Fat is NOT Cancer

I like metaphors as much as the next person. Providing, that is, it's an accurate metaphor.  But "fat is cancer" is one that doesn't fall into that category. People who use it are trying to push emotional buttons and stir up controversy. I get it. Apparently, it works to motivate some people.

Obesity is a serious disease. There is no doubt about it. But it isn't a disease of the body, it's a disease of the mind. The added bulge is merely a symptom of underlying emotional trauma. It's been shown over and over again that there is no physical treatment for obesity that will work consistently until the underlying mental disorder(s) are resolved. It's not that diets don't work - it's that they don't work all by themselves. No pill is going to cure  your obesity. Antidepressants and appetite suppressants might help you lose some weight, but if you can't get your mind into a healthy place, that weight is going to come back again and again. And again.  Cancer, on the other hand, is a biological mutation of cells that causes the body to attack itself and destroy organs such as skin, breast, lungs, et cetera. There are many many underlying causes for cancer - most are environmental (ie the chemicals we use on our bodies or that we are subjected to through our air, food, and water). However, even if you live the cleanest life possible, you may end up with cancer. It's a terrible, horrible disease that often strikes without warning or known cause.

Most doctors will treat cancer aggressively, as they should! There are specialists abounding in the field and they will give you the treatment to eradicate your cancer as best they can. For the most part, you can trust them to find a way to prolong your life. If your doctor, however, diagnoses you with obesity - they will most likely expect you to treat yourself. They will suggest and nag, tell you it's very simple, and see you in 6 months or a year to go over it again.  If you are making progress with your weight, they will reward you with an "attagirl" and go about their day. If you are struggling they will suggest quick-fix surgeries and diets, almost never counselling unless you are severely severely obese, say 500 lbs.  They will tell you what you already know - you need to exercise more and eat less. Perhaps they'll make sure you are taking your anti-depressants. They want us to take it seriously, and yet there is rarely a real treatment plan or referral. If nagging worked, our spouses and parents would've been able to cure us. Medical professionals could do more.

Obesity = disease. The obese individual IS the only person who can cure it but it is nearly impossible to do so without a system of moral support and information. Do our doctors really want us to attain healthy weights? If so, they need to have some serious plans of action for us. They need to refer us to dietitian's and psychologists, trainers, and others before surgeons. They need to see us more often than yearly if they expect to see and maintain any type of progress.

Also, I believe that if you think fat is cancer, you're doing a great disservice to cancer patients who suffer through difficult treatments on a daily basis. My husband is a cancer survivor and is now obese right along with me. We all know that obesity increases the chance of cancer recurrence, heart disease, and a multitude of other diseases and disorders. We know that burning more calories than we take in is the answer. However, if people are unable to deal with the emotional upheaval that is causing them to over eat and under-move, knowledge isn't necessarily power. This doesn't mean that a person is weak or stupid or lazy. This means they need support, both moral and medical. And scare tactics? They rarely work to do anything other than encourage people to dig their heels into the ground and resist.

OK, I'm all kinda all over the board on this post. I could go on and on, but I grow weary and the doorbell just rang.

Hot 100 Update: embrace failure

I'm not really embracing it, but besides my outstanding job on fruit  lately, I've not been doing well on my Hot 100 goals. I am so sleepy all the time that I'm usually in bed by 10 pm anyway but if i nap too much during the day I am up reading until midnight. I've been playing  around. Exercising - bah! eating when I'm not hungry, YOU BET!  playing around losing and gaining the same five pounds? Great fun! Bloggin 2x daily? I missed a whole day and nobody noticed so why bother? Chores? whatev.  The good news is I have a Dr. appointment first thing Monday morning and that'll prolly get me going. I HAVE made some progress since I saw her 2 months ago. . . I think. And I'll ask her all about what kinds of supplements she recommends to make sure they don't interact with anything i'm already taking.

Nothing really pushed me into this rut and I'll find my way out soon enough. The only explanation I have is that I was really REALLY close to weighing less than Sweetie. When I can truck along fine for a long while but when I notice I'm close to a goal, and especially if I say it to anybody out loud - then it's like the expectation is there that I will meet it quickly and my inner child or whoever rebels against it. Every time I think I have it figured out, then I just stop caring.  I haven't even been reading blogs much. had a great book to read, though.  I'll have a review for that prolly later.  I haven't even updated my Shelfari yet. I think I need to reread Women Food and God!

And so there ya have it. I'm all "why bother?" right now. Eating for fun, sleeping even more, exercising hardly at all . ..  but I am still weighing in every morning which is the only thing that's kept me within that 5 lb range - I'm sure of it.

I'm having a fat day

I've heard other people say this and never really "got it" I figured every day as a severely obese woman was a fat day. But oh.my.gawd.

This morning I looked down at my gut and I could've puked I was so disgusted by what I saw. I have no idea where that came from and it's 50 lbs less than it was (give or take a few) but I had never seen it like that. Maybe it's the guilt for not listening to my body and eating junk for comfort due to this weird cold/flu thing I have going on. Today will be a better day, that's for damn sure.

*SHUDDER*

Does shuddering burn calories?

Clothing dilemma

Tomorrow I'm expected to attend a girl scout function at a public pool. Yes, I have a swimsuit and yes, I've been seen wearing one in public before - but here's the catch.

This paticular swimsuit was CHEAP - I mean like $5 on clearance and also not just inexpensive but poorly designed. And I'm not talking about just not being flattering. This damn suit is PAINFUL. It has a big plastic hook that lays on (presses against) the top of spine just before my neck and hurts like HELL on a hot biscuit after about ten of fifteen minutes.

Now at home, I can just take the straps down and swim around in the pond soaking up the algea and burning calories and I don't care. However, I'm convinced that people will think I'm trying to look sexy if I don't wear the straps in public. Like what the hell is tha fat chick doing with no straps? Does she know what sh'es risking? Holy crap! There are Children here!

Yeah, so, I can afford a new suit but I really didn't want to buy one until I got another size down. I'm having this issue with a lot of my clothes - when do I buy new ones? I know the old ones are going far far away never to be seen again. There will be no "after" photos of me holding up my old pants a la Jared of Subway fame. Yes, I'll keep the photo of my 8 year old daughter fitting into one leg of my "before" jeans, though. I love that picture.

So, I know I won't be able to withstand the pain of the damn cheap swimsuit and I guess I'm going to buy a new one. I'll probably even buy one that fits a bit tightly. As for the rest of my clothes, I'll probably wait until (1) they are falling off of me or (2) I need something else for a special occasion.

But I'm curious - my weight loss blogosphere buddies - when do you decide to buy new clothes? Every size down could be quite expensive. Anybody who thinks they might need my size 24/26's in the not-so-near future is welcome to them, by the way> I'll be donating them to charity anyway so if you're a step or two behind me, and you want them, they're yours.