how about we all go out and dig ourselves a vege garden each, we'll get exercise and healthy food and we'll be taking responsibility instead of blaming someone else for a change.

Misguided governments are willing to spend millions fighting marijuana use which is really a waste of money for a harmless drug, but not willing to take responsibility for a proven obesity epidemic that is proven to kill or really does cost society millions in health benefits and lost man hours!!!! Try to get your head around that one, people. Governments don't want to upset the alcohol or fast food industries. They are the real drug-dealers in this world!!!

@Michael #116: you say you agree totally with my post #116, um sorry but that is totally not what I meant, did you actually read my post? I most certainly didn't mean that it's a good thing to call overweight people fatties and chubsters. Hassling people is not going to make them changes their ways...if you tell someone they're fat, they'll live to that image.

I think putting money towards physical activity is trying to solve the problem that has been made, but its better off to cut it off at the source which is the food we eat, destroy the problem all together not fix the problem we create

As someone who was active in the 1980s campaigns to reduce smoking,I know it CAN be done. To see smoking go from 30% to 18% in twenty odd years is great.

To reduce obesity is more difficult-it's not so black and white, as we all have to eat! However similar models can be used. To change or reverse behaviour needs a multipronged approach. If it keeps people out of Coronary Care Units- it's worth it.

I used to Nanny for two small children, ages 7 and 5, and they had absolutely no idea what McDonalds was, and their parents were determined to keep it that was as long as possible. If the kids don't know the temptations, they aren't going to ask for them.

Start them young on healthy foods and they won't know the difference. These two kids adored salmon, pesto, broccoli etc, just as much as pizza and chips, because they had it since they were eating solids.

Easiest children I have ever fed!

@Nil #68 11:10 am Jul 13 2009 "I am a vegetarian and have beaten all of them in a tough guy challenge."

If you are vegetarian, you are normally more conscious of what you are eating in order to keep a balanced diet, that will inherently make you more healthy than someone who doesn't pay attention to their diet. Meat vs vegetarian is less important than the makeup of a meal combined with portion sizes and frequency. I would also speculate that the majority of people can get through a day with far less food than they currently eat but have been socially conditioned to eat a set amount at each meal, regardless of how much their body actually needs it.

"Also read a BBC article on a UK,US and NZ cancer research and they ve found vegetarians has 75% less chance of getting cancer." Kind of irrelevant, but what kind of cancer we talking here? For example everyone has a fairly equal chance of developing melanoma from sun exposure, your diet doesn't generally influence time spent on the beach.

Why increase tax on fast foods and punish those who are in good shape and just want a bit of rubbish food now and then? Eating rubbish all the time and not being active is pure laziness. Being fat, in most cases (very few are actually for medical reasons) is a choice... ...Tax the larger clothes to deter them from getting fat in the first place and stop being so accomodating to all these unhealthy fatties...

To all the people saying "calories in must equal calories out, its not rocket science" let me say

No it isn't, it's biochemistry, a lot more complicated and less understood than sending a projectile into the air.

Sugar and carbohydrates trigger fat synthesis and storage and have smaller sateity. Fats do not. Your body has many different mechanisms of energy storage and depletion that are not simply "calories in/calories out".

Before you flame me, consider this. I eat around 3500-4500 kcal a day. I am moderately but not excessively active. This includes a lot of fat (2-3kg non-lean meat, 2 blocks of butter, 5L full fat milk + cream in a week on average) Deep fried food 2-3 times a week. According to "nutrition experts" I should be a disaster waiting to happen, but I'm 62 kg, low triglycerides, good HDL/LDL ratio, good blood sugars.

I eat no sugar and bugger all starch.

Two words: PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY!

Several people have made some great points. Government initiatives DO NOT work. If the government ads telling us not to smoke did in fact work, there would be very few smokers left. This is clearly not the case!

It is not fair to tax fast food for those that can consume it in moderation. Consumption of food in my mind is only a small contributor to obesity - people need to excersise more.