British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed he needs to lose “a little bit of weight” on Monday. Using his personal example, the first minister urged Britain to do the same, to get lift.
PM Johnson confessed that his overweight became a real problem when he was contracted the COVID-19. The normal weight allows organism to fight against viruses more effectively, said the prime minister on Monday when his government unveiled a “Better Health” campaign.
Boris Johnson said ‘I was too fat’ and added it would tackle the “obesity time bomb” by banning advertising of junk food before 9.00 p.m., ending “buy one get one free” deals and putting calories on menus.
As recent pandemic has demonstrated, the UK’s obesity crisis is very real. The Britons are one of the unhealthiest and fattest countries in Europe, with almost two-thirds of adults overweight or obese. According to multiple studies, overweight patients are more likely to become seriously ill and die from virus infections such as COVID-19.
“I’ve always wanted to lose weight for ages and ages and like many people I struggle with my weight, I go up and down. But since I recovered from coronavirus I have been steadily building up my fitness,” he said in a video clip on Twitter.
“I’m at least a stone down, I’m more than a stone down but when I went into ICU (intensive care) when I was really ill, I was way over weight … and, you know, I was too fat,” he said, adding that he hoped the new campaign was not “excessively bossy or nannying”.
Speaking on the first anniversary of becoming PM, Johnson conceded his government had not fully understood the virus during the “first few weeks and months” of the crisis. Speaking earlier on Friday, PM Johnson forecast the UK would “be well on the way past” the crisis next summer, while cautioning that there was still the threat of a second spike of infections. He also warned of “tough times ahead” for the British economy.
