Her Daily News

This article really hit home with me. In the Houston Chronicle today, there is a story about a study done by the University of Texas that shows teenage girls who are obese are half as likely to attend college as their slimmer counterparts. The study also showed that obese teenage girls were more likely to engage in reckless behaviors such as skipping school, underage drinking and drug abuse. Such acting out stems from feelings of isolation. What I found most poignant in the article was how the societal stigma of appearance is not the same for obese boys.

Today is my birthday and I’m venturing into my mid-twenties. But it wasn’t too long ago that I was a teenage girl in high school facing the same pressures discussed in this article. For girls, even at an early age, looks and weight become the focus. Once you fall outside of the desired parameters for looks in society, the change begins. It is a shame that these girls are judged by their looks before they have even had time to develop them. What is even more of a shame is that these outside factors are affecting the educational choices of these young women. Because you don’t wear a certain size means you aren’t supposed to be successful in life? This shows me how much young women tie beauty to self-worth. The unfortunate part is that beauty and outward appearance will fade and can be taken away. It’s what you learn, give to others and grow into as a person that makes you special. Those types of lessons often come with life experience and wisdom, both of which you do not need outer beauty to attain.

women, obesity, education, beauty, society, teenage girls, pressure

An article on ScienceDaily.com shows a connection between weight-loss and race. The study shows that Caucasian women are more likely to seek outside help from a nutritionist, personal trainer or support group than their African-American counterparts. So why the difference?

As a Black woman, I can say I agree with this study for the most part. I have tried dealing with weight-loss on my own for most of my life. I do think that at times when dealing with weight-loss issues ethnic factors aren’t always taken into consideration. Factors such as ethnic diet, income level, geographic location and family history have to be considered when you look at effective weight-loss. In my opinion, body type is one major factor. While a specific diet and exercise routine may work well for one body type it may not work well for another. For instance, I have a large amount of muscle mass compared to most women my age. Most of this is due to genetic and ethnic factors. A workout program that would require a great deal of strenght training would only make me bulk up (which I don’t want!) while a program more geared toward aerobic fat-burning or toning would be less likely to create a bulky physiche. So in my opinion, there is lots more to learn about the way our bodies work in order to effectively manage weight-loss across the races.

women, health, weight-loss, exersice, race

Gastric bypass surgery has helped millions of women loose weight and fight the battle of compulsive eating. Because of the popularity of the surgery in recent years, it has almost seemed like a miracle cure for the severely obese. But one issues has been found creeping in the background of all the hype surrounding the benefits of weight loss surgery. ABC Nightline did a story shown on Yahoo! News bringing to light the growing problem. The underlying addictions that effect those who had compulsive eating problems prior to their surgery. What happens when these women transfer from one addictive behavior to another? What they are finding is a new battle with a different opponent.

Transfer addiction is relatively new on the scene of side effects of gastric bypass surgery. But the issue is seen as a rising concern by those conducting Bariatric meetings, designed as support group for those who have undergone the procedure. What they are seeing is a rising number of patients who transfer their addiction from food onto something else. The most common examples are alcohol, shopping and sexual addiction. Many of the patients say the were not warned about possibility of this possible side-effect before the surgery. This could possibly be because the procedure itself is still in its infancy and the long-term side-effects are not known yet.

What is known is that more information needs to be collected in order for the problem to be properly addressed. In the mean time, the majority of the women interviewed said if they had to do it over again, they still would have had the surgery but would have addressed their addictive behaviors beforehand. As the number of people going under the knife to loose weight rises, the problem can only be expected to grow. Will doctors give their patients the necessary education to help patients address the problem before they have surgery? My belief is that because of the life-altering effects of this type of surgery, there should be a screening process for potential patients. A simple psychological work-up, much like what is required for those seeking gender reassignment, would help these women address potential issues ahead of time. Sounds like a simple solution right? Lets see if the medical community answers the call.

Sources:
Transfer of Addiction - Yahoo! News with ABC Nightline

Gastric Bypass - Medicine Plus

Bariatric Partners

women, surgery, gastric bypass, addiction, bariatric