Obesity Stories

Obesity is a major national health problem, and science has been developing a number of ways to address it. The most revolutionary is surgical intervention to alter the gastrointestinal system so that less food/nutrients can be consumed and/or absorbed. People who undergo this surgery usually experience drastic weight loss and dramatic health improvements. They also discover a new sense of self and face challenges often unimaginable when they were obese. Using in-depth, first person accounts of 33 men and women who underwent weight-loss surgery, this book elaborates on the complexities of finally getting what you wished for— the good, the bad, and the totally unexpected. We live in a culture fascinated by physical make-overs, but no one talks about their psychological consequences. Losing a lot of weight is perhaps the most extreme make-over of all. It leaves people emotionally changed, and these changes are the heart of this book.The fascinating narratives contain important lessons for individuals considering or having had the surgery and for those who try to help them. It is simply a story of how finally getting what you’ve always wished for can be much more complicated affair than you ever imagined.

The current "obesity epidemic" has been at the top of the national and, increasingly, global public agenda for the last decade, the subject of extensive and intensive concern, scrutiny, and corrective efforts from various quarters. In the United States, much of this attention is predicated on the "official" discourse, or story, of obesity-that it is a matter of personal responsibility, specifically to the end of monitoring and ensuring appropriate caloric balance. However, even though it continues to have cultural presumption, that discourse does not resonate with the populace, which may explain why efforts of redress have been notoriously ineffective. In this book, Helene Shugart places obesity in cultural, political, and economic context, arguing that current anxieties regarding obesity reflect the contemporary crisis in neoliberalism, and that the failure of the official discourse of obesity mirrors the failure of neoliberalism more broadly: specifically, to account for authenticity, a powerfully resonant cultural concept today. She chronicles a number of competing discourses of obesity that have arisen in response to the failed official discourse, examining and evaluating each in relation to the idea of authenticity; assessing the practical and behavioral implications of each discourse for both obesity incidence and redress; and establishing the significance of each discourse for negotiating neoliberalism in crisis more broadly.

Obesity among American children has reached epidemic proportions. Laura Dawes traces changes in diagnosis, treatment, and popular conceptions of the most serious health problem facing American children today, and makes the case that understanding the cultural history of a disease is critical to developing effective public health policy.

It seems almost daily we read newspaper articles and watch news reports exposing the growing epidemic of obesity in America. Our government tells us we are experiencing a major health crisis, with sixty percent of Americans classified as overweight, and one in four as obese. But how valid are these claims? In Fat Politics, J. Eric Oliver shows how a handful of doctors, government bureaucrats, and health researchers, with financial backing from the drug and weight-loss industries, have campaigned to create standards that mislead the public. They mislabel more than sixty million Americans as "overweight," inflate the health risks of being fat, and promote the idea that obesity is a killer disease. In reviewing the scientific evidence, Oliver shows there is little proof that obesity causes so much disease and death or that losing weight is what makes people healthier. Our concern with obesity, he writes, is fueled more by social prejudice, bureaucratic politics, and industry profit than by scientific fact. Misinformation pushes millions of Americans towards dangerous surgeries, crash diets, and harmful diet drugs, while we ignore other, more real health problems. Oliver goes on to examine why it is that Americans despise fatness and explores why, despite this revulsion, we continue to gain weight. Fat Politics will topple your most basic assumptions about obesity and health. It is essential reading for anyone with a stake in the nation's--or their own--good health.

Everything a young reader needs to know about obesity: what it is, how it happens and how to help solve the problem. The text also presents real-life stories of children who struggle with obesity.

Features fun, kid-friendly activities to get them moving A positive and safe plan for lifetime weight management Concerned about your child's weight? This practical guide provides effective strategies for improving nutrition, increasing physical activity, and dealing with weight issues at home and in the classroom. You'll see how to change your family's lifestyle, help your child make healthier choices (and stick to them!), and foster a lifetime commitment to health and fitness. Discover how to * Introduce good eating habits * Keep your family fit and active * Prepare healthier meals * Maintain your child's weight loss * Find outside professional support * Fix over 30 tasty recipes

The prevalence of obesity in the United States and the rest of the industrialized world has skyrocketed in the past 20 years. Linked to heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome, it is also the leading cause of osteoarthritis and the second leading cause of cancer. With contributions from leading experts in the field, Obesity: P

"The Hungry Gene" reveals the secret history and subtle politics behind the explosion of obesity in the United States and around the world.