IT IS RESOLUTION TIME, BITCHES.

And guess what.

I refuse.  Again.

Resolutions fail.  And we PAY PEOPLE to help us fail.

Suck on that WEIGHT WATCHERS AND YOUR ZERO POINTS PLAN.  (AIN'T NOBODY CAN EAT THAT MUCH CHICKEN OR FRUIT COCKTAIL AND NOT GAIN WEIGHT.)

It's 2018.  I have not blogged in for-ever.  Here's something.

I've maintained this exact weight for two years.  (173 lbs since Elliott was born GOD DAMN IT)  I keep saying that "...if I would just exercise again" I'd be at goal weight immediately.  That is truth -- I have just spent the time peeling my most hyperactive child (of mine) to date from the furniture and ceiling while being sedated with more anti-epileptics and tapering from others.  See also, the spouse who has taken on two new jobs and working near two seven days a week since we last spoke at LEAST.

Maybe there is a "...motivation" in there somewhere.  Maybe it is to Get More Active So I Can See My Goal Weight More Clearly Again while still on too much medication?  That'd work.  I realize that I don't eat out of my range of calories much at all -- my weight does NOT change -- so obviously the movement needs to.So easy it's stupid.  I don't need to pay WW for that.  I just have to do it.  

 

Me, plus all of my crotch-spawn looking like zombies on the holiday.

 

 

 

 

 

Explain to me -- subscription boxes -- bariatric samples?

A friend just pointed out weight loss surgery themed subscription box service, you know -- where you sign up to have a selection of samples (I am guessing these are sample sizes based on the photos given on the website that is at the moment very limited...) sent to you each month.  For your payment -- a flat-fee of $34.95 -- you are sent 8 - 12 sample-size products for the bariatric patient.  

I can see the niche of people who'd want this.  Hi.  

I was curious enough to throw my email on their mailing list, but I wonder are free samples worth $4 each?  Maybe, I suppose if they have been sourced for you and shipped to you?  How long of a commitment is this kind of service?  I'm not the kind of person that throws out $34.95 for a box of I Don't Know What's Coming in exchange for grocery money -- however -- I could be swayed.  

Don't think I am picking on this service just because it's "bariatric" I have no clue who's pimping it -- I say the same thing about the underpanties boxes -- the snack boxes -- all boxes -- I see them as profit machines for the person behind the curtain.  :)  I would simply like to know WHY it is worth the cost since some of it is free to the consumer already.  Show me. 

Lane Bryant: Plus-Size Fashion Retailer's Commercial Reportedly Rejected by Multiple TV Networks

PLEASE. This shit is not indecent, it's because the women are a little. bit. jiggly.

Get the fuck over yourselves.

Have any of you watched a Vickie's Secret Ad lately?!

Lane Bryant: Plus-Size Fashion Retailer's Commercial Reportedly Rejected by Multiple TV Networks The ad, promoting the company's #ThisBody campaign, was rejected by ABC and NBC, TMZ reported. NBC told TMZ they asked for a "minor edit to comply with broadcast indecency guidelines."

 

#ThisBody | Lane Bryant

The networks didn’t want you to see this. But we do. Share. Tag. Show everyone what #ThisBody’s made for.

Posted by Lane Bryant on Thursday, March 10, 2016

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FDA approves non-surgical temporary balloon device to treat obesity -

Alcohol Sensitizes Brain Response to Food Aromas and Increases Food Intake in Women, Research Shows

'Anyone with a functioning brain' makes sure they look good in a bikini

What the who!?

'Anyone with a functioning brain' makes sure they look good in a bikini

Clipped from Raw Story - 

“If you are offended by an ad with a woman on it or a hot girl or a hot guy then seek therapy,” Fox News host Jedediah Bila advised on Monday. “I mean, go to a therapist. There’s something wrong with you.”

“At this time of year, anyone with a functioning brain asks themselves that question, ‘Are you beach body ready?'” Tantaros insisted. “In fact, I ask myself that question every single day. And I bet you people who have a problem with this ad going into summer time are not beach body ready.”

“It’s such a bunch of bull,” the Fox News host said of critics. “Everyone wants to know if they look good in a swimsuit!”

“You should grow up wanting to look like that anyway,” guest host Chris Plante quipped.

Dump dish dump cakes dump dinners count the dumps

There are some words I despise. Dump is one.

If you're happy and you know it. #eatasnack

The most authentic commercial yet from Weight Watchers.  WW you win with this one, although it doesn't exactly motivate me to go sign up for your plan (...was that the goal -- because I didn't catch that vibe, I just laughed and wanted a snack for a second?) I still LOVE THIS because it's truth all right here for us emotional eaters.  

Sorry not sorry I agree.  

 

Rewind The Future Video Campaign - Blame away the obesity!

An anti-obesity commercial from Strong4Life blames parents, for our children's obesity with a side of french fries and a dose of electronic gadgets.

Is this where I thank my parents?  Uh, no.

The video (now viral!) presents a thirtysomething man (I am 35) whom played video games and ate lots of fast-food start with snapped-Mcdonald's fries from Momma.  

I did not.  I got super morbidly obese anyway.  TAKE THAT STRONG4LIFE.

Marketers and anti-obesity advocates -- LISTEN:  IT IS NOT THAT SIMPLE.  Obesity is a multifaceted disease and we cannot simply lay blame on someone's mom and dad (or Mcdonald's!) and hope that that is going to fix the problem.  You cannot blame - shame away a disease, it only makes this one BIGGER.

About Strong4Life --

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta launched Strong4Life, a wellness movement designed to ignite societal change and reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity and its associated diseases in Georgia. 

Based on our clinical behavior change model for treating overweight and obese children, Strong4Life aims to help families achieve sustainable lifestyle change by breaking down the complex issue of childhood obesity into simple steps. 

Strong4Life reaches families through public awareness, policy change efforts, school programs, healthcare provider programs, community partnerships and more. 

Strong4Life makes improving family nutrition and physical activity habits fun and provides parents and caregivers the support they need to accomplish their goals.

Lap Band Loans - Finance Your Weight Loss Surgery New From Apollo Endosurgery - And I qualify! GO MM.

I should preface this press release with my opinion because it dragged my sorry butt out of the not-posting-to-my-blog-corner to share it.  (Don't ask.)

Why is that?  

Because I am the Bariatric Bad Girl with the dissenting opinion that is screaming on the inside NOT TO FINANCE A DAMNED THING LET AND LAWD BABY JESUS NOT A GASTRIC BAND. 

Call Suze Orman.  Ask her what she thinks about financing a gastric band. 

Via American Healthcare Funding - (NOT AN AD.  I SWEAR.)

• Loan terms up to 60 months
• Rates starting at 7.00% (Starting APR for best borrrowers)

If it is anything like a car loan -- you are not a best borrower.  Go get your free credit score first.  That 7.0% APR will jump to 12 - 20++% and HEY, look, you're paying $800.00 a month for, your weight loss!

Have you paid for weight loss before, how much per month?  

Then please look at the rates of success in the Lapband in the time it will take you to pay off your loan. 

• Long-term outcomes after bariatric surgery: fifteen-year follow-up of adjustable gastric banding and a systematic review of the bariatric surgical literature.
• Sustained weight loss after gastric banding revision for pouch-related problems.

"But, Beth, I've got to lose weight For My Health!  Lap-Band Surgery Is My Last Option!"  

Fair enough.  I understand.  I totally do.  I have lived the roux en y gastric bypass weight loss surgery lifestyle for ten years and four months.  I am married to a roux en y gastric bypass patient.  We have, collectively twenty years of bypassed-belly between us.  Add his family members, thirty years of gastric bypass experience.  I will tell you anything that you want to know, and it is not all good.    I am not your typical WEIGHT LOSS MADE THE WORLD GLITTERY AND SHINY BLOGGER.  

I can validate that urgency of wanting to do anything it takes to get the weight gone, even paying $$$.$$ per month to do so, because (for many!) it is desperation.

You know, for what it is worth I understand the feeling because of the MARKETING check this out - "LAGB is the least invasive surgical option among bariatric weight loss procedures. LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Banding System, the number one brand in the category, remains the only bariatric weight reduction surgical procedure approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for people with a BMI of at least 30 with one or more obesity-related comorbid conditions."

I qualify for a LapBand, Apollo, in approximately  less than three BMI points, at my lowest adult weight.   That there is some smart marketing.   Apollo could totally band my ass in three points.  That is me, adding back bagels with butter and quitting my gym habit, and I am a revolving credit account JUST. LIKE. THAT.

This is my "I qualify for a band face."

 

Do you realize HOW many adults that qualifies?  I wear a size 8.  

Right. 

No.   I am sorry and I reserve the right to say it.   

I can understand the desire, put me back in my size 28W and I would likely be signing the loan documents right now.    Ten years of history and watching the weight loss community has changed that.

Please talk to MANY long-term band patients first and long term debtors as well because both have lots to share with you.  I am not a band patient, I only speak to patients on a support level and I can only imagine the frustration of those whom will now have the added stab of a monthly incurred payment along with any potential band failures.  Again, please talk to current banded patients, revisals, removals, and such.  

For some, it may be the right decision.  Talk it over with patients, family, friends, your therapist, get a good support group.   

____________________

PR below in full --  Not my PR.   They don't pay me.  They might pay others.  

(Business Wire)

Apollo Endosurgery, Inc., a leader in minimally invasive endoscopic surgical products for bariatric and gastrointestinal procedures, today announced the company has partnered with American Healthcare Lending to offer affordable financing for the LAP-BAND® System to increase patient access to the weight loss solution. The patient financing service is part of Apollo Endosurgery’s ongoing efforts to provide physicians and patients with high quality services and support beyond the LAP-BAND® procedure. The LAP-BAND® System is FDA approved for weight reduction for people with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 40 kg/m² and is the only FDA approved device for weight reduction for people with a BMI of 30 kg/m² or greater and one or more weight-related health problem.

“There are millions of people struggling to lose 30 or more pounds on their own who are eligible for the LAP-BAND® System but do not qualify for healthcare insurance coverage for weight loss treatments due to their BMI,” said Dennis McWilliams, President and Chief Commercial Officer of Apollo Endosurgery. “Weight loss with the LAP-BAND® System is about more than just a procedure. This is why we are working with innovative companies, like American Healthcare Lending, to provide the best services and support to our physicians and patients throughout the weight loss journey.”

“Studies show that obese patients spend significantly more money on healthcare costs each year than non-obese patients as well as have an increased chance of developing other conditions, like diabetes and heart disease, that can impact their quality of life,” said Vafa Shayani, MD, FACS, FASMBS, Chairman of Surgery, Medical Director of Bariatric Surgery at Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital and Vice President of the Illinois Association of Bariatric Surgeons. “Patients with a lower BMI are often not covered for any weight loss treatment options, despite the health and economic benefits. By investing in their health with the LAP-BAND® System, patients have the opportunity to finally achieve their weight loss goals, allowing them to live a healthier life by avoiding potential health concerns as well as reduce their healthcare costs associated with obesity.”

The Apollo Endosurgery and American Healthcare Lending partnership was designed to offer a financing service that is beneficial to both physicians and patients. American Healthcare Lending has assisted over 300,000 individuals in obtaining over $5 billion in loans. In partnership with Apollo Endosurgery, American Healthcare Lending is now offering patients low monthly payment plans to cover the cost of LAP-BAND® System procedures and aftercare, including deductibles, self-pays, and co-pays. Patients can be pre-qualified for a loan in two minutes or less by visiting www.lapband.com orwww.americanhealthcarelending.com/lapbandloan/.

Once a patient is pre-qualified for a loan through American Healthcare Lending, the program also provides assistance in finding a physician offering the procedure that is engaged with the financing service. Physicians who are enrolled in the LAP-BAND® financing program benefit by having only one low annual fee of $2,990, regardless of how many of their patients utilize the financing service, rather than paying a merchant fee of up to 8% per loan, which is standard with other financing programs.

About Apollo Endosurgery, Inc.

Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. is a leader in minimally invasive endoscopic surgical products for bariatric and gastrointestinal procedures. Apollo Endosurgery was cofounded with the Apollo Group, a unique collaboration of physicians from the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins University, Medical University of South Carolina, the University of Texas Medical Branch and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. This collaboration developed a broad portfolio of patents in the field of endoscopic surgery that became the foundation of Apollo Endosurgery. For more information regarding Apollo Endosurgery, go to: www.apolloendo.com and follow us @Apollo_Endo.

APOLLO ENDOSURGERY and LAP-BAND are worldwide trademarks or registered trademarks of Apollo Endosurgery, Inc.

About LAP-BAND® System

In a LAGB procedure, a band is placed around the upper part of the stomach. As the band inflates, it shrinks the size of the stomach. This helps individuals reduce the amount of food intake and slows emptying into the lower stomach. This helps individuals feel full sooner, stay full longer and reduce hunger urge.

The LAP-BAND® System was acquired in late 2013 by Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. of Austin, Texas, from Allergan, Inc.

Warnings: The LAP-BAND® System is a long-term implant. Explant and replacement surgery may be required. Patients who become pregnant or severely ill or who require more extensive nutrition may require deflation of their bands. Adverse Events: Placement of the LAP-BAND System is major surgery and, as with any surgery, death can occur. Possible complications include the risks associated with the medications and methods used during surgery, the risks associated with any surgical procedures, and the patient’s ability to tolerate a foreign object implanted in the body. Band slippage, erosion and deflation, reflux, obstruction of the stomach, dilation of the esophagus, infection, or nausea and vomiting may occur. Reoperation may be required. Rapid weight loss may result in complications that may require additional surgery. Deflation of the band may require additional surgery. Deflation of the band may alleviate excessively rapid weight loss or esophageal dilation.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/2085568#ixzz38x9xQ4O7

Go You Chicken Fat, GO!

I have two sides to my feelings on this ad:

I am oddly intrigued by the fact that I do not utilize my own iPhone this way. I just throw my music on at the gym and GO and it is not as nice and edited as the Apple advert makes it seem.

The other half of me wants to scream and yell at whomever THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA -- honestly by tugging-at-the-childhood-fears of the fat kid who heard this little song you added to the edit as a kid in elementary school?  I am too young to have known about it, but I am that fat kid who failed the Presidential Physical Fitness Test. The "kids" that would recognize it are not the "kids" shown in the ad -- clearly.  They are the next generation maybe.  

Because what the hell is CHICKEN FAT?

#itfits

It, fits?  OH COME ON.  

The NEW AND IMPROVED LAPBAND!  

You can do better!

Apollo Endosurgery, Inc., the leader in minimally invasive endoscopic surgical products for bariatric and gastrointestinal procedures, today announced the launch of the “It Fits” campaign, aimed at rejuvenating the LAP-BAND® System and educating a broad range of patients about the benefits of the minimally-invasive weight loss procedure.

“It Fits” supports the company’s decision to place greater emphasis on the unique advantage of the LAP-BAND® System – the only FDA approved device for weight reduction for people with at least one weight-related health problem, and having a BMI of 30 or greater.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1989812#ixzz34taKYjn9

The new ad spot - from Apollo - tugs right there at your heart, don't it?  I might be tearing up over all of the completely stereotypical situations right here in this here commercial!  OMG I CAN FIT IN THE AEROPLANE SEATBELT WITHOUT AN EXTENDER COULD YOU PLEASE PUT ME IN A COMMERCIAL ALTHOUGH I WAS NEVER SUPER MORBIDLY OBESE I AM JUST AN ACTOR!

Until this and my tears dry up!

Because of course we will ignore the patient histories of thousands -- to have a procedure to lose how much weight?  

Just as a frame of reference, that makes me qualify in a few BMI points.  Confession:  when I reached my high weight about the same time the new BMI-qualifications for the Allergan-owned lap-band came around, I decided THAT WAS IT.  I could not possibly do it again, my butt was not revising band-over-bypass for that much weight, not after watching this weight loss community for 12 years.  Nope.

AVERAGE.

I ADORE THIS.

Everyone gets a trophy! LOL

Jenny Craig calls Kirstie Alley Circus Fat Because That's Normal

Jenny Craig please don't use the term "CIRCUS FAT," ever - as a description of a person of size - Jenny Craig, you know better.  

What is that "Circus Fat?"  Sideshow fat?  You mean 300, 400, 500 pounds?  I was there once.

Sideshow performer, Victorian age.

Are we supposed to be amused by this?  Is that funny ha-ha?  Like, "Hey!  Kirstie is an elephant? Or a side-show?" 

You're making yourselves look like mean-girls for the sake of bad publicity. 

FTC Announces Initiative Against Deceptive Claims Made by National Marketers of Fad Weight Loss Products

• FTC Announces Initiative Against Deceptive Claims Made by National Marketers of Fad Weight Loss Products

Finally, maybe?!  I can't wait to see some rules slapped down on these irresponsible companies.

Elle Magazine puts Melissa McCarthy on the cover - but?

Why is she all trench-coated up?!

The hair - the coat - the ridiculous pose - are we just attempting to cover her curves?

Why doesn't she appear like any other ELLE cover-model?

Thats right, because people are afraid of fat people.

Get over it.

Burger King Satisfries with 40% Less Fat and 30% Less Calories But Sounds Like XXX

Don't get too excited -- although Burger King removed 40% of the dietary fat and 30% of the calories from their french fries -- the little buggers still contain 60% of the fat and 70% of the calories.  That means that many people will validate this Menu Choice By Overeating It or dipping it into sugary ketchup and killing those lost calories.  Some non-fry eaters will simply start eating fries!  

What is the difference between regular BK Fries and SATISFRIES?

Gawker -

Burger King executives say people won't be able to tell that Satisfries are lower in calories. It says they use exactly the same ingredients as its regular fries — potatoes, oil and batter. To keep kitchen operations simple, they're even made in the same fryers and cooked for the same amount of time as regular fries.

The difference, Burger King says, is that it adjusts the proportions of different ingredients for the batter to block out more oil. The company declined to be more specific. Another difference, the crinkle-cut shape, is in part so workers will be able to easily distinguish them from the regular fries when they're deep frying them together.

NYTimes -

"The concept of taking an indulgent food and removing some of the guilt isn't new, of course. Supermarkets are filled with baked Lay's potato chips, 100-calorie packs of Oreos and other less fattening versions of popular treats. Such creations play on people's inability to give up their food vices, even as they struggle to eat better. The idea is to create something that skimps on calories, but not on taste."  

There's a problem though - because even people like me who eat the stupid calorie bombs now and then on limited calorie diet?  WE WON'T ASK FOR AN ORDER OF 'SATISFRIES' BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE A SEX TOY.

Blogging Genuinely - Products - Swag - Freebies

• Blogging Genuinely - Products - Swag - Freebies  

Adver-rant.

I'm pulling out the BOLD Comic-Sans for this one, kids.

Let us "pretend" for a moment that you are a business (or other entity) with a message to send or a product to pitch. You have a large customer base or list and many people on your email list and perhaps lots of methods of reaching these potential customers.

Many of your customers, potential clients, and peers whom actually open emails, read websites and read copy.  Many of us study them.  Many of us have interest in this stuff.

1.  Please spell-check your copy before you publish it.  

READ YOUR SHIT.  

Let someone outside of your house read your "PROFESSIONAL" website.

(That's ALL it takes.)

2.  Please consider that we are in 2013 and many people have moved beyond Comic Sans.

Do you buy brand-names or generic?

When you go to the pharmacy or big-box retailer do you choose brand-name or off-brand generic over the counter medications and pills even with the same active ingredients?

This kind of thing enthralls me.  I love you NPR. 

Why do people choose what they choose when given the option of the same product in different packaging?  

Some of you are SO. INSISTENT. 

"I MUST HAVE THIS BRAND!"  

"It is the ONLY ONE!"

Don't EVEN bring it to crazy-town with mayonnaise.   But we're taking about medication today.

My line of thinking (...when making that choice in the aisle) goes to:

• Is is *exactly the same?*
• Does it have the same efficacy?
• Is the generic brand safe and effective?

When side-by-side store branded pills versus big brands aren't all that different, same active ingredients, similar labeling, the only thing that stands out to many of us is the pricing.  So why do you choose the more expensive product, if you do?

If I am being completely honest, I don't buy off-brand super inexpensive pills from big box retailers like Wal-Mart (...or a Dollar Store, shiver!) because quite frankly I am terrified at the potential of an eighty-eight cent price point and where THAT came from.  It's not that I am a brand snob, but just, no.  I read the packaging of every side-by-side product and if the ingredients match by percentage and you can see the source -- I do not mind paying less per pill.

I will admit for some things I have brandsnobbery  (...but even so much less lately and not really. I have even downgraded to generic huge tubs of coffee.  RIP Starbucks at home, entirely.  Thanks to blogging not being so, uh, lucrative, don't quit your dayjobs!)  But not for over the counter medications.  I bought approximately three boxes of generic gas medications, gut-fail medications and the like prior-to and during my trip to Portland last week because of desperation and it worked and kept me from ROTTING ON A PLANE THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

NPR -

Why does anyone buy Bayer aspirin — or Tylenol, or Advil — when, almost always, there's a bottle of cheaper generic pills, with the same active ingredient, sitting right next to the brand-name pills?

Matthew Gentzkow, an economist at the University of Chicago's Booth school, recently tried to answer this question. Along with a few colleagues, Gentzkow set out to test a hypothesis: Maybe people buy the brand-name pills because they just don't know that the generic version is basically the same thing.

"We came up with what is probably the simplest idea you've ever heard of," Gentzkow says. "Let's just look and see if people who are well-informed about these things still pay extra to buy brands."

In other words, do doctors, nurses and pharmacists pay extra for Tylenol instead of acetaminophen, or buy Advil instead of ibuprofen?

Gentzkow and his colleagues looked at a huge dataset of over 66 million shopping trips and found that, "lo and behold, nurses, doctors and pharmacists are much less likely to buy brands than average consumers," Gentzkow says. (Their findings are written up here.)

Pharmacists, for example, bought generics 90 percent of the time, compared with about 70 percent of the time for the overall population. "In a world where everyone was as well-informed as pharmacist or nurse, the market share of the brands would be much, much smaller than it is today," Gentzkow says.

I asked several people who had a bottle of Bayer or Tylenol or Advil at home why they'd bought the brand name. One guy told me he didn't want his wife to think he was cheap. A woman told me Bayer reminded her of her grandmother. Another guy, a lawyer, said he just didn't want to spend the time to figure it out, and decided it was worth the extra couple bucks to buy the brand.

In general, we often buy brands when we lack information — when, like that lawyer, we decide it's easier to spend the extra money rather than try to figure out what's what.

Jesse Shapiro, one of the co-authors of the headache paper, told me he buys Heinz ketchup rather than the generic brand. He likes Heinz. He thinks it's better than the generic, but he's not sure. "I couldn't promise that, if you blindfolded me, I could tell them apart," he says.

Report: Some money in Lap-Band settlement to pay for billboards on weight-loss surgery risks

AP -  Report: Some money in Lap-Band settlement to pay for billboards on weight-loss surgery risks

LOS ANGELES — A company that promoted Lap-Band weight-loss surgery has agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle a false-advertising lawsuit, with some of the money going to billboards warning the public about the risks of weight-loss surgery, a newspaper reported Thursday.

From 2009 to 2011, five patients died after Lap-Band surgeries at clinics affiliated with the 1-800-GET-THIN ad campaign, according to the Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/11knLBS ).

The proposed settlement still needs the approval of Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Kenneth Freeman, who asked attorneys at a hearing Thursday to provide more information and resubmit their settlement motion before he gives the deal his OK.

Relatives of two of the dead patients, Ana Renteria and Laura Faitro, filed the lawsuit as a class action in 2011.

The lawsuit sought damages from several companies and two brothers, Michael and Julian Omidi, who court documents said owned and managed Top Surgeons, a weight-loss business.

John Hueston, an attorney for the Omidis, said the settlement was not an admission of wrongdoing.

“Under the agreement, our clients ... are dismissed without any admission of liability, and made no contribution whatsoever to the settlements,” Hueston said in a statement cited by the Times.

A lawyer for the surgery centers, Konrad Trope, said the action against the facilities was dismissed without admission of liability or financial penalty.

The proposed settlement will be paid only by Top Surgeons, one of the companies behind the GET-THIN operation, the newspaper said. The company did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press.

The lawsuits and other public documents showed that 1-800-GET-THIN was a marketing company that steered patients to a network of outpatient clinics, where thousands of weight-loss surgeries were performed.

The company used dozens of billboards — along with ads on television, radio and the Internet — to promote Lap-Band weight-loss surgery.

Some of the suits alleged that the clinics put profits above patient safety, employing physicians who were unqualified and allowing surgeries to be performed in unsanitary conditions, the Times said.

The proposed deal calls for $100,000 to be spent on billboard advertising throughout Southern California “intended to explain the risks of weight-loss surgery.” The agreement does not specify the language to be used in the ads but says it must be approved by the court.

Related articles

Regain After Weight Loss Surgery.

Study - Expectations for weight loss and willingness to accept risk among patients seeking weight loss surgery.

Imagining WLS? Weight loss surgery hypnosis?

Weight-Loss Surgery's Weird Alcoholism Risk (It's not weird.)

No long-term cost savings with weight loss surgery

#AEOSKINNYSKINNY Jeans are FOS

Wait, WHAT?

I know I spend way too much time in malls with four kids and two teens, but, uh, no...

And the sad thing is, half the kids in the middle and high schools already wear pants that appear painted on.  

Thankfully, hopefully? It's a joke, American Eagle Outfitters played us and you fell for it.  :x  You (or your kids) actually tried to buy them.

Although, wicked smaht way to get people on a mailing list.

Related articles

Melissa McCarthy Is Not A Hippo. Weight Bias.