Real Housewife Melissa Gorga’s STUPID Obesity Fat Suit Stunt

"Gorga squished a 400 lb. fatsuit into the skin-tight sausage casings of a pink velour tracksuit."

____ you.

"Melissa has it all, youth, wealth, beauty and a thin physique. Would things be different if she was 400 lbs instead of 115?"

You have to ASK?  Why do women spend $30,000 on weight loss surgery?  $100,000 on plastic surgery?

You are kidding, right?

This is not how we make it okay.  This is NOT how we create feelings of empathy for the obese.

-Getty Images

Doctor apologizes for fat jokes in Outpatient Surgery Magazine column

Doctor apologizes for fat jokes in Outpatient Surgery Magazine column | Poynter..

Too little, too late.  I share -- because my friend Rob from Former Fat Dudes is quoted, and Taunia from DivaTaunia.

University of Pennsylvania orthopedic surgeon John D. Kelly IV says the monthly humor column he writes for a medical trade magazine was due, so he "threw some jokes together" about fat patients.

"You should worry about performing surgery on the supersized," Kelly riffed in that August piece, if "there is a comma in your patient's body weight."

Or if a patient "wears his wristwatch on his finger," needs "a blood pressure cuff the size of Montana," or "has more chins than a Chinese phone book."

And 26 other one-liners, many cribbed from Joan Rivers, Rodney Dangerfield, and their ilk.

Thus did Kelly, a respected physician known for his corny stand-up comedy and kind heart, become an object lesson in the pervasive prejudice faced by fat people - and the perils of perpetuating it.

Kelly, 54, has been chewed out by obesity-bias fighters, subscribers of Outpatient Surgery Magazine where the article appeared, and his bosses at Penn, who issued a statement saying his "comments do not in any way reflect" the health system's views.

In response, Kelly has expressed what even critics call "heartfelt" remorse.

Rob Portinga, a gastric-bypass patient who now blogs as FormerFatDudes.com, posted Kelly's mea culpa: "I have issued an apology [in the magazine] and have answered every e-mail I received from this mistake. . . . I blew it. I was not respecting the dignity of my patients. I didn't recognize that this is a different audience than the comedy clubs. Of course, I will revamp my comedy routines now that I know the potential hurt some jokes can inflict."

And, another round of "Ridiculous Comments About Fat People - " as the original article already SHUT DOWN it's comments section because people just suck are mean.

Hunger Hormones May Be Dieters' Worst Enemy - in Primary Care, Obesity from MedPage Today

There could be a REASON why we fail diets. Or -- diets fail us.

One year after initial weight reduction, levels of the circulating mediators of appetite that encourage weight regain after diet-induced weight loss do not revert to the levels recorded before weight loss. Long-term strategies to counteract this change may be needed to prevent obesity relapse.

Ghrelin.  You may have heard of this evil little hormone.

Nature -

Do you follow?

*blink blink*  Wikipedia tells me --

Ghrelin  is a 28 amino acid peptide and hormone that is produced mainly by P/D1 cells lining the fundus of the human stomach and epsilon cells of the pancreas that stimulates hunger.^[1] Ghrelin levels increase before meals and decrease after meals. It is considered the counterpart of the hormone leptin, produced by adipose tissue, which induces satiation when present at higher levels.

In some bariatric procedures, the level of ghrelin is reduced in patients, thus causing satiation before it would normally occur.

Medical News: Hunger Hormones May Be Dieters' Worst Enemy - in Primary Care, Obesity from MedPage Today.

Hormones regulating when a person feels hungry or sated do not rapidly adjust to weight loss, which may be a factor in the yo-yo effect observed among dieters, researchers found.

One year after losing weight, levels of appetite-regulating hormones didn't revert to baseline levels, Joseph Proietto, PhD, of Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital in Australia, and colleagues reported in the Oct. 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The findings suggest that the "high rate of relapse among obese people who have lost weight has a strong physiological basis and is not simply the result of the voluntary resumption of old habits," Proietto and colleagues wrote.

It's well established that heavy patients who lose weight dieting often fail to keep the pounds off, the researchers explained.

Studies have shown that restricting calories can lower levels of the hormones leptin -- which tells the brain that the body is full -- and ghrelin -- which stimulates hunger.

Doesn't this also help explain why some forms of weight loss surgery ... work better overall in the long term?  In certain types of WLS -- most of ghrelin producing factor -- is removed. 

Go DS.  Or not. It's up to you.  Surgery flame wars!

DSFacts.com -

Approximately 70% of the stomach is removed along the greater curvature, also called a vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG). The remaining stomach is fully functioning, banana shaped and about 3 - 5 oz in size which restricts the amount you can consume. The pylorus continues to control the stomach emptying into the small intestine; as a result patients do not experience "dumping". The upper portion of the duodenum remains in use; food digests to an absorbable consistency in the stomach before moving into the small intestine. This allows for better absorption of nutrients like vitamin B12, calcium, iron and protein when compared to gastric bypass procedures.

A benefit of removing a portion of the stomach is that it also greatly reduces the amount of ghrelin producing tissue and amount of acid in the stomach.

Ghrelin is the "hunger hormone" and by reducing the amount of the hormone produced the appetite is suppressed.

Study -

Sumithran P, et al "Long-term persistence of hormonal adaptations to weight loss" N Engl J Med 2011; 365:1597-1604.

Texas Attorney Gen takes down HCG for WEIGHT LOSS Sales

Well, it's a start! HCG sales are getting some limitations in Texas at least.

Desperate to qualify for weight loss surgery, some pile on the pounds

I have thoughts.

Spurred by strict insurance policies that limit surgery to high BMIs of 35 or 40, some obese people are actually striving to gain weight -- in order to lose it.

Web sites devoted to weight-loss surgery are full of advice and anecdotes from would-be losers who claim they ate piles of bananas, chowed down on burgers and curly fries or swilled gallons of water to nudge the scale to the correct heights.

“That happens all the time,” said Dr. Robert Michaelson of Northwest Weight Loss Surgery in Everett, Wash., who was a clinical investigator for the FDA trial. “I’ve seen people come in with ankle weights on.”

Sometimes, it works.

Read more -- Desperate to qualify for weight loss surgery, some pile on the pounds.

UPDATE - Horrid Obesity Bias - OAC Helps!

 Update -

It's a step!

The OAC recently was alerted to an issue of weight bias, and we need your voice and action!
 
An offensive article recently appeared in Outpatient Surgery Magazine, authored by a physician from the University of Pennsylvania Department of Orthopedic Surgery. In this article, the physician targets individuals affected by presenting 25 derogatory and insulting jokes. In addition, the author also uses insulting language and refers to individuals affected by obesity as "behemoths." To view this article in its entirety, please CLICK HERE.
 
As a Coalition, we cannot allow this article to be published and not raise our voices. As part of our commitment to put an end to weight bias and stigma, the OAC is asking you to sound off and let the author and publication know how you feel about this disturbing article.
 
Here's What You Need To Do:
 
Write a letter to the author and/or the publisher expressing your concern about this article and demanding the author and/or publication submit a formal apology to readers. Here is who you should contact:
 
Author
John D. Kelly, IV, MD
University of Pennsylvania Dept. of Orthopedic Surgery
34th and Spruce St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: (215) 615-4400
[email protected]
 
Publisher
Dan O'Connor
Editor-in-Chief
Outpatient Surgery Magazine
255 Great Valley Parkway, Suite 100
Malvern, PA 19355
Phone: (610) 240-4918 x16
[email protected]
 
We want to hear about any responses you receive! If you hear back from the author and/or publisher, please forward a copy of the response to the OAC at [email protected], or send us an email with the details of the response you receive!

Obesity Help WLS Grant recipient shared her first visit with Dr. Buchin!

Jennifer is super excited and adorable and I love her energy.

• Thank you Obesity Help, Dr. Buchin, and the sponsors who got this arranged so fast.

• Read Jen's journal on OH.

• Pouchworthy, ^MM

To Tell or Not To Tell

Do you tell about your Weight Loss Surgery -- or is it a big secret?

Eight years ago, when it was my turn for surgery:  everyone knew.  I saw no reason not to share -- in fact I didn't realize until later why someone might not want to share.  To be honest, I was very young and naive, and I absolutely thought it was Wonderful! Amazing! and Why Wouldn't Everyone Support My Choice!

Heh.  I know these things, now.

You live.  You learn.

You buy tee shirts.

To Tell or Not To Tell -

Dr. Connie Stapleton for Obesity Help

• There are a number of questions associated with whether or not to tell people about your bariatric surgery. Whom do you tell? When do you tell them? Who needs to know? Who has a right to know? Whom do you want to tell? Whom do you not want to tell?

• The obvious list of potential people to tell about your surgery includes your spouse/partner, children, parents, siblings, friends, bosses and coworkers. It is not mandatory that you tell all of the people on this list. You need to take some very important things into consideration before you tell people about your decision to have bariatric surgery.

Do some people need to know? 

To Tell or Not To Tell - Read entire article at the link.

WEAR PURPLE ON OCTOBER 20 FOR SPIRIT DAY #SPIRITDAY

Millions of Americans wear purple on Spirit Day as a sign of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and to speak out against bullying.  

Spirit Day was started in 2010 by teenager Brittany McMillan as a response to the young people who had taken their own lives. Observed annually on October 20, individuals, schools, organizations, corporations, media professionals and celebrities wear purple, which symbolizes spirit on the rainbow flag. Getting involved is easy -- participants are asked to simply "go purple" on October 20 as we work to create a world in which LGBT teens are celebrated and accepted for who they are.

Learn more & go purple at www.glaad.org/spiritday.

tokidoki® Barbie® Doll | Barbie Collector BBGC

tokidoki® Barbie® Doll | Barbie Collector.

I had a little dollgasm.  I love her. I will cut her hair.  Add a BBGC bracelet.

I hate little yip yip dogs, he's called Bastardino.  LOL.

UNJURY made Protein'd Cheese Powder Sauce

I have no words for this.  Wait.  I do.

"What do you like to eat with cheese?  Mac N Cheese, tortilla chips, chili, grilled cheese, toast..."

Because those are things we eat on a High Protein Weight Loss Surgery Diet -- you know.

Ingredients & Label Information

INGREDIENTS: Whey protein isolate, CLA rich oil, Modified Food Starch, Natural & Artificial Flavors, Sea Salt, Sugar, Fructose, Medium Chain Triglycerides, Sodium Phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Lactic Acid, Annatto (natural color), Soy Lecithin*, Enzymes, Turmeric (natural color).

This product has short shelf life – approximately 2 months when it arrives

$1.99 a serving.

I have concerns.

 

 

Halo effect: Family members of gastric-bypass patients also lose weight, Stanford study finds

Halo effect: Family members of gastric-bypass patients also lose weight, Stanford study finds

Stanford University Medical Center 

STANFORD, Calif. — Family members of patients who have undergone surgery for weight loss may also shed several pounds themselves, as well as eat healthier and exercise more, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Okay -- don't RUN OUT and have WLS expect your wife to lose 100 lbs --

A year after the 35 patients in the study had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, their obese adult family members weighed on average 8 pounds less, the researchers say.

In addition, many of the children in these families also appeared to benefit through their close association with the patient, exhibiting a lower body mass index than would have been expected given their growth curve.

The study notes that overweight women on a traditional medically supervised diet, such as Atkins or Ornish, lose between 2 and 5 percent of their body weight over 12 months. Over that same period of time, both obese men and women in the families of the surgery patients lost 3 percent of their body weight overall — slimming down, on average, from 234 to 226 pounds.

"Family members were able to lose weight comparable to being part of a medically controlled diet simply by accompanying the bariatric surgery patient to their pre- and post-operative visits," said senior author John Morton, MD, MPH, associate professor of surgery at Stanford and director of bariatric surgery at Stanford Hospital & Clinics.

The findings will be published Oct. 17 in the Archives of Surgery. The lead author of the study is Gavitt Woodard, MD, a 2011 graduate of the Stanford School of Medicine.

 

Gastric bypass helps curb temptation better than banding?

A small study was done on roux en y gastric bypass patients and gastric band patients in the UK, to test the temptation of naughty foods on both types of post ops. 

Reuters -

After surveying patients who had either type of surgery, and performing brain scans on several dozen of them, Dr. Tony Goldstone of Imperial College London and Hammersmith Hospital and his colleagues found that even deep down in their brains, the gastric bypass patients seemed to like high-calorie foods less.

"The results suggest that gastric-banding patients had to exert quite a lot of self-control over their eating behavior. Banding patients also had higher concern about their weight," Goldstone told Reuters Health.

In contrast, gastric bypass patients "don't feel they have to exert as much cognitive control over what they're eating," said Goldstone

Although I don't have a gastric band, I have lived seven and a half years with a gastric bypass, married to a man with a gastric bypass -- who's mom and sister who have had a gastric bypass.  I would agree with this study for myself -- the gastric bypass did shut down a lot of the mind-gut connection for me.  

Why?

Honestly, gastric bypass can cause such serious distress when eating so-called tempting foods, that once we DO try them again?  (And, we do!)  

We may make that cognitive connection that food = discomfort = sick = don't do that again.  Certainly it doesn't always work, and we might continue to eat foods that cause us distress because We Are Human and make mistakes and food sometimes just appeals to us too much.  Also, gastric bypass has a funny way of making some foods appeal to us, make us sick ONE TIME, and the the NEXT TIME?  We have zero reaction.  

This is a sticky situation -- and it's a gastric bypass food roulette.  Many of us have a list of foods that cause a reaction every single time we try them, or just sometimes, and a list of perfectly safe foods.

Not everyone has a reaction to food -- some gastric bypassers get by with no reaction to any food, ever -- and love to announce this -- but they're crazy and we don't talk about them.  (I'm kidding.)  

I would say that banders have it rough when it comes to food choices -- they don't get the hand-slap fun that bypassers do.  This cognitive "don't eat that, it will make you sick" fun of the gastric bypass is a big part why people choose to have the roux en y to begin with.  This is a big reason why I did not have a band.  I know what I would be doing.  "Hello, ice cream.  I have missed you."  

My MRI reactions would be food-gasming over Mint Chocolate Chip again.  Which, right now?  I have COMPLETE aversion toward -- because of the gastric bypass.

Stalking led to shipment.

Finally.

I was more than thrilled to see these arrive.  You have no idea.  I stalked the shipment.

There are a few BBGC Blenderbottles left for sale, get them now.

Pumpkin Protein Mini Muffins

The kids would love these - although I'd be hiding them for myself.  -MM

Protein Pumpkin Mini Muffins  - texasmom2011 

Apples and Gorgonzola Appetizer - Low Carb

Oh, yes.  I have a bowl full of fresh apples that are just BEGGING for this. I'd use light cream cheese.  

Click for Full Size - from dLife  

Click for Full Size - from dLife

Follow Up After Bariatric Surgery May Save Your Life - Suicide

If you, or someone you know, is in suicidal crisis or emotional distress please call

1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Follow Up After Bariatric Surgery May Save Your Life-  from Mary Jo Rapini

Suicide is one of those things you can never change your mind about. It is final, and it hurts everyone who ever loved or cared for the person who commits it. A recent study reports an increase in suicides two to three years after surgery.

Considering that about 225,000 Americans are now having bariatric surgery each year, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, this is a problem we cannot ignore.

The latest study, which tracked deaths among Pennsylvania residents who underwent bariatric surgery, examined a longer period than previous research — up to 10 years following the procedure. Among 16,683 who had bariatric surgery between 1995 and 2004, 31 committed suicide by the end of 2006, the researchers found. The data translate into a suicide rate of nearly 14 per 10,000 men per year, and five per 10,000 women each year. Those numbers are substantially higher than the suicide rates among Pennsylvanians in the same 35-to-64 age range, during the same period. Among all men in the state, the suicide rate in 2005 was 2.5 per 10,000, while the rate among women was 0.6 per 10,000. Overall, 30 percent of suicides in the surgery group occurred within two years of the procedure, and 70 percent occurred within three years.

Study author, Dr. Hilary A. Tindle of the University of Pittsburgh, reports that the reasons for the higher suicide rates are unclear. She was not able to examine the details surrounding the individual suicides. She does state that this study does not imply bariatric surgery itself leads to suicide, but it may be the emotional conditions the patients suffered prior to bariatric surgery or they may have developed after the surgery which leads to suicide.

Read the whole article at Obesity Help

2011 Obesity Action Coalition + BBGC Teams Check IN!

I'm tallying up our BBG impact on the 2011 Walk From Obesity!

Please link me to YOUR Walk From Obesity information so I can add it!

• Massachusetts 2011 Walks From Obesity - Natick + Lowell - Team MM + BBGC -

• My total - $4961.00 $5001.00  (I made a final donation.)
  

• Dallas Texas 2011 -  $3520.00

• Houston Texas 2011 - $315.00
• Georgia 2011 -  $602.00

• North Carolina 2011 -
• Washington 2011 - $61.00
  

 

 

Sophia Grace's Show Stopping Performance!

Postively positive.

“Instead of thinking about what you're missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.”