Star Jones

[Tropicana 0]

Now, now, Tropicana. I don't think that's true, or necessary to say. Dieting has been proven to have something like a 90% failure rate, so it's not "pessimistic, fatalistic, and down right a cop out" to say so.

What does the lap band do? Doesn't it basically prevent the person from eating large amounts of food? It doesn't change a persons metabolic rate or anything on a chemical basis. So how is it different from dieting? All dieting is is reducing the amount of nutrition.

The high failure rate of dieting is due to lack of motivation and follow through. To say that eating less and exercising more doesn't work is a joke. I stand by what I said.

[Guest fergie1974]

Good Afternoon,

I usually do not watch her program, but I caught it while I was re-cooping from my surgery. I was shocked! She does look different. I asked a friend how she lost weight, and she said Star will not say. Give me a break, she had to have had surgery..

[donali 57]

What does the lap band do? Doesn't it basically prevent the person from eating large amounts of food? It doesn't change a persons metabolic rate or anything on a chemical basis. So how is it different from dieting? All dieting is is reducing the amount of nutrition.

The lapband shuts off some of the hunger signals, and helps you feel full on less food, so you aren't STARVING every friggin' minute of the day when you're eating less.

The high failure rate of dieting is due to lack of motivation and follow through. To say that eating less and exercising more doesn't work is a joke. I stand by what I said.

This statement shows a lack of education and understanding of obesity. Obesity is NOT a moral failing, due to simply to lack of motivation and follow through. For most obese people there are multiple and complex reasons for their disease, and some of them are PHYSICAL, not emotional or mental.

Here's some research from a rant post a while ago.

http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=4750

Morbid Obesity is a DISEASE. It has been recognized as a disease since 1985(!!!!) by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

...IN 1991, THE NIH CONCLUDED IN ITS CONSENSUS CONFERENCE THAT DIETS, EXERCISE PROGRAMS, APPETITE SUPPRESSANTS AND BEHAVIOR MODIFCATIONS ARE NOT EFFECTIVE THERAPIES. YES, I am YELLING.

And to have this kind of attitude propagated on a weightloss SUPPORT board as acceptable under ANY kind of circumstances is absolutely reprehensible, and a symptom of just how well the prejudice against fat people is accepted. Not only is it tolerated, it is expected as our “just” punishment for being fat. Because after all, we are merely gluttons. The formula is so simple: too many calories in = too much fat. So diet and exercise. Too bad for you that you’re not one of the “normal” people who can regularly consume more calories than they need without getting fat – you are NOT a “normal” person, so you must just go hungry and exercise your butt off.

Guess what? The formula is NOT that simple. NO ONE really knows the complete explanation of why some people become MO and some people don’t. But not understanding “why” is NO excuse for discriminating against the MO, or continuing to blame the patient for their disease.

I cannot stand by and let anyone forget that we are NOT here because of some moral failing, some character flaw, some personal weakness. We are here because we have a DISEASE. We need treatment, not judgment. If we were not serious about getting better, we would not be here.

NO ONE deserves to feel badly about themselves because they have a disease. NO ONE should be made to jump through hoops to prove they want to recover from their disease. MO is NOT A CHARACTER FLAW. This is NOT my opinion – this is medical FACT. It is up to US to know and understand this, and to eradicate the long-held beliefs that we have allowed to shame us for all of our lives. We must NEVER EVER allow anyone to get away with propagating beliefs that MO is anything but a disease that requires medical treatment.

***************

www.shapeup.org/profcenter/diabesity/PoriesPres.ppt+is+morbid+obesity+a+disease%3F&hl=e n

"The truth is that Morbid obesity is a disease, not a moral failing."

“Obesity is a chronic, lifelong, genetically-related, life-threatening disease with highly significant medical, psychological, social, physical, and economic co-morbidities.”

Statement on morbid obesity and its treatment. Obesity Surgery 1997 7:40-41

“In 1991, the National Institutes of Health concluded in its Consensus Conference that diets, exercise programs, appetite suppressants and behavior modifications are not effective therapies.”

Report of the Consensus Conference on Surgery of Morbid Obesity, National Institutes of Health, Washington, DC 1991

**************

http://www.rsapc1.com/morbid_obesity_surgery/

"Morbid obesity is the most common form of malnutrition in the United States and in the world today. It is considered after smoking to be the second leading preventable cause of death in the United States. </ST1:p It is a chronic disease which is very complex and has multiple etiologies."

"We lose over 300,000 patients a year to morbid obesity and morbid obesity related medical problems."

"There are social, psychosocial and economic consequences of morbid obesity that can be devastating. Unfortunately, the prejudice against the obese is very common in our society."

"Conservative management of morbid obesity that includes diet, behavioral modifications, exercise programs and the like have been found to be ineffective over the long term. A person who is morbidly obese who attempts conservative management, as mentioned above, either alone or in any combination, is not expected to be successful more than 5% of the time. Over 95% of patients who are morbidly obese and meet the criteria for morbid obesity will regain their weight and often overshoot their previous weight. Surgery for morbid obesity is the only method that has resulted in long-term maintenance of weight loss and the reduction of the comorbid diseases that are associated with morbid obesity. In particular, hypertension, dibetes mellitus, risks for coronary disease, osteoarthritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease and many others.

Morbid obesity is a chronic disease which is defined as a disruption of bodily function that develops slowly and persists for an extended period of time and often for life. It is multifactorial and includes genetic predisposition, environmental factors, social economic factors, cultural influences, hormonal influences and digestive abnormalities. In 1985 morbid obesity was recognized as a disease with associated comorbid diseases by the National Institute of Health. In 1991, surgical weight loss stated to be superior to nonsurgical weight loss methods and that only surgical intervention produced acceptable long-term results. In 1993 the National Institute of Health recognized the vertical banded gastroplasty and the gastric bypass procedure to be effective in significant reduction of excess body weight. The National Institute of Health recognizes morbid obesity as being an epidemic that can only be reduced significantly by surgical intervention for both morbid obesity and its associated comorbid problems."

****************

http://www.landauercosmeticsurgery.co.uk/obesity/

"OBESITY: A MEDICAL CONDITION

People who suffer from obesity are poorly misunderstood by those of the population who are not obese. There is a common attitude that overweight people are stupid and unable to control themselves. People who are obese are often the brunt of cruel jokes and thoughtless humour, even to the point of suffering abusive comments in public places.

We now know that the medical condition of morbid obesity is a complex disorder, and not simply due to over-eating. The vast majority of people living in the Western World eat more calories than they need but it is only a small proportion that relentlessly lay down every excess calorie in their fat stores. Most people have a mechanism, by which their body knows when their stores have been refilled, but there is an unfortunate group of people where this mechanism is defective, and when they eat it can be likened to filling up the bath with the overflow blocked off.

There are of course no fat people in starvation areas of the world, but this is because these are regions with chronic malnutrition and nobody there has access to even adequate calories.

People who are morbidly obese often find it difficult to believe that their problem is a medical disease and not simply due to overeating.

MORBID OBESITY IN FAMILIES

The disorder of morbid obesity often runs in families. The chance of having morbid obesity is clearly increased if other people in your family have the condition. Studies of identical twins who were separated at birth and brought up separately show that if one twin becomes obese, then the other one is likely to become obese as well."

[DrewsLou 3]

I knew it!! I'm fat because I'm unmotivated and lazy!! LOL Thanks for clearing that up!

[Tropicana 0]

If you really think I am going to take the time out of my day to read that rubbish thesis.....lmao. Please. :tired

You can think and believe whatever you want. I'm still right.

The statement that "dieting" does not work is a joke. Maybe we have different definitions of what dieting is. I consider it, eating at or below your caloric requirements, eating the right kinds of things, on a permanent basis.

If you eat less and exercise more, you will lose weight. Take less in, put more out, weigh less. That is what it is about. The lap band prevents you from consuming too much. it makes you feel fuller with less food because you've stretched your stomach past its limit and now you require more to feel as full. If you diet for an extended period of time, stock up on Fiber and Water, you can beat that.

There was a time before the lapband and RNY was around and ppl still lost weight. Come on.

[donali 57]

If you eat less and exercise more, you will lose weight. Take less in, put more out, weigh less. That is what it is about.

How was this working for you, Vines?

If you consider studies by the NIH and obesity professionals to be rubbish, you are certainly entitled to your opinion.

Eating less and exercising more works for most people while they DO it. MOST people are not able to live happy and fulfilling lives while constantly hungry and feeling deprived, and most are unable to muster up the energy for intense physical activity on a reduced calorie diet.

Certainly whoever this works for, YAY for them. But in real life, 95% of the people cannot maintain happy lives living in hunger and over-exertion for their calorie levels.

Most of the normal weight people I know do not exercise everyday. I asked my normal weight doc if he exercised an hour each day, and went hungry. He said "No." I asked him if he could, on a long term basis, and he sheepishly said "No."

Most people can do almost anything for a short amount of time - but longterm very few people can maintain that type of lifestyle - living with deprivation.

Has nothing to do with moral Fiber. I'd dig up another study JohnQ posted about starvation, but I wouldn't want to waste your time. :eek:

[vinesqueen 2]

How was this working for you, Vines?:eek:

LMAO, which is apperently the only way I'll lose my A

(dyslexia strikes again)

[Marimaru 7]

What does the lap band do? Doesn't it basically prevent the person from eating large amounts of food? It doesn't change a persons metabolic rate or anything on a chemical basis. So how is it different from dieting? All dieting is is reducing the amount of nutrition.

The high failure rate of dieting is due to lack of motivation and follow through. To say that eating less and exercising more doesn't work is a joke. I stand by what I said.

The lap band is medical intervention. I'm pretty sure the statistic of 95% points to people trying to lose weight WITHOUT medical intervention. For lots of people, the idea of eating less and moving more will help them lose weight, but the 95% is people who can't stick to that long term and keep the weight off. Dieting doesn't work, because people can't keep to a diet. Why'd you get the band?

[vinesqueen 2]

also, I think that one of the reasons that diets don't work is because they are a short term solution. Diets can generally not be maintained for months or years at a time. Which is good, because diets are generally not designed with the most sound nutrition in mind, but the quickest weight loss.

I think folks that are successful in the long term, banded or not, have taken that one crutial step, they have made a lifestyle change. (proven that they have a metabolic thing. Yes, some people are very successful at changing their lifestyle, but not when they are in a diet mentality.

Diets, in my mind, are all about deprivation, and who can live that way happily? Not many. I know some do it for spiritual reasons, but most people who diet are not doing it for spiritual reasons, but something much more earthly.

[ShavieLou 0]

I also think her personality has changed along with her losing the weight. She appeared more outgoing in her previous "heavy" life. I wonder if she feels guilty about not being open & honest on whatever she did to lose the weight.

If, previously, she was talking about being full-figured and fabulous and lovin' herself and then, after her weight loss, she admitted to being very unhappy with herself, perhaps it just means she's human like the rest of us.

I wonder if, like many people, she felt (justifiably so) that being severely obese causes people to judge you unfairly. Not wanting to be seen as the bitter, low-self esteemed fat person causes many people to be the outgoing, sassy, life-of-the-party, "livin'-large-and-lovin'-it" fat person who everyone loves to be around. If they're bowled over by your force of personality, glitz and glamour, then they won't dismiss you out of hand, or pity you as a poor, fat, lazy slob. Nobody wants to be pitied.

[bluwings 0]

I just read this on People (online): Now saying a "MEDICAL INTERVENTION"

Barbara Walters recently took a look at her cohost Star Jones Reynolds on the set of The View and told her, "You're getting too skinny." Says Reynolds: "To hear someone say that to me? The funniest thing in the world." Reynolds, 43 – who weighed more than 300 lbs. in 2003 – credits "a medical intervention" for helping "jump-start" her 150-plus-lb. loss, but she won't talk specifics. "I will not be the poster child for a particular method," she says. "Only your doctor can tell you what will work for you." In her new memoir-cum-self-help book Shine, she does detail her struggle with obesity and shares her gospel on being the best you can be. Husband Al, 35, a banker, thinks she's there. "Half of the woman I fell in love with is missing!" he says, but "I'm proud of her."

[Monica S 1]

I LOVE that "secret lives of women" show. They also had one on women who work in prisons, one about women who are addicted to plastic surgery, and the eating disorders one. Really good show.

I think I have a lot in common with anorexics, bulimics, and overeaters. The biggest thing being an obsession with food. I can't even imagine what it would be like to view food as something to keep you alive. It means so much more to me. I think about it all the time!

As far as Star goes, she had surgery. She lost too much too quick, and I agree that if it had been on weight watchers or jenny craig or something she would have said so.

And I think she should come forward. WE don't have to, but we are not famous. Being a celebrity has a lot of perks that come with it, but it has some downsides too, including having a responsibility to the public.

[ShavieLou 0]

You couldn't pay me enough to be a celebrity. I value my privacy and my right to say "stay the heck outta my business" too much. I'd be like a female Russel Crow...all grumpy and bitter and morose....getting on everybody's nerves.

[Monica S 1]

It's funny to me how celebrities get all up in arms about the paparazzi and their privacy, especially since most of them worked their asses off to get famous to the point where they are recognized in public.

I think it would be really horrible not to have any privacy, but the paycheck might ease the pain...

[ShavieLou 0]

Well, that's true enough. I suppose you dont' become a famous actor because you hate the spotlight and just want to blend into the background. LOL