Weight Loss Remedies Bring Out the Stupid in Us

This is Part-2 of a series of articles on the history of diets. My purpose has been to arrive at an understanding of how we have managed to reach epidemic obesity proportions in a time when there are more diet choices than at any other time in history.



Obviously, the bigger we have become the bigger the diet market has become. But, why aren’t all of those diet products helping us to reverse the trend?



In recent years we have had some massive and highly dangerous flu outbreaks. In each instance the scientific and medical community rose to the occasion and provided us with enough vaccine and health care to eradicate the problem. Sadly, some people died…but the threat was removed.



Despite all the research, all the programs and plans, all the warnings and advice, and even our individual attempts to lose weight we have failed miserably to make a dent in out-of-control obesity rates. Nearly 34 percent of adults are obese, more than double the percentage 30 years ago. The share of obese children tripled during that time.



What went wrong? How did our society get into this mess? My very simple and non-scientific answer to that problem is that we have failed because we are stupid. Quoting Forrest Gump, "Stupid is as stupid does."



Merriam-Webster defines "stupid" as:



1) slow of mind

2) given to unintelligent decisions or acts

3) lacking intelligence or reason



Is there anybody who doesn’t know that to lose weight and keep it off you must change your lifestyle, eat in healthy moderation, and exercise? The formula for keeping it off is the same thing. It is something that requires a lifetime commitment.



Knowing that…we still opt for other plans that for whatever reason sound like a good idea at the time and then one day it occurs to us, "What the heck was I thinking?" Let me give you some examples of our stupidity in action.



We don’t have to go back very far in history for this. A society doctor in Rome introduced a pregnancy hormone, chorionic gonotropin, as a magic bullet for weight loss. People took the shots…and discovered something. They weren’t losing weight. Then, surely some of them thought, "Doggone. That was stupid. What was I thinking?"



But, hold the phone. Along comes another doctor who says, "Pregnancy hormone is not what we need. What we need is thyroid hormone." Then someone figured out that thyroid injections shut down the thyroid which can be very damaging to your health. Another case of stupid.



In the 60’s and early 70’s amphetamines became the diet rage. Must be OK. Doctor prescribed. It works, so they claimed, by boosting the metabolism. Then people started getting addicted to the stuff and there was evidence of horrific side effects. Even the Senate held hearings to find out what was going on. "Hmmm. Addictive drugs for weight loss. Now, that was stupid. What was I thinking?"



Later in the 70’s we embraced liquid diets. All you had to do to lose weight was basically starve yourself and live off liquid protein. Then someone noticed that women were dying from the stuff.



Remember "fen-phen?" That, too, was a prescription only deal. Once again, strange things began to happen. While on the pharmaceutical some patients encountered heart and brain damage. "What was I thinking?"



Based on this scenario and what we are willing to accept as safe to put in our bodies... all for the sake of avoiding what we know that needs to be done for weight loss… reveals that we must be just plain stupid.



This afternoon I was flipping through the channels on my TV and landed on an info-mercial for another magic weight loss product. Its doctor developed and doctor approved. Why, even a heart surgeon recommends it. All you have to do is sprinkle their magic dust on the food you eat. Don’t change anything. Don’t exercise. Eat all the fast food and junk food you want. Just sprinkle.





Sorry. I have decided to stop playing stupid. How about you?





Richard Weirich co-hosts the internationally popular Health at Last Radio Show and has written numerous publications on weight loss, health, and wellness. For more tips on weight loss remedies go to www.weightlossresourcecenter.com/weight-loss-remedies/ and visit his website at www.weightlossresourcecenter.com