The world in weight: The weekly round-up

12th February 2008

The world in weight: The weekly round-up

posted in Arts and Music, Body Image, Eating Disorders, Fat Bias, Health/Nutrition, New Research, Pop Culture |

I’ve got lots of blog topics collecting dust in my brain, but no time to write them just now. Instead, here are a few weight-related topics in the news to chew on.

Wow. A major newspaper - The Sacramento Bee - has acknowledged body weight may be more a case of genes and metabolism than the “just eat less and exercise more” mantra - “Is it your fate to be fat?” They even consult and cite Gina Kolata. But what article wouldn’t be replete without the usual caveats on how folks can circumvent their genetic destinies to lose weight anyway. And you have to love the pro-ana advice given to fat people at the article’s conclusion by a so-called “expert on diet and fitness.”

Trailing on the heels of the Washington Post article on weight-based discrimination in health care comes an article by The News-Leader on the same topic. The same assumptions are there - that fat people are fat because of their diet and lifestyle habits - but the article does give tips for health-care providers on how they can be more sensitive to issues of weight.

Kate Spicer, one of the BBC journalists who embarked on an extreme diet for the documentary “Super Skinny Me” has been making the media rounds. She appeared yesterday on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, along with Dr. James Lock, head of the Eating Center program at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University. She also has an editorial in the Salt Lake Tribune documenting her experiences. Concludes Spicer:

Some people are naturally skinny. Many others admit that they have to work hard at it. After my brief but torturous glimpse into their world, I pity them. Those women who choose to make skinniness their main asset are really only living half a life.

And finally, the TVO network will premiere the Emmy-nominated documentary Thin at 9 p.m. EST March 2, followed by an online panel discussion with experts on eating disorders at its website, www.tvoparents.com, who will take questions and comments from the online public starting at 10:45 p.m. For those of you who haven’t heard of Lauren Greenfield’s documentary, the HBO film chronicles the experiences of four young women with eating disorders who are patients at the Renfrew Center, a residential facility for the treatment of eating disorders. More information on Thin here. TVO is a Canadian station, so I’m unsure if folks in the U.S. or elsewhere have access, but the panel discussion is accessible for everyone. See TVO’s press release for more information on the premiere and for a list of panel experts.

Update: Junk Food Science is reporting that Polly Ann Williams, one of the women featured in the documentary, has died. Read Greenfield’s obituary to her here.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 at 11:39 am and is filed under Arts and Music, Body Image, Eating Disorders, Fat Bias, Health/Nutrition, New Research, Pop Culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1 On February 12th, 2008, ladyjaye

said:

TVO is the province of Ontario’s public TV network, so I suppose that Americans living near the Ontario border (ie. Detroit area) would be able to catch it over-the-air.

posted on February 12th, 2008 at 12:25 pm

2 On February 12th, 2008, Maritzia

AAARRRGGGHHHHH *bangs her head against the wall in frustration*

“There are many factors that lead to obesity, says Dr. Richard Tytus. Genes play a role, says Tytus, a family doctor and associate professor at McMaster University in Hamilton. “It’s how much you consume, your level of activity, how much stress you’re under, your lifestyle habits, how you consume, do you eat breakfast every day, do you eat every three to four hours, do you eat one big meal?”

Does he mention, even once, metabolic issues that can contribute to obesity? No, he does not! It’s not just about consumption! It’s not just about exercise! It’s a *expletive deleted* complicated issue that needs more *expletive deleted* research. Does he mention that people with insulin resistance produce less energy in their cells than non-insulin resistant people? Nooooo…that would be too much like right. I bet he hadn’t even read that research.

I can’t tell you how much I hate, hate, hate going to the doctor. What a struggle it is to find a doctor that will give me the dose of thyroid I need to be able to function. How frustrated I am almost daily to have my insurance sending me these *coaching*letters on how to handle my health issues when I know more about the subject than all of them put together.

*sighs* I know, I’m preaching to the choir, but sometimes you just have to let it all out.

posted on February 12th, 2008 at 1:29 pm

3 On February 12th, 2008, Kate Harding

Upstate New York, too, LadyJaye. And probably other places I’m unaware of.

posted on February 12th, 2008 at 1:42 pm

4 On February 12th, 2008, Foxfire

Wow, I can’t believe that Polly died…well, I mean, considering the havoc anorexia can play on your body, it is not unexpected, but it was still shocking. She had such a vibrant spirit, I really felt I got to know her in the movie. I had hoped she would make it, so sad.

posted on February 12th, 2008 at 1:52 pm

5 On February 12th, 2008, Krista

Hmmm- genes and metabolism? Who would have thought! WebMD is reporting on a study regarding children and obesity that comes to the same conclusion, with the same tired admonitions at the end.

posted on February 12th, 2008 at 2:00 pm

6 On February 12th, 2008, Michelle

I did see the documentary “Thin” that Polly was on - very vibrant personality. So sad that she has passed. Oh and I may be going out on a limb here but I’m still not impressed by these “BUT TEH FATZ IS BAD” articles. Some of these people don’t get it, and probably never will. sigh ;(

posted on February 12th, 2008 at 6:44 pm

7 On February 22nd, 2008, Lily

Reading those articles about obesity discrimination reminded me of an experience I had about a month ago. I had realized that I dreaded going to the doctor’s because I had to be weighed, and on this particular day they were taking my blood to do a Lyme disease test, so I thought they couldn’t possibly actually need to weigh me. I politely explained to the nurse that I would prefer not to be weighed if it wasn’t necessary. She replied that the insurance companies require them to weigh patients at every visit. Gee, I wonder why some studies show that fat people die earlier. We don’t go to the fucking doctor because we don’t want to deal with the often anxiety-producing experience of being weighed, only to be on the receiving end of discrimination and substandard medical care. The ‘obesity epidemic’ crusade crap needs to be stopped. It’s killing people.

posted on February 22nd, 2008 at 7:45 pm