Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

If you haven’t picked up the December issue of O Magazine, I highly recommend it for ONE article. The article is called, “The Fat Fight” and it’s on page 205 and it chronicles the story of a mother, Robin, and her daughter, Jess.

Robin Marantz Henig starts the article, telling her side of the story. She was a health and fitness writer while her daughter was growing up. When Jess was nine months old, a stranger made an off-handed comment about Robin’s baby, which turned into Robin’s obsession with making her daughter thin and acceptable in her mind. From the beginning paragraph, when Robin describes her daughter belly-dancing, she just CAN’T stop herself from demeaning her.

She wore a costume of bright blue and a gold hip scarf with jiggling coins. Her midriff – also jiggling – was bare.

She goes on to pay lip service to the dance by calling it graceful, but I can tell that the “jiggling” belly was the first thing on her mind. From the tone of Robin’s side of the story, you might think that it was all a misunderstanding on her daughter’s side, but one paragraph shows that Robin is still trying to spare her daughter the “pain” of being fat.

When she was 16, Jess sat me down one night and told me she’d been bulimic for years.

That was a VERY brave thing for Jess to do. I never did tell my grandmother about my eating disorder spawned by her desperate attempts to spare me the pain of being fat.

My first thought was she couldn’t be [bulimic], or she wouldn’t be so fat.

When I read that I KNEW with a capital “K” that poor Jess had experienced all that I had, but unlike me, she didn’t have a mother to run home to who loved her just the way she was.

When I read Jess’ side of the story, however, I learned that it was MUCH worse.

When I was 6, my mother, a journalist, wrote an article for Woman’s Day called “Kids Get Fat Because They Eat Too Much… and Other Myths About Overweight Children.” Under the main bar was a sidebar about how she’d turned me from a slightly chubby 4-year-old into a slightly less chubby 6-year-old… by feeding me less.

Let’s be honest. It wasn’t by “feeding her less.” It was by STARVING her. Just like when my grandma fed me 600 calories a day, Robin was starving her daughter because some random woman had said, “I love fat babies,” when Jess was nine months old.

This was typical. When Mom wrote about children and health, I appeared in the role of Fat Kid Saved by Diet or Exercise.

Not only was Robin mistreating her child, she wrote about it regularly for women’s magazines. The kind of magazines that my grandma read. Not only did she starve her own daughter, she recommended the similar treatment of children all over the nation. Maybe even including me.

Somehow the two of them have mended their “fractious mother-daughter relationship,” but I have no sympathy or clemency for Robin. No matter how much she thinks she has changed and accepted her daughter for the way she is, there is monster lurking in there who will never be satisfied, even if Jess were to wither away to a wisp of herself.

Believe me, I know this because I was a wisp of myself when I was 17 years old and my grandparents never accepted me. In their minds, I ALWAYS needed to lose weight. Even as an adult, when I got down to a healthy weight for my height, my grandpa never mentioned anything about my weight loss. Instead, he recommended that I go to Weight Watchers like his friend had done.

There is no satisfying beasts like Robin and my grandparents. Sure, they love us, in their way. They think that the constant negative comments about our bodies will somehow spare us pain, never realizing that the only people causing us pain about our bodies are THEM.

If you have a person like this in your life, I doubt you will ever be able to have a civil conversation about weight. Even if you think you’ve made a breakthrough with them, like Jess and Robin, know that it’s just a truce, not a victory. You will have to find someone different for support with your health and fitness because you can never depend on them to be helpful without bringing up all that pain from the past.

I got this comic in an email from Mike’s aunt.

Disfigurement from liposuction is a very REAL result, but having scars and misshapen skin isn’t considered a medical risk. Here is some more information from Discovery Health’s website:

• Liposuction Risk : Risks of Liposuction : Discovery Health

Whether reported or not, liposuction problems are real enough — though some, such as wavy or uneven skin after fat removal, are not medically serious.

Considering the risk of dying from plastic surgery (like Kanye West’s mother did), liposuction doesn’t seem worth the risk. When you add the chance of being disfigured, I’m surprised how many people are willing to have the procedure.

This old advertisement has me perplexed.

It reads:

Drugless Health. 3 1/2 lbs. DIET SAND. $1.00 plus postage. Advice 50c. Prof. Ayer, 217 1/2 Pike, Seattle, Wash.

Really?! Sand?! As far as quack theories go, it has to be at the top.

Putting aside the risk of getting a parasite (like round worm) from the sand, what would happen if someone ate a lot of sand? Would it make them lose weight?

This article about preventing Sand Colic in horses gives us a glimpse into what would happen:

• Sand Colic: Durango Equine Veterinary Clinic – PDF Link

As the sand accumulates in the large intestine, it acts like sand paper and erodes the intestinal mucosa (lining of the gut). One of the large intestine’s functions is to absorb water. Due to the same accumulation and irritation to the mucosal lining, water is not absorbed well, resulting in watery manure. This same theory explains why horses with a lot of sand lose weight or are unable to gain weight well. The horse’s intestinal lining is damaged and does not digest nutrients as well. Because of the damage sand causes, this can cause discomfort and pain leading to depression, going off feed, or colic.

Remember that “watery manure” means painful diarrhea and “going off feed” is just a euphemism for “it hurts so bad that I don’t want to eat.” Many times, this gets so bad in horses that they need surgery to solve the problem.

If the horse has an enormous amount of sand and its pain cannot be medically controlled by a veterinarian, surgical intervention may be needed. This usually takes place on an emergency basis, when the horse is in extreme pain or can’t pass the sand with conservative treatment. The horse is sent to a referral surgical facility and the sand is “dumped” from the large intestine by a surgeon. Usually prognosis is good, but there is risk of the large intestine rupturing during surgery due to the heavy weight of the sand.

It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the Sand Diet isn’t healthy, but knowing the details of unpleasantness of it arms you against the next diet fad out there. If any diet guru out there jumps on the ancient Sand Diet bandwagon, remember the mommy from this video, “Yucky!”

Advert via: vintage_ads: Because ordinary sand is full of calories.

This old advertisement for Life Savers is an interesting snapshot of women and body issues.

It reads:

Shirley Simkin’s lost her sleek appeal.
She never stops eating from meal to meal.

Slim Sally Hayes stays light on her feet.
She makes Life Savers her ‘tween meal treat.

Looking at the artwork for this ad, BOTH girls are gorgeous. The copy makes us compare the two, but the truth of the matter is, both girls are beautiful.

The comments on the Live Journal site make that clear:

Shirley surely is appealing to me. 😛

Shirley is cute as can be and Slim Sally looks like a major bitch.

It helps that Sally is 6’2 and has legs as long as Shirley’s entire body.

Shirley Simkin is adorable. I wish I could constantly eat between meals and be shaped that way.

Even more interesting is this comment from nosyparker:

Interesting how they’ve put Shirley in muted earth tones and Sally in red, white and blue. Clearly Shirley is a COMMIE.

Eating cookies all day long isn’t healthy, but neither is popping Life Savers all day long. Sure, hard candy has less calories than cookies, but they BOTH are unhealthy habits. The next time an advertisement makes you feel bad about your body, remember that they are trying to sell you something by lowering your self-esteem. Don’t let them get inside your head.

Advert via: vintage_ads: Life Savers

This postcard from PostSecret made me really think.

It reads:

Six months ago, I had gastric bypass, have lost 100 lbs. and have never felt better.

I am terrified that the conversations with my daughter about body image, self-confidence and loving who you are will make me a hypocrite.

I think gastric bypass is a bad idea. It’s dangerous (1 out of 200 die within 30 days of the surgery). I really don’t consider the risk of the surgery to be worth it.

Then again, we don’t know everything about the human body. It may be that in the future, we will know EXACTLY what causes obesity and one simple operation can be done to prevent or correct it. Will I think that surgery is a bad idea? No, I don’t think so. I think I’ll be all for it once we absolutely KNOW what causes obesity and how to fix it as long as the survival rates and post-surgery symptoms are better than they are now.

Is this woman a hypocrite? No. She did what she had to do to get to a healthy weight. I’m sick of all this moral judgment about gastric bypass surgery. She’s not a bad person for taking the “easy” way out, she was willing to take the risk of death and severe symptoms. I don’t find that risk acceptable, but everyone gets to make their own decision about it as long as they are FULLY informed about the potential complications.

For more info about the risks and symptoms:

• Starling Fitness » The Gastric Bypass Diet

PostSecret‘s beneficiary is the National Hopeline Network. It is a 24-hour hotline (1 (800) SUICIDE) for anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who is considering it.

This 1968 ad from Sugar Information, Inc. is laughable.

It reads:

Tucked away in your brain is a hunger switch. It’s called an “appestat.” It helps control the amount you eat. Sugar can help you switch your appestat from “on” to “off.” Read more about sugar and weight control.

Everyone knows sugar contains calories. So it’s hard to think of sugar as a big help in weight control, yet that’s exactly what sugar can be.

When your blood sugar level is low, your appestat is tuned up and you’re hungry. (Probably tired, too) Just a small amount of sugar, in a soft drink, candy, coffee, or tea, will turn your appestat down. Then you’re not so apt to overeat, and overeating is really what makes you fat.

In addition to helping with weight control, sugar does other good things. For one, it gives you quick energy. Sugar is all energy, and is taken into your blood stream faster than any other food. So when sugar turns your appestat “off” you might say it “turns you on.” Artificial sweeteners don’t affect your appestat and have no energy value. Also, sugar tastes good, and so do foods made with sugar. Stay with sugar. Sugar’s got what it takes!

Before you think this ad was an isolated incident, know that this was just one of an entire marketing campaign. Here are two other examples:

• 1956 Importance of Sugar Report Vintage Print Ad

• A message from Sugar Information, Inc. — “She needs sugar in her life.” – Boing Boing

I don’t know who financed the Sugar Information, Inc. marketing campaign, but I have a sneaking suspicion it might have been people who SELL sugar. I doubt any doctors had anything to do with this information.

Sugar DOES affect my hunger. Unfortunately, simple sugars like the white sugar shown in the ad, cause a rebound effect. After I’ve eaten something loaded with sugar, I tend to want MORE sugar after about a half hour. I’ve noticed the same effect with artificial sweeteners as well.

I do much better with sugars found in fruit. I can eat an apple and be satiated for a couple of hours, but if I just swallowed a spoonful of the same amount of sugar that you find in an apple, I’m still hungry. It’s not the sugar that makes me feel full, it’s all the bulky stuff in the apple. Fiber and water satiate my appetite FAR more than sugar ever has.

What we see here is a clear example of marketing posing as health information. We see that a lot, even today. Remember that idea that 2-3 servings of milk every day help with weight loss? The study was sponsored by the Dairy Council and has never been repeated with the same results. And that three apples a day diet? Yeah, that was sponsored by the Washington Apple Growers Association.

The most important thing that we need to do when marketing is stronger than science is find what works for us. When you find a diet that makes you feel good, keeps your weight at a healthy level and leaves you with energy to spare, stick to it. You don’t need Sugar Information, Inc. to tell you what you should eat.

Advertisement via: vintage_ads: Sugar Information, Inc.

Last month, those of the Islamic faith observed Ramadan. It’s a month-long fast during the day. Instead of eating throughout the day, you are only allowed to eat after sunset. You are also supposed to refrain from sex, speaking ill of others, using profane language and smoking during those hours. The practice is supposed to lead to a heightened sense of spirituality and aid the practice of self-restraint.

This year, an AppleGeeks Lite character was following the practice with predictable results:

I’ve talked about Ramadan before:

• Starling Fitness » Ramadan Starts Tomorrow

Limiting your diet can have two effects on people:

• It can give you a sense of control: When I am able to fast an entire day, it reminds me that I am in control of what goes into my mouth, not the beast within.
• It can make you lose control: Other times, denying myself spawns a binge that will last far longer than the fast did.

I’ve found that limiting my diet is far more harmful than helpful to me, but there are others who feel a sense of empowerment from a short fast (whether for religious reasons or health reasons). The next time you’re planning on going on a fast, take into account what your eating personality is and how this will affect you in the long run.

This postcard from PostSecret was in last Sunday’s collection.

It reads:

Sometimes I think the reason I can’t lose weight is because
I’m Scared.
If I become thin and discover guys still aren’t attracted to me, then I will have nothing to hide behind.

I think the reason that ALL of us have troubles losing weight is because we are scared. Each of us are scared of different things, but fear seems to be the largest obstacle in our way.

I’m scared that my family won’t like me as much when I’m thin. A lot of what we do together is eat. If I have to watch my food all the time, will be still be able to enjoy each other?

What is it about getting to your ideal weight that makes you scared? How can you get over that fear so that you can get to your goal?

PostSecret‘s beneficiary is the National Hopeline Network. It is a 24-hour hotline (1 (800) SUICIDE) for anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who is considering it.

This old advertisement made my blood boil a little.

It reads:

Figures show the modern taste is for light refreshment

One look at this modern hostess’s sillhouette and you can just about guess the kind of thing she keeps in that refrigerator.

You’d know it must be stocked with the lighter, less filling foods that make up the diet of the world’s most attractive people today.

That’s how they keep those slender waistlines. How they stay so young-looking year after year. Why they feel so good, so fit for all the activities, all the fun modern living has to offer.

And it is to suit their modern taste that today’s Pepsi-Cola is reduced in calories. Never heavy, never too sweet, it refreshes without filling.

Have a Pepsi, the modern, the light refreshment.

This old ad suggests that Pepsi is the reason the woman pictured is so thin and “young-looking.” After years of realizing that sugar-filled soda is making people FATTER, this advertisement seems crazy.

Whenever I see ads today saying that their products make you lose weight or appear slimmer, I look at them with my 1940’s eyes. New commercials are lying to me just like they have been lying for years. Don’t believe the products that are advertised to help you lose weight. They are just as bogus as this old Pepsi ad.

Advert via: Carabaas — Pepsi for Light Refreshment

Rudd Sound Bites has a great article about Dr. Regina Benjamin and whether she is qualified to be the Surgeon General.

• Rudd Sound Bites: Why does Dr. Benjamin’s size matter?

There has been a surge of discussion this week about Obama’s pick for Surgeon General, Dr. Regina Benjamin. The focus has not been on Dr. Benjamin’s many accomplishments or qualifications as a health care champion.

No, the focus has been on her body weight, and the criticism that somehow being overweight discounts and discredits all of her impressive qualities and accomplishments.

The truth of the matter is, she is MORE than qualified to handle the job of Surgeon General. When you look at her record, she is freakin’ amazing.

• Regina Benjamin – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The first step toward getting our country healthy again is acceptance. Polarizing weight as a health issue isn’t the best direction for the United States.

The same people who are trying to make obesity a disease are now trying to discriminate against Dr. Benjamin because of her weight. Would it be fair to discredit other Surgeon General candidates because they had a different disease like diabetes? No, it wouldn’t. In fact, it would give them MORE credibility because they have dealt with keeping themselves healthy despite a disease.

They can’t have it both ways. If they want to call obesity a disease or label it as an epidemic, then they can’t discriminate against Dr. Benjamin.