Saturday, August 23, 2008

FAT PEOPLE ARE THE NEW TERRORISTS

BLOATED OBESITY COSTS A THREAT TO THE NATION

Don't you love that headline. According to the article the cost of the obesity crisis has soared to $58 billion a year and taxpayers are bearing the burden. It seems that I must apologise to all the supporting thin people out there who are carrying me on their backs.

There has been a staggering (their words) 137% increase in cases of type 2 diabetes caused by excess weight. Chronic diseases such as heart disease, osteoarthritis and some forms of cancer have also soared as waistlines have expanded.

Now for some figures. 3.7 million Australians are obese. 17.5% of the population which could increase to 18.3% by 2025.
The biggest price of obesity came from lost wellbeing, and estimate of $49.9 billion. Lost productivity cost $3.6 billion, direct burden on the health system was $2 billion and carers' cost topped $1.9 billion.
The Federal Government had the biggest share, 34% of the bill, 30% was covered by the individual and 19% by family and friends.

But that's only for obese people not the overweight so the true cost could be higher. The experts want a ban on junk-food advertising to children, better food labelling and funding for lap-banding surgery. I'm all for the first two but surgery as an option, not for me. The report was from the Diabetes summit in Hobart.

I knew they were keeping those detention centres for a reason. Can a fattie round-up be close?

The increase in diabetes could be due to the fact that it's routine to test for it now. 25 years ago if you complained to your doctor about a raging thirst and weight loss then you had a test. 25 years ago we didn't know the fat content of a Big Mac, didn't know about low GI foods and didn't worry about letting the belt out another notch. We didn't have the internet to research and didn't have carbs, fats etc. labelled on our food. We also didn't have experts blaming fatties for ruining the country's economy.

I've ranted about this before but it really gets on my wick. Good food costs a lot, junk food doesn't. Supermarket shelves are laden with cheap chemical quick meals, just add meat. Rows of biscuits, potato crisps, soft drinks and sweets out number the rows of vegetables. Even the vegetables are suspect. Apples come from cold stores, garlic from China, oranges from California, in fact name a country and the supermarket will source food from it.

I'm looking at having organic food delivered to the house but the cost might be prohibitive. Everything I buy is wholegrain healthy. This week I had a free loaf from Baker's Delight and I grabbed the white hi-fibre low GI loaf and felt like I'd just scored a bag of ecstacy in a sleezy back alley. I'm doing my best, croissants and an ice-cream only on Sunday, bypass the chocolate aisle, drink water but I'm only human not Wonderwoman and I stress eat.

I'm very conscious of health. In the last three weeks, I've had a cousin, neighbour and friend die, two from cancer and one from Diabetes. My cousin was 53, the neighbour was 60 and the friend was 47. Two smoked, one had never been sick with more than a cold and none was obese or even overweight. There's no easy answer. More exercise? Another friend who is an athletic trainer says losing weight is 20% exercise and 80% diet.

What I need is someone to serve me three meals a day so I don't have to think about it.

12 comments:

Brian Hughes said...

Have you ever noticed how the cheap food in the supermarkets is saturated with fat by comparison to the expensive stuff? Probably not...nobody actually reads the labels. But it is, and if you don't believe me, read 'em.

Ironically, it seems, the government doesn't read said labels either; labels that they themselves insist ought to be slapped on everything nowadays. If they did they'd understand better the link between obesity and poverty.

If the government and/or overpaid doctors/surgeons want people to lose weight then perhaps an increase in wages for the underpaid and the removal of their own heads from up their own arses would be the first step forward, rather the continual psychological abuse by spin doctors, ignoramuses and Harley Street bastards towards those less well off who are simply trying to cope in such a horrible ignorant right-wing little world.

By 'eck...I need another brew. I've obviously got out of bed the wrong side this morning.

Anonymous said...

I've ranted about this before but it really gets on my wick. Good food costs a lot, junk food doesn't. Supermarket shelves are laden with cheap chemical quick meals, just add meat. Rows of biscuits, potato crisps, soft drinks and sweets out number the rows of vegetables. Even the vegetables are suspect. Apples come from cold stores, garlic from China, oranges from California, in fact name a country and the supermarket will source food from it.

Lord Sedgwick said...

Jeez Coppertop you really do have problems with typos.


"What I need is someone to serve me three meals a day so I don't have to think about it."

Allow me to correct your typo free of charge .... with totally unsolicited advice from our dear ole Cameraface.

"What I need is someone to serve me three males a day so I don't have to think about it."

Anonymous said...

The cold way down south hasn't affected your brain then M'lord.

Jahteh, energy in, energy out. We don't get enough physical exercise. Buy yourself a copper (no pun intended), a trough and a wash board.

River said...

I'm also concsious of my health. My dad died from lung cancer so I get an x-ray every couple of years just to check. I don't smoke, but live with smokers and I'm the one with the annoying dry cough from it.
My mum died from bowel cancer and diabetes, so I have checks for both every couple of years, so far so good. Everything I eat is high fibre, minimum fat, except chocolate. I've switched to olive oil margarine (6years ago), don't eat cream, use about 50% less sugar,eat NO pastry anymore, and STILL my cholesterol is over the recommended level. Clearly diet alone isn't helping me as I'm still 14kg overweight.

Jayne said...

If the Aust Govt subsidised our farmers and produce like other countries do, we too could have cheaper fruit and vegies.
If the basic wage and working hours were at civilised levels then people wouldn't be slaving their guts out at all hours to make ends meet, only to have 2.3 mins spare to prepare meals before they fall into bed.

JahTeh said...

Fleetwood, with your health any day you get out of bed is a good day. I do read labels and the sneaky thing you have to look for is fructose made cheaply from corn syrup and is put in everything to make it palatable. Everyone says you shouldn't have bread and jam as jam is all sugar but at least that's all it is, sugar.

Thank you for the comment from Jordan the weight loss spam.

MiLord, let me re-specify, 3 males a day who can cook.

Hot Andrew gets a cold slap for that suggestion. I do exercise when I'm not virusing to death but a walk is nicer with a long black and a cake at the end of it.

Cholesterol is genetic, River, at least they've worked that out. I have nuttelex spread as a trade off for full fat cheese but then I don't drink milk. Trouble is we didn't know about this when we were younger and the damage started.

You're doing your bit Jayne, by growing vegetables but I don't have any luck with growing. I'll be trying the tomatoes again this year, poor blighters.

Lord Sedgwick said...

"MiLord, let me re-specify, 3 males a day who can cook."


'3 males a day who can cook'

Those typos keep coming. There's a point at which Cameraface and moi are going to have to throw in the towel.

Anonymous said...

It appears to me that fat people are more obstructionist nowadays - with the construction of narrow elevators and lifts.

Middle Child said...

You are spot on. My younger sister who is oh so correct, tells her two little girls whi are underweight, not to eat this or that...its not food anymore... its fat and protein and sugar. These are kids 8 and 5. I told her she's got to call it food, just food - eat it don't' disect it. and yet the son who is nuggety and stocky (3) is admired as he eats two handedly because he's trying to stuff more in. Thats one thing.

I'm like you in that I but good stuff...if I want butter I get butter but unadulterated. I get full cream milk and try to get organic...same with veggies. I'm not a featherweight either but I'm just trying to be commonsensical about it all...

and how much did the conference in Hobart cost? And who sponsered it? Which whizz bang pharmaceutical lot?

Middle Child said...

Brian, Its 5.50am here, its too early to make me laugh hawhaw haw

Middle Child said...

By the way, I took great pleasure in telling my skinnier sisters that my cholesterol levels got the good doc excited because they were so low and he said that even those were the right ones whatever thats supposed to mean...