the obesity epidemic : sad problems on sad problems

In light of the recent Scientific American article on "How to Fix the Obesity Crisis", I felt overwhelmed by a sense of you've gotta be f***ing kidding me.

When we go on diets and exercise regimens, we rely on willpower to overcome all these pushes to overeat relative to our activity level. And we count on the reward of getting trimmer and fitter to keep us on the wagon. It is rewarding to lose the weight, of course. Unfortunately, time works against us. As the weight comes off, we get hungrier and develop stronger cravings and become more annoyed by the exercise. Meanwhile the weight loss inevitably slows as our metabolism tries to compensate for this deprivation by becoming more parsimonious with calories. Thus, the punishment for sticking to our regimen becomes increasingly severe and constant, and the expected reward recedes into the future. “That gap between the reinforcement of eating and the reinforcement of maybe losing weight months later is a huge challenge,” says SungWoo Kahng, a neurobehaviorist who studies obesity at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Kennedy Krieger Institute.

Thanks, neurobehaviorist guy. I hope you didn't use millions of dollars in research to give us that enlightening tidbit.

What really frustrates me about this article is that it is, truly, paragraphs and paragraphs of DUH. Yes, weight loss is difficult, especially when you've got so much of it to lose. Yes, it sucks when all your friends are as big as you and eat as much as you. Yes, all-you-can-eat buffets and delicious foods put on lots of calories for you. And no, starving yourself is not the correct solution. Really?

The problem, as millions of dollars of research and the fattening proportion of America has shown, has everything to do with behavior. Excuse me while I shed any semblance of compassion I have for the plight of overweight Americans, but why does this even need to be published? You can't tell me obese people are dumb. They aren't. Like anyone else, they love yummy food, and they love to have lots of it. So what's the real problem here? Why do some (a whopping 30% of Americans) end up obese while the rest of the population continue on the righteous path of normal-BMI? I think the issue is a simple two-fold calculation:

1. Everyone's looking for an easy way out. Myself included. Diuretics, laxatives, "cleansing" supplements, and all manner of foods or pills that will help you drop weight without even thinking about it. It was easy to put on all the weight, so everyone wants a quick fix to throw it off. Well, it ain't gonna happen. Our bodies are designed to keep us happily stocked with calories for hard times that will - let's face it - with McDonald's around, never come. I'm really convinced that no one wants it enough. Those pounds won't come off unless you give your share of sweat, sweat, and tears.
2. What's "healthy" look and feel like? I sure as hell don't know, and I think most people would be in the same boat as me. As we come face-to-face with the plague of obesity, you have to wonder what our nation looks like. What's the average anymore, if a sizeable chunk of the population is "above average" in terms of weight? And, more than that even, what/who do people look at to aspire to? Our society is driven by a lot of different motivations. On the glossy front pages of magazines, there are ripped men and women, frighteningly (but beautifully) thin men and women. In school, afraid of these pop culture images, they teach: inner beauty is more important. The superstars we see - whether athletes or actors - give us examples of what is ideal but also what is nearly impossible to achieve as your everyday individual. I'm sure if all we had to do all day was prepare for the next game and work out and try hard to be beautiful, we'd all look like the stars we see on TV. As it is, none of us are getting paid to put in that kind of time, so what's the next best thing? You want to feel healthy. And for you, what that means is beautiful and sexy. But is that it? Becoming obese is not an instantaneous process, and so you might imagine you don't really notice when you don't feel good anymore - when your heart's beating too fast and you've always got a funny taste in your mouth and the food in your stomach never seems to sit well or leave.

The truth is we've built a culture that's entrenched in unrealistic standards and self-perpetuating bad habits. It's easy to show people what they could look like, all wrapped up in inches or pounds lost and smaller dress and pant sizes, but I think ultimately it's an uphill battle unless you really motivate some underlying change. Now how you do that - I have no idea. How can you show someone what it feels like to breathe easy when they've forgotten, or maybe when they never knew?

Ultimately the best thing to have done would've been to prevent this whole thing from happening in the first place. I'm convinced that major social stigma plays a large role in keeping other developed countries from experiencing their own epidemics. It's on the level of Amy Chua-crazy, but I know plenty of Chinese women who, upon deciding their 120-pound figure has gone too far, will impose their own vegetables-and-water-only diet until they drop back to their normal 100- and maybe even 90-pound figure. Weight's a sensitive subject no matter who you're talking to, but I think maybe other countries have better ways of dealing with its problems head-on.

day 13 : boob jobs

Thought about one? Thinking about one? Think you might start to think about one after a few decades and gravity starts to take its toll?

It's not an unusual consideration. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, there were over 300,000 reported breast augmentations performed in 2009, down from over 350,000 the year before. And if you think about how these numbers represent the people who actually go through with the procedure, the number of people who've given even half a second's thought to it must be at least double.

I'm gonna be honest - I've thought about it too. Thought about and rejected, but considered nonetheless!

The thing is, how could you not? Media is pumped full of fantastic images - women with tiny waists and full, perky breasts. Audiences of men and women idolize the Victoria's Secret models with their sexy curves. Buy a push-up bra, increase your cup size, become your fantasy. All of it is just a surgical procedure away.

Until now.

Check out this product I discovered while reading better health blog:

Are your eyes deceiving you, you ask? Is this product actually called boob job? In fact it is. Marketed by Rodial Body Care products, boob job claims to augment your breasts by up to 2.5 cm when applied twice daily.  For the nominal fee of £125.00, you too can be the proud owner of a pair of beautifully bigger boobs. Rodial describes the product's mechanism as a natural one derived from an "Asian root that has no hormonal activity." Their website doesn't really give any indication as to what it does, but other compounds in the cream apparently help to redistribute fat cells to the bust area and at the same time firm and tone the breasts as well.

Here's a testimonial from one of boob job's satisfied customers:

"After just 4 days of using Boob Job, I have definitely noticed a difference! My bra feels tighter, and my bust seems much firmer! I know longer need to use my chicken fillets!!"

Wow! She know longer needs to use chicken fillets!

Two things seem to be at work here. One, many many women would love to see their breasts fit the fantastic ideals put forth by marketing and media. Two, there's a stigma associated with undergoing plastic surgery of any sort, not to mention it's expensive. A third thing that might be tagging along for the ride is what I always refer to as the "green movement" - eating healthy, buying organic, turning to "natural" products that have previously undiscovered substances and properties that can substitute for all the synthetic junk we pump into our bodies through food and medicine and things like cigarettes.

Snaps to Rodial for putting all these things together and making a product with some relatively unknown compound from the Orient to give women exactly what they want in a discreet and inexpensive way that doesn't expose them to the stigma of plastic surgery...! But it's one thing to ingeniously put all these things together; it's another if the product doesn't actually work. That being said, it's ridiculous that the company doesn't put up more data from product testing. Testimonials are cute. But they don't really say much, especially if your sources can't distinguish between 'no' and 'know.'

Dr. Nield, of The London Clinic, was quoted in a news article expressing skepticism of the product. I agree with the need for very vocal medical scrutiny in a sketchy product such as boob job, but I think Dr. Nield could have taken more consideration in forming her comments, especially now that she may become part of a libel suit with Rodial. It is of course imperative that she makes her concerns known, but I think we have to consider the conflict of interests here. Dr. Nield is a consultant plastic surgeon. Would she want to see her patients go elsewhere for their breast augmentation treatments? And really, who are we kidding when we see a product that safely and effectively increases the size and perk of any part of the body? Maybe this cream isn't exactly safe, but is putting silicone in your boobs any safer?

When you look at it from the free woman's point of view, it's all a mess of ridiculosity. Be yourself, love your body, love your boobs - and keep them the way God gave them to you. The best way to go would be to just leave your boobs alone! 'Nuff said.