Americans are getting larger by the minute

[cranny]

Just a meatheads observation here but have you observed the average Joe lunchbox and his family at your local grocery store or Wal mart? Damn people are getting big. Obesity seems to be a growing problem in our society more and more everyday. It’s even being thought of as a disease now instead of what it really is, poor food choices and inactivity by people. And it’s getting worse by the year. People have almost come to accept it and would rather try and remedy the problem with a quick fix such as diet pills or even surgery. After all, this is the age of instant gratification it seems. No one wants to take responsibility for their actions. A quick magic pill should do the trick. Or maybe see their doctor about liposuction for that problem area. Then there’s always gastric by-pass surgery. But what people don’t realize is that if your daily habits of poor eating and lack of exercise, the fat is only going to come back. We always seem to place blame on others or circumstances for our state of being. This is because it is much easier to place blame than for us to accept it. To accept it would mean confronting what we deep down already know. We and only we are responsible for the choices we make in life when it comes to our health. This is a powerful truth, nor is it easy to face and correct. What we most need to learn is that you did not become obese over night and you will not become healthy and fit over night. It should be a lifestyle change for good. Okay, I'm off my soapbox for now.

 

[bran987]

We've talked about this lots of times and most of us agree with ya.

I also question its classification as a "disease" but one thing is certain, it is the CAUSE more diseases than ANY other factor medicine can find right now. And the diseases it causes are expensive ones to care for. Which is why health insurance is going through the roof here.

People should be charged much much higher premiums for being obese than for smoking or anything else in my opinion.

You'll find lots of threads on this if you search for them. The defenders of obesity say either that it really is genetic for some people OR it's a psychological problem and they can't control or aren't even aware of what they're doing.

Like when I'm drunk and call for delivery of 20 buffalo wings. I am not in control or even aware of what I'm doing lol.

 

[digimon7068]

Yup. . .I was 206 on July 4th. . .last night, in the middle of week 6 of my see-food diet, I was 233.

 

[digimon7068]

Yup. . .I was 206 on July 4th. . .last night, in the middle of week 6 of my see-food diet, I was 233.

My wife is 110lbs, our 6 y/o twin girls are about 45lbs a piece and my son (who turns 1 tomorrow) is about 30lbs. . .110+90+30 = 230 I weigh more than all of them put together. . .I'm the center of my universe baby! The gravity stops here!

 

[H_T_]

i am 6'3'' 252lbs. of living destruction. i will slaughter fat man and his family with my bare hands!!!

 

[Sassy69]

Its the scariest trend in the world. (Well aside from school shootings and threatened nuclear bomb tests). My cousin is above 450 lb, 6' tall and 2 days older than me. I'm flabberghasted that he's still alive and doesn't have diabetes yet. He suffers from sleep apnea, he's got a shitty outlook on life, tends to break most furniture he sits on, etc etc etc. One time in his life he wasn't fat - he joined the Air National Guard and got down to around 220 - it was kind of a squishy 220 but he was there - never looked so good in his life. He went thru boot camp and caught so much shit for being the "fat kid" that he got depressed and ate his way back to more than double that.

Having watched the evolution of his life over the last 40 yrs, things that I saw were poor eating habits combined w/ negative support from his dad (his mom left yrs ago and then died in the late 80s), poor self image as a result of that, perpetuated by peoples' view of his as the "fat kid" and thus the habits are established. Now he's 450 lb. He looked at getting bariatric surgery but got freaked out first he was told he had to lose at least 50 lb (via atkins diet) just to be able to safely do the surgery, and further didn't think he could live life w/o steak or pizza (a whole steak or a whole pizza). So he bailed on the idea.

How do you help a person in that situation? Basically all you can do is support him if he decides to commit to cleaning it up himself. I think people feel helpless and just don't have the fortitude to go after the weightloss until they get there. Those that do then have to get that surgery to get rid of all the loose skin resulting.

And the rest of us are sitting here wondering wtf did you let yourself get that way in the first place? Wasn't it a warning sign when you had to get teh sleep apnea machine and the scale read more than 350? Why are people proud when they get on the Jenny Craig commercials and boast "Yes I lost 120 lb!" HOLY GOD -- why did you GAIN the 120 lb in the first place???

It sucks. Its tragic that society perpetuates this stuff instead of educating and supporting people so that this sort of thing is not only unacceptable, its unimaginable. But instead we promote these false airbrushed images of the "beautiful people" in the media, promote "healthy diets" that come in a box under a brand name, sell athletic eqpt for hundreds of dollars, etc etc. And still it is one of the touchiest subjects on the planet because it comes so close to home as far as how we feel about ourselves and how others perceive us. The misinformation and the self-perception are the two most debilitating things going on and those are what won't change.

Ugh. Like Bran said - this is a very old topic, it is obvious as shit and yet it just keeps getting worse.

Crap now I'm pissed off.

 

[GoldenDelicious]

im past the point of giving a shit. the way i see it, the fatter everyone else gets, the more really looking gooder i get

"more really looking gooder" LOL i sound like a euro

 

[cranny]

Its the scariest trend in the world. (Well aside from school shootings and threatened nuclear bomb tests). My cousin is above 450 lb, 6' tall and 2 days older than me. I'm flabberghasted that he's still alive and doesn't have diabetes yet. He suffers from sleep apnea, he's got a shitty outlook on life, tends to break most furniture he sits on, etc etc etc. One time in his life he wasn't fat - he joined the Air National Guard and got down to around 220 - it was kind of a squishy 220 but he was there - never looked so good in his life. He went thru boot camp and caught so much shit for being the "fat kid" that he got depressed and ate his way back to more than double that.

Having watched the evolution of his life over the last 40 yrs, things that I saw were poor eating habits combined w/ negative support from his dad (his mom left yrs ago and then died in the late 80s), poor self image as a result of that, perpetuated by peoples' view of his as the "fat kid" and thus the habits are established. Now he's 450 lb. He looked at getting bariatric surgery but got freaked out first he was told he had to lose at least 50 lb (via atkins diet) just to be able to safely do the surgery, and further didn't think he could live life w/o steak or pizza (a whole steak or a whole pizza). So he bailed on the idea.

How do you help a person in that situation? Basically all you can do is support him if he decides to commit to cleaning it up himself. I think people feel helpless and just don't have the fortitude to go after the weightloss until they get there. Those that do then have to get that surgery to get rid of all the loose skin resulting.

And the rest of us are sitting here wondering wtf did you let yourself get that way in the first place? Wasn't it a warning sign when you had to get teh sleep apnea machine and the scale read more than 350? Why are people proud when they get on the Jenny Craig commercials and boast "Yes I lost 120 lb!" HOLY GOD -- why did you GAIN the 120 lb in the first place???

It sucks. Its tragic that society perpetuates this stuff instead of educating and supporting people so that this sort of thing is not only unacceptable, its unimaginable. But instead we promote these false airbrushed images of the "beautiful people" in the media, promote "healthy diets" that come in a box under a brand name, sell athletic eqpt for hundreds of dollars, etc etc. And still it is one of the touchiest subjects on the planet because it comes so close to home as far as how we feel about ourselves and how others perceive us. The misinformation and the self-perception are the two most debilitating things going on and those are what won't change.

Ugh. Like Bran said - this is a very old topic, it is obvious as shit and yet it just keeps getting worse.

Crap now I'm pissed off.

Great post Sassy. Yea, I know it's nothing new but damn it's getting worse every time I observe the general public. One thing we should do is demand physical education more in our schools as well as teaching kids proper nutrition. No one is born lazy. It's something you aquire through shitty habits. And when will they stop w/ super sizing every fast food item on the list. Everything is XXXL now. I read where someone is making a toilet w/ a 1200lb. capacity(big john). The airlines have seatbelt extensions now. There's a new bed called the grand king size bed. Hospitals are getting larger doorways and beds now. I read that plus size clothing sales are higher than any other size made. I somewhat feel sorry for people in that shape but damn they put themselves there, no one else.

 

[Razorguns]

when amereican disocvers hooida - obesity is over. but not w/o the diet industry doing it's damn best to badmouth it.

fat is cuz of

1) longer work commutes / traffic jams
2) more fast food places
3) larger meal sizes
4) more computer / web surfing. remember when we threw footballs? now it's WoW.
5) more women go to food for comfort when feeling down (teens)
6) science: companies invest millions in products that will entice people to get hooked onm various foods, and buy more.
7) women have kids early - and then never get their shape back.

plus a few others. like more disposabole money. drive-thrus. more hispanics who have lousy diets and popout kids at 16, etc. etc.

 

[javaguru]

We've talked about this lots of times and most of us agree with ya.

I also question its classification as a "disease" but one thing is certain, it is the CAUSE more diseases than ANY other factor medicine can find right now. And the diseases it causes are expensive ones to care for. Which is why health insurance is going through the roof here.

People should be charged much much higher premiums for being obese than for smoking or anything else in my opinion.

You'll find lots of threads on this if you search for them. The defenders of obesity say either that it really is genetic for some people OR it's a psychological problem and they can't control or aren't even aware of what they're doing.

Like when I'm drunk and call for delivery of 20 buffalo wings. I am not in control or even aware of what I'm doing lol.

I agree, it is a disease catalyst for sure. I told the woman I went out with on Sunday, she's in an MSN program that also provides a nurse supervisor cerification, that she should consider obesity and smoking job security.

 

[GoldenDelicious]

when amereican disocvers hooida - obesity is over. but not w/o the diet industry doing it's damn best to badmouth it.

fat is cuz of

1) longer work commutes / traffic jams
2) more fast food places
3) larger meal sizes
4) more computer / web surfing. remember when we threw footballs? now it's WoW.
5) more women go to food for comfort when feeling down (teens)
6) science: companies invest millions in products that will entice people to get hooked onm various foods, and buy more.
7) women have kids early - and then never get their shape back.

plus a few others. like more disposabole money. drive-thrus. more hispanics who have lousy diets and popout kids at 16, etc. etc.

RG, the human genome has been popped open. the number of new drugs coming out is pretty huge, and many of them are geared towards hotwiring your bodys fat burning processes

 

[digimon7068]

RG, the human genome has been popped open. the number of new drugs coming out is pretty huge, and many of them are geared towards hotwiring your bodys fat burning processes

Nothing will ever take the place of dedication and hard work. . .on January 2 of each year I increase cardio (plus 3 or 4 times per week I do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach. . .don't eat for 1 hour after), increase my protien intake and significantly decrease my carb intake. . .by the middle of June I'll be lean and mean. It's not easy. . .if it was everyone would do it. . .but, it is fun. . .if you have some masochistic tendencies.

 

[Sassy69]

"more really looking gooder" LOL i sound like a euro

LOL!

 

[GoldenDelicious]

Nothing will ever take the place of dedication and hard work. . .on January 2 of each year I increase cardio (plus 3 or 4 times per week I do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach. . .don't eat for 1 hour after), increase my protien intake and significantly decrease my carb intake. . .by the middle of June I'll be lean and mean. It's not easy. . .if it was everyone would do it. . .but, it is fun. . .if you have some masochistic tendencies.

i dont know about that...the thing with developing new drugs is the lack of a target for those drugs to work on - ie a receptor etc - because the body is so damn complicated, we've only been able to find the really really obvious receptors (eg pain receptors) to experiment on, as well as the occasional lucky strike (where we develop a drug for one thing, then realise that its doing something else entirely through sheer luck, and so develop it to do the second thing eg rogaine - originally a blood pressure drug)

with the human genome project a couple of years ago, a swath of new receptor sites were exposed, so expect a MASSIVE number of new drugs coming out, some of which are going to be EVERY BIT as potent in the fat loss arena as anabolic steroids are today.

diet and exercise will always ahve their uses, but hotwiring your natural biochemistry is awesomly powerful

 

[digimon7068]

i dont know about that...the thing with developing new drugs is the lack of a target for those drugs to work on - ie a receptor etc - because the body is so damn complicated, we've only been able to find the really really obvious receptors (eg pain receptors) to experiment on, as well as the occasional lucky strike (where we develop a drug for one thing, then realise that its doing something else entirely through sheer luck, and so develop it to do the second thing eg rogaine - originally a blood pressure drug)

with the human genome project a couple of years ago, a swath of new receptor sites were exposed, so expect a MASSIVE number of new drugs coming out, some of which are going to be EVERY BIT as potent in the fat loss arena as anabolic steroids are today.

diet and exercise will always ahve their uses, but hotwiring your natural biochemistry is awesomly powerful

Yes. . .but, you have to agree that virtually every miracle drug usually comes with some side effects (some pretty nasty ones from time-to-time). . .the only side effects to diet and exercise are that you look good, feel good and have sex more often. If you could bottle that, people would be standing outside your door with suitcases full of money. Don't hold your breath. . .probably won't happen. Nothing good is easy or free.

 

[Razorguns]

calories deficit

calories deficit

calories deficit

it's how people have been losing weight for thousands of years.

the diet industsry just wants to confuse the FUCK out of people just to get your money. Cuz saying 'take in less than you burn off' - doesn't generate anyone any money.

That formula lost me 25 lbs in 2 months w/o a sweat. I do it all the time whenever i wanna lose. So freakin' easy. Hoodia helps a lot too (desertburn.com)

 

[UA_Iron]

I'm 5'8" and 215-220.

BMI = 32.7

Hahahaha, I'm obese according to the BMI.

 

[samoth]

I'm 5'8" and 215-220.

BMI = 32.7

Hahahaha, I'm obese according to the BMI.

Yep, 210 tops obese for me according to the BMI. That was my goal for a while, 'till I totally surpasses that back when I was bulking/competing. Gotta love being obese!!

 

[Arabian]

Very True, Sassy. agreed

Its the scariest trend in the world. (Well aside from school shootings and threatened nuclear bomb tests). My cousin is above 450 lb, 6' tall and 2 days older than me. I'm flabberghasted that he's still alive and doesn't have diabetes yet. He suffers from sleep apnea, he's got a shitty outlook on life, tends to break most furniture he sits on, etc etc etc. One time in his life he wasn't fat - he joined the Air National Guard and got down to around 220 - it was kind of a squishy 220 but he was there - never looked so good in his life. He went thru boot camp and caught so much shit for being the "fat kid" that he got depressed and ate his way back to more than double that.

Having watched the evolution of his life over the last 40 yrs, things that I saw were poor eating habits combined w/ negative support from his dad (his mom left yrs ago and then died in the late 80s), poor self image as a result of that, perpetuated by peoples' view of his as the "fat kid" and thus the habits are established. Now he's 450 lb. He looked at getting bariatric surgery but got freaked out first he was told he had to lose at least 50 lb (via atkins diet) just to be able to safely do the surgery, and further didn't think he could live life w/o steak or pizza (a whole steak or a whole pizza). So he bailed on the idea.

How do you help a person in that situation? Basically all you can do is support him if he decides to commit to cleaning it up himself. I think people feel helpless and just don't have the fortitude to go after the weightloss until they get there. Those that do then have to get that surgery to get rid of all the loose skin resulting.

And the rest of us are sitting here wondering wtf did you let yourself get that way in the first place? Wasn't it a warning sign when you had to get teh sleep apnea machine and the scale read more than 350? Why are people proud when they get on the Jenny Craig commercials and boast "Yes I lost 120 lb!" HOLY GOD -- why did you GAIN the 120 lb in the first place???

It sucks. Its tragic that society perpetuates this stuff instead of educating and supporting people so that this sort of thing is not only unacceptable, its unimaginable. But instead we promote these false airbrushed images of the "beautiful people" in the media, promote "healthy diets" that come in a box under a brand name, sell athletic eqpt for hundreds of dollars, etc etc. And still it is one of the touchiest subjects on the planet because it comes so close to home as far as how we feel about ourselves and how others perceive us. The misinformation and the self-perception are the two most debilitating things going on and those are what won't change.

Ugh. Like Bran said - this is a very old topic, it is obvious as shit and yet it just keeps getting worse.

Crap now I'm pissed off.

 

[Razorguns]

I'm 5'8" and 215-220.

BMI = 32.7

Hahahaha, I'm obese according to the BMI.

is bmi same as bf%? if so - damn u got a lot of fat dude.

r

 

[cranny]

is bmi same as bf%? if so - damn u got a lot of fat dude.

r

BMI= body mass index
It's def. not a good barometer for someone w/ a large amount of muscle mass

 

[UA_Iron]

is bmi same as bf%? if so - damn u got a lot of fat dude.

r

it has nothing to do with body fat.

 

[pintoca]

I blame ot on the glutamate

 

[TC2]

calories deficit

calories deficit

calories deficit

it's how people have been losing weight for thousands of years.

the diet industsry just wants to confuse the FUCK out of people just to get your money. Cuz saying 'take in less than you burn off' - doesn't generate anyone any money.

That formula lost me 25 lbs in 2 months w/o a sweat. I do it all the time whenever i wanna lose. So freakin' easy. Hoodia helps a lot too (desertburn.com)

Although I agree that people just eat way too fuckin much...I do think that the huge amount of carbs people inhale has alot to do with it.

 

[PICK3]

Do these jeans make my butt look fat?

 

[PICK3]

Re: Americans are getting larger by the minute

So is my cawk

 

[Sassy69]

Do these jeans make my butt look fat?

Pix?

 

[RottenWillow]

and Leon's getting laaaaaaarger.

 

[GoldenDelicious]

Yes. . .but, you have to agree that virtually every miracle drug usually comes with some side effects (some pretty nasty ones from time-to-time). . .the only side effects to diet and exercise are that you look good, feel good and have sex more often. If you could bottle that, people would be standing outside your door with suitcases full of money. Don't hold your breath. . .probably won't happen. Nothing good is easy or free.

yes, but drug designing/discovery/modelling techniques have also come a long way - we're getting better at making highly specific drugs, and if that isnt possible, designing a delivery system that minimises contact of the drug with areas that would cause side effects

up until now, drug design etc has been very, very crude trial and error stuff. most of the drugs on todays market wouldnt even be allowed to be sold if they were stumbled on in modern times.

 

[Razorguns]

so what's more important? bmi or bf? what's the diff. yes i'm too lazy to look up.

then why does the military use bmi and not bf?

r

 

[pintoca]

so what's more important? bmi or bf? what's the diff. yes i'm too lazy to look up.

then why does the military use bmi and not bf?

r

probably cause for non-swole people, that is, with average fat content, it is a reasonably good indicator.

secondly, cause they are retarded

BMI is a pile of bullshit indicator for us living-statues adonises

 

[GoldenDelicious]

so what's more important? bmi or bf? what's the diff. yes i'm too lazy to look up.

then why does the military use bmi and not bf?

r

because bmi is more accepted/integrated in medical literature (and all the studies that the military would have conducted themselves) and generally more applicable to the general public (and those in the military itself)

overall bf is by far more important, although there is a point in which youre going to have to start looking at the overall mass of the person, because super high levels of muscle tissue are going to have a detrimental effect on your cardiovascular system

so yah. it depends.

 

[pintoca]

because bmi is more accepted/integrated in medical literature (and all the studies that the military would have conducted themselves) and generally more applicable to the general public (and those in the military itself)

overall bf is by far more important, although there is a point in which youre going to have to start looking at the overall mass of the person, because super high levels of muscle tissue are going to have a detrimental effect on your cardiovascular system

so yah. it depends.

good thing I'm a fatty so my heart is not at risk

 

[GoldenDelicious]

good thing I'm a fatty so my heart is not at risk

youre lucky youre not vain

if i was a fatty id have a heart attack

 

[Spartacus]

 

[Freddie de Lux]

If you, dear reader, live in Iowa, please forgive me. But I have to tell this story: I was in Iowa City on a model call one year around Christmas. There is one main shopping mall in town where people go. It is a mob scene during that time of the year. People were so amazingly large that many drive scooters all over town. At the mall, things got so out of control that they had to hire a person to direct the mall of scooters. I kid you not! It was surreal, like a parallel stratosphere. I could not believe my eyes. It was like the Twilight Zone.

 

[rykertest]

obesity and smoking are the 2 main reasons why health insurance is sky high. I think that there should be a company that offers health insurance to non smokers that are "fit". How to define fit I don't know, but at least close to average and not having to use an electric chair because you are two fat to walk in walmart.

 

[javaguru]

obesity and smoking are the 2 main reasons why health insurance is sky high. I think that there should be a company that offers health insurance to non smokers that are "fit". How to define fit I don't know, but at least close to average and not having to use an electric chair because you are two fat to walk in walmart.

Blood tests and hydrostatic weighing are easy tests but you would have to establish "healthy" Vs. normal range criteria. hmmmm

 

[musclemom]

The human animal is NOT designed to be sedentary. Anthropologists have proposed that the reason we survived and Neanderthals didn't is because we were the more agile design, better able to run.

To Razors very good list I would add a few ideas:

1. Dr. Sherry Rodgers claims that our body will encapsulate toxins in fat when it doesn't have enough chemicals to carry the poisons out. We are living in a more toxic environment than ever. Our bodies were not designed to remove the kind of toxins they are forced to deal with on a day to day basis.

2. Dr. John Lee's theory is that part of the toxins are xenohormones, chemicals (frequently petrochemicals) which mimic estrogens. Everyone knows what estrogen likes to do to the body.

3. Our food is not, nutritionally, what it used to be. I remember reading something about this a while ago (several years) but damned if I can remember the details, or who said it, but basically our food, grown on land that is chemically fertilized year after year, just doesn't have the nutritional impact it used to. I know that animals fed nutritionally inferior food will overeat calories in a (usually vain) attempt to derive sufficient nutrition.

4. Food allergies are on the rise, there is an alternative theory of food intolerances (meaning conventional doctors generally don't accept it). Food intolerance is that don't have the full blown, measurable reactions of an allergy, but the stuff gives you nagging problems (heart burn, IBS, etc.) Well the funny thing is, people can actually CRAVE that which they are mildly allergic to ... eating a food that your body can't handle/digest has some very strange effects on metabolism.

5. Stress. As a culture we are overworked, emotionally frazzled, burned out, exhausted. Stress hormones sock fat onto the equator and make it more difficult to lose weight.

I think lifestyle + portion size + nutritional quality + toxins + allergies + stress all combine together to make people fatter. I don't think it's a disease, I think it's naive to think that you can point to one single thing and go "there, that's it, just exercise more, just eat less that'll fix it." It doesn't work because the question comes back, in my mind to one simple point, GENERALLY speaking, healthy, properly fed animals DO NOT OVEREAT to the point of morbid obesity (heck, they had to genetically engineer mice to become that way because they couldn't get the mice fat enough). A little extra padding, sure, but not to the point where they're rendered physically incapacitated.

 

[JayC9]

yes, but drug designing/discovery/modelling techniques have also come a long way - we're getting better at making highly specific drugs, and if that isnt possible, designing a delivery system that minimises contact of the drug with areas that would cause side effects

up until now, drug design etc has been very, very crude trial and error stuff. most of the drugs on todays market wouldnt even be allowed to be sold if they were stumbled on in modern times.

Drugs, drugs to counteract those drugs, drugs to counteract the drugs you took for the side effects and on and on, it's a vicious cycle. I read that prescribed drugs are the 5th highest cause of death in America?

Have you ever worked with a workaholic? Maybe you're one yourself? If you take a workaholics day and cut it up in segments and then you take away one of those pieces freeing up their time, guess what they do? They take on more work to fill that space. The faster you free up their time the faster they take on more work. You give a fat guy drugs to lose weight or burn fat quicker guess what he'll do?

The drug industry will continue to capitalize on miserable fat lazy people through deceit, lies and offering them the path of least resistance in the form of little magic easy to swallow sugar coated capsule.

 

[rykertest]

I just got back from walmart a little bit ago and while there this thread came to mind. There must of been 5 people in the little electric fat mobiles that the only reason they needed them, was because they were too fat. I mean really, they don't need carts, they certainly don't need handicap parking spaces because they NEED to be walking more, not less. I swear, I got madder with each hot wheels I saw.

 

[cranny]

I just got back from walmart a little bit ago and while there this thread came to mind. There must of been 5 people in the little electric fat mobiles that the only reason they needed them, was because they were too fat. I mean really, they don't need carts, they certainly don't need handicap parking spaces because they NEED to be walking more, not less. I swear, I got madder with each hot wheels I saw.

Yeah, don't get me started on those damn scooters. I think they're great for people who actually need them. But they're everywhere now clogging up stores. 90% of the people can't even fit in the chair b/c their ass is too big. I hate laziness.

 

[Sassy69]

Great, now its even easier to lose all that unsightly fat..... why bother dieting at all? Bring on the food orgy!


Scalpel free Obesity Surgery On the Horizon

CLEVELAND, Ohio (Reuters) -- Stomach-stapling surgery to combat obesity may be done in the future with a tube inserted through the mouth, making the procedure safer than using an incision and opening the way for more people to undergo it, doctors say.

Doctors have performed about 1 million bariatric surgeries worldwide, in which the stomach is stapled to make it smaller so people eat less, and some experts say it's the best method to lose weight and keep it off.

Doing the surgery without incisions will make it a lower-risk, lower-cost proposition and may be applicable to patients who are less obese than those who are currently considered for surgery, said Dr. Philip Schauer, head of bariatric surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, which is hosting a three-day meeting on obesity.

The advent of laparoscopic surgery, also known as "keyhole" surgery, revolutionized all surgical procedures. It boosted demand for bariatric surgery in particular in the 1990s because it requires only a few small incisions, improving recovery time.

"I believe we are perhaps on the verge of another revolution," said Schauer, who was recently named president of the American Society of Bariatric Surgery.

Natural orifice transendoscopic surgery, or NOTE, requires no incisions because instruments -- such as long tubes with robotic arms and staple guns -- can be inserted through the mouth and snaked down the esophagus.

Another possibility, he said, is inserting a sleeve, or a tube, into the intestines that would interfere with calorie absorption.

Those are about five to 10 years away, he said.

If the work to be done involves the lower portion of the intestines, instruments can be inserted through the rectum, he added.

Reducing risk
Using a natural orifice, the mouth or the rectum, Schauer said, would drive down costs and risks even more.

"Gaining access to the organ you want to work on is half the trauma," he said. "If there's less risk, maybe we could do (bariatric surgery) on patients with a lower BMI, maybe under 35, as a preventive operation."

Obesity is usually gauged by a body mass index, or BMI, which uses weight and height to calculate body fat. A six-foot-tall adult would be classified as obese at 222 pounds, for example. About one-third of U.S. adults are classified as obese.

Experts say most innovation in medical technology is emerging from small privately held companies that usually are then purchased by the big makers of surgical instruments, such as Johnson & Johnson or Tyco Healthcare.

Dean Geraci, director of market development for auto-suture bariatrics at Tyco, said it takes years to design these products and get them approved.

Engineers have to work with surgeons to determine techniques and then the devices have to go through the regulatory process, which can also be lengthy.

Venture capitalist Dr. Lee Wrubel, a general partner at Foundation Medical Partners, said an investor must have a 10-year horizon.

"A lot of us who didn't invest in this area five years ago are glad we didn't," Wrubel said
b

 

[mrplunkey]

I just got back from walmart a little bit ago and while there this thread came to mind. There must of been 5 people in the little electric fat mobiles that the only reason they needed them, was because they were too fat. I mean really, they don't need carts, they certainly don't need handicap parking spaces because they NEED to be walking more, not less. I swear, I got madder with each hot wheels I saw.

I bet you'll even get more pissed off when you realize that medicare/medicaid -- your tax dollars -- pay for the majority of those fat chairs.

 

[marvelous54]

Just a meatheads observation here but have you observed the average Joe lunchbox and his family at your local grocery store or Wal mart? Damn people are getting big. Obesity seems to be a growing problem in our society more and more everyday. It’s even being thought of as a disease now instead of what it really is, poor food choices and inactivity by people. And it’s getting worse by the year. People have almost come to accept it and would rather try and remedy the problem with a quick fix such as diet pills or even surgery. After all, this is the age of instant gratification it seems. No one wants to take responsibility for their actions. A quick magic pill should do the trick. Or maybe see their doctor about liposuction for that problem area. Then there’s always gastric by-pass surgery. But what people don’t realize is that if your daily habits of poor eating and lack of exercise, the fat is only going to come back. We always seem to place blame on others or circumstances for our state of being. This is because it is much easier to place blame than for us to accept it. To accept it would mean confronting what we deep down already know. We and only we are responsible for the choices we make in life when it comes to our health. This is a powerful truth, nor is it easy to face and correct. What we most need to learn is that you did not become obese over night and you will not become healthy and fit over night. It should be a lifestyle change for good. Okay, I'm off my soapbox for now.

Solid post bro. I think the post important issue that lies within what you have laid out is

This is because it is much easier to place blame than for us to accept it. To accept it would mean confronting what we deep down already know.

Like I've said many times, our government feeds these issues. It is sickening how many folks get "awarded" large sums of money for not caring about their bodies in the first place and then blaming it on someone else. In steps our non-elected branch of government, the judicial branch, with a big, fat (pun intended) award. What is that anyway? "Award", I once thought that was something given to honor a person for an accomplishment. At one time even within our judicial system an "award" was defined as payment that has been "merited". I don't know about you but I don't see how stuffing your face until you can't move and then blaming it on the fast food industry merits an award. Also, what about all the garbage they have been feeding their bodies at home? Most of them are too lazy to drive down to McDonalds for every meal.

I know it's not popular to support "Big Tobacco" but the same is true in that scenario. How can you suck smoke into your lungs and not realize it is bad for you? Most people have to fight through the cough just to be able to smoke their first few cigarettes. Not to mention many of these baby boomers that were/are getting these awards smoked everything in site as young adults but yet somehow, our judicial branch knows it was the tobacco. I know that many will disagree but that’s just my 2-cents on the topic.

 

[EnderJE]

I don't see what the problem is. If they want to be that way, then that's fine with me. If they feel trapped, then that's fine with me. Why fret?

 

[Spartacus]

I'm gonna tan my fat today

 

[Tweakle]

Killing time in the Doc's office, I started flicking through a pile of womans rags.. the cover story on one was how about how 3 sisters lost hundreds of pounds without diet or exercise, so I turn to it and what do ya know it was about Stomach stapling. Another article was about a fattie who had her 'bingo wings' cut out leaving some lovely franken-hooker scars up both arms but hey, now she can wear those strappy tops without feeling self concious.

They were so proud of their hard work. I'ts bizzare the US is culturally at a point where it's ok to present mutilating, highly invasive and dangerous surgery as an acceptable alternative to Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers.

 

[cranny]

I don't see what the problem is. If they want to be that way, then that's fine with me. If they feel trapped, then that's fine with me. Why fret?

For one, insurance at my work is 118.00/week for family coverage. I realize not all insurance is this high but cost' have risen tremendously over the past several years. One of the big reasons is people being over weight and having unhealthy lifestyles. Dr. offices are flooded w/ type 2 diabetes, heart disease, you name it b/c of the choices they make in diet and fitness. I don't think I should have to pay b/c of lazy fat people driving the cost up. Also, I believe work production is down b/c of these people which has a direct affect in profits for businesses. They're always missing work for this and that ailment.

 

[mrplunkey]

I don't see what the problem is. If they want to be that way, then that's fine with me. If they feel trapped, then that's fine with me. Why fret?

I'm cool with someone choosing to be fat, but I don't want to pay for it.

 

[Spartacus]

petroleum had gotten so expensive
I've had to trim my cookies expense

 

[EnderJE]

For one, insurance at my work is 118.00/week for family coverage. I realize not all insurance is this high but cost' have risen tremendously over the past several years. One of the big reasons is people being over weight and having unhealthy lifestyles. Dr. offices are flooded w/ type 2 diabetes, heart disease, you name it b/c of the choices they make in diet and fitness. I don't think I should have to pay b/c of lazy fat people driving the cost up. Also, I believe work production is down b/c of these people which has a direct affect in profits for businesses. They're always missing work for this and that ailment.

You assume that some increase in larger people is a direct correlation to your insurance and thus you have to pay more? Do you have any facts to back that up or just an observation?

Regarding work production, again...any facts or stats or just an observation?

Me personally, I just blame God.

 

[mrplunkey]

You assume that some increase in larger people is a direct correlation to your insurance and thus you have to pay more? Do you have any facts to back that up or just an observation?

Regarding work production, again...any facts or stats or just an observation?

Me personally, I just blame God.

There are a lot of "cost of obesity" studies out there. It's not just the fatness -- its also the comorbidities like diabetes, congestive heart failure, sleep apnea, etc. etc.

Its not that different from smoking, alcoholism, or other choice-influenced activities. They create a drag on the health care system that *somebody* always ends-up paying for.