The new measures include a ban on junk food advertisements before 9 p.m., tools to help people lose weight and a proposal requiring restaurants to show how many calories their dishes contain.

"And like [...] many people, I struggle with my weight."

In the clip, the British leader also suggested that people losing weight could protect Britain's venerated National Health Service (NHS).

"If you can get your weight down a bit [...] and protect your health, you'll also be protecting the NHS," he said.

The strategy is a significant shift for a leader known for his dislike of the "nanny state." Johnson has in the past opposed similar initiatives by previous governments.

The PM's spokesperson said Johnson's personal experience had not shaped the policy but added that the pandemic had "highlighted the increased risks to the nation of not getting a grip on obesity."

The government hopes its campaign will encourage those who are overweight to lose around 2.5kg [5.5 pounds], claiming such an outcome would deliver £105 million [$135m] in NHS savings over the next five years.

But the new strategy has caused disquiet among campaigners and people recovering from eating disorders.

Quinn is critical of the language used throughout the Better Health campaign as well as the calorie counting measure.

"We are very concerned that this will have a detrimental impact on people with or at risk of developing an eating disorder," he told CNN.

"We are already starting to hear from people who are very distressed, [...] who think these measures will increase their eating disordered behaviors."

Quinn told CNN that Beat welcomed some of the new policies, including the government's planned expansion of NHS weight management services.

If you lose weight to save lives, the implication is that you're costing lives if you don't [lose weight]," he added.

"There's a sense of focus on the individual." Quinn said the strategy did not have enough focus on the wider societal factors that contribute to obesity.

Hope Virgo, a campaigner who lived with anorexia as a child, has launched a petition to try and convince ministers to reverse the calorie listing measure.

"Seeing the government's strategy was very, very difficult," she told CNN.

[Some people] don't have pots and pans and don't know how to cook a healthy meal."

She added: "[The strategy] might help some communities and some people but it will pass by people for whom [healthy eating] is not a simple choice."

"With over six in 10 adults and more than one in three children aged 10-11 years overweight or obese, we do need to ensure that people are equipped with the knowledge to make decisions about their food intake," a government source said.