Back in March, celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley -Whittingstall clashed with the health secretary at the time, Victoria Atkins, over what he claimed was the government's failure to tackle the obesity crisis. Measures such as limits on special offers and banning junk food adverts before 9pm were kicked into the long grass until at least October 2025. Separately, reports have suggested that the pandemic made obesity rates significantly worse among children, as unhealthy eating habits and a lack of exercise became the norm.
A study published earlier this year in the journal PLOS One discovered that obesity rates in England were up by 45% in four to five year olds, and by 21% in ten to eleven year olds during the first year of lockdowns.
Fast forward to late 2024, and the usual raft of supplements appeared recently in many of the national newspapers promising us we can 'lose a stone for xmas'. Talking about weight is a difficult subject, as many people have a tricky relationship with food. It can be medical, psychological, or a whole host of other factors that cause this to be the case.
I've always been a lover of food, and there's nothing I don't like eating. Seriously, you could order me anything, and I'd scoff it. When I'm 'on it', like I was in 2022 thanks to the brilliant support of Gail and Jane from Slimming World, I can be really disciplined and make good choices. I successfully lost three stone in weight, felt great, all my clothes fitted...and then I steadily piled it all back on. I'm now the same weight I was at the start of my weight loss journey. I've joined my local gym, but apparently you actually have to start going into the building to notice any benefits. Who knew?
Joking aside, there has been some talk this month of weight loss jobs for the jobless, which sounds to me like an episode of Black Mirror. The BBC reported that Health Secretary Wes Streeting had dismissed suggestions that the plans are "dystopian". It comes as the UK government teams up with pharmaceutical giant Lilly to run a five year trial in Greater Manchester to test if the weight-loss drug Mounjaro can help get more people back to work and prevent obesity-related diseases, and as a result ease the strain on the health service.
It's prompted a backlash, with critics saying those out of work are being dehumanised, but Streeting told Laura Kuenssberg's Sunday programme that the jabs are only one part of a much wider healthcare plan. He's also said they should not be used to get the "Instagram perfect body", amid a surge in demand for the likes of Ozempic. The figures on obesity are pretty stark. It costs the NHS about £6.5 billion a year and is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer.
It's also been claimed that if the rollout is too rapid, weight loss drugs could lead to a spike in eating disorders and body dysmorphia. This stuff is all very nuanced and complicated, and personal to each individual. I can only speak for myself, and whilst I'm not happy about how I look at the moment, it doesn't keep me awake at night, or stop me from living and enjoying my life. I can't imagine what that must feel like.
I'm not sure that stigmatising those out of work is the answer, and I take objection to the suggestion that obese people take more sick days. My BMI is definitely well above 30, and I last had a sick day when I worked at Yorkshire Coast Radio in Bridlington in 2003, when I lost my voice due to a bad virus. I'd urge caution and, whilst I think the science behind these new jabs is potentially pretty exciting and game-changing, the brakes should be left firmly on before a mass rollout of them.
How about the new (ish) government revists some of its predecessor's abandoned obesity strategy? The multibuy offers in the supermarkets often seem to be on junk food, there is precious little healthy food available at motorway service stations, and perhaps that junk food ad ban ought to be extended to sites like YouTube and TikTok, which is where kids spent their time rather than terrestrial television. None of this stuff is simple, but something needs to change. With that in mind, I'm off for a walk to get some steps in. I might even hit the gym this weekend.
Alex B Cann column: Should we have the right to switch off?
