A 400lb woman writes about what it's like and how her life is & isn't affected by being very fat. Unlike most obese people, I actually look like the photos used to illustrate the "obesity epidemic" stories. 400 pounds, 400 lbs, 400 lb female, 400lbs female, 400lb fat woman, fat man, fat person, very fat, obese, obesity, morbidly obese, super obese, super obese fitness, super obese exercise, super obesity, very obese, death fat, supersize, BBW, BHM, Health at Every Size, HAES.
Some posts that may serve as an introduction:
3) Enjoyable walk today despite the sometimes-rain sometimes-drizzle. (I picked a shopping area, so I could spend a lot of time inside or under eaves.)
4) How cleaning my bedroom and CPAP mask/hose can make me feel so much better when I wake up. Yes, my allergies do include dust …
5) Long, warm hugs from the man of the house at the end of a stressful workday. Or any other time, really :)
Like many songs, it has a story behind it. Unlike many songs, I actually have heard the story behind this one at a concert. Seanan (singer/songwriter/blonde) was chatting with Michelle (also a singer/songwriter, though not of this song; redhead; Michelle is also known as Vixy) on IM. And Vixy was not feeling well. In fact she was feeling very, very ill. Vixy told Seanan how terrible she felt, and how it was probably some sort of Martian Death Flu or something similarly horrible, and after she died, Seanan, as her best friend, must immortalize her in song.
And you know how, in IM, you can see when the other person is typing, but not what they’ve typed? Well, as Vixy tells it, she could see “Seanan is typing” for what seemed long a long while….and Vixy asks, “You’re writing it right now, aren’t you?”
And then came the first verse:
When the aliens arrived, the planet still might have survived
If they hadn’t found a host in which to let their young mature.
Though they’re dreadful and Cthonic, they’re still weak when embryonic,
And our world has lots of dangers that they simply can’t endure.
It was glowing, it was green, it was anything but clean,
It was the protoplasmic shelter for that foul invading race.
And what I don’t understand is how you fell into their plan —
I can’t think of one good reason why you put it in your face.
So, just in case Michelle (Fat Nutritionist Michelle) ever wanted a change from the Beatles Michelle, she now has Seanan’s Oh, Michelle to give her a change. Or something.
*For maximum confusion I tend to “hear” the Melissa Etheridge version (I think from her Unpluggedconcert) combined with Rod Stewart’s.
**I tried to post it over there, but it didn’t embed, and anyway telling the story seemed like hugely threadjacking, so.
From the abstract, this looks to be a review-lots-of-observational-studies study, looking at correlations. The general result? People who drink more coffee, decaf coffee, or tea* had “an inverse relationship” with people who get diabetes.
Naturally, since drinking coffee/tea isn’t seen as something all Right People Should Do Anyway[TM] (unlike, oh, being thin?) this isn’t being reported as “Of course you should drink coffee/tea anyway, this is just another reason.” In fact, there’s even statements like Reuter’s “Clinical trials are needed to investigate whether these beverages do indeed help prevent diabetes, the researchers say.”
But whether or not anything actually comes of this, I got a good giggle out of it.
*I assume they mean actual tea leaves, not herbal infusions.
Still here, still working, still good. Still seeing incremental improvements to my knee. Just not updating much :)
I have been using a cane. This is both good and bad. Good in that the cane helps my balance when my knee decides to not support me. Bad in that it always takes a hand. You know how you never know how much you use both hands to carry things until one is out of commission? Well, in this case the hand (and arm and shoulder) are fine but occupied.
I started using the cane a little over a month ago. Why? My knee stopped supporting me—while walking on the office treadmill. (Scary!) The cane made it easier to balance myself when my knee went “out”. It also helped support my weight so that my knee could do a bit less work, which made it easier to walk further. Over time I’ve needed it less and less. I’m often stiff when I first get out of a chair, but after taking some steps I often don’t really need it to get around the office.
Other things that aggravate my knee is stepping too quickly on a downslope, or when I start to feel fatigued. The short walks I’ve been doing are flatish but not flat, so I definitely use the can for those.
Today I managed to forget the cane on my way to work. I realized this as I was turning into the office garage. Rather than driving all the way home and back, I decided to try doing without it today. It went better than I expected. I would stay close to my desk or a wall when I first got up (in case I needed to grab it for support) but over time I was less worried. I didn’t push my luck by going for a walk, though.
A couple other things:
I got my refund for the extra airplane seat I purchased from Alaska Airlines. I would have been okay with purchasing the extra seat if I hadn’t gotten it refunded, but if they’re willing to give me money (about $400 in this case) I’m quite happy to take it.
I loved Fat-o-matic’s take on the gardening myth. Which reminds me I should prune the roses.
The products are packaged in paperboard cartons and contain four, six or 12 steel cans that are 11 FL OZ (325 mL) each. Individual cans are also sold in certain retail outlets. The recall involves all Slim-Fast® RTD products in cans, regardless of flavor, Best-By date, lot code or UPC number.
The recall is due to a bacterial contamination that could cause diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
I tried Slim-Fast powder in my teens. Lost some weight, gained it back, not impressed with the “shakes.” Mom wasn’t impressed with them either — she read the nutritional info on the back and stated, “I don’t see how that’s all that different from that Carnation Instant Breakfast stuff.” Years later I found that same container in the kitchen. I asked if I should throw it out, and she replied, “No, I don’t think it’d go bad, and it might be handy during a power outage.” For all I know it’s still there. Egad.
The Oprah magazine article I posted about earlier, by (mother) Robin Marantz Henig and (daughter) Jess Zimmerman, is online now. So far the comments are good too, but there’s only two of them, so I’d be cautious anyway.
Doctors, nutritionists and physiologists not affiliated with “The Biggest Loser” express doubt about the program’s regimen of severe caloric restriction and up to six hours a day of strenuous exercise, which cause contestants to sometimes lose more than 15 pounds a week.
At least one other contestant has confessed to using dangerous weight-loss techniques, including self-induced dehydration. On the first episode of the current season, two contestants were sent to the hospital, one by airlift after collapsing from heat stroke during a one-mile race.
I don’t watch the show, so the fact that contestants ended up in hospital was news to me. I was pleased to see the Times got into a bit more detail on specific risks, stating that:
Rapid weight loss can cause many medical problems, including a weakening of the heart muscle, irregular heartbeat and dangerous reductions in potassium and electrolytes.
The Times also quotes the waiver contestants have to sign to be on the show, including that they believe themselves to be “in excellent physical, emotional, psychological and mental health.” If they really believe that, why do I hear the show showcases whining about “getting my life back” and “hating how I used to be”? Hello?
I also thought this was hysterical:
Getting contestants to talk openly about the environment of the program is difficult. Shortly after a reporter started contacting former contestants to interview them about their experiences, a talent producer on the series sent an e-mail message to many former contestants reminding them that “serious consequences” could ensue if they ever talked to a reporter without the show’s permission.
To do so could subject them to a fine of $100,000 or $1 million, depending on the timing of the interview, according to the e-mail message, which was obtained by The New York Times. The show’s producers did provide an opportunity to interview several former contestants, but the interviews were conducted with an NBC publicist listening in.
Way to come off as if NBC, the producers and medical advisor have something to hide!
What I’m wondering is, what would you like to see in such a class? Not what is usually in such classes, or what Lincoln is including — what would rock your socks to see?
I caught up on sleep over the weekend. This is good thing, since I turn into a bear of very little patience when I don’t have enough. ;)
I also realized yesterday that I’ve gone days without taking ibuprofen for my leg. I passed “Not hurting all the time” a little over a week ago and now I’m at “not hurting unless I misstep / walk to fast”. This is also a good thing.
…for both legs. Plus 15 elbow-to-knee raises on each side and some back extensions. Three weeks ago I had trouble doing any lifts with my left leg, so this is a goodness.
Today I walked a quarter-mile loop around the office park where I work. It was pain-free for the first 2/3rds of it — stepped wrong, it hurt, recovered, and continued back to my office and rewarded myself with diet Pepsi. :)
One thing I realized this fall: I thought that increasing my walking meant I could let the strength training slide. I was wrong. Looks like I need to figure out how to make exercise a habit, because I’m tired of re-injuring myself!
