Controversy Swirls Around Harsh Anti-Obesity Ads

Originally posted by rubbertramp
reply to post by flexy123

 

far to many.
i usually carry around a few extra pounds, it's the obesity problem.

Few extra pounds is not great thing, most people have some few extra pounds, they problem is when you have a looooot but a looooot of extra pounds.

reply to post by charles1952


of course, there's always a flip side of the coin.
but the biggest problem is that these kids are being brought up this way.
if the problem isn't fixed, what's in the fridge, how many hours a day the kid is allowed to sit in a chair etc....
obese doesn't just happen, except in rare thyroid problems, if i remember correctly.
i'd rather see these commercials hammer the parents for allowing obese to happen.
i'd bet a very high percentage are overweight themselves.

Originally posted by MonteroReal

Originally posted by Aloysius the Gaul

Originally posted by Lysergic
Whatever happened to personal accountability?

Kids are not personally responsible for their diets - their parents are.

IMO this campaign reinforces that - making people confront the results of their personal choices - especially on their children, is a pretty powerful tool.

well done!

Kids can choose what they eat and they can request to their parents better food, maybe not when they are babies, but at five you are old enough to say "i want to eat this".

And what is it you think the 5 year old is going to want to eat?? Hmm...??

Perhaps what it has seen on TV adds? Perhaps what it sees its parents eating? Perhaps hte lollies it had as a treat just before?

The idea that a 5 yr old can make an informed choice about a healthy diet is pathetic!

reply to post by rubbertramp


From the OP source:

"Sam has lost 20 pounds so far, and wants to lose another 50 by the end of the year. "I've been cutting back on my portion sizes a whole lot. Instead of like four or so pieces of pizza, I only have about two," he says. And Sam says he doesn't eat pizza or fast food much anymore."

This is something though that no one wants to talk about -- in regards to obesity, especially in children. Take a stroll down to your local corner and observe parents in fast food restaurants. Watch as they force feed their children a box of fries (my guess about 1 1/2 potato), soda and whatever entree they ordered.

While the ads are hard hitting they don't address the cause -- irresponsible parents and their obvious denial that they were the cause (except in an extremely small percentage where some medical issue is in play) is their own doing.

Also recognizing and actually paying attention to your own child you can determine if they are overeating or just eating. Kids will tell you when they are full -- they aren't much of liars when they are young. They will also let you know when they are still hungry.

I better stop because I will break into a rant about the lack of responsibility parents have over their own children.

Originally posted by abeverage
Why is it I always see heavy people drinking "Diet" soda? Because that crap makes you FAT! As does Weight Watchers and a zillion more...know why? Because if you get completely thin guess what WHY WOULD BUY THEIR CRAP??? So you loose a little at first then gain more lol! I never eat that Junk!

I myself lost 96 lbs in 2011 and have already lost another 3 lbs this year alone.

The vast majority of diet soda does not contain any calories or very few. If a person of any weight was going to go to say McDonalds and have a burger, fries and a soft drink. By getting the diet drink they can knock off roughly 150 calories per 12oz of drink. This allows you to eat that burger and fries and stay within your calorie range to either loose or maintain your weight.

This is not an excuse to go and eat the fast food because it most certainly isn't healthy, but to loose weight it's a simple proven fact that you need to burn more calories than you consume. To build muscle and remain healthy you then have to consider proper nutrition.

It is certainly the parents responsibility to make certain their child eats proper and stays active. However, there is also a major issue with the way corporations produce food today. It is virtually impossible to go anywhere and find a healthy meal. Take Subway for example. While you can certainly get some good nutrition and low calorie food. Take a look at the sodium levels in their products the next time you want that 12'' veggie delight.

If you are fortunate enough to live in a city/town that has plenty of locations to purchase healthy foods. Then you are going to be paying a premium. It makes no sense what so ever that 'organic' foods that have no additives cost 2 to 3 times the amount as food that is loaded with preservatives and other additives.

All this said I have no issue with these ads and actually condone them. I think we as citizens should get together and produce our own commercials or viral videos to have a similar effect on how corporations produce so much unhealthy food and then cash in on those trying to remain healthy.

It's hard though. I'm in Illinois and almost 39 with a 17 yo son. He eats like a horse and is rail skinny for his 6'0 frame. I'm 5'5 and should be about 140 lbs but I'm 175. Which isn't bad, just a few extra lbs, but I have tried to eat those tiny little wee portions like they have in Europe. I'm shocked that they're not dangerously underweight over there. A meal that will fill me up would be like half a can of green beans/corn/ peas, maybe 4 or 5 tablespoons of mashed potatoes and either a steak, or a double cheeseburger (From home, NOT mcdonalds. my body rejects that garbage) or two chicken breasts or two boneless porkchops. A salad on the side and maybe 2 pieces of buttered bread. That's a perfect, healthy dinner that fills you up as well.

I seriously do not understand the miniscule portions that the UK serves. Poor people must be famished But then again they use a lot of lard and stuff like that from what I've heard so it's less but fills you up equally. Like my family always said (and they were of average build, not overweight at all) "You're not done eating until you have to undo a button on your pants''. I remember sitting back once done eating and all of us giving a huge sigh and having to digest for a while before doing anything else xD (and I maintained a 115lb weight through high school, 125lbs from age of 19 to 31 and then after I was in the military and got injured and was bedridden for 7 months in 2003, I put those few extra 35-45 lbs on and can't remove it. But from what we know, once you reach 30, your metabolism changes and you put weight on unless you're an athlete or body builder. I just accept me as I am and love me because I'm not that 19 year old 125lb girl any more. I'm who I am right now.

Originally posted by sarra1833
But from what we know, once you reach 30, your metabolism changes and you put weight on unless you're an athlete or body builder. I just accept me as I am and love me because I'm not that 19 year old 125lb girl any more. I'm who I am right now.

edit on 10-1-2012 by sarra1833 because: (no reason given)

edit on 10-1-2012 by sarra1833 because: (no reason given)

I am over 30 myself and as I stated above I have lost 96 lbs last year and 3 more this year. Just because you are getting older doesn't prohibit your body from loosing weight. Yes, your metabolism will slow down, but it doesn't mean you can no longer loose weight. It is nothing harder than simply burning more calories than you consume. There can be other factors to consider such as a thyroid problem if weight still is not being lost when you are in a calorie deficit.

Originally posted by MonteroReal
Kids can choose what they eat and they can request to their parents better food, maybe not when they are babies, but at five you are old enough to say "i want to eat this".

That is a naive view in my opinion. Children will eat what they are accustomed to and later on, what they see around their other peers.

You think a 5-year old is going to choose on their own (without proper dietary habits already instilled) a "healthy" choice over say that kids meal at a fast food restaurant?

This is something my sister and I talk about all the time in regard to her children and my own. All our kids are active (they do play video games but as parents her and I recognize that there is a limit) and they eat heartily. The thing is, we both make it a point to eat more home cooked meals and instill the desire to eat a wide variety of foods.

I am not lucky that my children aren't obese...I am responsible enough to not force feed junk to them. No one wants to look at the root of the problem...the parents.

I'm going to get flamed for this, but what the heck.

I hate these ads. Instead of trying to fix the problem of obesity, they seem to just poke fun at those affected by it. They are playing the school bully, abusing the fat kids. Instead of possibly, making some sort of regulation on fast foods, or not making every other billboard or commercial tell me to go buy this new sandwich that will probably give me a heart attack the instant I put it in my mouth, they decide to insult me. Maybe the city of Atlanta is willing to give free or affordable healthy food to homeless and fat alike. No? Atlanta isn't willing to do that, or anything else to solve it? Then why make fun of those affected? It isn't their problem, it's the parents problem. Stop taking it out on the kid.

These aren't proposing a solution, but they are getting the message out though. As much as I hate these things, they are alerting people to the problem, and that I like. Unfortunately for these, if the ad is not a McDonalds ad, then it is a commercial telling people about the dangers of McDonalds. It is just more white noise about the issue, but still, that one last person that does not know about the Obesity epidemic, now knows at least.

I hate these. I don't know how many times I can say it, but I do hate them. They just add further torture and misery to these kids lives. It took every ounce of my strength not to punch a hole through the screen when I read "It's hard to be a little girl, when you're not." They probably wouldn't say that in front of the girls face, so why behind the guise of posters promoting a worthy cause? It's time to stop spreading an already heard message like some modern day song that is always playing on the radio, and start trying to find possible and valid solutions.

Does anyone really think that billboards, posters, and ads about being fat and shaming the obese public are going to solve the American obesity problem? This problem lies much deeper than any ad campaign can touch. It's like hoping that by reading a poster an alcoholic is going to get sober. It's not going to happen.
All this is doing is creating shame in a group of people who already experience their own share of shame and self-hatred. I haven't met an obese person yet who didn't at some point in their life have self-esteem issues and addictive tendencies. Those issues can't be fixed by harsh words and ad campaigns. Food is a necessity for life and unfortunately unlike other, apparently more acceptable vices, cannot be quit cold turkey. The obese individual has to learn to manage their addiction, because they can't just turn their back to it. Anyone who has conquered one of these other demons can accept the difficulty and mastery this takes.
America has a lot of issues that need fixing right now. Maybe we should fix from the top down. Things might start falling into place about partway down.

reply to post by insanedr4gon
Did anyone ever stop to think how little sense it makes to think that the majority of people, American people at least; just somehow all became lazy overeaters?

I don’t think the obesity epidemic is the fault of individuals; it’s a cultural problem. So these ads don’t poke fun at fat people, it’s worse, they show the sad state of our modern way of life.

But to admit that “success” in our society means sitting on your but in front of a computer or in an office under extreme stress might be a bad idea. Do you really want to tell everyone there problem is that they work too hard? However, this is the reason for the epidemic.
Kids prepare for this “success” by doing the same thing, sitting doing nothing physical while under extreme stress to produce good grades, keep up socially, etc. Stress does tend to set up natural reactions in the body that often cause various ailments when it’s continuous.

And the health insurance providers encourage us to get out and exercise, sleep well, etc., the irony being that to have a job good enough to have that insurance, we had to give all that up!

So do we finally admit that our high stress, fast paced lifestyle needs to change? That we need to live with less money and “things” if we want to be healthier? Or do we continue to blame the majority of people for simply being lazy and gluttonous?
Seems the latter is the easy way out, no matter how little sense it makes when actually thought about for a second. Hence, we get the ads….

Rule #1 Cardio!

Your weight is your own responsibility,your kids weight/health is your responsibility.Why do people blame the media,shops or fast food outlets for their own inability to eat sensibly?
There is a problem in as much as to many people dont know how to cook good healthy basic food from good healty basic ingreedients.This could be solved by education,after all cooking isnt rocket science.
But at the end of the day you choose what you put in to your mouth,no one forces you to eat a meal which contains your daily calorific requirments three times a day,and if you cook and eat healthily so will your kids.
Iam a 42 year man im 5feet 10 inches tall and i weigh 12 1/2 stone (175 pounds) i have allways had to keep an eye on my weight, and if i put a few pounds on then i fix it simple, EAT LESS MOVE MORE.

Originally posted by marvinthemartian
Your weight is your own responsibility,your kids weight/health is your responsibility.Why do people blame the media,shops or fast food outlets for their own inability to eat sensibly?

Because that is the easier path.

There is a problem in as much as to many people dont know how to cook good healthy basic food from good healty basic ingreedients.This could be solved by education,after all cooking isnt rocket science.

Another issue is people cooking outside their normal dietary norm. What I mean here is people that think eating sushi will instantly make you skinny. While eating foods of different cultures is not harmful, thinking it will solve your problems means as you said...the education of what to eat is lost.

Amazing how in my experience -- where fast food was a treat (meaning when I grew up it was very rare) and soda wasn't the staple of fluids -- I grew up fairly normal in terms of weight. A perfect example: When my mother remarried my step family was quite large, to put it nicely. My sister and brother, along with myself were just normal. The huge difference: Eating habits and diet.

Interestingly after 6+ years after we moved in and proper eating habits were establish ALL of them lost weight and began to appreciate a proper meal; rather than a double-double with extra fries and an extra-large cola.

So you are spot on in your post.

It's not just about what you eat, it's about the amount of physical activity you are doing. As a kid I ate what ever I wanted, but was permanently on the go, either playing football or some other sport. The more you move around doing stuff the less time you have to sit on your arse eating. People have such sedentary lifestyle's these days.

reply to post by ownbestenemy


Thank you.
I forgot to mention drinks,fizzy pop,coke and the like.I mean how many cals are there in a large coke or even in a diet equivalent? I garantee its a hell of a lot more than water.

Originally posted by woodwardjnr
It's not just about what you eat, it's about the amount of physical activity you are doing. As a kid I ate what ever I wanted, but was permanently on the go, either playing football or some other sport. The more you move around doing stuff the less time you have to sit on your arse eating. People have such sedentary lifestyle's these days.

As i said eat less move more.

reply to post by zarlaan

High Calorie intake is a problem but not the overall picture in weight gain and maintaining weight. Portion control is more important than calories, carbs, protein, etc.

I believe that Diet Soda is an appetite inducer. The extremely high amount of sodium in many people creates more thirst and often times more hunger instead of suppressing it, it increases it. Making you actually eat more of those low calorie meals.

www.webmd.com...

The reason there are not more studies, skewed and flawed studies is that Diet Soda is a multi-billion dollar industry.

www.livestrong.com...

Many effects of the ingredients “Chemicals” of Diet Soda are prohibitive in long lasting weightloss. Same goes for the rest of “Diet” management foods. Extreme amounts of Sodium and very low or no Calories.

You are a consumer and a number to these product manufacturers and they need return customers just like a drug dealer they create a mental need. In overweight people a belief that this will help them loose weight when in fact the only thing that will is not lower calories, less carbs blah blah blah.

It is simple and we agree less food, more movement…

As far as the AD campaign I HATE advertisers and all this will do is create self esteem problems which is of course is its goal.

You are better off drinking water 0 calories 0 “Chemicals” other than fluoride LOL

reply to post by abeverage



Not quite sure if you are trying to argue a point I made or if we are in complete agreement and speaking differently...

However, as I said a calorie deficit is what causes weight loss unless you have other medical problems such as thyroid. You stated it's not calories, carbs, protein etc but portion sizes. Well, smaller portions equals less calories depending on the food composition. Eating 4oz of chicken is less calories than 4oz of cream cheese.

Your study you linked to also does not state that obesity is caused directly by drinking diet sodas. It only linked the fact that there is some other underlying factor in a higher number of of obese people who drink diet sodas.

Fowler is quick to note that a study of this kind does not prove that diet soda causes obesity. More likely, she says, it shows that something linked to diet soda drinking is also linked to obesity. "One possible part of the explanation is that people who see they are beginning to gain weight may be more likely to switch from regular to diet soda," Fowler suggests. "But despite their switching, their weight may continue to grow for other reasons. So diet soft-drink use is a marker for overweight and obesity."

Again I'm not trying to suggest that drinking diet drinks are good for you. Quite the opposite when nutrition is factored in just as you pointed out in your other linked article. I was just stating that you can lower your calorie intake by drinking a diet soda over regular.

This was mainly in reply to a previous poster who was laughing and questioning why he always sees obese people at fast foods getting a diet drink as if it made no difference.

reply to post by abeverage


I see rich fat parents and children all the time.

Not sure why you're acting like it doesn't exist. Yes it's more common in lower income families, both because of the lower income and lack of education, but at this point in America, obesity is everywhere. I used to work at a pretty affluent gym, and just about every other person was overweight, children included.

I'm shocked at how many well-off parents, especially moms, don't cook, or simply choose not to. Guess takeout doesn't hurt the pocketbook as much when you're wealthy. Can't tell you how many wealthy parents let their kids just sit and play xbox all afternoon, while munching on chips/cookies, because they're off enjoying their money elsewhere. I saw a lot of it.

Also, with thing like this, normally if you find yourself feeling insulted, chances are you're part of the problem, and will face it one way or the other at some point, whether it's a sign on the side of a road, or it's a doctor later in life telling you you won't live as long unless you start losing the weight.