As most of us struggle to lose our holiday weight, Chicagoans have been grappling with a way to shed the city’s unwanted title as fattest in the nation.

City officials would do well to look to the United Kingdom as an example. The British Heart Foundation decided fear was the most effective means of fighting obesity in their youth.

In December, the BHF began using gruesome posters of fast food in raw forms to scare children into eating right, according to a Jan. 20 Northern Star article. The posters included images of gristle, bone, connecting tissue and other animal parts between two hamburger buns next to french fries and a hot dog.

Some have said the advertisements are unnecessary and distasteful. Still, the posters cannot be more terrifying than the rapidly increasing obesity rates throughout the nation.

The shock tactics, along with education about healthy eating habits and physical fitness, could play a critical role in solving the obesity issue in the U.S.

About 30 percent of adults age 20 or older in the U.S. are considered obese, which is defined as having a body mass index of 30 or above, according to the Center for Disease Control Web site.

An estimated 65 percent are considered overweight, defined as having a BMI of 25 or more.

This is more troubling considering obesity increases the likelihood of such health complications as hypertension, Type II diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, respiratory problems and some cancers, among other things, according to the Web site.

Reducing body weight by just 5 to 10 percent for an overweight or obese person can help reduce the likelihood of these risks.

For more information about weight loss and living a healthy lifestyle, visit the CDC’s Web site at www.cdc.gov.