A weight loss expert has sparked fury after claiming severely obese people should be refused junk food at fast food restaurants. 

Steve Miller, who presented Sky One’s slimming series Fat Families, appeared on Good Morning Britain today with London-based journalist Ateh Jewel where he claimed we need to adopt a ‘tough love’ approach to obesity in Britain.  

Speaking from his home in the West Midlands, the author who set up his Hypnotherapy Weight Loss programme in 2002 after losing 4st himself, claimed we need to ‘be cruel to be kind’ when it comes to serving unhealthy food. 

And he told Ateh to ‘get a grip’ when she suggested that addressing the reasons behind eating badly could be the key to weight loss. 

Viewers were not impressed, with several saying that ‘shaming’ overweight people won’t do anything but make them more likely to binge on unhealthy food, claiming overeating is often triggered by ‘feelings and emotions’. 

He appeared with London-based journalist Ateh Jewel and claimed we need to adopt a 'tough love' approach to obesity in Britain

He appeared with London-based journalist Ateh Jewel and claimed we need to adopt a ‘tough love’ approach to obesity in Britain

‘Let’s just stop going to restaurants and buying takeaways, because none of us can access unhealthy foods at home, can we?’ said one viewer. 

Another said: ‘Steve Miller weight loss expert!!!!!!!! Let’s shame someone in a restaurant so then they go home and comfort eat. Feelings are far more involved.’ 

A third agreed: ‘Junk food ban for the overweight’ please someone tell these people to get an absolute grip of themselves. Obesity isn’t the types of food overweight people are eating. It’s mostly triggered by feelings and emotions. As a fellow fat person if I want to eat junk food I will!!

A fourth commented: ‘Shaming is no good there are many things to why people are obese not just-overeating. Mental health problems, undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea which was mine and many more. Educating people to seek help and making this help more readily available.’ 

Steve Miller, who presented Sky One's slimming series Fat Families, appeared on Good Morning Britain today where he sparked fury after claiming severely obese people should be refused junk food at fast food restaurants

Steve Miller, who presented Sky One’s slimming series Fat Families, appeared on Good Morning Britain today where he sparked fury after claiming severely obese people should be refused junk food at fast food restaurants

Viewers were not impressed, with several saying that 'shaming' overweight people won't do anything but make them more likely to binge on unhealthy food, claiming overeating is often triggered by 'feelings and emotions'

Viewers were not impressed, with several saying that ‘shaming’ overweight people won’t do anything but make them more likely to binge on unhealthy food, claiming overeating is often triggered by ‘feelings and emotions’

After host Susanna Reid called the idea ‘fat-shaming at its worst’, Steve said: ‘Whenever talk about a subject like this, we always talk about fat-shaming. We need to turn it around and call it life saving. 

‘For those people who are a BMI of 40 plus, and we’re talking really quite big, we look after those people, to save their lives essentially and refuse to serve junk food to those people.’ 

Susanna, 50, argued people could simply go home and order an unhealthy meal from an app or buy it from the supermarket, and are potentially more likely to binge if they feel emotional after being refused from a restaurant. 

Steve continued to insist that the idea is necessary to tackle obesity, citing research that suggests severely obese people who catch Covid are 48 per cent more likely to die if they are hospitalised. 

 ‘We have to have some behaviour change in the UK and if that is to be cruel to be kind that’s what we have to do’, said Steve. ‘And it’s not about being horrible, it’s about reversing those obesity numbers.’ 

Steve claimed we need to 'be cruel to be kind' when it comes to serving unhealthy food - telling Ateh to 'get a grip' when she suggested that addressing the reasons behind eating badly could be the key to weight loss

Steve claimed we need to ‘be cruel to be kind’ when it comes to serving unhealthy food – telling Ateh to ‘get a grip’ when she suggested that addressing the reasons behind eating badly could be the key to weight loss

Ateh said the idea would be 'laughable if it wasn't so dangerous', comparing the concept to an episode of 'Black Mirror'

Ateh said the idea would be ‘laughable if it wasn’t so dangerous’, comparing the concept to an episode of ‘Black Mirror’

Ateh said the idea would be ‘laughable if it wasn’t so dangerous’, comparing the concept to an episode of ‘Black Mirror’. 

She said that having lost 4st herself after a chat with a GP helped her realise she was ‘eating her feelings’, it is ‘love and coping mechanisms’ that are the key to weight loss.  

‘As soon as I started doing things that sparked joy in me, I lost four stone in four months,’ she said. ‘We should be focusing on coping mechanisms…shame is what stops people for reaching for help.’

But Steve remained unconvinced: ‘Just get a grip for goodness sake. We’re talking about serious potential illness, those people who really struggle with food addiction, the people who are eating their own grave. 

‘This isn’t about being cruel, this is saying anyone with a BMI of over 40 is putting themselves in danger and if we have to be cruel to be kind then so be it.’ 

Ateh went on: ‘I think Steve is being very lazy in this approach and the thought of having to present a BMI to get a Big Mac is kind of ridiculous, it’s not a quick fix. What has to happen are conversations about loving yourself and empowering yourself.’  

Post source: Daily mail

You May Also Like

Foster mother, 50, who groomed a teenage boy is jailed for nearly three years for indecent assault

A former foster carer has been jailed for nearly three years for…

Risk of catching coronavirus from a family member you live with is just 16.6%

The risk of catching the novel coronavirus from a family member is…

Ohio police union rips Democrat Senate candidate Tim Ryan for his ‘ongoing problem’ with police

A prominent Ohio police union is criticizing Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan’s candidacy…

Role of sleep-related brain activity in clearing toxic proteins and preventing Alzheimer’s disease

PET scan of a human brain with Alzheimer’s disease. Credit: public domain…