Should fat people be paid to lose weight?

The big news today is the new government scheme to offer fat people cash incentives to lose weight and take exercise. This new strategy to tackle the obesity epidemic could cost the NHS £50bn a year .

Businesses will be encouraged to set up competitions with cash, vouchers and other rewards for employees taking up a healthier lifestyle.

Apparently similar schemes have worked in the US, so now they want to try it out in the UK. In my opinion I think the people out there who eat because they enjoy their food, aren’t likely to make drastic changes to their diet for the sake of a few gift vouchers. I mean I’d choose a generous helping of chocolate cake and a sausage roll, over a fiver to spend in Argos any day!

Plus what about those people who have already lead active, healthy lifesyles? Do they get rewarded for doing it all their lives. Hmm? Maybe it’ll come as a rebate… £1000′s worth of gift vouchers in one lump sum… I think not.

Next we’ll have people being paid to give up smoking, stop drinking… I mean aren’t they already paying off drug addicts who kick in the drugs? We’ll become a nation paid off with bribes… whatever happened to good old fashioned responsibilty?

So should overweight people be paid to lose weight? Is it down to employers to monitor their employees’ health and reward those choosing carrot sticks over a Snickers?

What do you think are the best ways to encourage people to lead a healthier lifestyle?

Let us know either in our Forum, or leave me a comment below.