Drugs are the answer
It being Monday and all, I was putting off beginning work by browsing Stuff.co.nz's Australian cousin, the online Sydney Morning Herald.
And I stumbled on an article claiming that experts say science and medicine need to focus on developing drugs to tackle the obsesity "crisis" facing the Western world.
I blogged on the subject of weight loss last week and I thought it appropriate to revisit it, because most commenters were righteously emphatic that the solution is simple - less food, more exercise. Quite. I assume it's our awesome willpower we're supposed to employ to do this. (In my case, this is the willpower that can get me through an Ironman, when my entire body is screaming to stop but fails when I'm hungry and faced with a bag of chips.)
Anyway, I’m sure most of us have known people who have achieved fabulous changes with weight loss, but apparently, it's at this point the problem arises.
The article goes on to say: "Lifestyle changes can take off kilograms, but this can then result in hormonal changes in the body that make people struggle to maintain their new size."
This seems to suggest that even if you religiously stick to the Weight Watchers diet for the rest of your life, it might not be enough. So what then? Start browsing the women's magazines for more drastic solutions?
The answer, according to the aforementioned experts, is to develop a drug to keep the weight off.
I’m certainly no expert on the subject, but I can share my own observations. I’ve watched my grandmother yo-yo diet most of her life, going up and down like she’s on a see-saw. (Do you like the mixed metaphor?) Talk about depressing. Lose all that weight then berate yourself as the numbers on the scale creep up again.
I lost heaps of weight when I first started training, and then put it all back on plus some when I eased off/paused. While I quickly rediscovered my love of slogging it out and lost a lot since then, I’ve never returned to that low weight. However, I assumed it was because I wasn’t willing to give up all my pleasures, not because of the lack of a pill. And I’m about six years older, which certainly makes a difference.
I’m not there yet, but judging by rueful comments by my mother and her sisters, middle-age spread is not a fallacy.
Clearly there’s no suggestion that an obesity drug could help with this, but how would you figure out the difference between failing to keep the weight off due to hormones and natural changes in your body as you age?
Since it's a perplexing subject, let's throw open the floor. What do you think? Is a pill an answer? Is it our own fault? Stories of your own to share?
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Sounds like yet another nod towards our "I want it all and I want it now" instant gratification society.
Rather than putting in the hard work and effort to achieve something, people seem to want to just be able to have it happen without any effort on their part.
Sure, there are those for whom the "normal" diet and exercise won't be effective for various medical or genetic reasons, but for the rest, just pull your finger out and make the effort. You'll appreciate it more in the long term.
Throwing this in there: I have never needed to diet, because I am naturally slim... but in saying that I have always been an active person and do not enjoy what people consider to be junk food: takeaways and sweets give me a sickly feeling, so I seldom eat them.
So is my weight due to being 'naturally slim' or amd I slim because I prefer to exercise and eat healthy???
I supose the only way we could truely find out is if I had a twin who didn't enjoy moving about and who did enjoy 'bad' foods
One to think about :)
@Geoff - QFT - couldn't have said it better.
The other big problem, is doing it for the right reason, which is most probably not to fit the size 10 dress, or a 30 inch waist (for men). I found it much easier to work toward being fitter and healthier as they are much more attainable than an arbitrary dress/pant size. We can all be fitter and healthier. We can't all be a size 10.
I watched several friends be fat and miserable then lose weight only to put it on again, i truely believe that they didn't know how to be happy - they ate when miserable and blamed being miserable on being fat when it was infact the other way around.
I think that fat and miserable gave them an identity and an excuse not to do anything that may affect their unhappy state - its a vicious circle but also an addiction they find hard to break because their bodies can't remember what it is like to be healthy.
BTW, the state of mind is also catching - in the company of these friends i eat to much, drink too much and feel heavy and lazy, to the point where i don't spend much time with them anymore.
What? No dreary post-mortem on the Taupo thing at the weekend?
Very surprised.
@ Yawn. That wasn't very nice. Did you have a bad weekend or are you in pain?
@ flip
I hate that. There are certain friends I just cannot hang out with now, as they seem hell bent on getting me to over eat just so they don't feel so guilty about themselves.
Interesting comments and article, I myself have gained a huge amount of weight and found personal goals dealt to it , a few years ago I worked out hard and cycled the 160km of Taupo race on an MTB with slicks, the following year I departed NZ to winter in Antarctica (good health is needed for this) I returned to head off to sea for many trips on research vessels that took me to many many places, then there was travel thru the middle east , asia and the united states, all of which would have been a mission had I not made the personal effort to change my lifestyle and become fit and healthy, also having two close family members pass away from cancer - which I must say does install a large element of anger - but I have redirected that to achieve other goals in life.
Some people say I'm lucky - I don't see it like that - I just woke up and have made choices that suit me and my body, I feel great when I put on my suit and go to work, hang out with friends on the weekend, and a part of this is due to the fact that I know I'm nothing amazing to look at , but I know what makes me happy and gives me the things I need to achieve the goals I have in life.
I must admit I learn't my lesson with Taupo , having happily invested in a road bike , I'll just leave the MTB for the dirt tracks.
Oh, go on then - I'll put my hand up to be a drug guinea pig! I recently lost some weight due to less calories in and lots more out due to a temporary lifestyle change (a very, very active holiday). And now back at my desk, am back into training 4-6 times a week (don't get paid to exercise unfortunately!) and trying to maintain that weight loss - I'm playing merry go round with 2kgs at the moment. It's going to get more difficult closer Christmas gets. Also, because of my age, my hormones are starting to fluctuate and am really noticing it. Overall I have lost 25-30kg over a 6-8 year period and am extremely ecstatic with where I've gotten. If I lose more, that would be great, but if I stay where I am - just as good. I feel so much healthier, better, fitter and living a very full life. If a drug is going to help me achieve/maintain this while continuing to live an active, healthy lifestyle (and I don't expect to sit on the couch) - I'll be the first in line!! In the meantime, it's back to the grindstone working to save for the next adventurous holiday/adventure.
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Interesting topic!
I was much of the same opinion as you - if my weight loss stalls or reverses it's usually attributable almost directly to something I didn't want to give up so I'm not generally of the thinking that a pill is the answer. But if the question is, do hormonal changes affect your weight, then I think almost every female who's ever taken oral contraceptives or had a kid would be able to answer that one! This could also have an effect on the weight gain with age equation (although I think that's partly to do with being less active too).