I never did get around to posting last week. Things have been surprisingly busy. So last week I lost 1.3 and this week I lost 3.3. Now my total is 44.8. I find this to be asolutely amazing. I will say that the only reason I lost the 3.3 this week is I have been battling a horrible cold and I just can't eat much. The drainage is just too much for my little pouch. Life is good otherwise.
Till next week
Loree
Friday, October 30
Sunday, October 18
Reached another milestone
So this week I lost 1 .2 pounds reaching 40 pounds! I was thrilled to see that number on the scale.
Another milestone happened yesterday while shopping. I needed a couple of sweaters to supplement my winter wardrobe and Avenue was having a sale. I bought sweaters in 18/20 which completely shocked me. I mean I knew I was getting smaller but seeing that size on me seemed surreal. I know that sometimes the head takes a while to catch up to the body. The whole process has been a huge learning experience and I know there is more to learn. I am ready for it!
Tomorrow I turn 36 years young. I feel that this coming year will be another fantastic one made only better with my continued weight loss.
Loree
Another milestone happened yesterday while shopping. I needed a couple of sweaters to supplement my winter wardrobe and Avenue was having a sale. I bought sweaters in 18/20 which completely shocked me. I mean I knew I was getting smaller but seeing that size on me seemed surreal. I know that sometimes the head takes a while to catch up to the body. The whole process has been a huge learning experience and I know there is more to learn. I am ready for it!
Tomorrow I turn 36 years young. I feel that this coming year will be another fantastic one made only better with my continued weight loss.
Loree
Thursday, October 8
Time is moving fast
I lost 2 pounds this week!! That puts me 1 pound away from 40 pounds lost. How insane is that? The time just seems to be flying fast. In addition, I have now lost over 30% of my excess body weight. Sometimes it just does not seem real to me. I love it though.
So I realized last night when looking for some warmer pajamas that I don't have any!! I gave them all away in my massive closet purge! So I am heading to Walmart tonight to buy cheap jammies. Of course, the old ones I had would not have fit anyway but sometimes I forget how much I have away :)
So with an individual income tax deadline a week away who knows what this week holds. I am just grateful for today!!
Loree
So I realized last night when looking for some warmer pajamas that I don't have any!! I gave them all away in my massive closet purge! So I am heading to Walmart tonight to buy cheap jammies. Of course, the old ones I had would not have fit anyway but sometimes I forget how much I have away :)
So with an individual income tax deadline a week away who knows what this week holds. I am just grateful for today!!
Loree
Monday, October 5
Picture
I wanted to share a picture I took of Emily and I at Todd's 40th b-day celebration on 9-26.
Loree
Thursday, October 1
Today
So today was a good day on the scale. I lost the little bit I gained last week plus TWO more pounds. I can't complain about that!!
Yes I made Emily clean her closet. However, since she hauled out 9 bags of clothes someone sure needed to lit the fire under her :)
My mom mentioned this website to track food called www.thedailyplate.com. I have been using it this past week and it sure has been helping. I was using my journal thing but I find that the website has lots of foods on there so I think I am being more accurate in my tracking. I also like all the exercises on there. So thanks mom!!
I will admit that the gain last week sure did mess with my head. I am sure it was busy season catching up with me but boy I sure did not like it. Even with this great tool, sometimes the brain just does not cooperate. So I have struggled with not giving myself such a hard time and remembering that it was just one week in my 10+ years of struggling with my weight. Luckily for me, I have people who understand my frustration and will listen to me whine. Thanks guys!
Until next time.....
Loree
Yes I made Emily clean her closet. However, since she hauled out 9 bags of clothes someone sure needed to lit the fire under her :)
My mom mentioned this website to track food called www.thedailyplate.com. I have been using it this past week and it sure has been helping. I was using my journal thing but I find that the website has lots of foods on there so I think I am being more accurate in my tracking. I also like all the exercises on there. So thanks mom!!
I will admit that the gain last week sure did mess with my head. I am sure it was busy season catching up with me but boy I sure did not like it. Even with this great tool, sometimes the brain just does not cooperate. So I have struggled with not giving myself such a hard time and remembering that it was just one week in my 10+ years of struggling with my weight. Luckily for me, I have people who understand my frustration and will listen to me whine. Thanks guys!
Until next time.....
Loree
Wednesday, September 30
Time to Catch Up
Where do I begin? Since my last post so much has happened in my "banded" life. This will be my longest post to date!
I got my last fill on 9/10. My first week (9/17) after that fill I lost 5.3 pounds. I was really able to tell a big difference with this last fill. The next week (9/24) I lost 1.4 pounds. Needless to say I am THRILLED!
I started my new job on 9/28. I am very excited about it. Since I will be traveling to Austin for several weeks I will not be able to do my "normal" weekly weigh in at home. So I thought I would weigh myself the day I leave and then again when I get home.
There have been a few great things that I have experienced since my last post.
• First I had to go shopping for some pants for the new job. When I started my new banded journey I was a size 24. I had to purchase size 18! I was very happy buying the size 20 but the lady in the store made me try on the 18's because she thought the 20's were too big. Much to my surprise they fit!
• Loree helped (made me) clean out my closet, FINALLY! It was a strange experience for me. I guess in my mind I had not completely come to terms that I was never going to be that size again. I mean I never had a problem getting rid of my smaller sized clothes. To be honest, I never thought I would wear those clothes again. I never had that closet of all the different sizes I have been. So 9 trash bags later, I got rid of anything that would not fit me. Either I was able to currently able to wear it or it was too big and had to go.
• Going to see my internist for my flu shot, the standard "weigh in" was in order. I got on the scale and automatically pushed the bottom weight to 250. Within a half a second I moved it quickly back to 200. I said "wait that is not me anymore!" I was smiling from ear to ear. I just had to giggle to myself.
• Loree and I went to see Pink in concert (yes, it was an awesome show!) and for the first time my hips did not touch the arm rests as I went to sit down and I was not out of breath walking up and down the steps or around the arena.
• My first experience on an airplane since being banded. Now this was amazing. I was able to actually fit in the seat just fine. When I buckled myself in the thought of having to ask for an extension never crossed my mind. Now, I had never had to ask for an extension but the last time I was on a plane, in January, I thought I may have had to (I am still not sure how it actually buckled). Not only was I able to buckle the belt, there was enough room for me the actually tighten it! I could not believe it. Once I pulled the belt through I had at least 6 inches of the belt in my hand. It was amazing! I was also able to cross my legs at the knee. In the past I was only able to cross them at my calf. Half of my leg was in the isle. This time it was not the case! The reality of my banded life hit me square in the eyes! I am sure the lady that was sitting next to me wondered why I had tears in my eyes. It was just overwhelming to me.
When I started my new banded life I sat down with Todd and tried to set some goals for my weight loss. My bench mark was Todd's birthday (9/26). My goal was to be down a total of 30 pounds. I came close at 28.9. My second bench mark is Christmas, I hope to be down a total of 50 pounds and my last one I made was to be down a total of 80 pounds at my 1 year anniversary since the surgery.
I hope having to eat out for every meal while I am traveling does not reflect on the scale! The good part is since I am in downtown Austin, I am walking everywhere!
I have several pictures I will post, hopefully this weekend.
Until next time...(since I am not sure if it will be weekly right now...)
Emily
I got my last fill on 9/10. My first week (9/17) after that fill I lost 5.3 pounds. I was really able to tell a big difference with this last fill. The next week (9/24) I lost 1.4 pounds. Needless to say I am THRILLED!
I started my new job on 9/28. I am very excited about it. Since I will be traveling to Austin for several weeks I will not be able to do my "normal" weekly weigh in at home. So I thought I would weigh myself the day I leave and then again when I get home.
There have been a few great things that I have experienced since my last post.
• First I had to go shopping for some pants for the new job. When I started my new banded journey I was a size 24. I had to purchase size 18! I was very happy buying the size 20 but the lady in the store made me try on the 18's because she thought the 20's were too big. Much to my surprise they fit!
• Loree helped (made me) clean out my closet, FINALLY! It was a strange experience for me. I guess in my mind I had not completely come to terms that I was never going to be that size again. I mean I never had a problem getting rid of my smaller sized clothes. To be honest, I never thought I would wear those clothes again. I never had that closet of all the different sizes I have been. So 9 trash bags later, I got rid of anything that would not fit me. Either I was able to currently able to wear it or it was too big and had to go.
• Going to see my internist for my flu shot, the standard "weigh in" was in order. I got on the scale and automatically pushed the bottom weight to 250. Within a half a second I moved it quickly back to 200. I said "wait that is not me anymore!" I was smiling from ear to ear. I just had to giggle to myself.
• Loree and I went to see Pink in concert (yes, it was an awesome show!) and for the first time my hips did not touch the arm rests as I went to sit down and I was not out of breath walking up and down the steps or around the arena.
• My first experience on an airplane since being banded. Now this was amazing. I was able to actually fit in the seat just fine. When I buckled myself in the thought of having to ask for an extension never crossed my mind. Now, I had never had to ask for an extension but the last time I was on a plane, in January, I thought I may have had to (I am still not sure how it actually buckled). Not only was I able to buckle the belt, there was enough room for me the actually tighten it! I could not believe it. Once I pulled the belt through I had at least 6 inches of the belt in my hand. It was amazing! I was also able to cross my legs at the knee. In the past I was only able to cross them at my calf. Half of my leg was in the isle. This time it was not the case! The reality of my banded life hit me square in the eyes! I am sure the lady that was sitting next to me wondered why I had tears in my eyes. It was just overwhelming to me.
When I started my new banded life I sat down with Todd and tried to set some goals for my weight loss. My bench mark was Todd's birthday (9/26). My goal was to be down a total of 30 pounds. I came close at 28.9. My second bench mark is Christmas, I hope to be down a total of 50 pounds and my last one I made was to be down a total of 80 pounds at my 1 year anniversary since the surgery.
I hope having to eat out for every meal while I am traveling does not reflect on the scale! The good part is since I am in downtown Austin, I am walking everywhere!
I have several pictures I will post, hopefully this weekend.
Until next time...(since I am not sure if it will be weekly right now...)
Emily
Friday, September 25
Week 18
Well, this week I gained a bit. Not happy about that but just going to refocus my efforts. I did bike 3 times this week so I am happy about that.
Yesterday was a mess. Ashleigh had a VCUG done and my eating schedule got completely out of whack. I had trouble all day and will be doing liquids today since my throat is agitated. It does not help I have sinus drainage going on and that always gives me trouble. So I will just keep plugging along knowing that next week will be better!
Loree
Yesterday was a mess. Ashleigh had a VCUG done and my eating schedule got completely out of whack. I had trouble all day and will be doing liquids today since my throat is agitated. It does not help I have sinus drainage going on and that always gives me trouble. So I will just keep plugging along knowing that next week will be better!
Loree
Sunday, September 20
Finally, time to post
Let's get to the nitty gritty. I lost one pound this week so my total is 35 POUNDS!! I also went in on Friday for a fill and lost 5 pounds this month on their scale. The physicians assistant and I decided to forgo a fill this month. I feel that those last couple of weeks of busy season I got out of touch with my stomach. I was eating when I shouldn't and was making bad choices so I want a month to figure out if I really need another one. I am sure I will but we shall see. The good thing is that if I decide I need one, I can call and they will fit me in so it is not like I have to go another month.
On to busy season (yes this will be a looonnngggg post). When I compare this one to my busy seasons in the past, I know I was less stressed. I can tell you when the stress hit I got tighter! I had read that could happen and I know for me it will. I was definitely making poor choices but I was not doing that everyday or else I would not have lost any weight. I feel that overall I did pretty well but there is definitely room for improvement. We were ordering out for lunch and dinner so it was somewhat difficult to eat what I should have been. I was also eating way too long and need to cut that back to 30 minutes.
I did find that this busy season I physically felt better. I did not get that absolute exhausted feeling until the last week. I did have to bump up my caffeine intake but I still did not get anywhere near the levels I would ingest before. For me, I feel that is a big step forward! I quit biking about two weeks before the deadline and I need to start that up again. The doctor wants you to exercise and I know it helps me overall so I plan on getting back to it.
On to clothes, Avenue finally got in their black pants so I was able to buy some that actually fit. I have gone down two sizes since the surgery and was elated to find them. I wear black pants to work pretty much everyday since it has been so long since I felt comfortable in anything else. I am looking forward to being able to buy clothes in a "normal" store. I might just buy something other than black :)
While at the aftercare center, the PA mentioned they have two goals for banded patients. One, to lose 35% of your excess weight in six months. Second, to lose 50% of your excess weight in a year. She mentioned I am on track for both. She said they check on it so that if you are struggling, they can address it and get you back on track. She also gave me a cup that holds 1/2 cup of food and told me this should be my entire meal. Of course, I told her I go by the 4-6 ounces of protein and she admitted that 6 ounces of protein would be more than 1/2 cup. She said it was a guide and a visual cue to help us not overeat. I will certainly start putting my food in there before I put it on my plate. However, I am not going to fret if I eat more than that. My main goal is to get 60 grams of protein a day. I find that if I focus on that, everything else falls into place.
So all in all, it was an interesting last couple of weeks. I can tell you that this is the fifth busy season in the 12 years (24 seasons) I have been doing taxes that I did not gain weight. I know that one day the no weight gain seasons will be larger than the weight gain seasons! All that really matters is that every pound off is adding more minutes, hours and days to my life. I have such a wonderful life I don't want to leave it before I am good and ready!!!
Loree
On to busy season (yes this will be a looonnngggg post). When I compare this one to my busy seasons in the past, I know I was less stressed. I can tell you when the stress hit I got tighter! I had read that could happen and I know for me it will. I was definitely making poor choices but I was not doing that everyday or else I would not have lost any weight. I feel that overall I did pretty well but there is definitely room for improvement. We were ordering out for lunch and dinner so it was somewhat difficult to eat what I should have been. I was also eating way too long and need to cut that back to 30 minutes.
I did find that this busy season I physically felt better. I did not get that absolute exhausted feeling until the last week. I did have to bump up my caffeine intake but I still did not get anywhere near the levels I would ingest before. For me, I feel that is a big step forward! I quit biking about two weeks before the deadline and I need to start that up again. The doctor wants you to exercise and I know it helps me overall so I plan on getting back to it.
On to clothes, Avenue finally got in their black pants so I was able to buy some that actually fit. I have gone down two sizes since the surgery and was elated to find them. I wear black pants to work pretty much everyday since it has been so long since I felt comfortable in anything else. I am looking forward to being able to buy clothes in a "normal" store. I might just buy something other than black :)
While at the aftercare center, the PA mentioned they have two goals for banded patients. One, to lose 35% of your excess weight in six months. Second, to lose 50% of your excess weight in a year. She mentioned I am on track for both. She said they check on it so that if you are struggling, they can address it and get you back on track. She also gave me a cup that holds 1/2 cup of food and told me this should be my entire meal. Of course, I told her I go by the 4-6 ounces of protein and she admitted that 6 ounces of protein would be more than 1/2 cup. She said it was a guide and a visual cue to help us not overeat. I will certainly start putting my food in there before I put it on my plate. However, I am not going to fret if I eat more than that. My main goal is to get 60 grams of protein a day. I find that if I focus on that, everything else falls into place.
So all in all, it was an interesting last couple of weeks. I can tell you that this is the fifth busy season in the 12 years (24 seasons) I have been doing taxes that I did not gain weight. I know that one day the no weight gain seasons will be larger than the weight gain seasons! All that really matters is that every pound off is adding more minutes, hours and days to my life. I have such a wonderful life I don't want to leave it before I am good and ready!!!
Loree
Monday, September 14
So Close I Can Taste It (no pun intended)
I weighed myself before I was to go in for my scheduled fill. I had gained .8 this last week. Being at home is more difficult then I realized. I do not have my set schedule for my meals like I did while I was working. I do however have enough work around the house to keep me busy but that does not always stop me from snacking.
I went in on Thursday for my 4th fill. I think I am so close to my sweet spot that I can almost taste it! According to their records I lost 4 pounds for the month. They were very pleased with that. They gave me another .4 fill. My total is 6.3 now. I asked the nurse what the average fill was and she said that in all the time that she had been there that she had not seen anyone go more than 7.0.
She also provided me a new “tool” that they are going to give all patients. It was a measuring cup, a ½ cup to be exact. When we were talking she asked me if that was the amount of food I was eating at one meal…hmmm…NO. I said I was eating like 3 of those easily, if not more to be honest!
My current goal is to start really paying attention to my “time” when I eat. They suggest that you only eat your meal for 20 minutes. That is suppose to give your brain enough time to catch up with what you have eaten and tells yourself that you are full. They also suggest that you eat a bit and then wait for 1 minute before you take another bit.
My next project before I start my new job is to clean out my closet! That is once I am done with all my other “projects”!
Until Thursday…
Emily
I went in on Thursday for my 4th fill. I think I am so close to my sweet spot that I can almost taste it! According to their records I lost 4 pounds for the month. They were very pleased with that. They gave me another .4 fill. My total is 6.3 now. I asked the nurse what the average fill was and she said that in all the time that she had been there that she had not seen anyone go more than 7.0.
She also provided me a new “tool” that they are going to give all patients. It was a measuring cup, a ½ cup to be exact. When we were talking she asked me if that was the amount of food I was eating at one meal…hmmm…NO. I said I was eating like 3 of those easily, if not more to be honest!
My current goal is to start really paying attention to my “time” when I eat. They suggest that you only eat your meal for 20 minutes. That is suppose to give your brain enough time to catch up with what you have eaten and tells yourself that you are full. They also suggest that you eat a bit and then wait for 1 minute before you take another bit.
My next project before I start my new job is to clean out my closet! That is once I am done with all my other “projects”!
Until Thursday…
Emily
Friday, September 11
Thursday, September 3
Every Little Bit Helps
This week I lost .1 pounds...being at home has its challenges. While I was working, I drank my breakfast, ate lunch and would never have time to think about a snack or anything. Being at home is a different story. I hope to do better next week. Just another new way of thinking for me.
This past weekend and several times this week I have been working in the yard and much to my surprise I have not had the need/want to stop. Yes, I have a nice farmers tan, but to be honest my arms needed it!
I am scheduled to go in again on Thursday, 9/10. I will be curious to see what my months loss will be according to them. I am not sure if I will need another fill or not.
Until Thursday...
Emily
This past weekend and several times this week I have been working in the yard and much to my surprise I have not had the need/want to stop. Yes, I have a nice farmers tan, but to be honest my arms needed it!
I am scheduled to go in again on Thursday, 9/10. I will be curious to see what my months loss will be according to them. I am not sure if I will need another fill or not.
Until Thursday...
Emily
A good week
This has been a pretty good week. I lost 1.8 pounds. I think my band tightened up a bit due to stress so I never got hungry. I ate because I knew I should. We will see how this week goes leading up to 9/15. I would say more but I need to get back to work :)
Loree
Loree
Tuesday, September 1
Does this count as a NSV?
I think it will. When I cleaned out my closet all those weeks ago, I put my panties in ziplock bags with the size on them. I figured that way I would not have to dig for a certain size later. So this morning I am thinking, let me try that smaller size and just see. THEY FIT! How cool is that??
I am in desparate need of pants and just saw the store I like best has the fall colors out. Yoohoo! Time to get me a pair of pants that fit. I will just buy a couple pair and most likely a couple pair in the next size down. I don't want to have to wait to find them again.
I am happy with how my weight loss has been going. I just love my band!
Loree
I am in desparate need of pants and just saw the store I like best has the fall colors out. Yoohoo! Time to get me a pair of pants that fit. I will just buy a couple pair and most likely a couple pair in the next size down. I don't want to have to wait to find them again.
I am happy with how my weight loss has been going. I just love my band!
Loree
Friday, August 28
Catching Up
Last week I had something come up that distracted me a little so I was not able to post. Last week I lost .9 pounds. This week I lost 1.8. I am really thrilled with this last fill. I think this may be my sweet spot. I have noticed that after each fill I have to "re-train" myself to eat (slower, smaller bites).
I had to purchase some smaller shirts this week. I got to spend some time with my sister last week and she mentioned that my shirt was too big. I have never worn my "actual" size so for me to go out and purchase something that actually fits me is different. It is a good different!
Until next Thursday...
Emily
I had to purchase some smaller shirts this week. I got to spend some time with my sister last week and she mentioned that my shirt was too big. I have never worn my "actual" size so for me to go out and purchase something that actually fits me is different. It is a good different!
Until next Thursday...
Emily
Newsweek Article
I thought this was interesting. Loree
America’s War on the Overweight
Anti-fat rhetoric is getting nastier than ever. Why our overweight nation hates overweight people.
By Kate Dailey and Abby Ellin Newsweek Web Exclusive
Aug 26, 2009 Updated: 8:08 a.m. ET Aug 26, 2009
Practically the minute President Obama announced Regina M. Benjamin, a zaftig doctor who also has an M.B.A. and is the recipient of a MacArthur "genius grant," as a nominee for the post of Surgeon General, the criticism started.
The attacks were vicious—Michael Karolchyk, owner of a Denver "anti-gym," told Fox News' Neil Cavuto, "Obesity is the No. 1 issue facing our country in terms of the health and wellness, and she has shown not that she was born this way, not that she woke up one day and was obese. She has shown through being lazy, and making poor food choices, that she's obese."
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"This is totally disgusting to have some one so big to be advocating health," wrote one YouTube commenter.
The anger about Benjamin wasn't the only example of vitriol hurled at the overweight. Cintra Wilson, style columnist for The New York Times, recently wrote a column so disdainful of JCPenney's plus-size mannequins that the Times' ombsbudman later wrote that he could read "a virtual sneer" coming through her prose. A NEWSWEEK post about Glamour’s recent plus-size model(in fact, a normal-sized woman with a bit of a belly roll) had several commenters lashing out at the positive reaction the model was receiving. "This model issue is being used as a smoke screen to justify self-destructive lifestyle that cost me more money in health care costs," one wrote. Heath guru MeMe Roth has made a career out of bashing fat—she called size 12 American Idol Jordan Sparks a "bad role model" on national television, and derided size 2 Jennifer Love Hewitt for having cellulite. (That Roth is considered something of an extremist doesn't stop the media attention.) Virtually any news article about weight that is posted online garners a slew of comments from readers expressing disgust that people let their weight get so out of control. The specific target may change, but the words stay the same: Self-destructive. Disgusting. Disgraceful. Shameful. While the debate rages on about obesity and the best ways to deal with it, the attitudes Americans have toward those with extra pounds are only getting nastier. Just why do Americans hate fat people so much?
Fat bias is nothing new. "Public outrage at other people's obesity has a lot to do with America from the turn of the 20th century to about World War I," says Deborah Levine, assistant professor of health policy and management at Providence College. The rise of fat hatred is often seen as connected to the changing American workplace; in the early 20th century, companies began to offer snacks to employees, white-collar jobs became more prominent, and fewer people exercised. As thinness became rarer, says Peter N. Stearns, author of Fat History: Bodies and Beauty in the Modern West and professor of history at George Mason University, it was more prized, and conversely, fatness was more maligned.
At the same time, people also paid a lot of attention to President Taft's girth; while Taft was large, he wasn't all that much heavier than earlier presidents. Newspapers questioned how his weight would affect diplomacy and solicited the funniest "fat Taft" joke. "This [period] is also when you get ready-to-wear clothing," says Levine. "For the first time, [people were] buying clothes in a certain size, and that encourages a comparison amongst other people." Actuarial tables began to connect weight and shorter lifespan, and cookbooks published around World War I targeted the overweight. "There was that idea that people who were overweight were hoarding resources needed for the war effort," Levine says. She adds that early concerns were that overweight American men would not be able to compete globally, participate in international business, or win wars.
Fatness has always been seen as a slight on the American character. Ours is a nation that values hard work and discipline, and it's hard for us to accept that weight could be not just a struggle of will, even when the bulk of the research—and often our own personal experience—shows that the factors leading to weight gain are much more than just simple gluttony. "There's this general perception that weight can be controlled if you have enough willpower, that it's just about calories in and calories out," says Dr. Glen Gaesser, professor of exercise and wellness at Arizona State University and author of BigFat Lies: The Truth About Your Weight and Your Health, and that perception leads the nonfat to believe that the overweight are not just unhealthy, but weak and lazy. Even though research suggests that there is a genetic propensity for obesity, and even though some obese people are technically healthier than their skinnier counterparts, the perception remains "[that] it's a failure to control ourselves. It violates everything we have learned about self control from a very young age," says Gaesser.
In a country that still prides itself on its Puritanical ideals, the fat self is the "bad self," the epitome of greed, gluttony, and sloth. "There's a widespread belief that fat is controllable," says Linda Bacon, author of Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight. "So then it's unlike a disability where you can have compassion; now you can blame the individual and attribute all kinds of mean qualities to them. Then consider the thinner people that are always watching what they eat carefully—fat people are symbols of what they can become if they weren't so virtuous."
But considering that the U.S. has already become a size XL nation—66 percent of adults over 20 are considered overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control—why does the stigma, and the anger, remain?
Call it a case of self-loathing. "A lot of people struggle themselves with their weight, and the same people that tend to get very angry at themselves for not being able to manage their weight are more likely to be biased against the obese," says Marlene Schwartz, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. "I think that some of this is that anger is confusion between the anger that we have at ourselves and projecting that out onto other people." Her research indicates that younger women, who are under the most pressure to be thin and who are also the most likely to be self-critical, are the most likely to feel negatively toward fat people. .
As many women's magazines' cover lines note, losing the last five pounds can be a challenge. So why don't we have more compassion for people struggling to lose the first 50, 60, or 100? Some of it has to do with the psychological phenomenon known as the fundamental attribution error, a basic belief that whatever problems befall us personally are the result of difficult circumstances, while the same problems in other people are the result of their bad choices. Miss a goal at work? It's because the vendor was unreliable, and because your manager isn't giving you enough support, and because the power outage last week cut into premium sales time. That jerk next to you? He blew his quota because he's a bad planner, and because he spent too much time taking personal calls.
The same can be true of weight: "From working with so many people struggling with their weight, I've seen it many times," says Andrew Geier, a postdoctoral fellow in the psychology department at Yale University. "They believe they're overweight due to a myriad of circumstances: as soon as my son goes to college, I'll have time to cook healthier meals; when my husband's shifts change at work, I can get to the gym sooner.…" But other people? They're overweight because they don't have the discipline to do the hard work and take off the weight, and that lack of discipline is an affront to our own hard work. (Never mind that weight loss is incredibly difficult to attain: Geier notes that even the most rigorous behavioral programs result in at most about a 12.5 percent decrease in weight, which would take a 350-pound man to a slimmer, but not svelte, 306 pounds).
But why do the rest of us care so much? What is it about fat people that makes us so mad? As it turns out, we kind of like it. "People actually enjoy feeling angry," says Ryan Martin, associate professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, who cites studies done on people's emotions. "It makes them feel powerful, it makes them feel greater control, and they appreciate it for that reason." And with fat people designated as acceptable targets of rage—and with the prevalence of fat people in our lives, both in the malls and on the news—it's easy to find a target for some soul-clearing, ego-boosting ranting.
And it may be, that like those World War I-era cookbook writers, we feel that obese people are robbing us of resources, whether it's space in a row of airline seats or our hard-earned tax dollars. Think of health care: when president Obama made reforming health care a priority, it led to an increased focus on obesity as a contributor to health-care costs. A recent article in Health Affairs, a public-policy journal, reported that obesity costs $147 billion a year, mainly in insurance premiums and taxes. At the same time, obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes have spiked, and, while diabetes can be treated, treatment is expensive. So the overweight, some people argue, are costing all of us money while refusing to alter the behavior that has put them in their predicament in the first place (i.e., overeating and not exercising).
The reality is much more complicated. It's a fallacy to conflate the unhealthy action—overeating and not exercising—with the unhealthy appearance, says Schwartz: some overweight people run marathons; eat only organic, vegetarian fare; and have clean bills of health. Even so, yelling at the overweight to put down the doughnut is far from productive. "People are less likely to seek out healthy behaviors when they're criticized by friends, family, doctors, and others," says Schwartz. "If people tell you that you're disgusting or a slob enough times, you soon start to believe it." In fact, fat outrage might actually make health-care costs higher. In a study published in the 2005 issue of the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, Abigail Saguy and Brian Riley found that many overweight people decide not to get help for medical conditions that are more treatable and more risky than obesity because they don't want to deal with their doctor's harassment about their weight. (For instance, a study from the University of North Carolina found that obese women are less likely to receive cervical exams than their thinner counterparts, in part because they worry about being embarrassed or belittled by the doctor because of their weight.)
The bubbling rage against fat people in America has put researchers like Levine in a difficult position. On the one hand, she says, she wants to ensure that obesity is taken seriously as a medical problem, and pointing out the costs associated with obesity-related illnesses helps illustrate the severity of the situation. On the other hand, she says, doing so could increase the animosity people have toward the overweight, many of whom may already live healthy lives or may be working hard to make heathier choices.
"The idea is to fight obesity and not obese people," she says, and then pauses. "But it's very hard for many people to disentangle the two."
America’s War on the Overweight
Anti-fat rhetoric is getting nastier than ever. Why our overweight nation hates overweight people.
By Kate Dailey and Abby Ellin Newsweek Web Exclusive
Aug 26, 2009 Updated: 8:08 a.m. ET Aug 26, 2009
Practically the minute President Obama announced Regina M. Benjamin, a zaftig doctor who also has an M.B.A. and is the recipient of a MacArthur "genius grant," as a nominee for the post of Surgeon General, the criticism started.
The attacks were vicious—Michael Karolchyk, owner of a Denver "anti-gym," told Fox News' Neil Cavuto, "Obesity is the No. 1 issue facing our country in terms of the health and wellness, and she has shown not that she was born this way, not that she woke up one day and was obese. She has shown through being lazy, and making poor food choices, that she's obese."
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"This is totally disgusting to have some one so big to be advocating health," wrote one YouTube commenter.
The anger about Benjamin wasn't the only example of vitriol hurled at the overweight. Cintra Wilson, style columnist for The New York Times, recently wrote a column so disdainful of JCPenney's plus-size mannequins that the Times' ombsbudman later wrote that he could read "a virtual sneer" coming through her prose. A NEWSWEEK post about Glamour’s recent plus-size model(in fact, a normal-sized woman with a bit of a belly roll) had several commenters lashing out at the positive reaction the model was receiving. "This model issue is being used as a smoke screen to justify self-destructive lifestyle that cost me more money in health care costs," one wrote. Heath guru MeMe Roth has made a career out of bashing fat—she called size 12 American Idol Jordan Sparks a "bad role model" on national television, and derided size 2 Jennifer Love Hewitt for having cellulite. (That Roth is considered something of an extremist doesn't stop the media attention.) Virtually any news article about weight that is posted online garners a slew of comments from readers expressing disgust that people let their weight get so out of control. The specific target may change, but the words stay the same: Self-destructive. Disgusting. Disgraceful. Shameful. While the debate rages on about obesity and the best ways to deal with it, the attitudes Americans have toward those with extra pounds are only getting nastier. Just why do Americans hate fat people so much?
Fat bias is nothing new. "Public outrage at other people's obesity has a lot to do with America from the turn of the 20th century to about World War I," says Deborah Levine, assistant professor of health policy and management at Providence College. The rise of fat hatred is often seen as connected to the changing American workplace; in the early 20th century, companies began to offer snacks to employees, white-collar jobs became more prominent, and fewer people exercised. As thinness became rarer, says Peter N. Stearns, author of Fat History: Bodies and Beauty in the Modern West and professor of history at George Mason University, it was more prized, and conversely, fatness was more maligned.
At the same time, people also paid a lot of attention to President Taft's girth; while Taft was large, he wasn't all that much heavier than earlier presidents. Newspapers questioned how his weight would affect diplomacy and solicited the funniest "fat Taft" joke. "This [period] is also when you get ready-to-wear clothing," says Levine. "For the first time, [people were] buying clothes in a certain size, and that encourages a comparison amongst other people." Actuarial tables began to connect weight and shorter lifespan, and cookbooks published around World War I targeted the overweight. "There was that idea that people who were overweight were hoarding resources needed for the war effort," Levine says. She adds that early concerns were that overweight American men would not be able to compete globally, participate in international business, or win wars.
Fatness has always been seen as a slight on the American character. Ours is a nation that values hard work and discipline, and it's hard for us to accept that weight could be not just a struggle of will, even when the bulk of the research—and often our own personal experience—shows that the factors leading to weight gain are much more than just simple gluttony. "There's this general perception that weight can be controlled if you have enough willpower, that it's just about calories in and calories out," says Dr. Glen Gaesser, professor of exercise and wellness at Arizona State University and author of BigFat Lies: The Truth About Your Weight and Your Health, and that perception leads the nonfat to believe that the overweight are not just unhealthy, but weak and lazy. Even though research suggests that there is a genetic propensity for obesity, and even though some obese people are technically healthier than their skinnier counterparts, the perception remains "[that] it's a failure to control ourselves. It violates everything we have learned about self control from a very young age," says Gaesser.
In a country that still prides itself on its Puritanical ideals, the fat self is the "bad self," the epitome of greed, gluttony, and sloth. "There's a widespread belief that fat is controllable," says Linda Bacon, author of Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight. "So then it's unlike a disability where you can have compassion; now you can blame the individual and attribute all kinds of mean qualities to them. Then consider the thinner people that are always watching what they eat carefully—fat people are symbols of what they can become if they weren't so virtuous."
But considering that the U.S. has already become a size XL nation—66 percent of adults over 20 are considered overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control—why does the stigma, and the anger, remain?
Call it a case of self-loathing. "A lot of people struggle themselves with their weight, and the same people that tend to get very angry at themselves for not being able to manage their weight are more likely to be biased against the obese," says Marlene Schwartz, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. "I think that some of this is that anger is confusion between the anger that we have at ourselves and projecting that out onto other people." Her research indicates that younger women, who are under the most pressure to be thin and who are also the most likely to be self-critical, are the most likely to feel negatively toward fat people. .
As many women's magazines' cover lines note, losing the last five pounds can be a challenge. So why don't we have more compassion for people struggling to lose the first 50, 60, or 100? Some of it has to do with the psychological phenomenon known as the fundamental attribution error, a basic belief that whatever problems befall us personally are the result of difficult circumstances, while the same problems in other people are the result of their bad choices. Miss a goal at work? It's because the vendor was unreliable, and because your manager isn't giving you enough support, and because the power outage last week cut into premium sales time. That jerk next to you? He blew his quota because he's a bad planner, and because he spent too much time taking personal calls.
The same can be true of weight: "From working with so many people struggling with their weight, I've seen it many times," says Andrew Geier, a postdoctoral fellow in the psychology department at Yale University. "They believe they're overweight due to a myriad of circumstances: as soon as my son goes to college, I'll have time to cook healthier meals; when my husband's shifts change at work, I can get to the gym sooner.…" But other people? They're overweight because they don't have the discipline to do the hard work and take off the weight, and that lack of discipline is an affront to our own hard work. (Never mind that weight loss is incredibly difficult to attain: Geier notes that even the most rigorous behavioral programs result in at most about a 12.5 percent decrease in weight, which would take a 350-pound man to a slimmer, but not svelte, 306 pounds).
But why do the rest of us care so much? What is it about fat people that makes us so mad? As it turns out, we kind of like it. "People actually enjoy feeling angry," says Ryan Martin, associate professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, who cites studies done on people's emotions. "It makes them feel powerful, it makes them feel greater control, and they appreciate it for that reason." And with fat people designated as acceptable targets of rage—and with the prevalence of fat people in our lives, both in the malls and on the news—it's easy to find a target for some soul-clearing, ego-boosting ranting.
And it may be, that like those World War I-era cookbook writers, we feel that obese people are robbing us of resources, whether it's space in a row of airline seats or our hard-earned tax dollars. Think of health care: when president Obama made reforming health care a priority, it led to an increased focus on obesity as a contributor to health-care costs. A recent article in Health Affairs, a public-policy journal, reported that obesity costs $147 billion a year, mainly in insurance premiums and taxes. At the same time, obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes have spiked, and, while diabetes can be treated, treatment is expensive. So the overweight, some people argue, are costing all of us money while refusing to alter the behavior that has put them in their predicament in the first place (i.e., overeating and not exercising).
The reality is much more complicated. It's a fallacy to conflate the unhealthy action—overeating and not exercising—with the unhealthy appearance, says Schwartz: some overweight people run marathons; eat only organic, vegetarian fare; and have clean bills of health. Even so, yelling at the overweight to put down the doughnut is far from productive. "People are less likely to seek out healthy behaviors when they're criticized by friends, family, doctors, and others," says Schwartz. "If people tell you that you're disgusting or a slob enough times, you soon start to believe it." In fact, fat outrage might actually make health-care costs higher. In a study published in the 2005 issue of the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, Abigail Saguy and Brian Riley found that many overweight people decide not to get help for medical conditions that are more treatable and more risky than obesity because they don't want to deal with their doctor's harassment about their weight. (For instance, a study from the University of North Carolina found that obese women are less likely to receive cervical exams than their thinner counterparts, in part because they worry about being embarrassed or belittled by the doctor because of their weight.)
The bubbling rage against fat people in America has put researchers like Levine in a difficult position. On the one hand, she says, she wants to ensure that obesity is taken seriously as a medical problem, and pointing out the costs associated with obesity-related illnesses helps illustrate the severity of the situation. On the other hand, she says, doing so could increase the animosity people have toward the overweight, many of whom may already live healthy lives or may be working hard to make heathier choices.
"The idea is to fight obesity and not obese people," she says, and then pauses. "But it's very hard for many people to disentangle the two."
Thursday, August 27
Weigh Day
I lost 1.2 pounds this week!!! I am very happy about that since they want us to lose 1-2 a week. I am doing pretty good not stress eating. This band does not allow me to get too far down that road for which I am SO thankful. I have been more consistent on biking and am finding my knee is not acting up as much. I am sure once this business return deadline of 9/15 has come and gone I can take the exercise up a notch. So all in all I am doing good.
Loree
Loree
Thursday, August 20
Three Months
Wow, it has been three months since surgery. I lost .5 this week for a total of 30 pounds!! Over the 13 weeks I have have averaged 2.31 pounds a week which is not bad at all. I will keep plugging away and see if maybe next week I can lose a pound. I am not going to fret about it though knowing the weight will come off when it is good and ready :)
Loree
Loree
Tuesday, August 18
3rd Fill
So today I go in for my third fill. The nurse calls me up to the desk. "Mrs Ogg, you fill appointment was for yesterday." Yep, I forgot my fill appointment. I guess I did not really forget it since I thought yesterday was the 16th all day and I knew my appointment was on the 17th. Anyway, they were able to work me in at 8am so it worked out.
I lost 6.8 this past month. Good progress. The nurse was not going to give me anything but I reassured her that I am definitely not at my sweet spot just yet. I told her I was starting to hunt for food since my meals were not lasting me 4-5 hours. She gave me .2cc for a total in my band of 5cc. I was totally cool with that.
I also had a nice NSV this weekend. The last time I got my hair cut was in April before I had surgery. So I went this past Saturday and lo and behold my hips were not crammed into the chair. Seriously, did you know that hairstylist chairs had arms? Well, it has been awhile since I have been able to use them for my arms. I was glad to be more comfortable and while I sat there I looked in the mirror at myself since there is not much else to do. Guess who I saw....ME! It has also been a long time since I have looked in that mirror and have seen me and not the fat.
So, I am hopeful that I will lose some weight this week. I would like to lose enough to hit that 30 pound mark. Since Thursday is our 3 month anniversary from surgery I will take another picture.
Until then.
Loree
I lost 6.8 this past month. Good progress. The nurse was not going to give me anything but I reassured her that I am definitely not at my sweet spot just yet. I told her I was starting to hunt for food since my meals were not lasting me 4-5 hours. She gave me .2cc for a total in my band of 5cc. I was totally cool with that.
I also had a nice NSV this weekend. The last time I got my hair cut was in April before I had surgery. So I went this past Saturday and lo and behold my hips were not crammed into the chair. Seriously, did you know that hairstylist chairs had arms? Well, it has been awhile since I have been able to use them for my arms. I was glad to be more comfortable and while I sat there I looked in the mirror at myself since there is not much else to do. Guess who I saw....ME! It has also been a long time since I have looked in that mirror and have seen me and not the fat.
So, I am hopeful that I will lose some weight this week. I would like to lose enough to hit that 30 pound mark. Since Thursday is our 3 month anniversary from surgery I will take another picture.
Until then.
Loree
Thursday, August 13
Getting Closer
I lost .9 this week. I have finally hit the 20 pound mark (20.2 to be exact)! I went in today for my monthly appointment to get my fill. According to their records, I have lost 6 pounds this month.
I got another fill, .4, for a total of 5.9.
I am looking forward to the changes this month will bring with this fill. I am hoping I find my "sweet spot" soon!
Until next Thursday...
Emily
I got another fill, .4, for a total of 5.9.
I am looking forward to the changes this month will bring with this fill. I am hoping I find my "sweet spot" soon!
Until next Thursday...
Emily
Week 12
I lost .5 pounds this week. I am finding that stress at work (tax deadline coming up) is messing up my better choices. However, I know I will get through this since I don't really have much choice. I will just re-focus and contintue to work on it. Being .5 pounds from losing 30 pounds does suck a bit but I only have myself to blame. So next week will definitely be better :)
Loree
Loree
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