tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15935045.post7541210980610415190..comments2024-01-19T02:23:51.665-06:00Comments on Journal Wunelle: Another Precedent Fallswstachourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447198404608861357noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15935045.post-51914304519068425342012-06-17T15:46:47.680-05:002012-06-17T15:46:47.680-05:00If you can make workable changes that you can live...If you can make workable changes that you can live with and get the results then you're on the right track. Like you, I think being overweight and *being 120 lbs. overweight* are pretty seriously disconnected in my brain. It's a little shocking.<br /><br />I don't mean to abdicate my responsibility for what I've become, but at some point we have to look at this figure--2/3 of Americans overweight or obese; not sure how Canada stacks up--and recognize there's something more at work here than just people making bad choices. As I say, we'll need to so something as a society to reverse this, but that's quite a different matter from what an individual needs to do to re-wire a mis-wired brain. My attempts to make changes in my diet have resulted in my gradually... gaining weight.<br /><br />Stay tuned! (And thanks for the comment. It's good to have all the input I can find on such a subject.)wstachourhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12447198404608861357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15935045.post-87753089717503453352012-06-17T14:46:15.247-05:002012-06-17T14:46:15.247-05:00One of my best friends had the gastric bypass beca...One of my best friends had the gastric bypass because she was a few hundred pounds overweight. She was nearing death due to her weight and attendant diseases brought on by her excessive weight. She was so overweight, no doctor would do the surgery. She finally found a doctor who would do it, but only if she lost substantial weight first. It's been a number of years since she had the surgery, she's healthier, more active, happier, and most importantly, still alive. You should do what you need to do to increase your health and increase your chances for a long life. I looked at a chart the other day and it said I was 80-100 ponds overweight. This shocked me. I knew it was bad, but I hadn't really acknowledged it before. I recently lost 16 pounds, slowly, put 5 back on, and then lost them again. I'm aiming for a gradual weight loss brought on by changing my activity levels and food choices. It's a slow process, but I am heading in the right direction on the scales.VVhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08751403913379728345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15935045.post-47348072945684596182012-06-17T07:56:48.646-05:002012-06-17T07:56:48.646-05:00I'm glad you weighed in. This is one of those ...I'm glad you weighed in. This is one of those topics you, perhaps, seem well-situated to contemplate the many ins and outs of (not from any weight issues you have, which are a small fraction of my own, but just because you are adept at chewing on multi-headed beasts!).<br /><br />The extremity of the therapy tends to take us by surprise, I think, though after a little contemplation it seems maybe not quite so monstrous. And again, I find I must weigh my resistance and the risks of surgery against the present risks of heart attack and stroke and diabetes, which in my case are substantial and ever-present. The idea of being able to fit in a theater / car / airplane seat or of not being winded by a flight of stairs or of not sweating constantly are all fringe benefits.<br /><br />The Diet Coke things is interesting, and I may put up a separate post about it. I stopped drinking it about two months ago now in preparation, and surprisingly it has been no difficulty whatsoever. Didn't expect that.<br /><br />My "sleeve buddy," as you may know, is Nancy's Tom. We're using the same clinic, though he's headed there first--late June.<br /><br />I've long thought about resuming my running, but there are complicating factors. I'll probably post about that.<br /><br />Anyway. Thanks for piping up!wstachourhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12447198404608861357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15935045.post-86702637902072948732012-06-17T02:35:54.354-05:002012-06-17T02:35:54.354-05:00I agree with both you and your dear wife - this se...I agree with both you and your dear wife - this seems like a drastic measure when you can get the same results simply by eating differently, but unfortunately it is not simple to eat differently. It is extremely difficult to eat differently. As you say, this is because of what we have been trained to eat and because of what is available for us to eat.<br /><br />I only know of one other person who has undergone bariatric surgery, and I think it has been a generally positive thing for her. I don't think it was as effective as she would have liked, but I think it has helped her quite a bit. It is good to hear that it is not considered an extreme measure - but it will certainly be a major undertaking for you. I think it is a fair bit of work to make sure that you get a good diet, so you will still need to pay pretty close attention to what you are eating, you just won't be trying to avoid things and feeling guilty when you don't succeed (although as you say there are some items on the do-not-eat list, including some that you currently consume by the gallon jug ;-).<br /><br />I also think that you are right that a big part of the reason so many people are overweight is because of the artificial food environment that has evolved around us. I don't think that it is a result of any sort of wicked plan, I think it is just an unfortunate result of the commercialization of our food supply. We no longer eat predominantly fresh foods that were grown close by to where we live, we now eat factory-processed foods that were manufactured far away and a relatively long time ago. Because of that we are eating foods that can be produced in bulk, easily shipped, stored for later, and all done quite inexpensively.<br /><br />Look at what a large portion of our calories come from processed grains - cereals, crackers, breads, pasta, cookies, cakes, chips, and so on. All of these are things that were a small part of our diet 200 years ago, but now they constitute a large percent of our caloric intake. They are easy to grow in great quantities, ship and store easily, and provide a large reliable supply of calories for a hungry population. They also happen to be calories that come in a form that is quick to be absorbed by the body, and the body soon demands more. If you want to eat differently, not only is it hard to convince yourself to go against your desires, but it is a lot of work to find food that it better for you, since this is now the food we have. I know people who eat differently, and I know that they spend a LOT of time doing it.<br /><br />In the end I think you are making the right choice, even if it isn't really a direct solution to your actual problem. As you well know, that problem can not reasonably be fixed. We are built to eat all that we can scrounge up and store any rare extra calories for the inevitable lean times, but we now live in a world that is different than the one we were designed for. For most of us there are no lean times and the food that we can find turns out to not really be what we should be eating (if we even actually know what we should be eating). The real solution would involve a food environment that better matched what we were engineered to live on, and while it may be possible to shut out the 'real' world of food and construct your own private dietary eden, that is not a task that most of us can undertake. I suspect that it will become easier and easier to find people to include in your circle of 'sleeve buddies' as more and more of us get to the point where there is no better option.Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13860812772132171202noreply@blogger.com