Belgium's new Minister of Public Health sets to combat obesity - weighing 280lb herself
45 replies, posted
[QUOTE=Explosions;46233121]Who gives a fuck if she's fat lol.
If what she says about health is correct, why does it matter if she herself is unhealthy? Does that make what she says incorrect somehow?[/QUOTE]
I think the problem is that people in leadership positions need to be role models, especially when they're advocating things like healthy eating etc. But yeah if anything shes flawed and that's human I suppose.
It's always fun to see how well ministers fit into their positions.
Not too long ago our minister of culture and education was heard saying "I like cat paintings" in some press event related to painted arts. Cat paintings, huh?
[QUOTE=draugur;46236192]If she can't work toward losing some weight, where the fuck does she get the credibility to guide a nation in public health? Analogy: If you can't balance a check book, why should you get a job an accountant for a multi-billion dollar corporation?[/QUOTE]
Well you may not be making smart posts now but that doesn't mean you're incapable of it.
[QUOTE=draugur;46233630]How's the giant cone of french fries smothered in Mayo taste? I mean, everyone in Belgium clearly eats them for every meal, I saw it on the food network once.
Generalizing an entire nation is fun.[/QUOTE]
Belgium has one of the highest consumption of sugar per person in the world with an average yearly rate of 45 kg per capita. [URL="http://www.helgilibrary.com/indicators/index/sugar-consumption-per-capita"]Data from 2008-2011.[/URL]
There's a little more than just generalization going on there.
Her appearance has absolutely no bearing on her ability to do her job.
[QUOTE=Mitsudigi;46238438]The main problem with obesity is how damn young it starts at. You have 12 year olds who are fat before they can even make their own meal decisions. I'm sorry but once you're 300lb it's pretty much too late. How many people truly have the will power to lose 150lb? If it were my decision it'd be illegal to have an overweight child seeing as it's 100% the parents responsibility.[/QUOTE]
I know 3 people personally who have gone from 300+ to healthy weights and I'm on the same track. Nobody cares if you think it's "too late". Some of us are really trying like hell to do what you're trivializing as impossible. Would you rather we just quit and sit around for the rest of our lives as fat shits?
[QUOTE=Mitsudigi;46238438]The main problem with obesity is how damn young it starts at. You have 12 year olds who are fat before they can even make their own meal decisions. I'm sorry but once you're 300lb it's pretty much too late. How many people truly have the will power to lose 150lb? If it were my decision it'd be illegal to have an overweight child seeing as it's 100% the parents responsibility.[/QUOTE]
Its never to late to make a life style change, never. Weighting 300lb and losing weight will be a challenge but it can be done and many have done it.
Its people like you who make the comments like this only discourage people from improving and bettering their lives. If you can't give someone good advice or give them some type of motivation do make a good change then don't say anything at all (aka If you can't support someone, why must you drag them down?)
[QUOTE=Explosions;46233121]Who gives a fuck if she's fat lol.
If what she says about health is correct, why does it matter if she herself is unhealthy? Does that make what she says incorrect somehow?[/QUOTE]
It's kinda like if a drug addict was trying to preach sobriety.
[QUOTE=dedo678;46241017]It's kinda like if a drug addict was trying to preach sobriety.[/QUOTE]
So what? What is he gave good advice? You're using a logical fallacy here - dismissing what someone says because they're a hypocrite.
i used to weigh 300 pounds and dropped a third of my body weight (aka a whole person) and i can say that weight loss is very much a weird thing to tackle because it's both really easy and really difficult simultaneously
i lost 120 pounds and got down to 180; know what i had to do for that shit?
eat approx 1500 calories per day and exercise every day for 3 hours (combination of cardio and weight lifting, alternated days between the two) for 5 months straight. funnily enough it was terribly unhealthy
and the thing is that now i've got the perspective of what it means to actually lose weight like that, and i know what it means when people say they can't do it. because it's fucking hard as hell - it's not put down the fork, it's about serious issues with habits (many stemming from how you were raised) to depression to actual legitimate medical issues facing overweight people (try working out while weighing 300 pounds - cardio is enough to reduce you to a fucking pulp writhing on the ground in literal [I]seconds[/I], and if you've been obese for more than 5-10 years your knees are likely shot to hell and your back is probably a bit fucked too)
as a person who's facing obesity herself she knows what it's like to be in there, and as a medical professional (former or otherwise who gives a heck) she knows the medical component. as a policymaker she has the know how and the wherewithal to actually combat it on a systematic level that may help her get into the minds of the groups she's targeting.
losing weight isn't about putting down the fork isn't about just working out isn't about discouraging people from being fat by fat shaming isn't about "education" for children, it's an incredibly personal problem that needs to be tackled on an individual basis for every kid that's overweight and every adult that is overweight as well.
depression and food consumption are linked and self cycling, food is literally an addiction for some and needs to be treated as such.
[QUOTE=BrickInHead;46241127]i used to weigh 300 pounds and dropped a third of my body weight (aka a whole person) and i can say that weight loss is very much a weird thing to tackle because it's both really easy and really difficult simultaneously
i lost 120 pounds and got down to 180; know what i had to do for that shit?
eat approx 1500 calories per day and exercise every day for 3 hours (combination of cardio and weight lifting, alternated days between the two) for 5 months straight. funnily enough it was terribly unhealthy
and the thing is that now i've got the perspective of what it means to actually lose weight like that, and i know what it means when people say they can't do it. because it's fucking hard as hell - it's not put down the fork, it's about serious issues with habits (many stemming from how you were raised) to depression to actual legitimate medical issues facing overweight people (try working out while weighing 300 pounds - cardio is enough to reduce you to a fucking pulp writhing on the ground in literal [I]seconds[/I], and if you've been obese for more than 5-10 years your knees are likely shot to hell and your back is probably a bit fucked too)
as a person who's facing obesity herself she knows what it's like to be in there, and as a medical professional (former or otherwise who gives a heck) she knows the medical component. as a policymaker she has the know how and the wherewithal to actually combat it on a systematic level that may help her get into the minds of the groups she's targeting.
losing weight isn't about putting down the fork isn't about just working out isn't about discouraging people from being fat by fat shaming isn't about "education" for children, it's an incredibly personal problem that needs to be tackled on an individual basis for every kid that's overweight and every adult that is overweight as well.
depression and food consumption are linked and self cycling, food is literally an addiction for some and needs to be treated as such.[/QUOTE]
Interestingly food is literally an addiction for most of the planet. Carbohydrates are chemically addictive. It is an actual chemical dependence.
This isn't to discredit your statement at all, many people are psychologically addicted to food, but we like to forget that most of us are actually chemically addicted.
Y'know chemically addicted beyond the whole "you need to eat or you die" thing.
EDIT: In related news you should have tried a low carb diet. The caloric restrictions are not there and the health benefits are a mile long. Males in particular do extremely well on the diet. You reach a healthy weight and cease to lose weight. Of course when you look at what you are eating, most of it is exactly the same stuff you evolved eating, so it should surprise nobody that it has some serious benefits.
Also it is a diet that you can work out on as much as you want. Hell, it even builds muscle crazy fast because of the high protein content in the diet. It works fast and is super healthy.
[QUOTE=Explosions;46241031]So what? What is he gave good advice? You're using a logical fallacy here - dismissing what someone says because they're a hypocrite.[/QUOTE]
Once again it's a matter of trusting that person, and in a place of political power acting as a role model, trust is a very big issue. In that analogy drug addicts aren't the ones preaching sobriety ways, former drug addicts are. I'm not saying you're incorrect, facts are still facts no matter who they come from, but like I said when you're in a position where you need people to trust you, you need to show that you can do it too.
[editline]16th October 2014[/editline]
If you were fat and she started telling you how to live a healthier lifestyle and lose weight, wouldn't you at least be a little bit sceptical? Even while knowing she has been a GP for so many years and knows a lot about how the human body functions, you will still be thinking in the back of your mind "why don't you do it then?"
I think some people just can't help it. All my life I've been skinny as shit, and there's nothing I've been able to do about it. I have even added about 150 pounds of fat per YEAR into my diet and still nothing. Not the healthiest way to go about it but still, if that isn't going to do it nothing will. Arteries are all clear though so the whole thing was a bust
[QUOTE=dedo678;46241017]It's kinda like if a drug addict was trying to preach sobriety.[/QUOTE]
I drug it up and always tell people not to get into it. Does a lung cancer patient lose the right to say 'don't smoke' because he smoked?
[QUOTE=No Party Hats;46245639]I drug it up and always tell people not to get into it. Does a lung cancer patient lose the right to say 'don't smoke' because he smoked?[/QUOTE]
In this situation it's the same as an obese person to say don't be unhealthy or you'll end up like me.
A more fitting analogy would be a lung cancer patient trying to educate and support others about how to kick the habit while not doing so themselves and causing themselves further harm. However I do understand that addictions are hard to stop, but it's always better coming from a role model than a hypocrite because of course there is that underlying trust issue present.
I really don't want to come across as someone who victim blames here and I feel sorry for those who are battling these addictions and they should not be mistreated for it, I'm just trying to explain how most of the general public will view this appointment of public health minister.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.