Who said that extra pounds are ok? Well, not in Alabama at least. Not less than 37,527 state employees there have been given a year to shed their weight, or they must pay $25 a month for insurance that otherwise is free.

Before this policy, the state has actually charged $24 per month for smoking employees. Understandably enough, those who have to pay for both are bound to be unhappy.

The State Employees’ Insurance Board will consider a person to be obese if his/her body mass index is 35 and higher. After given a year without any progress, the person will have to pay the charge.

The board has not yet determined how much progress a person would have to show and is uncertain how many people might be affected because everyone could avoid the charge by working to lose weight.

I think any yo-yo dieters can easily escape the charge though. If you know you’ll have your health screenings within the next two weeks, for example, then you can just ease down on your fried chicken for a while, that’s all. When you’ve passed the screenings, you can munch all you want. That’s not a good advice, I know. I just don’t think such policy will really be effective.

I my opinion, Singapore’s approach in this case will be more fruitful, though no doubt, a bit insensitive. Criticism towards obesity is so high here that you’ll often hear such remarks, “Pig — Some people call us pig. and if you see my name – my name is zul – so if you translate it directly into Chinese it’s pig. So most of the people insult me. ”

He happens to be a sixth-grader with some extra pounds on him. And here’s how it’s handled:

“Of course, such taunting of overweight kids is hardly unique to Singapore. But while schools in other countries try to stop this kind of behavior by telling children that everyone is equal and worthy of respect, Singapore’s program has exacerbated the stigma of being overweight. By dividing the children into two groups – the fit and the fat – the schools impose a kind of segregation. And this segregation can extend outside the clubs, into the cafeteria.”

Agree or not, this program is a success. While in the United States the number of obese children has tripled since 1980, in Singapore it has fallen from 14 to nine per cent in the past 15 years.

I personally think that people in Asia tend to be more straightforward in speaking their minds to others about such things. I didn’t grow up in Singapore. Although nobody ever called me a pig when I was still in school, schoolmates made sure that I knew I was big.

I hated it. Then again, it kept me motivated. It took me years, but it worked. Of course, everyone is equal and deserves the same respect — regardless of size. But if you’re under no pressure to lose weight, naturally you will never make any effort to do so.

Dare to try?