Living ~400lbs

… and believe me I am still alive

News

  • Three Things

    From an article on improving treatment of prisoners and staff in prisons to improve rehabilitation: Unlike in the United States, almost all incarcerated people in Norway are ultimately released, Roer said, which got officers thinking more about how to rehabilitate those who will rejoin society.“And we started to say, ‘What kind of neighbor do we… Continue reading

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  • Weight Watchers Continues To Spew Waste

    I probably don’t need to say I think WW’s app for kids is poised to mess up kids’ lives.  That research shows dieting leads to long-term weight gain. Or that disordered eating is often dieting with a different name. But if you are looking for more info: EATER: Weight Watchers Debuts an App That Could Screw… Continue reading

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  • “a successful weight loss drug could potentially have huge sales”

    Wow, so many people want to lose weight! Wouldn’t a weight loss drug make piles of money?  Check out this business article on the new drug the FDA approved! In a clinical trial involving patients without diabetes, those who took Contrave had an average weight loss of 4.1 percent beyond those receiving a placebo. About… Continue reading

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  • Music Monday

    I first heard this song in the spring of 2000, shortly after the police who shot Amadou Diallo were acquitted. I heard an audience recording and read a transcript of the lyrics (Springsteen fandom tends to share such things) and then I heard it live in New York.  Fans called it “41 Shots” or “the… Continue reading

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  • Food for Thought

    From the St Louis Post-Dispatch on the policing in Ferguson, Missouri: A “best practices” study published in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin two years ago says it’s generally accepted that “crowd violence escalates if people think police offers treat them unfairly.” Furthermore, the study says, when a crowd perceives that “officers act with justice and… Continue reading

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  • Why I Care About Mars Hill Church

    You may have noticed me tweeting about Mark Driscoll, co-founder of Mars Hill Church. You may not know this, but Mars Hill Church started in Seattle. Prior to co-founding Mars Hill, Driscoll was a college pastor at Antioch Bible Church. Now, that likely means nothing to you. But Antioch Bible Church has a rep around here. First,… Continue reading

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  • Why Isn’t Obesity Research Better Known?

    CBC has an article on the part of obesity research that doesn’t always get talked about. Tim Caulfield says his fellow obesity academics tend to tiptoe around the truth. “You go to these meetings and you talk to researchers, you get a sense there is almost a political correctness around it, that we don’t want… Continue reading

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  • CBC: Obesity research confirms long-term weight loss almost impossible

    The CBC has an article on what obesity research shows. After years of study, it’s becoming apparent that it’s nearly impossible to permanently lose weight. I’m not sure that’s news, but go on.  For psychologist Traci Mann, who has spent 20 years running an eating lab at the University of Minnesota, the evidence is clear.… Continue reading

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  • Some links

    Oh wow have I been busy. But that’s not the point.  So here’s some things to read :) ASDAH has launched a HAES curriculum for colleges, universities, and professional groups.  Check it out. :) The story behind The Butler. WalMart complains that lower-income people aren’t buying much.  If only there was something they could do… Continue reading

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  • Things to Read

    Some links I thought worth sharing: Lara Frater on the word “fat”. Grief moves at its own pace, despite the “rush to normal” common in our society. You know how kids will bulk up a little before a growth spurt?  That’s now a strange thing to be studied, not a normal thing. Swimming laps &… Continue reading

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  • Genetics Affect Weight

    This New York Times article by Gina Kolata isn’t totally news to me. At least not this summary of a study published in a 1990 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (bolding added): The work fascinates Claude Bouchard, a genetics researcher at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., because it might offer… Continue reading

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  • People Get Ready

    73-year-old Lester Chambers dedicates “People Get Ready” in memory of Trayvon Martin.  A white woman jumps on stage and assaults him. If you aren’t familiar with the song, here’s a recording of Aretha Franklin singing it: Imagine how folks would’ve reacted if Lester had sung Springsteen’s “American Skin (41 Shots)”. Continue reading

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  • Quote of the Day

    Mr. de la Rionda hammered away at the chain of events Mr. Zimmerman set off, he said, when he profiled Mr. Martin, got out of his car with a gun and followed him, despite the advice of the police dispatcher. “The law doesn’t allow people to take the law into their own hands,” he said.… Continue reading

  • Why I Think Declaring Obesity A Disease is Harmful

    It’s inaccurate: A fit fat person is usually healthier than a sedentary thin person. Obese people (BMI of 30 to 34.9) have no greater risk of early death than those of “normal” body size (BMI 18.5 to 24.9).  Most people who fit the clinical definition of obese are in the smaller categories. “Normal-weight” people who think… Continue reading

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  • In The News

    The AMA has endorsed the idea that “obesity” is a disease, not a “condition”.  (Personally I consider it a characteristic.)  Forbes states that this is “a move member physicians hope will spur better reimbursement for treating overweight Americans and create better health outcomes.”  Exactly how it’s supposed to “create better health outcomes” when commonly prescribed treatments do… Continue reading

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  • Job requirements

    “Put this all together and it means the IRS needs tens of thousands of people who are (a) smart, (b) willing to do really tedious work, (c) for moderate wages, (d) while working for a soul-crushing bureaucracy, and (e) being loathed by all right-thinking people. Does this sound to you like a recipe for disaster?… Continue reading

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  • Things to Read

    By way of Slacktivist comes a piece on recognizing silencing techniques.  Some are definitely too familiar. Security guards do not always improve the learning environment.  Art teachers might be better. Petition to drop the charges against Keira Wilmot for a science experiment gone wrong and re-enroll her in school has over 36000 signatures — does it… Continue reading

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About Me

Former software tester, now retired heart patient having fun and working on building endurance and strength. See also About page.

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