Coca Cola Refreshingly Embraces Obesity
Yesterday, the big news was that Coca Cola has decided to embrace their responsibility on the issue of obesity. This is clearly a smart business move for a company that is being widely accused of being a big part of the problem. While pundits may argue about exactly how big a problem Coca Cola actually is (e.g. vs. snack foods, sugary cereals, chocolate, ridiculous portion sizes, or alcohol – not to mention computers, omnipresent computing devices, automobiles, and countless other factors that contribute to our “Western” lifestyles), there is no doubt that sugar sweetened beverages (like juices) can contribute a significant proportion of calories to some people’s diets. No one, not even Coca Cola, denies this! It is therefore indeed “refreshing” to see Coca Cola step forward and acknowledge their responsibility – which, they have now done with considerable media fanfare (both positive and negative). Of course, the “spin” in the video ensures that these efforts are presented in the best possible light. As they point out: -About one third of their products are now available as low- or no-calorie options. -Most products are available in smaller package sizes. -The actual total caloric content is now clearly visible on the front of the package (instead of being hidden in unreadable nutrition labels). But no one, for a moment believes, that any of this would have happened without “social pressure” from their critics. I am also certain that all of this is motivated in part to pre-empt any moves to further regulate and police this company or its products. Thus, this campaign is sure to make good business sense and is probably fully supported by its shareholders. Indeed, there are many public health advocates, who suggest that companies like Coca Cola should be forced to pay a “health tax”, which, although not markedly reducing Coca Cola consumption (only a very heavy tax would do that), would at least provide governments with a revenue stream that they can (hopefully) put towards obesity prevention and treatment. I do not see why such a “health tax” needs to go to the government (only to likely disappear into their bottomless coffers). Why not have Coca Cola “voluntarily” pay such a “tax” directly to one or more organisations that are already working in that space and can likely put that money to immediate good use (without creating another cumbersome and unwieldy government bureaucracy)? Not only would… Read More »
Why Are Some People Successful At Maintaining Weight Loss?
Over the past few posts, I have been discussing the findings of the National Weight Control Registry, which found that the people, who successfully manage to keep weight off, fall into roughly four clusters. As readers will recall, the prototypical representatives of these clusters (Golden Boy Mark, Fitness Enthusiast Julie, Poor Eater Gertrude, and Struggler Janice), all have lost considerable amounts of weight, but each is using a different approach and coping differently. But why are they successful? Frankly, I have no idea! Of course, we now know “what” Mark, Julie, Gertrude and Janice are doing – we know “how” they are keeping the weight off – but nothing in the NWCR data tells us “why” they can do what they do. Not only, do we not find any answers to why these folks are “successful” at something that the overwhelmingly vast majority of people with excess weight tend to fail at, nor does the data tell us how to take someone, who is not “successful” and lead them to “success”. In fact, we do not even understand what makes Mark, Julie, Gertrude and Janice different from each other. Are the reasons for their different strategies genetic, physiological, psychological, social, or environmental? Does Mark find it effortless to manage his weight because of the make up of his mitochondrial DNA, his mental resilience, his extra-ordinarily large frontal lobe, or simply the fact that he has a job that allows him ample of time to pursue his healthy eating and physically active lifestyle. Perhaps, he has a social support system that supports rather than sabotages his efforts. Perhaps he has a healthy dose of narcissism (some might call it “selfishness”) that allows him to put himself before others. We don’t know. What led Julie to take up her active lifestyle and why has she decided to devote such considerable energy to her sporting activities – has she perhaps simply transferred here addictions from food to workouts? We don’t know. Why can Gertrude get by by eating so little. We don’t know. So, while it is of considerable “academic” interest to know “what” successful weight-loss maintainers do, it is not at all clear how to turn an average Joe into Mark or an average Jane into Julie. Which brings me back to clinical practice. If I were simply to tell my patients that successful weight loss maintainers tend to eat 1400 Cal… Read More »
What Works For You May Not Work For Me
Last week, I described Mark, Julie, Gertrude and Janice, who each represented a prototypical cluster in the National Weight Control Registry. All of them have lost a substantial amount of weight and have managed to keep the pounds off – but there are important objective and subjective differences between the four. Before, going into the differences, it is perhaps important to point out the limitations of the ‘stereotypes’ that I have described. They are based on the averages and/or common features of each cluster. So for e.g. While each could be the average age of the people in that cluster, it is impossible to be both male and female – so, as Mark’s cluster was the only one in which men made up a significant proportion of the group (~40%), I chose to make him a man. With regard to the actual behaviours as well as the amount of calories consumed and expended through exercise, all of the NWCR data has to be taken with a certain amount of scepticism – they are all self-reported. As many of you, who read this and have participated in the registry, have rightly pointed out, the questionnaires and responses that you have provided (on which the registry data are based) may be both an oversimplification and approximation of what you actually do (which of course also changes over time). Despite these caveats, here is what is evident: everyone, who has lost weight and is keeping it off is doing more than anyone I know, who is ‘naturally’ of a smaller size. No one that I know of “normal weight” survives on 1400 Cal and the vast majority of “normal weight” Canadians do not even remotely get close to 2800 Cal of exercise per week. Thus, no one (read that to mean – not one single person) in the NWCR registry is leading a lifestyle that is anywhere close to the lifestyle that a ‘normal weight’ person, not trying to manage their weight or obsessing about a healthy lifestyle, is leading – so here’s the first message to all ‘naturally’ normal weight people, who have advise on weight management – unless you have a professional degree or experience that qualifies you to give such advise – shut up (and I mean it!). But before we get up in arms about thin people giving weight management advise – let’s also consider the advise that you… Read More »
Weekend Roundup, January 11, 2013
As not everyone may have a chance during the week to read every post, here’s a roundup of last week’s posts: Successful Weight-Loss Maintainers: Mark, the Golden Boy of Weight Loss Successful Weight-Loss Maintainers: Julie, the Fitness Enthusiast Successful Weight-Loss Maintainers: Gertrude, the Poor Eater Successful Weight-Loss Maintainers: Gertrude, the Poor Eater Do Obese People With Heart Disease Benefit Less From Cardiac Rehab? Have a great Sunday! (or what is left of it) AMS Edmonton, AB
Why Physical Activity Strategies Should Not Just be Aimed at Overweight People
For today’s post, here is a short excerpt from a talk I recently gave on why strategies to promote physical activity should not just focus on overweight or obese folks – physical activity is good for everyone! AMS Edmonton, AB
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