State Funded Slimming Classes

Malc

Malc

Malc

Associate
Joined
16 May 2004
Posts
1,382
Location
Manchester
Sources:

Lefty
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/28/nice-database-weight-management-programmes

Righty
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...slimming-courses-millions-obese-patients.html

What do people think?

My opinion is that this is a good idea. Awareness and a less severe, dare I say natural approach to fitness and body fat % seems like a proactive approach. Ultimately it could save money in the long run as reliance on drugs to solve chronic problems such as high blood pressure and heart problems could be reduced.

I definitely think these issues need to be approached on a macro scale. It’s very easy to take vilify the people with these problems but I’m not sure it gets us anywhere. Looking at the comments on the DM link, they are principled in focus.

“Why should they get it free”
“It’s their own fault”
Etc

We should improve via the best means possible regardless of perceived “fairness” to others and then educate to solve the underlying mental issues (addiction, lack of care etc) and/or lack of knowledge around healthier living.
 
Being a previous fatty, I can honestly say its almost 100% phychological and should be treated the same as addiction. It's easy to say put that cake down, but if you have a real problem then it's just not that easy.

My situation was actually Hypothyroidism alongside it, which obviously made it hugely worse, thankfully I take the correct medication for this now which has stoped my metabolism being the same as a snails.
 
Castiel said:
Its a good idea, obesity is a condition that needs both physical and psychological treatment, whether people like it or not.
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This. Stick all the fatties in State run Concentration/Slimming camps. After all it's been proven successful, there wasn't any fatties in Belsen. :p
 
Castiel said:
Its a good idea, obesity is a condition that needs both physical and psychological treatment, whether people like it or not.
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Obesity is a symptom, not a condition.

Some people are just lazy, eat too much of the wrong foods, exercise too little, and could sort it all out if they just ate less and moved more. I know because I was in this group; I've lost three stone this year from making exactly two simple lifestyle changes:
- adopting a healthy diet (eating less and better food, nothing more complicated; no SlimFast, Weight Watchers, etc.);
- doing proper exercise 5 times a week (including exercise DVD and Couch->5K running; no subscription memberships, classes or fat camps).

Medical time may, however, be required to determine which people fall into that category, and which have a genuine physical or psychological issue requiring ongoing medical support.
 
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I'm not sure those kind of classes are a good idea, everything I've heard about them suggests to me they aren't educating people about the food they eat but are putting some rules in place that sort of get to the same place in the end - just like the french dukan diet or interval fasting ends up in less calories, the ends are right but the means are keeping you ignorant.

Are we really saying the majority of the UK population doesn't have the mental capacity to comprehend 3 food types, how many grams/calories of these different food consist of, and how many of each you need to eat each day?

A quick look on slimming world "eat as much as you want" "no calorie counting" "free foods". Thanks but no thanks.
 
While it annoys me that many people who choose to sit on their behind will receive this 'bonus' treatment, I also appreciate that there are those who are considered obese or overweight who actually want to loose weight and are struggling.
While the initial outlay for these slimming course may be high, the potential savings for obesity related NHS treatment in the long run likely outweigh short term investment, while helping bring down our national statistics for body weight.

Overall a good idea, shame it has resorted to this though.

Also. Dat ass in DM link. Golddigga!
 
what is the success rate of weight watchers etc long term.... ?

I doubt it's even very high

what they should do is prescribe them exercise
 
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Lord-Jaffa said:
Being a previous fatty, I can honestly say its almost 100% phychological and should be treated the same as addiction. It's easy to say put that cake down, but if you have a real problem then it's just not that easy.

My situation was actually Hypothyroidism alongside it, which obviously made it hugely worse, thankfully I take the correct medication for this now which has stoped my metabolism being the same as a snails.
Click to expand...

Wait, so it's almost 100% psychological in your experience, though your obesity was caused by an underactive thyroid gland? Wat? :confused:
 
Slimming classes have a pretty poor record of success and their concentration on weight rather than healthy lifestyle is unhelpful.

Consider this: research shows that obese people who live healthy lifestyles have the same hazard ratios as people of a healthy weight who live healthy lifestyles. So why concentrate on the weight rather than getting people to live healthier lifestyles?

See this graph.
 
Theophany said:
Wait, so it's almost 100% psychological in your experience, though your obesity was caused by an underactive thyroid gland? Wat? :confused:
Click to expand...
I used to weigh sixteen and a half stone now I'm down to just under thirteen stone and less than a stone from my ideal weight according to the NHS website/
was convinced my metabolism was just slow or I had an inactive thyroid glands because I mean it couldn't possibly be my fault right? even as a teenager I was quite chubby

guess what.... it was just slow because I was a lazy S.O.B eating pizzas etc most days

Since starting getting some exercise I struggle to eat enough, feel hungry almost constantly and feel a hell of a lot better for it.
I don't see the point in prescribing a diet as it's a band aid and not a long term fix

I don't think the NHS should be chucking money at private companies ran for profit either. it reeks of someone somewhere pulling strings

My fitness improvement
08/22/2013
H6G6THl.png
Vs
05/27/2014
68wiAlE.png
The difference between each graph is around 1100 miles of cycling btw (585 miles of it this year as my signature shows)

max cadence is a lie sometimes my sensor wobbles a bit if I don't check it before each ride and counts a pedal stroke as double.
exact same route almost apart from the 2014 one was slightly extended.

look at my heart rate, the workrate of my heart has improved massively which shows just how unfit I was. (max heart rate doesn't really change just the efficiency of your heart)

would a diet really have fixed me without exercise? I think not
I've still got some ways to go before I'd consider myself properly fit as well
 
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Theophany said:
Wait, so it's almost 100% psychological in your experience, though your obesity was caused by an underactive thyroid gland? Wat? :confused:
Click to expand...

No, the weight gain was from depression and addiction, which was magnified by the thyroid gland issue. Trying to then change and lose weight and not seeing results when on a scrict calorie deficit because of the slow metabolism caused the cycle of misery.
 
arknor said:
would a diet really have fixed me without exercise? I think not
I've still got some ways to go before I'd consider myself properly fit as well
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The thread is about obesity and you would have lost a lot more, more quickly, just following a better controlled diet.

Your heart rate during exercise (also resting I assume) being lower is a result of your exercise. Your weight loss is a side effect of you creating a calorie deficit through extreme exercise.

That's fine but don't confuse weight (fat) loss with fitness.
 
but would I have been a yoyo dieter like most people end up without the exercise ? also losing weight more quickly is not the best idea unless you want loads of hanging skin
most people don't see a diet as a long term change it's just short term until they lose the weight and then they go back to their old ways

also I don't see the point in looking thin if you are just as unfit as you were when you were a lot larger. what are the real health benefits other than less stress on your joints?
 
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arknor said:
but would I have been a yoyo dieter like most people end up without the exercise ?
most people don't see a diet as a long term change it's just short term until they lose the weight and then they go back to their old ways

also I don't see the point in looking thin if you are just as unfit as you were when you were a lot larger. what are the real health benefits other than less stress on your joints?
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More likely to get laid.
 
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