No more Super Size at McDonalds

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Post by kojikun »

It's not even the food thats the problem or people eating too much of it. It's people not exercising. If you exercise, you can eat whatever crap you want. But people are lazy fucks.
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Re: No more Super Size at McDonalds

Post by Darth Wong »

Robert Treder wrote:I don't think there is a solution to the obesity problem, if people aren't going to get good judgement.
It's not entirely unreasonable to blame restaurants, in the sense that it's downright difficult to find healthy food in a lot of restaurants. And sorry, but despite common belief, salad is not particularly healthy. It's not unreasonable to ask why it's so easy to order unhealthy meals from restaurants and so difficult to order decent meals. And look at the side dishes; they virtually shove fries down your throat at some restaurants even if you don't want them. I've lost count of the number of times I've had to explain two or three times to a waiter or order-taker that NO, I do NOT want the fucking combo with fries. I've even been forced to pay MORE for a burger + drink without the fries than a combo would have cost on more than one occasion; tell me that isn't the restaurant's responsibility for pushing people so aggressively to buy unhealthy shit.

Yes, personal responsibility is a good thing, but when you reach the point that the restaurants is virtually paying you to add deep-fried garbage to your meal, it's pretty fucking obvious that the restaurant bears some responsibility too.
Not that that bothers me; people can do whatever they like to their bodies. The only real problem is when their children pick up their bad eating habits, but once again, what can be done about that?
Change the standards in public school so that it's OK to make fun of fat kids again, like it was when I was a kid. Stop humouring the "it's just genetics" bullshit being spewed by such kids and their parents. When the parents complain, ask them to step on a weigh scale first.
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Post by Gil Hamilton »

Wait, if they want people to eat a normal and balanced meal, wouldn't it be simpler to just put up a sign that says "Don't eat here, fatass!"? I mean, people don't go to MacDonalds for healthy food, they go their for a Big Mac and a metric assload of fries and pop. I'll just go to the Sushi Boat anyway, since their food isn't much more expensive and is much healthier and tastier.
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Re: No more Super Size at McDonalds

Post by Daltonator »

Darth Wong wrote:Change the standards in public school so that it's OK to make fun of fat kids again, like it was when I was a kid.
You ever go through that, Mike? YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE?!?
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Post by Tsyroc »

Spanky The Dolphin wrote: God, reading (and remembering) that makes me feel old. :(

;)
If it makes you feel any better I think they kept them around for awhile for just the Happy Meals. :)
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Re: No more Super Size at McDonalds

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Daltonator wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:Change the standards in public school so that it's OK to make fun of fat kids again, like it was when I was a kid.
You ever go through that, Mike? YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE?!?
No, I don't. Do you have more humane suggestions, then?
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Re: No more Super Size at McDonalds

Post by Colonel Olrik »

Daltonator wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:Change the standards in public school so that it's OK to make fun of fat kids again, like it was when I was a kid.
You ever go through that, Mike? YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE?!?
I agree with Dalton, Mike. Despite my current looks, I was a fat kid in junior school, and object of fun by some fucktards (which I'm glad to say are now working in their dads car shops, while I'm here). No one deserves the kind of shit and emotional scars that that treatment leaves.
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Post by Darth Wong »

Well OK, if that's no solution to child obesity, then what's the answer?
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Re: No more Super Size at McDonalds

Post by Colonel Olrik »

Darth Wong wrote:
Daltonator wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:Change the standards in public school so that it's OK to make fun of fat kids again, like it was when I was a kid.
You ever go through that, Mike? YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE?!?
No, I don't. Do you have more humane suggestions, then?
I'd say cut the bullshit about genetics, incentivate physical exercise as a daily life routine and..

Execute all school jocks, but that's just me. :twisted:
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Post by SirNitram »

Massive-scale social engineering to make excess less popular.

In other words: There is no realistic solution as of yet.
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Re: No more Super Size at McDonalds

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Colonel Olrik wrote:incentivate physical exercise as a daily life routine and..
Just in case I'm mis-reading you, are you suggesting that they give rewards to kids for exercising? How can you tell whether they're exercising at home? Can't they just lie?
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Post by Tsyroc »

Darth Wong wrote:Well OK, if that's no solution to child obesity, then what's the answer?
Mandatory Phys Ed, PT, Gym Class etc... every day.

My schools required it every day. There were still fat kids but not many were really huge like a lot of kids today.

In the state I grew up in (Iowa) my school system was unusual in requiring Phys Ed on a dayly basis. At that time the state only required it every other day.

It's not going to solve all problems but getting everyone active is still good.
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Re: No more Super Size at McDonalds

Post by Colonel Olrik »

Darth Wong wrote:
Colonel Olrik wrote:incentivate physical exercise as a daily life routine and..
Just in case I'm mis-reading you, are you suggesting that they give rewards to kids for exercising? How can you tell whether they're exercising at home? Can't they just lie?
Not really. Even supposing they and their parents lie you can measure physical fitness and its progress easily. They do it in gymns. For example, having a bodyfat below 15% for a correct weight (meaning you have muscles not fat) would give you the choice of not playing stupid soccer games in the two hours/week "Physical education".
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Post by Darth Wong »

Tysroc wrote:Mandatory Phys Ed, PT, Gym Class etc... every day.
That's not necessarily a solution. When I was in school, there was one fat kid in my class (back then, it was typically just one; nowadays there are more). And he was simply exempted from gym activities that he couldn't handle, so while the rest of us would run 2 laps around the track to warm up, he would be allowed to run 50 yards and then stop.

When obesity is treated as a handicap, the teachers really have no choice but to allow such exceptions.
Colonel Olrik wrote:Not really. Even supposing they and their parents lie you can measure physical fitness and its progress easily. They do it in gymns. For example, having a bodyfat below 15% for a correct weight (meaning you have muscles not fat) would give you the choice of not playing stupid soccer games in the two hours/week "Physical education".
Ah, so you're talking about giving credit for being in shape. I can predict that the parents of obese children would interpret this as penalizing kids for being obese, and launch complaints based on the human rights code, due to the treatment of obesity as a handicap.
Last edited by Darth Wong on 2004-03-04 11:53am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Daltonator »

Darth Wong wrote:Well OK, if that's no solution to child obesity, then what's the answer?
Education instead of the horribly cruel and incredibly mentally-scarring garbage you just proposed
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Post by Darth Servo »

When I want a burger I usually make it at home.
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Post by Darth Wong »

Daltonator wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:Well OK, if that's no solution to child obesity, then what's the answer?
Education instead of the horribly cruel and incredibly mentally-scarring garbage you just proposed
I'm sorry Dalton, I thought it was kind of an amusing suggestion and wasn't thinking clearly.

However, I am constrained to point out that education is the current approach and it isn't working. You can tell kids to eat healthy all year long; that won't make them do it. It also won't make their parents buy them good food; I've seen some of the shit that some parents feed their kids.
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Post by Admiral Valdemar »

Problem is, the parents are usually the cause of obese kids because they themselves are obese and not active enough. I'm sick of seeing more and more families of walking fat mounds, papa, mama and little kiddy fat mounds going for a "treat" at McDonalds. The effects are now evident in my country, letalone the King of Fatness that is the US of A where everything is supersized.

It's a sad reflection on society when we don't give a shit about our health like this and are surprised the likes of coronary heart disease are on the increase.

A ban on junk-food advertising directed at kids as has been proposed in the UK would certainly help given Mackie Ds aims for the kids out there.
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Post by BoredShirtless »

Darth Wong wrote:Well OK, if that's no solution to child obesity, then what's the answer?
* Only healthy food in school canteens.
* Make students run for 10-15 minutes before school ends. Every day.

How easy is that?
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Post by Darth Wong »

BoredShirtless wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:Well OK, if that's no solution to child obesity, then what's the answer?
* Only healthy food in school canteens.
A lot of people bring their own food. Would you prohibit that?
* Make students run for 10-15 minutes before school ends. Every day.
The obese kids won't be able to handle it, and will ask to be exempted from this activity due to their handicap. The teachers will have no choice but to allow this.
How easy is that?
Very easy to suggest, difficult to implement.
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Post by Admiral Valdemar »

BoredShirtless wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:Well OK, if that's no solution to child obesity, then what's the answer?
* Only healthy food in school canteens.
* Make students run for 10-15 minutes before school ends. Every day.

How easy is that?
Great on paper, but getting it to work is a bitch. There are programmes being used in schools to get kids to eat from a healthier school meals menu and more sports both in school hours and after hours.
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Post by Darth Wong »

One solution might be to charge parents with child abuse if they feed their kids a grossly unhealthy diet :wink:, but then the angry libertarians would come storming out of their Citadel of Freedom.
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Post by Admiral Valdemar »

Darth Wong wrote:One solution might be to charge parents with child abuse if they feed their kids a grossly unhealthy diet :wink:, but then the angry libertarians would come storming out of their Citadel of Freedom.
The Ministry of Obesity can be created and agents can check each school for hints of chocolate bars and deep fat fried chips and Grade F burger meat. Then they send the culprits to boot camp.

Actually here you can already fine a parent for allowing a kid to play truant, fining for them being forced to eat only junk food crapola isn't that bad it seems. :)
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Post by Spanky The Dolphin »

I brought a bag lunch to school every day consisting of a peanut butter sandwich on white bread and a pack of Ho Ho's every day from 7th to 12th grade; with chocolate milk 7-8, a soda in ninth, and tea 10-12 to drink. Occasionally I'd buy stuff like chicken nuggets or fries from the cafeteria, but that wasn't often.

I'd consider that rather safe.
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Post by Colonel Olrik »

Darth Wong wrote:]
Ah, so you're talking about giving credit for being in shape. I can predict that the parents of obese children would interpret this as penalizing kids for being obese, and launch complaints based on the human rights code, due to the treatment of obesity as a handicap.
Maybe, specially in North America. But I point out that there were several "special" school classes I didn't have to attend because of my good grades during highschool, and that were mandatory for others. Their parents could hardly complain and the kids were indeed being penalized for being dumb. This is not very different. Maybe it's enough to make it a reality, at least in Europe.
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