Fat What No One is Telling you

maleficent

maleficent

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I saw a blurb out this in the current issue of Women's Health magazine and it looked interesting - I doubt it will be "groundbreaking" but since it's PBS - I'd bet its worth giving it some television time.

FAT: What No One Is Telling You | PBS

About the Program

Face it: We're fat.
With 66 percent of U.S. adults either overweight or obese, our girth is a serious public health issue. Yet many of us still view being overweight as a character flaw, a lack of self-control, or even a moral crime.

But does fat really equal failure? FAT: What No One Is Telling You explores the myriad psychological, physiological and environmental factors that can make it so tough to shed pounds and keep them off. In this documentary, Executive producer Naomi Boak and producer/director Tom Spain, both Emmy Award honorees, share new scientific knowledge about hunger, eating, and human metabolic operation. This film also explains our psychological responses to food, and shows how external pressures (such as oversized restaurant portions and the unending barrage of food advertisement) make fighting fat so difficult, both on the personal and national levels.

FAT's engaging personal narratives create snapshots of our national struggle with obesity:
  • Meet Rosie Dehli, a Minnesota grandmother, battling to get fit so she can enjoy an active, playful relationship with her grandchild.
  • Meet Mary Dimino, an actress and comedian, in New York, NY, who exemplifies the hard work people must do to lose pounds and stay healthy once they've been obese.
  • Meet America Bracho, a public-health professional in Santa Ana, California, who is educating families about nutrition while encouraging her Latino community's children to move, both in school and at home.
  • Meet Rocky Tayeh, a Brooklyn, New York teenager grappling with the very personal (and highly criticized) solution of undergoing Lap-Band surgery.
  • Meet Dr. Lee Kaplan of Harvard University Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, who is a clinician, researcher and above all an empathetic warrior in the battle against obesity
The voices of these and other real Americans tell the story of the biological barriers, cultural habits, and economic realities that contribute to our nation's expanding waistline.

Air date schedule - it starts airing April 11

Video Preview - I have not watched it yet
 
this looks good.. thanks for posting!

i hope they discuss how our "health-care" system and billion$$$ "food" industry is helping to keep us fat.
 
^ While I'm sure the fast food industry is producing food that people buy, I'm not sure they are keeping us fat. We are the ones who knowingly drive up to the window and order the Triple Burger Deluxe with extra cheese, Super size fries, and Humungo Diet Coke. Who's to blame...the person providing the food or the person buying the food?
 
I agree, while the food at fast food places are absolutely horrible for us they're not forcing us to eat it. It's each individual's choice on whether they prepare a healthy lunch or go to a fast food place to buy one. While I do believe their food is absolutely unhealthy, it's not them keeping us fat, it's ourselves.
 
mindovermatter said:
After watching the show tonight I came away thinking weight loss/obesity is so much more then just calories and exercise.
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I couldn't find PBS last night - I know it wil be aired again so I'll find it next time :)

But that is absolutely a true statement... especially for those who are obese... there's a big difference between vanity pounds and those who need to lose a significant amount of weight - if the person isn't in the right headspace -it's not going to work... no matter how many people they get talking at them. I'm not sure that the medical community really gets that either.

A person doesn't get to be 275, 300, 325 lbs or higher simply because they have problems saying no to birthday cake... there's more going on there...
 
maleficent said:
A person doesn't get to be 275, 300, 325 lbs or higher simply because they have problems saying no to birthday cake... there's more going on there...
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Lol, actually, sometimes people just like food :p~~

I ate to much because i wanted to eat, i loved the food. No emotional hangups, wasnt really overly concerned about being fat, i dont emotional eat or binge so much other than the odd fav food.
I think for me it was lazyness, i was to lazy to to stop and think about it and do something.
Of course now im the the new skinnier me and all that i feel heaps better, look heaps better etc etc - you know the routine.

But yeah, my point was that there is not always some major underlying emotional reason a person is fat :)
 
maleficent said:
[*]Meet Rocky Tayeh, a Brooklyn, New York teenager grappling with the very personal (and highly criticized) solution of undergoing Lap-Band surgery.
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Just watching this "kid" verbally duck, bob and weave his way around accepting any option other than surgery...I'm sorry but I just found it annoying. Walking on the treadmill = "too hard", lifting weights = "that's for muscles, I don't want muscles I want fat loss", making any serious attempt to monitor/control food intake = couldn't be bothered to really make the effort until it became essential in order to have the surgery.

The show made some wonderful, valid points about the individual and biological issues involved in weight gain/loss - and no doubt about the fact that we've increasingly altered our environment to the point where it's geared toward physical inactivity and food overconsumption - but, but, but, IMO the concept of taking individual responsiblity for individual choices was greatly under-emphasized.
 
PBS Special "Fat"

Did anyone see this very good show last night? I only caught the last half hour but it taught me about the epidemic of obesity. You really saw how pervasive it is. These poor eleven year old children who weight 250 pounds. Much is being done about it by scientific and medical communities and even public health workers. It is no longer anything to be ashamed of. It is no longer solely the fault of the overweight individual. But it is an issue that the individual needs to address, and once again the focus was on making small changes.

I learned that the causes for obesity are complex and one solution does not work for everyone. That obesity can be programmed from the womb, just many things.

I was just wondering what I missed in the first half.
 
cym said:
Just watching this "kid" verbally duck, bob and weave his way around accepting any option other than surgery...I'm sorry but I just found it annoying. Walking on the treadmill = "too hard", lifting weights = "that's for muscles, I don't want muscles I want fat loss", making any serious attempt to monitor/control food intake = couldn't be bothered to really make the effort until it became essential in order to have the surgery.

The show made some wonderful, valid points about the individual and biological issues involved in weight gain/loss - and no doubt about the fact that we've increasingly altered our environment to the point where it's geared toward physical inactivity and food overconsumption - but, but, but, IMO the concept of taking individual responsiblity for individual choices was greatly under-emphasized.
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Exactly, great post cym, I felt the same way. Surgery or no surgery he will not be successful without taking some responsibility and finding the drive to accomplish the weight loss. You have to really want it. You need to want to loss weight more than you want that brownie, pizza, ice cream etc.

I realize there is a lot involved with obesity and weight loss, but I felt that at points certain people in the show made it more complicated and dire than it needs to be. I know I had help getting to 365 pounds and it was not all my fault but in the end I was the only one who good change the situation and correct it. It can be done!
 
Man, I really wish I had seen it. But I do agree that you need to put effort into it. The people who get surgery won't succeed if they don't learn to deall with their issues first. You can stretch out your stomach again and if you don't change your old eating habits, the surgery won't do much for long.

I also agree with Wishes. I was also more of an eater because I love food. Boy oh boy do I love food, and of course it's the things like pasta, pizza, etc. I would eat because I just loved the taste. I was also able to eat so much without ever feeling full, but I think that's because I wasn't eating the right things. I think my body was craving certain nutrients and whatnot and just wasn't getting it. Now that I do eat healthy I feel full! It's awesome to finally feel full off normal portions. However, I still loooooove food so I just have to be careful around my fav's and limit eating them in general.
 
I finished watching the program tonight.

Overall, I think it was a very valuable program. At first, I was examining it quite critically, asking myself questions like, "Why don't they talk about energy balance?" or "Why don't they talk about an exercise program that really works?"

To me, people's personal reactions to obesity are lot like people's reactions to poverty. Let me explain.

I find that the people who are most hostile to those who are down on their luck are people who started in poverty, but worked their way out of it. In this group, you are most likely to find those who deny that luck had anything to do with it.

Those from a middle or upper class background, who through various combinations of luck and circumstance, experienced poverty, are more likely to be less judgemental about the less fortunate, and they also more readily acknowledge the role of luck.

When it comes to poverty, I am in the latter crowd -- I am from an upper middle class background, but I went through a perioud of extreme poverty, at one time making my living as a farmworker. I worked hard to get where I am today, but I realize I have been lucky, very lucky.

Yet, when it comes to obesity, I am tempted to be like the first crowd -- to say, I can do it, why can't they?

My life experience stops me short of this. Yes I am doing it the "right" way this time, but I simply wouldn't have tried to do all that I'm doing earlier in my life. I became desperate, and afraid. That made me willing to engage in an all-out battle, involving a very hard exercise program, monitoring of every calorie I eat, etc.

Is this a solution for the average obese person in society? I'm afraid not. Ideally, yes; practically, no. The average obese person will not go to the gym 6 days a week, will not do HIIT sessions until they are close to puking, will not spend time every day tracking their calories in FitDay, will not have the patience to break through a plateau, will not have the endurance to take 2 years to lose the weight they have accumulated over a life time.

So my solution, which is working very well for me, is not the solution for society. In fact, I'm guessing that out of all the people who are on WLF, less than half of us will reach our goal, and in that half, less than half will have kept the weight off after a year. That means for 75% of the people on WLF, the psychological, cultural, familial, and social problems discussed in the show are THEIR problems as well. And if I fail, which is certainly a possibility, these will be MY problems.

Success easily breeds smugness. Many of us have been successful so far. I hope I never get smug about my success, though. I hope I never forget the pain and frustration involved with being fat. I hope I continue to have compassion for those afflicted by this disease. And I hope I continue to acknowledge the struggle and accomplishments of those who have chosen to fight it.
 
Success easily breeds smugness. Many of us have been successful so far. I hope I never get smug about my success, though. I hope I never forget the pain and frustration involved with being fat. I hope I continue to have compassion for those afflicted by this disease. And I hope I continue to acknowledge the struggle and accomplishments of those who have chosen to fight it.
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I could not agree more. Very well put. :eek:
 
Here's an analysis from a Healthy At Every Size perspective - I really liked the comments:



My favorite part was the Phat Fly Girls dance troupe (it inspired me to check out the bellydancing class at my gym) and the activism of America Bracho - she was absolutely awesome, pointing out that this is an issue that needs to be tackled by the entire community, fighting for parks and communities engaged in and designed for health.
 
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mindovermatter said:
The one I could identify with the most was Mary:
Meet Mary Dimino, an actress and comedian, in New York, NY, who exemplifies the hard work people must do to lose pounds and stay healthy once they've been obese.
.
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Mary was by far the one I think I could relate to. But I really hope that a really good PT or other professional saw that show and feels compelled to reach out and help her figure out a way to effectively maintain her weight without having to work-out 3 hours a day...my biggest fear for her is that eventually that level of intensity will just burn her out physically or mentally

TomO said:
The average obese person will not go to the gym 6 days a week, will not do HIIT sessions until they are close to puking, will not spend time every day tracking their calories in FitDay, will not have the patience to break through a plateau, will not have the endurance to take 2 years to lose the weight they have accumulated over a life time.
Success easily breeds smugness. Many of us have been successful so far. I hope I never get smug about my success, though. I hope I never forget the pain and frustration involved with being fat. I hope I continue to have compassion for those afflicted by this disease. And I hope I continue to acknowledge the struggle and accomplishments of those who have chosen to fight it.
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I know what you're saying, but I think I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand I believe that having compassion for others facing difficult circumstances is part of what makes us human. But, on the other hand it can sometimes be a fine line between compassionate behavior and enabling behavior.

The thing that comes to mind is all the people in my life who were very, very kind and always p.c about my ever expanding girth vs. the one friend who finally had enough of my whining and said, basically, "well, if you are serious about losing weight I'll teach you to run"...and showed me no mercy, allowed me no excues and turned a smiling but deaf ear to my whines, rants and complaints for months on end. It wasn't the people who were kind and sympathetic and loved me at any weight that truly made a difference...it was my no-beside-manner doc who bluntly informed me I was killing myself with food... it was the less than kind overheard remarks about the size of my a$$...it was the friend who said "stop bitching and walk faster" (before I could even think about running)....and later the friend who told me I was going to "wind up looking like a blob" if I didn't get my butt into a gym and start lifing heavy weights.

I guess I just think that all the loving compassionate support I received at my heaviest was just enabling me to feel good about myself - while getting ever larger and ever unhealthier...but it was the "yeah, it's hard...life sucks...get over it" kicks in the butt that actually got me started and kept me motivated in the beginning.
 
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The thing that comes to mind is all the people in my life who were very, very kind and always p.c about my ever expanding girth vs. the one friend who finally had enough of my whining and said, basically, "well, if you are serious about losing weight I'll teach you to run"...and showed me no mercy, allowed me no excues and turned a smiling but deaf ear to my whines, rants and complaints for months on end.
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Cym, there's a huge difference between apathy and "tough love." What I'm talking about is apathy -- the smugness that comes when you've succeeded, and you stop caring about those who are having a hard time winning this battle.

I think I feel just like you do. My wife last night said her teacher buddies were asking her, "what's your husband's secret?" I told her there was no secret. It was a lot of hard work, will power, discipline, and sometimes willingness to tolerate pain. If someone came to me for help, and wasn't ready to go through that, frankly, I couldn't help them very much. That's also why my solution is hardly the one for society overall. I doubt that more than 5% of all obese people are willing to go through what you and I and a lot of others on WLF go through to win this battle.
 
Where can i see the whole show online?? I am really interested (because of my studies and personally obviously)!
Thank you, xxMilaxx
 
OK I found it and, albeit I should be studying, I watched it.
I thought it was very interesting although a lot of what they say don't apply to me, my family etc... we are hispanos but we NEVER eat crap, and also I think living in Europe is probably different. Still it was very interesting (just like I found SuperSizeMe very interesting).
I liked that they showed different points of view, I liked the Dr. that studied the gut and all that, although being in science myself I found that they used the typical "people who watch this have no idea of anything so we can just babble random things and they will think it is brain science".
The fat boy really frustrated me though. Not just because of his unwillingness to work out (I mean I am not even as heavy as what he had lost towards the end and he was still pretty big... and I feel ashamed going to the gym... so I know that it is not easy... but he is frickin' 18 years old!!!), but there was that sequence in the end where he cries about having to follow a liquid diet and I just wanted to slap him.
Little bit of personal insight:
At age 14 I contracted a strange stomach bug, that made me throw up. Nothing major a couple of days we thought. Then the throwing up never ceased. I threw up every evening for 5 months until I was brought to hospital, where they looked at me, and without much further testing send me to the onco ward to confirm stomach cancer.
I spent a night in the onco ward with all the cancer-kids, waiting for them to scan me and to then start treatment. That was the worst night of my life!
Then they scanned and wouldn't find a tumour, just severely damaged intestines that would close my stomach valve up and make me puke, they sent me home and I was on several strange diets for months on end. Once a diet of only soup, then one that included some bland food... well you get the idea. I still have bowel problems.
No I remember those times, those couple of years in which I would constantly throw up, could eat basically nothing and always thinking it might be the cancer in the end... and I just wanna crush that guy who cries because he has to be on a liquid diet for a WEEKEND!!!!

Oh well... that was probably just me!
Thank you all for this though, I would have never watched it without you guys! Love, xxMilaxx
 
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