MAKING FUN OF PEOPLE DOESN’T WORK

     A lot of people think they’re helping an overweight person by making little comments and jokes about their weight. Turns out, they're making things worse!

     Two well known obesity researchers say, "We recently completed a study of more than 2,000 people enrolled in a weight loss program. Participants told us that when they are stigmatized because of their weight they respond with such strategies as eating more food and just giving up on dieting. Eating more in response to discriminatory treatment was reported by 79 percent of the participants."

     Read more about it here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/
11/01/AR2006110102969.html

     So when your mama said, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all," she was absolutely right.

IT ISN'T ALL YOUR FAULT

     Overweight people often say, "I take in very few calories, yet I find it extremely difficult to lose weight." And the thin people sneer.

     If that's been your experience, the thin people owe you an apology! According to the latest research, "Obese people have a distinctive mix of bacteria in their digestive systems that seems to make them prone to gaining weight, a startling discovery that could lead to new ways to fight the obesity epidemic." That's the good news. The bad news is that it always takes the scientific community awhile to come up with solutions to a problem. But at least you now know it isn't all your fault, and you know they're working on it.

     Read more on the topic by clicking below:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/20/
AR2006122001271.html

EATING ADDICTIONS ANONYMOUS

     This is not a joke. It’s a 12-step program for some people who weigh too much, some who weigh too little, and even for some who weigh the right amount. Eating Addictions Anonymous is NOT for everyone with a weight problem. It’s here to help people whose attitude toward food has become warped. They describe themselves as “a fellowship of people recovering from all aspects of eating addiction and body obsession. The only requirement for membership is the desire to stop abusing food and our bodies. We believe that our disease manifests itself in a variety of ways including: bingeing, purging, grazing, starving, obsession with: our bodies, weight, diet, muscular definition, etc. In our experience what, how, how much or how little you eat is irrelevant to the disease progression. What is important is that we have a warped relationship to food, and to our bodies.”

     If you feel you fit into one or more of these categories, you’ll find these helpful people at:

http://www.eatingaddictionsanonymous.org/