About time, in my opinion. They should have done it way sooner : warnings on food that contain dangerous fats. Look at the Western World, obesity is a growing problem that needs to be stopped. It starts with education. Educate people about WHAT THEY ARE EATING. Not everyone knows what the heck they are eating. And then you have certain companies marketing basically fast foods like they will solve all your health problems. Warnings on food products will make the dangers visible, whether people will read them is another question. But at least it will put the responsibility with the consumer. They can’t hide behind : “Oh I didn’t know!”. Honest businesses should be supporting measures like these. According to research those “you will die of smoking” warnings did have a noticeable effect on the amount of people that smoke.

Shoppers are to be warned about the hidden health dangers of snacks such as cheese sandwiches and buttered toast under plans being drawn up by food watchdogs.

As obesity figures soar, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched a drive aimed at cutting the consumption of saturated fats, which can clog arteries and lead to heart disease.

The agency commissioned consumer research which showed that shock tactics such as graphic images of furred blood vessels and fat deposits were the best way to change people’s diet.
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Although the campaign is not due to start until next year, one industry magazine, The Grocer, said the FSA is about to test messages designed to show that everyday foods - primarily meat, dairy, snacks and confectionery - are far higher in saturated fats than people realise.

The Telegraph

Hello people,

Keeping myself exercising is not an easy thing to do. It just seems that as soon as I take a few days off from exercising I end up having a lot of trouble getting started again. Fitness feels great but getting to the gym seems to be an obstacle for me. I don’t know if this is something many people have, but I am looking for a solution! The question is : How can one motivate him/herself to go to the fitness centre? And hey, it’s only a 5 minute walk for my house. It isn’t the distance. What is keeping me from going? Laziness? I feel bad whenever I skip fitness. My wife isn’t at home when I usually have to go to the gym so no help there. My wife can be really persuasive

Anyway, lots of people have trouble maintaining their weight loss activities. Especially after holidays such as Christmas. Here is a small article on how you can keep going:

MOST people who embarked on a weight loss diet this New Year will be starting to feel the benefit and see the result, as the scales show that those pounds are starting to shift.

You get a really positive feeling from seeing that your hard work is paying off, but don’t expect too much.

A healthy weight loss of one to two pounds a week is much easier to maintain than dramatic weight loss. It is much safer too.

CLICK HERE for the whole article.

Speak soon.

George.

Okay so Christmas is over. So I went and look at the damage (added weight) this morning. 3 kilograms of extra weight I have to get rid off. How? I am not sure. It will probably take me a month to get it off. And with New Year coming up I might as well do nothing since that will add another kilogram. Argh this is frustrating! But hey, we were having a good time this Christmas. Lots of nice food, bunch of friends and of course presents. I shouldn’t feel bad about the extra kilograms and just enjoy New Year, so should you. Let’s just remind ourselves to train extra hard when it’s all over!

Anyway, hope you had a good Christmas and I wish you a great 2008!

George.

A skilled UK citizen was denied a visa to work in New Zealand. Reason? He is too fat. The Welshman, a submarine cable specialist, was hunting for a job in the country. But to his surprise his weight prevented him from gaining a work visa. New Zealand has introduced new immigration laws that could prevent individuals who fail a Body Mass Index test from working in the country. Obese people are potentially a burden on the New Zealand health service. Comments on an on-line forum indicate that quite a few people have had the same problem. The funny thing is, is that there currently is a shortage of skilled workers, especially in the information technology sector. New Zealand companies are forced to attract talent from other countries, yet this immigration policy apparently makes it hard for them to do so. Richie Trezise, the Welshman, underwent a crash diet to lose weight and has now passed the BMI test.

submarine cable specialist headhunted for a job in New Zealand was forced to slim down before this country’s immigration service would let him in.

Welshman Richie Trezise was denied an employer-backed talent visa when he failed the Body Mass Index test (BMI), a fat measurement using a person’s weight and height.

His BMI was 42, making him morbidly obese and a potential burden on the health service under New Zealand immigration policy.

“My doctor laughed at me. He said he’d never seen anything more ridiculous in his whole life. He said not every overweight person is unhealthy or unfit,” said Mr Trezise, who plays rugby and used to be in the army.

The 35 year-old went on a crash diet to lose many kilos and two inches from his waist.

He passed the BMI to begin work for Telecom here in September.

Mr Trezise is one of four highly qualified specialist technicians working on the upgrade of the Southern Cross submarine cable.

CLICK HERE for the full article.

Sounds too good to be true, right? Apparently some bosses will gladly pay their overweight employees some money to lose weight. My boss will probably not be one of them.. correction : definitely not be one of them. Everyone knows money motivates people, and a new study confirms it yet again - this time as a tool to get people to lose weight. I suppose you could see the financial compensation as an investment of a company in their employees. Healthy, fit people will usually be more productive. Me personally, I do give myself some presents if I reach a certain weight loss target. It does work, I suggest you try it!

George.

“Lots of companies are experimenting with rewarding people for weight loss, and this study provides evidence that paying people to lose weight works,” says Eric Finkelstein, a health economist with RTI International, a non-profit research organization in Research Triangle Park, N.C.

He teamed with researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill to recruit more than 200 overweight or obese employees in North Carolina. A third were given no financial reward for their weight loss after three months; a third were given $7 for every 1% drop in their body weight; a third were given $14 for every 1% decrease. The participants were not given a structured diet and fitness program.

Click here for the full article.