More Teenage Girls Getting Questionable Weight-Loss Surgery

When you hear weight-loss surgery, you think image obsessed celebrities, and the morbidly obese - not teenage girls.

Aren't teenage girls only concerned with the latest trends at Hot Topic, and that Justin Beaver character?

No, many teenage girls spend a lot of time worrying about their weight and now more, and more teens are opting for risky lap-band surgery to lose weight.

Even though gastric banding is not approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, a new study in the journal Pediatrics found the rate of gastric banding between 2005 to 2007 rose five-fold.

Researchers say most of the patients were young white girls, despite adolescent white girls only making up less than half of overweight youth.

Gastric banding places a silicone loop around the top part of the stomach, unlike gastric bypass which divides the stomach into an upper and lower pouch; both procedures facilitate dramatic weight-loss.

Among California teenagers, the rate of gastric banding increased from 0.3 per 100,000 kids to 1.5, whereas bypass surgery, which is considered the "gold standard" of weight-loss surgery, decreased from 3.8 per 100,000 to 2.7.

Gastric banding occupies two-thirds of an estimated $400 million weight-loss surgery market; intense marketing is helping the lap-band industry grow. Not being FDA approved makes this massively unethical.

And, many health experts are alarmed by the raise in gastric banding, finding fundamental and potentially dangerous problems with the surgery; placing a rigid ring around a moving organ could erode the area over time.

To me, this is a no-brainer. Weight-loss surgery is extreme, and should only be used in extreme cases where everything else has failed; i.e. no amount of nutritional intervention or exercise rehabilitation is going to save a severely obese person's life in time. But teenage girls? No, always no.

Teenagers aren't lost causes. Well, except for the 17 year old boy who is still eating paste. If you're younger than 18, your support system is probably stronger than it will ever be. So, between family, friends, school, and your doctor - there has to be a better, safer why to lose weight.

If you start taking the easy way out at 15, 16, 17, you're not exactly setting a good precedent for the rest of your life - are you?

Image credit: Lap Band Gastric Surgery / band bypass ballon

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The Twinkie Diet: Eat Junk Food and Lose Weight?

It's been dubbed "the Twinkie diet" by the media: Mark Haub, a professor in Kansas State University's Department of Human Nutrition, has been surviving on junk food for the past month.

And, he's lost weight.

This might seem to fly in the face of conventional nutritional wisdom. After all, junk food results in weight gain, right?

Haub started the "Twinkie Diet" on 25th August. Since then, he's been eating mostly swiss cake rolls, blueberry muffins, cinnamon rolls, Peanut Butter Oreos, and hot dogs.

As well as the junk food, Haub has milk (for protein), and vegetables (for vitamins) with dinner.

By sticking to 1,800 calories a day - around 600-800 fewer than he'd need to maintain weight - Haub lost 10lbs in the first three weeks of his "diet".

It shouldn't come as such as surprise. After all, you could lose weight eating two candy bars a day: it's the calories-in verses calories-out which matter.

Haub isn't doing this because he's a junk-food addict - he admits missing salads and blue cheese. He's trying to open up debate about how people on a low income can't eat healthily (on the diet, his food costs have dropped to around $5/day):

It's unrealistic in some areas of society to expect that you can find fresh broccoli, tomatoes at a price that is affordable. If somebody can get their nutrients from a supplement and then they get their fuel from whatever is available, does it matter that they're not getting fruits and vegetables and whole grains? Is that okay?

Of course, there are big nutritional questions to be asked about a diet which relies so heavily on sugary, salty, processed products. Nutrition is about a lot more than calories. Plus, most folks on a junk food diet would find themselves so hungry (due to sugar crashes and lack of fiber) that they'd be hard-pressed to stick to a calorie restriction.

What do you think? Is Haub's experiment an important one in a world where processed, packaged foods are often much cheaper than fresh ones? Or is this a dangerous way to diet?

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Kindergarten Lunches Get a Failing Grade

A lunch box audit performed by dietician Shannon Crocker in 4 Ontario kindergarten classes, has left much to be desired.

Cold hot dogs, gummy treats, sugary fruit beverages and packaged cookies were par for the course in those Dora and Diego lunch pales (do kids have lunch pales anymore?).

Here are some other undesirable findings from this survey of 82 lunches.

85% of lunches had no vegetables at all.Almost every container had one sugary treat and some up to five.Only five lunches included milk, but most of them had at least one sugary fruit-flavoured drink of little or zero nutritional value.Most children had only one drink to get them through the day, while some had nothing to drink at all.92% did not have a cooler pack - despite some lunches containing spaghetti and meat sauces that would be prone to bacteria, if left to get warm. Many lunches did not provide enough food for the long day the children were at school. Crocker's has a theory on this one though;

If a child doesn't eat much, parents might pack small amounts of food, or busy mornings allow little time to assemble lunches, money may be a factor, or there may not have been much food in the fridge that day. Source

Obviously this is concerning on several levels. It highlights the need for education and access to healthy foods for children. The socioeconomic status of the schools in question was not mentioned, but it goes without saying that children need access to healthy foods.

This is further complicated by the issue of big food sponsors, and a resulting skewed perception of what is considered "healthy".

I think parents can take some very simple and inexpensive steps to boosting the nutritional quality of their children's lunches. It takes only seconds to include some baby carrots or other sliced veggies (with hummus or red pepper dip for example), an apple, whole grain crackers with cheese, and a tuna sandwich on whole grain bread. And, it takes no time at all NOT to include a sugary drink.

If all else fails, get Detective John Kimble to teach your class.

Image Credit: Universal Pictures

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Interview With Ben Davis: "My 120 Pound Journey"

In January of 2009, a young man by the name of Ben Davis had had enough. He was 358lbs, and his weight was taking its toll on his health and his personal life. Then one day he started to run...

If you haven't seen this incredibly inspiring video, do yourself a favor and watch it. Then watch it again, and share it with others. Ben Davis' journey is a true testament of the human spirit and what one can accomplish with dedication, hard work (and some nipple band aids!)

Here's the video:

Determined to get into the head of such a determined and fearless human being, I caught up with Ben Davis, and had the privilege of picking his brain about his amazing journey.

MH: Hello Ben!

First of all, thank you so much for taking the time out to do this.

BD: It's my pleasure; I'm honored.

MH: I was really struck by the line in the video that says "and then I got inspired". Was there a moment/event/epiphany that occurred that sparked you into action? Describe if you can what the turning point was.

BD: There was absolutely a moment for me. It was Christmas of '08. I was spending the break with my grandmother in Massachusetts. She's always been a big supporter of me, but has always been concerned with my health and obesity. Throughout my life, she had always offered me advice and tips on how to become healthy, but where I appreciated it, I had also always kind of dismissed it. Then, this particular Christmas, in one of our many conversations she just asked me if I was happy. At the time, I just nonchalantly told her I was. Later that night, though, I started to think about it, and realized I wasn't happy. I also had the luxury of being able to pinpoint my sadness to my obesity.

So the next morning was Christmas and, being the irresponsible grandchild, I hadn't gotten her a gift. I woke up early and made the website. I wrote the address on a card for her and told her it was my commitment to her, that it was finally time to get my life together. She loved it.

MH: When you decided you were going to start running, did you have a specific goal in mind? Did you ever imagine when you started this journey less than 2 years ago that you would have undergone such a drastic transformation?

BD: There wasn't really any goals at first other than, "lose weight, get fit." But I knew running would be a means to that end, so my brother, Jed, and I signed up for a 5K to kind of kickstart us and give us something to work towards. He had about 50 pounds to lose (and has, by the way) so it was a perfect time for us both to be getting our act together.

But finishing the 5K 17 days later lit a fire in me. I loved the race atmosphere and loved seeing my times improve, so I never looked back.

MH: People start these kinds of endeavors all the time with the best of intentions, but very few of them accomplish what you did. What was it that kept you going, Ben?

BD: A few things, actually. First of all, the fear of going back to the dark place of depression. I knew how sad I was back then and never wanted to go back. I actually wrote a letter to my future self on the blog. It basically said, "Dude, if you're thinking of giving up, just remember, you've never been as happy as you are now. Keep going." And any time I would have a bad run or eat bad for a week, I would remember that letter and keep going.

Second thing was the running scene and the constant races. Having races and goals for those races really keeps the motivation up. I probably wouldn't have been successful if I had gone in just trying to have random workouts each day. With races, you're always kind of on a set schedule, training wise, and always wanting to improve your times, so you're always motivated to keep hitting the track.

MH: You've accomplished such an amazing feat to this point. What are some of your personal and athletic goals for the future?

Being bigger, I'm not really built for speed. I'm more into the long distance, endurance stuff like triathlons and long road races, so my goals are more marathonish type things. Of course, it would be fantastic to run a marathon in all 50 states. That's one of our big goals. More Ironmans, no doubt. And recently we've been toying with the idea of a 100-miler, but nothing set on that. The main goal, though, is to keep going. Just keep doing it. If nothing else, just make sure to stay with it.

MH: Lastly, what message do you have for people out there who may find themselves in a situation similar to yours of 2 years ago?

BD: My four commandments!

1. Be public
If you keep this to yourself, it will be easy to quit. The thing about having a health problem/addiction, is that the natural impulse is to hide it and keep it secret that you're trying to better yourself. But, it's also easier to quit if it's just you that knows about it.

And here's a secret: Unlike some addictions like alcoholism or drug use that are hideable, obesity is different. People know you're obese. It's not your little secret; you're not fooling anyone (no matter how much black or vertical lines you wear). So if you want to change, tell people. It seems embarrassing, I know. And it's hard, but you'll find that the people that love and care about you are going to be excited for you.

2. Get involved in something official
The feeling of being a part of something bigger than yourself will keep you motivated to keep going. Join a local fitness movement (running club, cycling group, weight watchers, etc...) If you have a group of people with likeminded goals, you'll keep coming back. As a bonus, if you join a running club, you'll have official races (Crazy scary, at first, but really no big deal) that you can work toward to keep you having goals. Get involved. You won't regret it.

3. Do something that you enjoy
Running isn't for everyone, so don't do it if you don't want to. Do you enjoy rollerblading? Good. Do that, but do it enough for it to work. Love cycling? Perfect. Did you swim in high school and kind of wish you could get back into it? Great.

If you hate what you're doing, you won't be doing it for very long. If I had said at the beginning, "I'm going to get really freaking good at doing the elliptical," BenDoesLife would have lasted two weeks. Find something that works for you and kill it. You can do it.

4. Be a smarter eater
And I don't mean you have to find a popular name-brand diet thing. If you want to, fine, but they aren't for everyone. But you have to eat better and, more importantly, smarter. Are you and your friends going out for pizza? Ok. Have two slices instead of seven (which was my number of choice.) Want something easy for breakfast? Toast an English muffin rather than a Pop-Tart.

And, if nothing else, learn portion control. Our portion sizes are completely out of whack these days, and what you think is a small meal is probably still more than you should be eating. It's going to take a month or two before you're used to the smaller portions but you'll get there, and it's imperative that you do. Give it time.

MH: Well, Ben I'm sure I speak for many when I wish you a very heartfelt congratulations and all the best in your future pursuits.

Be sure to check out Ben's blog - documenting his continuing journey and sharing thoughts, tips and other musings.

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Drinking Milk Helps Weight Loss

We've got all sorts of things for weight loss: pills, diet books, surgery, and even vibrating machines you strap around your belly. But, who would have thought the answer would be as simple as drinking milk.

A new study claims consuming milk and calcium helped people lose more weight, regardless of diet.

But, before you go out and buy your own personal dairy cow, take a look at who sponsored the study.

Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, experts found study participants (300 overweight men and women, ages 40 to 65, on either a low-fat, Mediterranean, or low-carb diet) with the highest dairy calcium intake, 12 ounces of milk - equal to 580 milligrams of dairy calcium - lost 12 pounds at the end of two years, regardless of the diet style.

On the flipside, people with the lowest dairy calcium intake, 150 milligrams of dairy calcium, about half a glass of milk, only lost seven pounds.

The magic might not just be in the milk or the calcium. The researchers say vitamin D levels were higher in the people who lost the most weight. Vitamin D is a nutrient that acts like a hormone, and helps facilitate calcium absorption. Other sources of vitamin D include fatty fish like salmon and algae supplements.

But, the research has a fatal, and sadly all too common flaw, it was supported by the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Research Foundation, i.e. a fad diet company. Atkins advocates a high-fat diet for weight-loss, eating foods like bacon, steak, eggs, and of course milk, so you've got to raise an eyebrow. It's the same as a cigarette maker backing research that claims inhaling tobacco smoke actually improves lung health. Fail.

When a fad diet, activist group, or pharmaceutical company sponsors a study the findings can't be trusted. It's like a mafia don buying a judge.

Image credit: [ henning ]

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