15 companies set to gain millions from obesity epi-panic (no shit!)

No shit, Sherlock, of course companies who make exercise equipment/clothing, diet pills, medical devices, and diets are going to profit from TEH OMG OBESITY EPI-PANIC hysteria promoted by those same companies. Tell us something we didn't already know.

Globally, 1.8 billion people were obese or overweight in 2007, and the number of obese and overweight people now exceeds the amount of those who are underfed, the report said.
"At the same time, companies are capitalizing on the trend toward better health and weight management," the analysts said in the 188-page report titled, "Obesity and Investment Implications."

Nike Inc, General Mills Inc, Danone, Kellogg, supermarket operator Safeway, palm oil manufacturer Kuala Lumpur Kepong, CVS, Under Armour, Lululemon Athletica, Life Time Fitness, and Dick's Sporting Goods are all companies marketing items promoted to help with weight loss (and we all know how successful the use of those items is). Yep, take advantage of consumers scared to death that they're gonna die of TEH FATZ so you can make millions more dollars of profit. If you're a food company, take out sugar and fat, pile on the carbs, and charge us more for it because it's a diet food. Sorry, I'm not buying, I'm smarter than that. If you're selling exercise equipment/clothing, well, I might buy some equipment, if it's something I like to do (like riding my recumbent exercise bike) but exercise hasn't been proved to guarantee weight loss.

The report estimates that revenue related to obesity products in the consumer staples sector, which includes food and beverage companies, will grow 9.3 percent annually on average from 2008-2012, reaching $1.4 trillion.

(emphasis mine)
I'm all for companies making a profit, but that kind of growth, with the economic situation a lot of people are in right now is just evil. Especially when they add this little bit of bullshit:

The 15 firms were selected based on the effectiveness of their products in either preventing or treating obesity and its related diseases.

Effectiveness!!!???!?!!? WTF? Where are these assholes living? The only effective thing about any of these products is their advertising ability to scare the shit out of people and push them into buying something, anything that may help them lose weight because said people are so desperate to "fit in" and be "healthy". I don't give a shit what anyone says, NONE of the garbage marketed by any of these companies will make a naturally fat person permanently thin. And if you believe their marketing, I have a bridge for sale.

By contrast, revenue in the healthcare sector related to obesity treatments and preventative care is expected to reach only $73 billion by 2012, averaging 7.1 percent annual growth.
Allergan, which manufactures a gastric band involved in gastric-bypass surgery, disease management company Healthways, and Merck and Novo Nordisk, both major manufacturers of diabetes treatments.

(emphasis mine)
You could probably add to the list any pharmaceutical company that is working on any kind of diet pill or that is already marketing any kind of diet pill. And we all know how safe and effective those have proved to be (can we say phen-fen?).
I repeat, NONE of this is about improving the health of fat people. It's all about promoting fear and hysteria so fat people will put their money in the pockets of these greedy corporations who don't give a shit about anything but their bottom line. If they really cared about the health of fat people, they wouldn't rush weight loss drugs to market before finding out exactly what all the side effects really are. If they really cared about the health of fat people, they wouldn't be pushing gastric mutilation with a myriad of horrible complications that are far worse and more fatal than staying fat. This kind of shit just proves to me that the old saying is true: "The love of money is the root of all evil."

Friday Fluff

Especially appropriate with all the rain the Midwest has gotten lately.

The Fat Experience Project

Ok, I know I'm late posting this, but yesterday (when I got this email) was a pisser of a day and I had all I could do to just get things done around the house after dealing with DH's blood sugar tanking at 2 a.m. (if you don't like dealing with drunks, you wouldn't like dealing with someone who's hypo, trust me on this one). Then we had to get up at 5:30 so we could do a 45 minute drive to his doctor's appt at the VA (one of the reasons he went low, it was a 12-hour fasting lab work appt, along with seeing his doctor for his twice-a-year check-up). Then a 45 minute drive home again and he was off to work the rest of the day (I got to do the dishes and clean the cat box and figure out what we were going to have for supper, no time for a nap). But anyway, better late than never, I suppose. Check it out, looks like an awesome project to me (and others have said it better than I could anyway, I'm sure y'all have read what they have to say already).

Hi there -

I wanted to let you know, in hopes that you might let your audience know,
that I've recently launched a new project that I'm very excited about!

The new project is called "The Fat Experience Project." and you can view
it here:

http://thefatexperience.com

The goal of the Fat Experience Project is to map the global experience of
fat in a way that is human, has a face, a heart, a mind, a body and a
voice. The Fat Experience Project is an oral, visual and written history
project which seeks to be a humanizing force in body image activism. By
collecting and sharing the many and varied stories of individuals of size,
the Fat Experience Project seeks to engage with, educate, empower and
enrich the lives of people of size, our allies and the world at large.

As the project grows, it will be filled with first-person, non-fiction
narratives (in text, video or mp3 format) that speak to the many and
varied aspects of the life lived large. Some of the content will come from
interviews already gathered on an extensive 2-month road trip (with the
lovely Val Garrison) in both audio and video format. Some content will
come from trips on the horizon. Most content will be submitted via the
website by readers such as yourself.

It is my hope that the project will be a community tool to combat
prejudice/stereotype/discrimination as well as to help externalize shame
so it can discussed and dissipated. The things we keep silent about are
the things that do us the most harm. Shared burden is lighter. I am
hoping, as well, that the project may eventually be used as a humanizing
resource for fat studies and social anthropology courses.

I am writing to ask for your help in both the promotion of and the
participation in this project. It is my fondest hope that, ultimately,
with time and resources, this project will grow beyond a specific and
exclusive fat focus and move toward addressing the many intersections of
shame.

In the meantime, I would love your help in the form of passing this along
to your readers/mailing lists/friends/family/anyone you feel may benefit
from hearing about this project.

I also welcome comments, constructive criticism and volunteers.

Thanks for your time and energy!
Big BIG love,

Stacy Bias
http://thefatexperience.com
http://www.stacybias.net

Get an Alzheimer's Web Ribbon

In honor of the families who deal with this.

Is it Alzheimer's?

Get a Web Ribbon

via sanguinary blue

George Carlin: May he watch the human comedy from wherever he went. RIP

George Carlin died at the age of 71. This is sad news. I've listened to his act for the last 35 years (his bit about cats is awesome), and loved his rants. He will be sorely missed.
I hope he's where he can

watch the decline of civilization on a "heavenly CNN."
"The world is a big theater-in-the round as far as I'm concerned, and I'd love to watch it spin itself into oblivion," he said. "Tune in and watch the human adventure."

Which Superhero are you?

Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man 90% Green Lantern 70% Hulk 60% Wonder Woman 50% Batman 45% The Flash 45% Robin 40% Supergirl 40% Catwoman 40% Superman 35% Iron Man 35%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

I totally ganked this from TariRocks!, who does indeed rock!
Spiderman, I don't think so, but maybe Spiderwoman............

OLD NFAT goes to MCFIT

ETA: This is the online version, not the video (I couldn't figure out how to link to the video or embed it).

I was checking Yahoo News headlines this morning, and one of the ABC News headlines was Virginia man loses 86 pounds eating only McDonald's. Diane Sawyer did the reporting, and interviewed him (and his wife). So what did this genius do to lose weight eating only at McDonald's? He limited himself to 1400 calories a day, had just the salads, wraps, and apple dippers, with an occasional cheeseburger/grilled chicken (no bun, he put the meat on the salad, no caramel sauce for the apple dippers).
Diane Sawyer made the comment that 1400 calories a day was a starvation diet, according to the American Dietary Association. Chris said that he figured it was calories in/calories out, that if he burned more calories than he was taking in, he would lose weight. This from a stress eater, who would come home stressed from work and sit in front of the refrigerator and eat (approximately 5,000 calories a day). Can we say he's another Jared? Way to go, Chris, promoting the stereotype of fat people as out-of-control binge eaters (yes, some are, but not every fat person sits in front of the fridge stuffing their face every time they have stress in their lives).

It was a good weekend

DH and I had a very good weekend. We went to my son's on Saturday to pick up the flatbed trailer we bought from him (to haul DH's snowmobile). It had been a pop-up camper at one time (converted to a flatbed trailer), and Jon had it sitting at a friend's house. The friend took the wooden floor off it, and put in a steel mesh floor, and new diamond plate fenders. Then Jon took it out to his wife's dad's house to be powder-coated and painted (we got all this for $240, a REAL bargain, since new ones just like this cost about $700 - $1000). We had to run back to WW to get a new connector for the lights (the one DH's truck was corroded), Jon changed that in less than 5 minutes for DH.
DH and I also took my grandson shopping for his birthday (he turned 12 on the 5th of June). Man, I wish I had 1/2 of that kid's energy. Mykel was a trip and a half on the way to WallyWorld......we were listening to an oldies tape (think Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs and the like). One of the songs was WooleyBooley and every time they sang that, he would sing RAVIOLI, off-key. DH kept telling Mykel he was going to get gonged, so then we had to explain to him about the Gong Show........LOL.......so then Mykel had to act all hurt (but he couldn't keep up the act, he kept laughing). Then we went back to Jon & Tina's for dinner (Mykel had been snacking all day long, and he ate 4 cheeseburgers and half a plate of chips for dinner, I don't know where he puts everything he eats, he's tall and thin, he's almost as tall as I am). After dinner, we all watched Meet the Spartans. I have never laughed so hard in my life (yeah, the fat kid part wasn't really funny at all), but the spoofs of American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, and Deal or No Deal were hilarious.
We got a motel room for the night so we wouldn't have to drive home in the dark (neither of us like driving after dark). When we checked in, DH asked if they had a discount for AAA membership or military personnel. The desk clerk said if he had his military ID, that was a better discount (oh yeah, it was, all right, saved us $37). Went back to my son's house this morning, hooked up the trailer, wished him a Happy Father's Day (and Jon and Tina wished DH the same). I ended up having to take Mykel's b-day gift apart (he got a foam dart stuck in it) and get the dart out (he said it's cool to have a grandma that can fix things), then got hugs all around before we left. Made it home in record time (about 3 1/2 hours) and put the trailer on the grass at the head of the driveway. Now all we have to do before we go to DH's step-son's house to pick up the snowmobile is put some plywood on the floor so the carbides on the skis don't tear up the mesh. DH wants to get some 2 X 4's to make stake sides for it so we can use it to haul stuff other than the snowmobile (gonna paint them black so they match the trailer......lol).
All in all, it was a nice trip away from home.

Interesting: 1930's Wife?

75 As a 1930s wife, I am Superior Take the test!

Interesting little test, indeed.

ETA: H/T to Melissa McEwen at Shakesville for this (Link)

Old age is a gift

I got this in an email today and think it's appropriate, since this is part of the reason I don't care what people have to say about my weight/body.

Old Age, I have decided, is a gift

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometimes despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.

I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.


I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 & 70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love .. I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set .
They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself much anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).