive than cocaine, according to studies, and companies put it into EVERYTHING, even things you'd think wouldn't have it. It's not just "sugar" though, they call it different things.

It's why diabetics would rather take big pharma drugs than cut out the poison that made them diabetic in the first place, so they can keep eating sugary foods.

abc13.com/.../

[Fathoms77]

@NatashaJ You're certainly not stupid. :) The other things DO matter. I hate unnecessary (and extremely hazardous) materials and chemicals in our food just as much as anyone. Point is, I don't eat any of it. Nor do I ever feel the need to.

My point is that all of it comes back to the individual. A company can't force an individual to do anything. And by the way, if you want to find a group of people who supports this theory 100 percent, who despise those who say they "can't control" how they eat and live, ask anyone who lost a lot of weight. They will be the first to tell you that it absolutely is in our control, in our power, and anyone who tries to find excuses elsewhere is only sabotaging themselves.

[NatashaJ]

@TheWaterBear Thank you I been saying that and all this guy saying is let them do it its business UM there a reason why people are getting fat. Jesus christ.

[TheWaterBear]

The FDA has also sold out our own citizens by taking bribes from big agriculture and big pharma. How else would high fructose corn syrup be green-lit by the FDA, and placed into damn near everything?

[TheWaterBear]

The government has also pushed the "low-fat, high carb" diet for 60+ years, which is why we have this problem in the first place, and the AHA and ADA are just as complicit in keeping people sick and on drugs for diabetes and heart disease. Can we really place ALL the blame on ordinary people for believing that their government had their best interest in mind?

[Fathoms77]

@TheWaterBear BS. All of it. Anyone can stop eating refined sugar any time they please; there is no study in existence that says they start going through withdrawals or have a negative bodily reaction to cutting it out. They crave it but that's hardly addiction.

People choose to take the drugs instead of changing their lifestyle because it's EASIER, not because they're addicted. My best friend has been diabetic all his life, and he has a circle of diabetic friends as well (they were all born with it), and they all roll their eyes at this.

Know what happens if you take someone who's supposedly "addicted" to certain ridiculous things like sugar and drop them on a desert island for a month? Nothing. Well, they'll lose weight and their bodies will start to recuperate from the beating they took, but that's about it. Anyone who believes a person trying to get off heroin will go through the same thing as a person trying to get off sugar is just... no words for that level of naivete.

[NatashaJ]

ignorant at best because there are studies I don't know what your talking about.

[Fathoms77]

@TheWaterBear Yeah. It's called taking an interest in your own health and discovering the truth. Anybody who did the slightest bit of research on any of this would find the terrible truth; they'd know everything you posted. How'd YOU find it? You went and looked for it because it's there.

It has been there for decades. Yes, even at the start of this mess. The government and the pharma companies are indeed hell-bent on wrecking lives but they can't control us. They can't stop of us from doing our own research. It's not hard to look down at our bodies and go, "gee, something is wrong, here. What can I do to fix it?"

The information was never really hidden. It didn't have to be because the powers that be knew people were too lazy to go find it, and were perfectly willing to let the government and the drug companies dictate. Even before the internet, we could find this information IF we cared enough. Trouble is, and has always been, that people don't.

[NatashaJ]

he not saying not to care for your health he saying companies add too much shit in food making people fat. At lease read.

[TheWaterBear]

@NatashaJ Exactly. Monsanto is trying to get all "heirloom" seeds replaced by GMO seeds, and once that happens, you won't even be able to grow your own healthy food.

[Fathoms77]

@TheWaterBear Definitely true about the FDA, by the way. Also true about what has been pushed by the government. And sugar is a major enemy, perhaps the biggest that faces our lifestyles today. I'm not disputing any of that.

I'm not about to say it's all capable of overriding free will, however. That's really my only point. :)

[TheWaterBear]

I normally oppose big government and all that, but if we are going to have it (FDA, etc), then it should be forced to actually benefit us and not the big corporations who are trying to poison us.

[NatashaJ]

Eh at lease Canada is better there no sugar in milk here or issues with hormones in meat and milk.

[Fathoms77]

@TheWaterBear I support a skeleton government at best, anyway. :P

[brain5000]

Wow, great comment and thread @Fathoms77. My only tweak might be an alternative (not necessarily "instead of") to tax breaks is a discount on insurance premiums. A lot of people (looks at own paystub to confirm) pay a portion of their own employer-supplied insurance. People who pass the physical might be eligible for a discount?

Also agree with you that cravings and addictions can be overcome. Your brain is in charge of the things you do, not some mammoth corporation. No one else's hand is putting the refined sugar in your mouth. You are making that decision, and yes, it is a conscious, controllable decision. Do not pretend the food companies have magic power over you — they don't, and you shouldn't give that power to them.

[Fathoms77]

@brain5000 All true. We've become pathetic experts in not only finding excuses for our own failings, but even "validating" those excuses. Bottom line, our lives are our responsibility.

And because we're little better than animals when it comes incentive-driven behavior, having incentives to be healthy may be our only hope.

[animus1988]

i agree with this

[JonDHawk]

I like this idea.

[RedVulcan]

If I were in the US you'd have my vote. Just set up an independent party with this as it's platform lol.

[Rawrzz]

Well. It is a nightmare trying to get my family to stop eating fast food for every damn meal. My little brother is following in their footsteps, despite me hounding him: at least he lifts weights. I would not be averse to making being fat illegal. I really don't like being part of a nation of hungry-hungry hippos. Though, the way towards a thinner, healthier society, in my opinion, is heavier regulation of fast food companies. Ultimately, my complaint with everything revolves around big business and capitalism, though.

What was it. Within the next generation of children, 50% of them will be obese. Ka nanika. Welp. Something has to be done.

Though, Japan's strict drug policy needs to stay very far away. Only reason it works is because their culture is significantly more balanced (or just different) than the U. S.'s, and there is less demand for drugs. Ah, yes. Our cultures are profoundly different. Pretty much the opposite of each other. It might be worth examining other Western nations who have thin/non-overweight/non-obese populations, since we would have more similarities when trying to enact their type of policy. Course, making one influenced by other cultures and then tailor-made for the U. S., specifically, would be the way to go.

[brain5000]

Wow. It is unusual to see a family where the parents hate their kids so much they make them fat and unhealthy. For what? So they have time to catch their favorite TV shows?

[Rawrzz]

@brain5000 I don't think it's hate. Just profound ignorance, apathy, or laziness.

[brain5000]

Yeah, "profound" is one word for it; "appalling" might be another.

[myTake Owner]

In almost all of the nations were the obesity level is say below 20%, you find one glaring similarity, and you've already guessed it, lack of fast food joints on every corner or at least heavy regulation of them. Studies have been done on several countries like India where western food was not a thing until maybe 30 years ago, and steadily obesity rates there have risen. Same thing you're seeing in areas of Japan, African, everywhere where western fast food places take root. There is no coincidence there. They are the problem added to the fact that these places offer up jobs to a lot of poor countries and they push people who used to live in rural areas into cities where they do about 70% less walking and there jobs are not manual like farming and so they work all day, eat the food, and bring it home to their families and just like a virus, it spreads, their waistlines spread, and you start to see obesity start to rise.

[Rawrzz]

Profoundly appalling.

Also portion sizes and soda. With soda, you're dumping vast amounts of calories down your throat, to say nothing of the sugar. Man, soda is terrible. There's this chicken place by my house that sells, admittedly succulent fried chicken, but literally a gallon bucket of soda. That's gotta be like 2000 calories, just for a drink

That's the thing with fast food, too. It's essentially a drug. The combination of loads of fat, salt, and sugar tricks the brain into thinking it's enjoying the most nutritious meal ever. And all the chemicals they add in trick your brain into craving more; chewing less so you eat more; advertisements to reinforce positive associations with junk food. It's just like a drug dealer hooking people on drugs. And once they're hooked, it's no longer about them being lazy--they are biologically wired to crave junk food. Business doesn't care about anything but padding the profit margin, even if it's at the expense of human life

[myTake Owner]

100% accurate. Long ago I was a soda fiend! I was drinking 2-3 bottles a day, and in support of a friend doing Lent, I gave it up, and I crashed so hard. I have never been a drinker nor drug user, but I felt like to some degree what I was feeling was what it must feel like to suddenly stop doing either of those actions. I felt horribly sick. I can't even explain. I knew I had to stop so I whethered the storm for two weeks of horrible days and nights before I felt any kind of normal. But it took a whole two weeks! That should indicate to people just how bad SUBSTANCES like soda are for you. Now I'm a water guzzler through and through and only drink lemonade or tea on occasion if I have a need for a sweet craving.

[Anonymous]

Japan can be admirable when it comes to health. I had recently read that they use lemon essential oil for aromatherapy becuase it's known to release positive emotional affects, which I'm sure is needed in a country that works really hard and has very strong culture of work-work-work. I also notice the difference in how Asian shoppers shop compared to other ethnicity. They always go for the fruit and vegetable aisles - whatever is fresh.

There's many flaws within our many systems. We have more fast food stores filling up blocks than reasonable priced membership to gyms, whole foods stores, and maybe even access to physical trainers. Some people need trainers for that motivation. One other problem that was already stated is that it's really hard to afford the things we NEED to eat. I love kale salad, but a big bag of that is $5 damn bucks and it spoils quickly. Canned foods are less expensive, but there's fear of sodium and other chemicals concealed. Frozen dinners like Lean Cusine are great, but it's processed food, which is looked down upon, yet it's least expensive. Want to go for the healthier chips and crackers? Great, but you gotta pay more. Want Slim Fast and other protein products? Pay more. Our Economy has changed and Americans don't have the same type of money they did years ago.

So, I say change many of these things, and if there's still a problem, even if things have been made available easier, then like someone else said, I would penalize those through minimize access of health care for not taking responsibility of themselves.

[hellionthesage]

No. First and foremost what is obesity? well it was an arbitrary weight picked by the people who came up with it unrelated to whether or not it actually has negative health effects. Weight doesn't dictate health, yes their is a point where one can say its unhealthy however what we claim, the BMI is actually utter crap. I knew a man who was what one would call morbidly obese (he had to special order clothing to fit him) you know what his cholesterol levels where? Perfect. You know what his blood pressure was? Perfect. Their is far more at play then fat and weight, I also knew a guy who excercised regularly (biked everyday and played basketball) at the age of 21 he was taking medication for high blood pressure. The fact is looking at some one is the least efficient way of telling their health yet that is precisely what this is trying to dictate health by looking at them. Frankly put most people are overweight and in fact if your a weight lifter then by definition you are over weight and potentially obese because the body mass index that dictates overweight and obesity doesn't actually take into account muscle mass bone density etc it states your weight and height and based upon those things alone you are overweight or obese. So the system itself is horribly flawed, that's before you get into the whole moral implication of restricting a persons self governance and free will simply because you believe you should do so and then the greater issue of giving that control over to the government followed by the economic issues of policing it (sure its illegal in japan, how much money is spent on it thought? Does it work? Is it something that can be maintained?). So no for multiple reasons.

[HorrorFan]

Should being fat be illegal? Of course not.

If you can't convince Americans they don't need assault rifles, you certainly aren't going to convince them they don't need fast food, soda and ice cream, etc.

In reality, proper education on diet and all the risks one takes on by long term eating foods that lack nutrition should be taking place. Not something that just annoys them and gets them to eat even more crap, but some sort of program that is actually effective.

It should be targeted towards parents since they actually fully control what food their children put in their system. If they convinced it's in the best interest of their children to eat healthy, they will probably just end up buying mostly healthy food all around and eventually benefit as well.

Also, let's accept reality here. Eventually, we are going to be the fat, shapeless blob people from Wall-E where we just float around in hover chairs with holographic monitors in front of us.

Wonderful, wonderful technology...

[myTake Owner]

Ha, the Wall-E reference. It's kind of funny not funny because we're on our way man! I agree with the parental health plan though, totally. If we can get more parents on board with healthy eating and make that a priority to reach the next generations, we may have a shot. Kind of like anti-drug programs... they don't really spend much time on adults outside of actual rehab programs, but rather seek to reach kids before they even have a chance to try a drug maybe in their teen years.

[humanearth]

Here how you fix the problem. I got the idea from the movie Soylent Green. In the movie there was a food shortage and they made food from people.

But kill the over weight. The population steps on scale. Your over weight you get killed and made into food for livestock.

A review from 1973

Soylent Green” is a good, solid science-fiction movie, and a little more. It tells the story of New York in the year 2022, when the population has swollen to an unbelievable 80 million, and people live in the streets and line up for their rations of water and Soylent Green. That’s a high-protein foodstuff allegedly made from plankton cultivated in the seas. But is it?

Charlton Heston plays a gritty detective who gets called in when a top official of the Soylent Corp. (Joseph Cotten) is murdered. He gets on a trail that leads to a most unappetizing conclusion--but before he gets there, the movie paints a fascinating and scary picture of population growth run wild. The detective story is mostly just an excuse to keep us interested from one end of the movie to the other. “Soylent Green’s” real achievement is to create a 21st Century world that’s convincing as reality; we somehow don’t feel we’re in a s-f picture. What director Fleischer and his technicians have done is to assume a very basic (and depressing) probability: that by the year 2022, New York will look essentially as it does now, only 49 years older and more run-down.

[nalaa]

Someone else asked a quite similar question about childhood obseity the other day and I think it's amazing how many people would think it's better to go to extreme measures, such as outlawing obesity or taking children away from their parents, rather than doing the painfully obvious, which is regulate the food industry and fix your health care system.

And to be clear japan doesn't make it illegal to be obese, it imposes financial penalties on people who are obese because it's a burden on their health care system too. And yes I do think obese people as well smokers and drinkers should carry a higher burden of our health care bill. But it's obviously not a solution to obesity

And making someone's body illegal. Doesn't that principle strike you as odd? I don't see how this can even be worth consideration

[Hidden_P]

I can't even...

No. Fuck off. You are so inconsiderate. Thyroid? Diabetics? Pregnancy? Emotional influences?

It's not all lack of running. Love to see everyone a size -1400 after children but sadly they have a problem of growing in the womb! What little bastards! But let's prosecute people! Well fucking done.

What about those who go from a full time job to unemployed? Yes they have the "time" to run continuously but they always want to pay bills and be able to like... Eat, sometimes. And jobs tend to help.

What about medication? Sadly the medics don't solve things overnight. But sure, let's tax them poor fuckers.

How about something like diabetics or thyroid that it doesn't matter how much you run, gouninject. It's a delicate balance. God forbid you get the sniffles and out on a few pounds from comfort hot chocolate.

But sure! Let's make it illegal! Spoken by a true uneducated, close minded idiot.

[Hidden_P]

Let's do another example. My dad been a diabetic my whole life. He got to his smallest weight. And then he had a problem, haemorrhage blisters that killed the tissue and he had all his toes removes. I cared for him immbolenfor 6 months, half carrying, half driving everywhere. I dropped out of school. I nursed him to health. Yes he gained weight because he barely moved. But sure! Let's make it illegal! Shall we make carers illegal too?

[myTake Owner]

LOL, when people don't read.

[Phoenix98]

Should It Be Illegal To Be Fat?

Stupid statement right there and this is coming from an actual fitness guy and personal trainer.

People just need to be properly educated on the matter and given healthy but tasty alternatives to junk food which exist, as well as taking the initiative and coming to people like me who went to school for the very purpose of getting people like them, fit, healthy and happy.

[myTake Owner]

Wasn't a statement... it was a question, and as stated it wouldn't work. I agree with your health alternative, but clearly most people aren't doing that for the most part if our obesity rate is 68%.

[Phoenix98]

It's actually not quite that high and BMI's suck at judging fat.

And no one is doing that because people aren't trying to get others to get into it, and we have idiotic places like Planet Fitness that shame actual bodybuilders and fitness pro's and do nothing to actually help.

Did you know that Planet Fitness is a no judgment zone, were an alarm goes off if you grunt or breath to hard and goes off if you drop to much weight on the floor or do it to loudly *roll eyes* and to top it off they give their members free pizza and crap food. What kind of fitness gym gives members pizza?

As long as places like that keep popping up people won't get into shape.

The main thing is educating people, and helping them with things like motivation which is like the 1# killer of future fitness folks, they have that motivation in the beginning but it wanes as they go. And the lack of it and kill it for them.

[FashionQueen86]

You made a good point about Planet Fitness. I've been there for a year and some months, and I can honestly say I lost more weight Anytime Fitness. Plus there's a lot of head-turning when Planet Fitness does that Pizza night the first Monday of the month. Why serve something where even just one slice of pizza can totally erase almost all of the workout you did there? I think if they're going to do fun and incentive things like that, they should instead do protein shake night, or have ten lucky members when a $10 gift card to Subway.

[Phoenix98]

@FashionQueen86

Yeah it's stupid, as long as places like that exist anybody who was a little bit fit is just going to become fat or start down the road, I just hate that place, they don't even utilize their trainers correctly or properly.

[brain5000]

People do need to do the things you suggest, @Phoenix98, but that doesn't explain why you think making fat illegal is a stupid idea. Since you are a fitness expert, you would stand to gain in a society where your services are much more in demand. Therefore I am especially curious to know why you find the idea stupid?

[Phoenix98]

@brain5000 Because it's morally wrong to force someone to do something not to mention that some people actually can't help being or looking overweight, some have medical conditions others have what's called a beer belly, because genetics it can't be helped so you hurt them, and they can't do much about their problem.

And when you force someone to do something against their will they will never truly benefit from it, to them it will be like slavery or work, their progress will be slower, it will be harder to get them in shape, their moral will be low and they'll be more susceptible to over eating.

I'm also agaisnt it because it goes against the oath I took when I became a trainer, and what and how my institute trains us, it would violate that. It's like asking a doctor to do harm and violate their oath.

[cavmanier]

And the Asian people here are much smaller too
www.cdc.gov/.../db219_fig2.png
Like how are they much less overweight? They have better diets and possibly are more disciplined. (of course generalizing)

I like that Japan is doing something. They've gotten positive results. I wouldn't want to do those arm lifting exercises though 😴 That wouldn't do much for me.

[Hasaboyfriend]

It shouldn't be illegal, but we should have more healthy programs in schools and have short and light workouts at desk jobs required. My stepdad became fat after working at a desk job and sitting all day. Once Pokemon Go came out though, he started rapidly losing weight and eating healthier. If work encouraged exercising, even if it was light, then it would be benificial. Also there should be healthier food served in the cafeterias at work. That would also help even if it was small changes like whole grain muffins instead of cupcakes and flatbread sandwiches instead of cheeseburgers.

[myTake Owner]

This sounds like an excellent idea! My old job had morning yoga and zumba and it started off small, but then everyone really got into it. It was a great way to build up the team atmosphere especially as people started to get healthy. And fo course cafeteria food, notoriously poor... other countries have proven that healthy lunches mandated do drastically help the students weights.

[Tephra]

If it was illegal to be fat... what would the consequences be? a fine? jail? boot camp? There should be consequences however for buying food that isn't good for you; for instance copying similar methods to cigarettes - adding extra taxes onto fast food... main problem is fast food is so cheap and quick people are getting lazier to make food or even buy organic food. Not only that but humans have evolved to where we are at the point that organic food doesn't taste as good as processed food (processed food becoming the new organic) due to taste buds changing.
Honestly though; some men and women can't help it - its in their genetics and you can't get into trouble when its not even your own fault. Obesity is definitely becoming a problem though..

[EllieLexis513]

Keep in mind, you're also talking about a nation who jacks off to their women being raped by tentacles and thinks injecting their faces so their foreheads look like donuts is a fashion trend.

firsttoknow.com/.../vlQys1.jpg

That being said, no, it should not be illegal. Japan is ridiculous.

[renogaza]

American porn is far worse.

[iOoko]

just because japan has a couple of weirdos you can't say all that happens in japan is bad. i've read about several americans undergoing all kinds of plastic surgeries to look likebarbie dolls and disney characters. all of them American. i could say the US are ridiculous, then. those measures adopted by japan worked and japan is a very healthy and serious country and that was a serious manouver which efectively reduced the financial and health toll of obisity, or seemingly stopped it from arising. that's all far from ridiculous, which sounds very ridiculous from someone from a country with clinton and (sigh) trump and presidential nominees. of course, no offense, my country is no better.

[RainbowFanGirl]

So creepy. 😶

[EllieLexis513]

@iOoko I didn't say all that happens in Japan is bad, now did I? Nope, don't believe I did. Japan being ridiculous refers to what is considered their overall trends, just like I think some American trends are overly ridiculous. So... yeah, stop trying to be a hero lol

[iOoko]

she was talking about the metabo law... a trend in japan doesn't prove the metobo law to be bad. it doesn't have anything to do with it. it was indeed effective. being a hero? what are you talking about? do you have a low short attention span?

[iOoko]

you mentioned a thing that probably isn't even much of a trend (i don't think you can spot someone with their forehead injected very easily in japan) apparently to argue the metabo fat law is bad. it makes no sense. that's my point. just becasue one weird things happens in japan, it doesn't mea all that happens there is bad, it doesn't mean the metabo law is bad, it dosn't have anything to do with the mtabo law at all just because they're both japanese. it's as if i mentioned scientology to croticise obama care, because, you know, same country. do you get it now?

[anonman32]

I would have taken a less authoritarian approach. I would have made free a couple billions to put state of the art fitness centers in all of japan so people go to the gym willingly, i would support gym and fitness culture and cut back on taxes for healthy fit people and increase taxes for fat people.

[Gommers]

It should be considered insurance fraud to be fat as an adult and should be considered some form of child abuse to have a fat child. If the adult is fat as well as their child, the child should be taken and given to a foster family that has proven the ability to raise healthy children; the biological parent would need to prove willingness to get the child back by getting themselves not just into the area of good health but be showing actual effort to keep in good shape. After proving the ability to live healthy and being tested as to how to raise a healthy child and passing they child may return to the parent. If the parent stops being healthy the child is taken for good for the safety of both parties.

[KittieCat]

Just to play devils advocate, but what if you have a physical or mental health condition that makes it difficult for one to lose weight or even lose weight at all? Should they get deported? lol Or should they go to jail and get fed that toootaallly nurtitious and healthy food they serve. It's in the name right? Nutraloaf I think?

[HonestWhiteGuy]

crazy it being illegal huh?

[NatashaJ]

Funny how people blame the overweight people but are not blaming the food companies or the government putting shit in the food to make people fat. If this was made in law then they BETTER deal with these companies who should take half the shit they put in the food out.

[renogaza]

Part of the reason why you can't is because fastfood companies already tried cutting back on the food rations and it ended up with hundreds of BIG people rioting against them, they had to revert it or they'll be responsible for mass heart attacks that would have occured

[NatashaJ]

@renogaza

[NatashaJ]

Really? they still cut back and I haven't heard one complaint. Like super size at Macdonalds I never heard people complaining about that after the documentary. I'm not saying to take away the foods I'm saying cut back what they put in the food. Like Cola Cola doesn't need to put so much sugar in their coke. They can easily cut back, they don't do that because they want you to be addicted to it.

[somebodysaycheese]

Because that would mean people would haveto ne logical and emotional. I 100 percent agree with you

[NatashaJ]

@somebodysaycheese with who me or the other chick?

[somebodysaycheese]

you lol

[NatashaJ]

@somebodysaycheese oh ok lol

[Anonymous]

I think one of the biggest problem you have is the fact that fresh food is so freaking expensive people in the lower classes NEED to find something lesser expensive to keep eating, and in the long run it becomes an habit. In my area fast foods are well known, but there are nowhere as many as in the U. S. (and in Australia, from what I've heard), and cooking for yourself fresh food is waaaaaay lesser expensive than actually go McDonald''s or Burger King or whatever.

[Rissyanne]

We have a huge problem with people having children that can't support them. Should we make it to where you should only be able to have children if you can fully afford them? People carelessly having sex with no birth control.. not caring of the consequences. Because there are no consequences. The government takes care of them... rewards them for their irresponsibility. At the tax payers expense.

[cavmanier]

Very true. I think the people that would make better parents or that are in a better financial position more often have fewer or no kids compared with people that tend to have a lot.

[Rissyanne]

@cavmanier but we can't make a law to stop them... that is the point of my comment.

[Parkwayvwhitechapel]

You must be really fascist and judgmental, fat can be contributed to aging, as people age and wrinkle show, the fat begins to deposit as a result of aging.

Yes i agree with some of what was said, Obesity is a just western issue, because we have stuff like goverment welfare and too many excuses for people.
people are self-indulgent and don't exercise.

[Library]

No, that's fascism. But lmao if being fat was made illegal static.topyaps.com/.../Fat-in-Japan.jpg