A huge sweetener will be dished out to overweight people when they prove they've beaten the blubber. And its reported the more pounds they take off, the more £s they'll get in their pockets.
The maximum payment will go, for instance, to a 15½st person who loses 50lb. He or she will pocket a whopping £425 for slimming to 12st.
Other payments would then follow on a sliding scale in the pay-as-you-go-smaller scheme. Someone who sheds 30lb will be rewarded with £160, and if they lose half that they'll pick up £70.
The NHS is buckling under the £1 billion it spends a year treating obesity-related diseases. NHS Health chiefs are also having to shell out thousands on special couches, weighing scales and blood pressure cuffs for overweight patients.
They reckon introducing fat-busting payments could save hundreds of millions in the long run, and help people live longer.
But the scheme is likely to attract criticism from some quarters as a jumbo waste of taxpayers' money.
Below is one argument against giving the money and one for giving it.
Against
By Carole Malone, News of the World columnist
FAT people know why they're fat. They eat too much. And no government is going to change that with something as simple as a bribe.
The only reason people lose weight is because THEY want to, NOT because someone pays them to. Yes, £500 might be a quick fix but it isn't a long-term solution because it doesn't involve the individual making a decision.
I've been fat. And I've been thin. And I know which feels best. As a kid my parents bribed me with extra pocket money if I didn't eat sweets so I wasn't teased. But the only time I've lost weight-and kept it off-was when I wanted to.
The government could make healthy food cheaper. But the bottom line is you can't force people to lose weight. Doctors can warn fatties about the health dangers, but until they decide to take their fate into their own hands they'll STAY fat.
For
By Winton Rossiter, founder of Weight Wins
AS another diet season swept over us in January, I asked myself: Why is it so difficult to lose weight, especially in the long term?
Often people join weight-loss groups and gyms only to drop out a few months later and put the weight back on. And home-exercise equipment usually ends up gathering dust.
The problem is a lack of motivation. All people want is a simple weight-loss goal and a reward for reaching it. So I decided to start a company.
Of course, there's nothing new about incentives to lose weight- people make informal weight challenges all the time. But we've designed a structured programme that maximises an individual's chances of success-and which REWARDS them for doing it.
And I decided to make the rewards big for maximum motivation.
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Comments
schools are hitting the this subject head on and having 2 children of primary school age i can speak from experiance.
there school only allows healthy eating and to make sure that the kids are eating healthy the school provides them with there break which is a mixture of celery & carrot sticks apples orange’s etc.
the kids aren’t allowed to bring in biscuits crisps or fizzy juice and i know my kids are fans of the healthier eating plan.
we received a a letter home last week which i will put below and i know that the bbc also covered this.
i believe that everyone is entitled to there own opion although unless you have been in this situation i don’t think you can understand or appreciate how hard it can be to lose some weight.
Health Committee chairman Jim Wells said: “We need a massive programme of government action to change the way society is eating itself into an early grave. If we don’t change we’ll see a massive increase in type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. If we don’t act now this will overwhelm the health service by 2050. “
Now it’s up to the Northern Ireland Executive not to let the public down and implement a strategy as soon as possible
Through the most recent research, we know that 59% of all adults in Northern Ireland are either overweight or obese, with 22% of children falling into the same category.
a very scary percentage.
By LISA on 10 Dec 2009
Pay as ya go weight loss lol… wer wud ya get it! Incentives are needed yes but i dont think £500 cash is the answer! Altho if people are happy being a little overweight or obese then thats their choice. you cant just ostracise or label them because you dont think its healthy. Maybe a grass roots approach for kids at school is the way forward. Incentives for healthy lunches and tuckshop & more exercise would help. If the problems of obesity are met head on before they get out of hand at a later age then changes will happen as families will be educated alot more in the effects of unhealthy eating & lifestyles.
By Lloydyboy on 10 Dec 2009
Surely isnt this like making the problem worse. Giving them cash encourages them to potentially buy more food same as give a alchoholic cash and he will more than likely buy alcohol. It is thier life so let them be obese but there missing out on all the benifits of being a Healthy Human and missing out on so many activities they can share with thier friends or loved ones even missing out on the chance to join Prokick.
Will
By Willeyum on 09 Dec 2009
Hmmm ... Not entirely sure a cash ‘bung’ is the answer. Can only speak for myself but a cash promise wouldn’t have got me down a gym or out of the chair when I was 6 stone heavier back in 2003.
What did were a couple of embarassing incidents and a dawning realisation that I was getting near the same age that my dad was when he had some minor health problems related to his weight, and I was heavier than him. Most motivators tend to be personal like that.
Losing the weight was tough but it was a personal motivation that kept me going. Would cash ? I’m not sure ... but the government really can offer money incentives as the common denominator and, as Mark says, anything’s better than nothing.
By Paul Gordon on 08 May 2009
hhhmm well it may be a good idea, who knows, the way i see it, if it does encourage some of those more overweight people to lose it, then surely thats a good thing..no matter what..
Give it a go, why do people critiscise things befores they are even tried out..if it doesn’t work then ok, theres always the saying ‘’ I Told You So ‘’ until then..shadddddup.
By Mark1 on 13 Apr 2009