Fatties and their Haters

[BlaqueKatt]

I think women are more prone to Cortisol and stress related weight gain, as I experienced.

Me thinks you've been watching too many diet pill commercials

Cortisol is a corticosteroid hormone produced by the Zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex in the adrenal gland. It is a vital hormone that is often referred to as the "stress hormone" as it is involved in the response to stress. It increases blood pressure, blood sugar levels and has an immunosuppressive action. In pharmacology, the synthetic form of cortisol is referred to as hydrocortisone.

From the mayo clinic

no evidence that the amount of cortisol produced by a healthy individual under stress is enough to cause weight gain. Rarely, chronic stress — stress that lasts months or years, instead of days or weeks — may elevate cortisol levels sufficiently enough and for a long enough period to cause weight gain.

and fitwoman
Cortisol - The New Diet Buzzword

"A study published this month demonstrated that women who constantly restrict food (that is, who constantly diet) have higher levels of cortisol"


CortiSlim is a weight loss system marketed by Window Rock Enterprises. It is formulated by Dr. Shawn Talbot, PhD (Nutritional Sciences). The CortiSlim tablets, part of the weight loss plan, contain vitamins, minerals, and various plant extracts. The company originally claimed that CortiSlim tablets aided weight loss by reducing levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. However, in October 2004, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleged that marketers of CortiSlim and CortiStress were making false or unsubstantiated claims in their advertising.

[Flyndaran]

Ain't that right!
Too much cortisol has a name, Cushing's Disease and is a serious medical condition. If someone has it, then they need to see a real doctor, not some nutritionist/quack.

As to fatties, I've had a unique life. I've been overweight most of my life, but have never had anyone mention it. Looking back, as a tall, fat, geek wearing darker clothing than most everyone else, you'ld think someone would have picked on me.
Part of it may be that no one believes that I weigh as much as I do. The last time a nurse weighed me she jerked the 50! pound counterweight from my hand as obviously I was putting it way too far to the right. I guess I'm made of lead.

[blas87]

I never tried the CortiSlim diet pills. I don't remember if it was the dosing or the side effects that I didn't want to risk....I just remember looking at the box and saying "Err....no."

BlaqueKatt, what I went through wasn't a typical "bad week" or "bad few days". I was under constant stress and anxiety for 7 months straight. That may be a small dent in time considering I've been alive for 21 years, but it was long enough to gain weight. Every day for seven months I was anxious, scared, angry, flat out irate, and above all, overwhelmed. I've never been a comfort eater. I didn't eat more or less than usual. I exercised the same. And gained weight anyway. Trust me, I'm being legit here. Although most people in my situation would have ended up losing weight, I gained weight.

What I do know is that the Mega T Green Tea pills did help me lose all the weight, and now I love myself again. I couldn't be happier to be who I used to be again.

[BlaqueKatt]

What I do know is that the Mega T Green Tea pills did help me lose all the weight

according to this they don't work at all, they may contain no caffeine but they contain Guarana. Guarana contains a high amount of guaranine, a chemical substance with the same characteristics as caffeine. This makes Guarana a stimulant similar to coffee, which means that it:

* quickens perceptions
* delays sleep
* helps with endurance based activities
* can help to recover from a hangover
* impairs the appetite
* will lead to more frequent visits to the toilet(a diuretic)
* causes a higher blood pressure and an increased heart rate
* can make you feel jittery and may prevent sleep at all.


Guarana is not:

* a 'miracle medicine'
* a dangerous drug
* an easy way to lose weight
* a vitamin
* a food supplement



they're basically "water pills"-when you drink less than 1-2 quarts of water per day(pure water, soda, milk, coffee don't count they remove water due to sugar and caffeine) your body stores water in fat cells(usually in the belly), water pills remove the stored water(look my "tummy pooch" is gone) dehydrating you further so when you stop taking them you "gain weight" or bloat back up due to your body retaining water again. Long-term use of these fluid reducers can cause electrolyte abnormalities or even kidney damage.

There are essentially two main things that help stop water retention. Ironically, the first of these is drinking more water. Water retention is common when we are dehydrated or low on water. The body tends toward conserving water, and will retain a bit in order to keep us hydrated. Drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day helps shed extra water, reducing water retention.

The other thing that can help stop water retention is minimizing extra sodium in the diet.

Hsua, C-H., et al., Effect of green tea extract on obese women: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Clinical Nutrition, 27(3), 2008.

This level of EGCG* exceeded the amount given to subjects in a past Green Tea extract study that showed an increase in metabolism. So if Green Tea was to work for weight loss, than this study would prove it.

However, for folks who are praying that Green Tea is a miracle weight loss solution, the results were disappointing. There was only a 0.3% reduction in BW (0.15 kg) after 12 weeks of treatment with GTE, and that was not a significant improvement over time or better than the placebo group.


*491 mg catechins containing 302 mg EGCG
mega t green t diet pills only have 90 mg EGCG from what I've been able to find, which is a third of the amount used the above study that proved it didn't work for weight loss.

[ElMarko]

There is no right way to go about obesity. Either we make fun of them, which is bad for their feelings. We can't go on about how it's unhealthy, because then we are still being rude or some absurd crap. And we can't ignore it, because it is a huge problem. So what do we go with, since all are so ineffective?

You could mind your own business. You CAN ignore it since it is their health, not yours.

Now I have a related gripe. It's when the morbidly obese complain about the images of women in the media. Someone who is carrying a few extra pounds has a legitimate complaint.

I could stand to loose about 70 pounds but you don't hear me complaining about all the Fabios and [insert some other hot guy]'s here.

[Flyndaran]

You could mind your own business. You CAN ignore it since it is their health, not yours.
...

But everyone pays for others' poor health with increased insurance premiums and loss of regional economic surplus.
I still aver that obesity is ostensibly their business, but it does affect us all.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

But everyone pays for others' poor health with increased insurance premiums and loss of regional economic surplus.
I still aver that obesity is ostensibly their business, but it does affect us all.

So does riding a motorcycle without a helmet, too much booze, smoking, and extreme sports. Where do you draw the line?

Someone else's weight problem is no more or less my problem than any other dangerous, unhealthy habit or situation others have.

As for why women complain about images in the media, it's because those images weigh heavily on our self-image and self-worth. These models are sick to start with, then airbrushed into fantastic proportions and perfection. No matter how smart we are, no matter how much we know better, it's hard to fight against that image that we are being unfairly and unrealistically compared to.

When a company that sells clothing to large women doesn't use large models in their catalogs, that ought to illustrate how messed up it all is. But we shouldn't blame the media. We should blame ourselves. After all, we women are buying these magazines with the skeletal models on the covers. We're purchasing from these catalogues that use sick women to peddle things to us. WE need to realize what we are doing and STOP.

[Lachrymose]

It's a very slippery slope.

And it looks like Alabama has decided to start sliding down that hill:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20080...y-stirs-debate

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Pardon me while my head freaking explodes.

[daleduke17]

It's a very slippery slope.

And it looks like Alabama has decided to start sliding down that hill:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20080...y-stirs-debate

Heh, according to BMI (linked in the article) I am on the borderline of overweight and obese. I've been down to the "correct" weight for my height and wasn't really fond of being that low (I prefer being a little above it as I actually look healthy then).

[jedimaster91]

Personally, I've feel like the biggest hypocrite as of late. Growing up, I was a ballet dancer. I remember my dance teacher saying on several occasions, "You can never be too rich or too skinny." I was not overweight in the slightest (5'2", 108lbs), but I still felt like I was. And I watched a couple girls I used to dance with battle anorexia and/or bulemia. Not a pleasant thing. I also remember saying that if the fatties would get off the couch and away from the TV/computer/video games, they'd lose weight. Well, once college consumed my life, I quit dancing. The combination of not dancing 6 days a week and starting birth control pills have caused a nice little weight gain (currently ~140-ish lbs). And I spend a considerable amount of time on the Internet instead of "getting off the couch." Even though I was more than likely underweight through high school, I still have that mindset that I need to be skinnier. I hate the way my body looks these days, but I seriously lack the motivation to do anything about it.

On a related note, what is all this pop I keep reading about? 'Round here, we call it "coke," and you can pry my Mt Dew from my cold, dead fingers. Although I do try to limit myself to one a day, but the caffeine keeps me from killing things.

[blas87]

jedimaster, it's just different slang from different areas. Most people in Wisconsin call it pop, I call it soda or soda pop. We say it that way because we CAN'T just call it a coke, otherwise that's what you'll get!

[jedimaster91]

I know. My husband calls it "pop" since he grew up in Idaho and Oregon, and it drives me crazy. But I really meant that comment as a joke. Guess I should remember the smilies next time.

[BlaqueKatt]

top 10 reasons why the BMI is wrong

from NPR

I made some of these same arguments in an obesity thread* and was basically told I was wrong-I think the "Math Guy" from NPR sums it up pretty well-name link is his credentials.

From the article:

"The person who dreamed up the BMI said explicitly that it could not and should not be used to indicate the level of fatness in an individual. "
(yet it is-by the news media and medical professionals alike-heck the CDC even claims it is)

"The CDC says on its Web site that "the BMI is a reliable indicator of body fatness for people." This is a fundamental error of logic. A high BMI does not mean an individual is even overweight, let alone obese. It could mean the person is fit and healthy, with very little fat."

"Because the BMI is a single number between 1 and 100 (like a percentage) that comes from a mathematical formula, it carries an air of scientific authority. But it is mathematical snake oil."

"Quetelet had to square the height to get a formula that matched the overall data. If you can't fix the data, rig the formula!"

"It is embarrassing for one of the most scientifically, technologically and medicinally advanced nations in the world to base advice on how to prevent one of the leading causes of poor health and premature death (obesity) on a 200-year-old numerical hack developed by a mathematician who was not even an expert in what little was known about the human body back then."

*my post with these arguments are at the bottom of the linked page-and on a few other pages-with everyone telling me I'm wrong the BMI is accurate, everyone's gaining tons of weight etc.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

You'll get no argument from me. The thing is a joke.