DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Obesity- A National Problem, some think Security Problem

That's awesome, Frenchy. Well done!

I apologize in advance for the length of this post and if I jump around to different subjects, but I feel a lot of relevant to the conversation.

Someone mentioned this issue was as simple as "calories in, calories out". I always felt the same way and was somewhat judgmental of heavy people.

My wife is short like me, she is about 5 2" and I am 5'6". WE had both been pretty active, but about 25 years ago, my wife started gaining weight and being tired. She started weighing and measuring her food, would do an hour on the elliptical in our basement before she went to work. She would nearly fall asleep driving to work (1st grade and kindergarten teacher) after getting 8 hours sleep. Her stomach got big but not flabby, she had what they call a buffalo hump at teh back base of her neck and her face and under her chin were very bloated.

We lived in a very small town (1300 pop) and local doctors had no clue. After convincing a Nurse pract to test for thyroid but that ended up not being the case. She went to several endos in Dayton, Piqua Sidney etc and finally she found a Facebook support group for adrenal and growth hormone issues. She discovered a doctor through them who was a dept head at UCLA and saw patients one night a week. She convinced she had a condition called Cushings Syndrome.

It is a non-malignant tumor growing on your pituitary gland that causes your adrenals to pump wild amounts of cortisol and other hormones throughout your body. She finally found an Ohio endo who told her he had never even seen a case but would refer her to the DR at UCLA. Finally getting there he tested her blood, hair roots, coordination, skin, MRI of her brain etc and finally diagnosed her.

From there we traveled to Houston TX for surgery at MD Anderson. They entered through her nose and tried to remove the tumor and got about 90%. The rest was too close to her corroded artery and other dangerous body parts. I was never so scared as when I saw her in recovery. They had stuffed cocaine-soaked cotton batting into her nose to deaden the pain. She looked like she had been beaten up.

The surgery initially was successful, she had more energy, lost a significant amount of weight but within a year she was off again. A return trip to surgeon in Houston gave us 3 options, have another really risky surgery, live a miserable life, or have her adrenal glands removed which is what she chose.

On to Milwaukee for that surgery and now she must take all the hormones a human being produces, either by pill, shot or cream (most daily) and it is very difficult to know how much of each because teh smallest chunk from the smallest pill could cause a sleepless night, and low energy.

My point is if you looked at my wife you might judge her as lazy or a poor eater. As we go places, we see this body type and can absolutely guess they have thsi issue. Doctors have told us it is more prominent than many realize and underdiagnosed. Most Endos she goes to the majority of their patients are diabetics. She currently drives from SW Ohio to Durham NC to an Endo at Duke who see many of these patients.

MY point is not everything is as it seems saying that root causes could be fixable as most cases are not a true medical causation in my opinion.

Switching gears, a bit, yes, our country is becoming more and more stagnant. I am 61 and weigh about 40 lbs more than at graduation. I played baseball in HS as a sophomore at about 125 pounds but had to quit when my dad got sick to work. I walk about an hour nearly every day, but I eat a lot of processed food. About 25 years ago we both stopped drinking soft drinks except for occasionally. WE don't drink alcohol or smoke.

I also think food available is a huge cause along with a sedentary lifestyle. WE have very cheap food and on top of that it is so easy to get. When I was a kid, we did not get snacks every night and if so, mom made popcorn, or we had a bowl of cereal. Now you can have just about anything frozen and microwave it in minutes. Also with so few people really cooking, the food is caloric, salty, sugary & not very healthy.

Anyway, just my 2 cents, and sorry again for how long this was. My best to you all.

Sorry to hear about your wife's condition. At least you found out.

Fantastic! For me I need to exercise to force myself to eat healthy... 2020 I started drinking way too heavily... I still have binger nights... but for the last 4 months or so I've tried work out most mornings and eat somewhat healthy... for me adding weights really helped get me back in shape... I started adding running/walking to help with my cardio, but fell 1000x better than I did 4 months ago

Keep it up!

So sorry to hear about your wife... my mom had pituitary cancer when I was younger... it's no joke... praying she heals and get some of her energy back

S@uirrels are not the most dangerous wild animal in America, but I'll still say, if you are neck to neck with some wild animals and get out without incident, you had a good day, and if it's in one's recent memory, then yep, wild animals,
like the day I kayaked with what turned out to be sharks, or a more recent day etched into your brain, Wild Animals are a National Problem

Best of luck to you and your wife.

a lot of the problem isn't even the calories we consume; it's the kind of calories we're eating and drinking.

and then even bigger than that is the amount of sodium in our foods. a lot of people in this country are carrying around excess water weight due to a lot of sodium in their diet. if people simply swapped to water (i put lemon juice in mine because drinking water straight sucks), they would start peeing like crazy over the next couple weeks and watch the weight fall off. also, being conscious about the amount of salt in your food would do wonders.

the thing is that if you live a sedated lifestyle, watching the sodium does a lot of wonders in not gaining weight. people who live a more active lifestyle has more leeway in what they can eat, but if you're lifestyle involves grinding in the office chair all day, you're not moving your body, not keeping the metabolism high, and not keeping lean muscle on your body.

even the hardest workout warriors will tell you that 80% of weight loss/gain is done in the kitchen.

that's why i was kinda clowning people during the pandemic, and roasting people who claimed we have a food shortage.

no we don't. we definitely have a snack shortage though. i see the 2 litters and 12 packs of pop off the shelf all the time, though. them frozen dinners and snacks stay off the shelf, as well.

i didn't see a shortage of fruits and vegetables, however. i didn't see a lot of the lean meats like boneless pork chops and chicken off the shelfs. lord knows when's the last time some people has had any normal amount of protein and fiber in their diets? just a bunch of nonsense packed with a ridiculous amount of sugar.

Damn, Fort... one hell of a journey, eh?

Reading through your post, I'm not real clear, how is she doing NOW, after having her adrenal glands removed?

Hopefully she reaches a day where she feels like everything is under control. Regardless, sounds like she has a strong partner by her side. Hang in there, and give her a hug from all your Browns buddies.

You hit on a lot of things there that reminds me of something I've been fond of saying lately: If everyone ate like they had Type 1 diabetes, we'd nearly eradicate Type 2 diabetes.

Often overlooked in the diet/fitness world is the glycemic index, inflammation, and insulin response. There is a MASSIVE correlation between the body's glycemic response and obesity, and the simple fact is that a LOT of America's favorite foods spike the body's insulin response. Switching your diet to foods that are low on the glycemic index, or even 'moderate', and outright ditching anything that has a high glycemic index will have you shedding weight fast as your body normalizes.

Additionally, there are a lot of foods that cause inflammation. Inflammation can lead to insulin resistance, which leads to more weight gain, which leads to increased inflammation. There's more, too, involving lepin resistance which increases signals to the brain telling you to eat, etc... it's an insane cycle.

Those zero calorie sodas & treats that are sweetened with artificial sweeteners? Yeah, well, those artificial sweeteners still trigger the body's insulin response, and that means that calories from that food get converted to fat before the body processes it. You are, very literally, better off consuming a beverage sweetened with real maple syrup because of the type of sugar it is. Maple syrup won't spike your insulin. Ditto with jelly/jams... throw them out and switch to marmalade.

I was always under the impression that a halfway decent breakfast was the key to getting your metabolism going in the morning and not going overboard at lunch. Is that not the case?

Lot's of opinions out there. Do what works best for you. I will say that not having a late dinner is pretty important.

WE joke about how we traveled the country via doctor and hospital visits. She does all right. Her doctor says she walks a very fine line because the tiniest piece of a few of her meds can affect her energy and attitude. Some mornings it takes her longer to really get ready to start the day. She takes her meds and has to wait an hour to eat. Ironically, I take a cholesterol med that I must tale with food soon after I get up. Timing breakfast can a drag.

You would not know she was sick just to see her or to talk to her. She is highly intelligent and reads a lot about her disease and is very careful. In all reality, she self-diagnosed her situation. We have an occasional emergency room visit if sodium, potassium or other levels get out of wack. It would be really nice if they made a medical device similar to what diabetics have that give her an instant reading on critical hormone levels, but there just isn't the market to make it profitable.

One political comment I have regarding this. My wife takes HGH and shortly after she was able to battle her insurance to pay most of it, Chuck Schumur announced he was planning on sponsoring legislation to classify it as a controlled substance to a very high degree. From what I understand lobbyist type people had told him the horrors of HGH in sports he had to do something about it. Had it passed my wife would have had to actually meet her doctor in person to get a prescription quarterly. At the time her doctor was still teh LA guy so we would have had to fly to LA from Ohio 4 times a year.

She belongs to a support group that bombarded Schumur's office with calls, emails & letters etc,. They finally got an appointment with a staff person in Schumer's office and were able to explain how many people needed this critical medicine to have a somewhat normal life. Their response was basically, "we had no idea" and I always think; and yet you had no issues sponsoring the bill without even researching beyond some information given to you. Another one of those "we have to do something" moments by our government.

Thanks, you guys very much for all your well wishes. I chose this one to respond because of the journey comment. Lots of miles and flights.

You and your wife l are having to endure a lot. Sounds like you have good attitudes despite the circumstances. I don't know what to say other than I wish you both all the best. I want to offer some sage advice, but it's escaping me. Wishing you both all the best.

Wow Fort. Your story really sticks with me. My thoughts and prayers to you and your wife.

It's been proven that eating breakfast doesn't "kickstart your metabolism" or "stoke the furnace". I've read but can't confirm that some of these types of statements were perpetuated by the cereal and orange juice industries. You just have to find what works for you.....eat when you're truly hungry. I know some people that have a hard time functioning without breakfast. Personally, I don't wake up hungry and usually first eat between 11-11:30. I do have a cup of coffee or two and drink two large glasses of water when I get up.

I finally gave up the beer and pop about 2 1/2 months ago. Not really a heavy pop drinker anyways, maybe one a day. But the beer on my weekends it was a 15 pack and a couple of wine coolers each night. Always at home, played video games, got caught up on the dvr, did laundry. Now it is so boring on the weekends.

I gave up soda and periodically give up beer (need to do that again now). Like you, I found that the majority of the beer that I drink is consumed while I play video games. What I also found out is that it really doesn't matter what I have in my glass as long as it's something with more taste than water.

I retired from drinking entirely about 16 years ago. Lost appx 50 pounds in 6 months.

The year after that, I grudgingly gave up cheese, bread, tortillas and all meat except ground turkey.

I eat a lot of citrus and drink TONS of water.

Take walks (no jogging or running) when I can.

Have been back down to 190 lbs (what I weighed in my late 30's) for a very long time now.

I don't think my girlfriend believes I'm any more attractive or my mental acuity is any more evident, but I guess I'm physically healthier.

The trick for me was to not substitute other things (behavioral or ingesting) for the things I'd given up.

I miss pork tenderloin.

I feel like I miss beer, sausage and pork tenderloin.

So have a beer and a brat, bro! I'm sure you've developed enough self control by this point. Good job.

AS I read some of the responses, I think, wow I made this sound awful. It was, at the time, tough to deal with, scary as all get out and felt like it would never end. There was a time when I thought my wife was "one of those disease of teh week" people and man am i glad I never expressed that. But it really is something you learn to live with. After 15 years it is our life, and we deal with it. I occasionally have to remind the kids (and grandkids) that Mom can't just hop out of bed and be effective. The meds and phone reminders are just part of our life. Knowing some nights, she needs to get a shot, others rub a hormone cream in, other nights other things. Some nights she has about 7 "procedures" before she sleeps. IF you asked us, we would tell you we are happy. WE are both retired young, we now live close to 2 of our 3 kids, our 2 grandkids sleep over nearly every Friday night. We are blessed.

Thanks again for the well wishes and prayers.

Life is not for the faint of heart. We all get our share of happiness and crosses to bare. Glad you and yours have found a happy and peaceful place. All the best to all.

It depends on what you eat for breakfast. Eggs and bacon then great! Cereal loaded with sugar then no so good. Sugar in the morning sets you up for a big crash at lunch time.

Also, if you can wait until after you exercise in the morning then you burn almost twice the calories.

MY rule is that if it comes from the garden instead of a box or can then I can eat as much as I want anytime I want. I have also found that fasting once or twice a week really keeps my blood sugar under control.

The problem is that sometimes you have diabetes before you get overweight and the diabetes will MAKE you hungry all the time. Also if you have bad balances of bacteria in your intestines it makes it hard to digest food and get the nutrients from it so you can eat and still feel like your starving. Good to have both tested regularly once you hit about 35.

You can't fix evil with education, man's heart is born evil, and must be born again. Unless a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

If someone made a movie, a hilarious racing movie, about a cash prize to whoever visited all 3 of the remaining k-mart stores in the continental US before they closed. That might be something.

A corporation cannot be obese.

So are you saying without being saved you are destined to be obese? I'm not sure that is correct. Have you seen the crowd at a church service lately?

I couldn't agree more that the way we eat has been and is a health crisis in this country! But, artificial sweeteners don't spike everyone...we are all different. What spikes your glucose may not spike mine. To know for sure, just do a glucose test 30 min after consuming any artificial sweetener. Then 60 min. Some even do 90. That is the only way to be certain. It's been studied fairly extensively in my keto circles.

Congrats on your life style changes....you have the will power to keep doing the good/smart thing. Most of us don't, unfortunately. To another poster- being saved by God doesn't make you thin. JMHO, lots of things we doing want to remember in this world- how often do folks think or talk about seven deadly sins- gluttony is one of them. For those of us overweight- me included- we are what we eat and the quantity of what is consumed. In my first post, could be security issue- it is very sad to see so many overweight children- Human condition- we all like to eat stuff not good for us. God help us....and we need to help ourselves.

Army recruit command boss: Overweight youth a growing problem

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/08/29/army-recruiting-obesity/14798757/

Good read on how obesity is impacting military recruiting.

My TED talk starting this discussion was 2012 info, yours is dated 2014. Well don't think we've gotten better-https://www.studyfinds.org/obesity-us-military-readiness/ , this article May 2022 states 40% of adults over 20 in US are OBESE.
Wonder how their children are doing. We've got lots of problems- tying shoes is one of them. SAD.

I cannot even tell you how many children I see that are obese by the time they're pre-teens.
I'd also wager that the 40% number is way too low. If nothing else, I wouldn't be shocked if it meant to say that only 40% *aren't* obese.

If anyone is serious about making a change, this guy is totally worth a look. He's a Physician that used to be obese. It's not as hard as you think.

[video:youtube][/video]

Thanks, I'll check this guy out for myself and wife. Again, just my opinion- we all control our diet- quantity and quality in is the controlling factor- obese children caused by lazy parents and "normal" American diet.....JMHO. Eat healthy....Peace.