This is such a funny idea that we had to feature it: a "Civilian Fitness Corps."

Here's Oliver Bateman at Pirate Wires, the influential Silicon Valley blog: "The concept is simple. Our federal government will recruit thousands of obese Americans, put them through 12-week residential programs combining fitness training with cutting-edge weight loss drugs, and send them home transformed. Graduates will return to their communities as certified trainers, seeding a nationwide fitness revolution. Think of it like the New Deal meets Navy SEAL training meets Ozempic.

Bateman points out that the US spends a lot on obesity: "In 2016, total obesity-related healthcare spending hit $260.6b — more than what we spent on all forms of cancer treatment combined." Also, we did not know this: DOD spends "$1.25b annually treating obesity in active-duty personnel." Yowza.

Here's the thing: "unlike traditional weight-loss programs (which fail 80 percent of the time) Civilian Fitness Corps recruits will also receive safe, transformative weight-loss drugs — like tirzepatide, which outperforms semaglutide (Ozempic) by 47 percent. Men with low testosterone (a condition strongly correlated with obesity) will receive testosterone replacement therapy, found to consistently lead to a ~20 percent weight reduction."

Thanks to this approach, the US government will "track a million Americans, comparing drug combinations, training methods, and dietary approaches to deepen our understanding of our bodies. As we track kidney function and adverse events across tens of thousands of participants, we’ll establish long-term safety protocols for cutting-edge weight-loss drugs."

But that's not all. After the bootcamp, the "newly jacked graduates" will be certified trainers, and will "establish local Civilian Fitness Corps chapters".

Even more interesting was the stuff on legal authority. We don't need new legislation! "Section 1115 of the Social Security Act allows states to test “experimental, pilot, or demonstration” programs with federal matching funds, as long as those programs support the health and wellness of Americans." Furthermore, "The Public Health Service Act grants the President emergency powers in public health crises. Our ~40 percent obesity rates qualify. The Defense Production Act could designate gym equipment and weight-loss drugs as critical defense materials given our military recruitment failures." (Ok, that last bit might not resist judicial review—still, it may be worth trying!)

Anyway, it's a very fun idea. Read the whole thing.

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