Mayor of NYC Want to Ban Super-size Drinks as a Way to Fight Obesity.

You might want to read the 34 responses on the following thread:

http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/3182792981635858433

Overreach. I'm against this. People need education about how awful 32 ounce cokes are for them, is my opinion.

I think its ridiculous that ANYONE feels the right to make a personal decision for me that should be MINE to make.

ETA:
Thanks for being receptive to my request C., I appreciate it. I apologize for assuming you are a paid employee and speaking with you more curtly than I would with other members of this community. I also apologize for making assumptions about your motivation when writing this question.
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C., I would love if you asked the question, "Mamapedia Community: How can we improve our site?"

You would receive many helpful and productive suggestions.

The questions you've asked, the comments you are soliciting, can already be found on many second rate internet 'news'/search engines and have usually been touched on by one of the unpaid members who utilize your service.

I'd sure miss my Sonic Route 44 Sweet Teas and Limeades. Oh well, at least you can still buy a 32oz beer! Yeeehaw

i heard about that watching the daily show yesterday.. john stewart was hilarious.. and i totally agree with everything he said.. his main point was with all the horrifyingly bad food u can get in new york the mayor wants to get rid of those xl sodas.. like come on now what is that really gna do

think: Bandaid on Grand Canyon sized wound.

No, it's not.
It won't work.
As a wise man once said "You can't fix stupid."

I think it's ridiculous. No one is holding a gun to someone's head to purchase the larger drink, nor are they holding a gun to their head to eat fast food or anything of the sort. People are making these choices themselves. Blaming others for why you choose to consume their product does not make sense to me. You choose whether or not you want to eat/drink it or not. Everyone has free will and with that comes to decisions. Gov't stepping in banning such things is too much. Stop dictating to me what I should or should not eat or drink. It's a slippery slope if you ask me. Start banning oversized drinks now, what's going to be next?

It is up to everyone to do something about their weight if they choose to or if they can, not up to the gov't. I think there should be another way to promote good health. How about making the gyms more accessible to those who would love to utilize them but can't afford them? How about more walking trails in the cities, etc? How about companies providing an incentive of some sort to lose the weight? Something else than banning products? I don't know what the real answer is because it's really up to the individual to lose the weight not up to you, me or the gov't. It's a personal choice. I do understand there are those who truly can't and those aren't the ones I am referring to.

I personally know how hard it is to lose weight as I am trying to do that now and I too know how hard it is to say no to that hamburger, to that large fry or to that large drink. It is hard! But is it that store/restaurant's fault? I don't think so. You can say no, I will not consume that. They are not saying you must eat this or drink this or else.....take personal responsibility.

I don't think that's his right to make that choice for anyone!!!!!!!!!

More laws, less justice.

It's stupid.

If you want to help fight obesity, you need to make healthy food cheaper than junk food. People buy value meals and super sizes because they feel they are getting more value on their dollar. In NY, it's cheaper to be buy a can of soda and a bag of chips than it is to buy a banana and yogurt.

That's sad.

I second oneanddone - we need government to get out of our personal lives and focus on our real problems! Yes, obesity is a problem but this is a stupid way to address it.

Honestly...my first thought...I can't believe people actually drink that much soda!! I guess I live in a bubble, because that seems insane to me.

Anyway, I don't believe the way to fight obesity is to fat shame. Meaning, heavy people are so out of control, they can't possible make good decisions themselves. That's insulting, and a violation of basic rights. We should be able to make choices like this, without any government intervention.

I agree with Ephie's comment, and I did post on this yesterday but had time to think on it, so I'll bite...

I wouldn't have a problem with this ban. The question comes up for me: at what point do we step in and take control of another person's choices? Our government already regulates many things which are 'bad for us' or could possibly cause harm. We can't serve alcohol to minors or sell cigarettes to anyone under 18. We can only get X amount of pharmaceuticals at any given time because these are substances which can have horrible adverse effects when used in excess or improperly. We live life just fine with these laws.

Here's something to chew on: The amount of sugar in a 12 oz can of soda is 39 grams. In contrast, a popular insulin-regulating diet (Dr. Barry Sears "The Zone") suggests that an average meal contain no more than 30 grams of carbs, offset by 20 grams of protein and 10 grams of good fat. This is recommended for a meal, mind you. A snack, which soda should fall into, is recommended to contain 10 grams of carbs for optimum insulin regulation. And when there is no balance of protein to offset the excessive carbs, then we see a body which begins to store fat.

I'm not saying everyone has this problem, but what I do see on a daily basis outside the local middle school and at the mall is that kids (and often, adults) are not buying the small cup of soda for themselves or even sharing the big gulps, they are each buying their own. Most teens I know do not share their giant soft drinks, they have their own.

While people are certainly able to buy the second soda, much like the smoking ban*, this wouId make excess consumption less convenient. I think the idea is to make people become thoughtful about how much they are consuming by forcing them to stop and decide if they want to buy the second soda. I think Mayor Bloomberg is smart in knowing that buying the second soda isn't always convenient and that it will likely curb some excess sugar consumption. My guess is that he's imposing this regulation to try to change habits, not to make it economically harder for families who might split the soda amongst themselves or their kids. (Filling up water bottles at home is free, by the way.)

*The CDC states that the number of smokers in NYC has been reduced by 2% since the ban took effect, and this stat was from 2005. My source:

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/se...

Thanks Dawn for posting that, I was at a sales meeting far too long yesterday and missed it.

This is a total Mayor Bloomberg thing. First the cigarettes then trans-fats and now high calorie drinks. Way too much talk radio in Southern California, I heard this days ago!! I think the limit is 25 calories per 16 ounces if I recall so it would apply to many sports drinks as well.

In California caloric counts are required everywhere (menus, ordering kiosks) and were available for a long time before that upon request)!!

If consumers are that clueless and can't make an personal decision that a chicken fried steak, McDonalds a couple times per week and caramel frappucinos are probably not the best way to go, they need to get a bit more updated. We all have choices, I know I can't eat In-N-Out Burger every day. I do like seatbelt laws, carseat laws and helmet laws though.

I'm with you C., I don't need any part of the government telling me how & what to eat.

He also wants kids under 18 to never be able to purchase sodas. You will have to show an id to prove you are over 18.

I am not surprised. How is this any different from the healthcare mandate? Ban on smoking?? Ban on salt??? People get what they vote for. One person will say, "oh, I can't stand the smell of smoke so go ahead and ban smoking.". I hate smoking as much as anyone, but that ban allows the elected folks to mandate how we live our lives. If I am stupid enough to go to a bar where people are smoking, then I am to blame for any health issues that I may have from second hand smoke. A BETTER choice is to go to bars as citizens and say we won't come to your place of business if you allow smoking. If enough people say that and follow through, bars will stop allowing people to smoke. THIS is how changes should be made. NOT by over-reaching, pompous, smarter-than-thou government folks putting bans on things. If I drink an oversized drink everyday then I am to blame for gaining too much weight. This ban is EXACTLY what we have to look forward to when/IF the government is in control of our healthcare. It baffles me that people are okay with giving up freedoms when someone leads them to believe that they (the government) know what is best for us.
FWIW, sadly, neither candidate in November represents my views on this issue. I will be holding my nose when I vote.

He needs to stay out of our lives here in NY. With what goes on in the five
boroughs of NY, he has decided to go after soda. Think he is starting to
suffer from dementia!!!! The goverment needs to do their real job and get
out of the priivate lives of the citizens! Thank goodness he cannot run for
another term.

I don't think it will succeed because all the fast food places will just ask for one or two prices with unlimited refills for the higher price.

Wonder if the NY mayor has any overweight folks in HIS or his WIFE' s families???

I think he might be stepping a little out of line with the large size soda ban...but that is just one of the many things he proposed for changes in NY's health care.

This is just another act of Mayor Bloomberg's to take the soul out of the city and Disney-fy it. It has nothing to do with the welfare of anyone, it's just to make the city look better for the tourists who may be offended by seeing a real person. I'm sad to say home isn't home anymore and what is left is fading fast.

I totally agree with Sam E! If you missed the Daily Show last night, google it. It was hilarious and SPOT ON.

I told the owner of my local McDonalds that they could keep the apple dippers. My kids won't eat the apples without the caramel. She just laughed and said they wanted to make sure the kids were eating better....the kids ate the apples before now they won't, they go in the trash if I take them home, how is that remotely any better?

If I want to drink a 44oz drink I can certainly do it at home and buy a permanent cup to carry around so I can have one whenever I want it.

It is not anyone's business what I drink or what I eat. I am an adult and can make my own choices. I get to choose what the kids eat and drink and if I want to feed them McDonalds Happy Meals and sliced apples with a cup of caramel sauce it is MY choice. It just makes me mad that someone would even think they could be a dictator to me.

Everything's become too big. We now think a big serving is a normal sized serving. Our whole health is changing because of an insidious 'size creep' effect that many people are oblivious to.

I actually think this a reasonable first step to bring back normal serving sizes.