Comedian James Corden recently aired a compelling and poignant segment expressing his experience with fat-shaming.

FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

Sasha High is the medical director of the High Metabolic Clinic in Mississauga

Comedian James Corden recently aired a compelling and poignant segment expressing his experience with fat-shaming. His message that fat-shaming has no place in the treatment of obesity is timely and should prompt us all to reflect on our personal bias toward this disease. As an obesity medicine physician, my hope is that Canadians will start talking about obesity as a medical condition, and not as someones fault.

But the reality is that Canadians living with obesity face widespread bias and discrimination, from neighbours, co-workers, health-care providers, friends and even family. This discrimination is rooted in the societal misconception that people with increased weight are somehow to blame that they are lazy or dont have the self-control to manage their weight. Sadly, this sentiment is often shared by the people living with obesity themselves, resulting in much shame and guilt.

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We need to tackle this bias head on.

Weve all seen (or personally experienced) an attempt to lose weight, only to have it all come back on and then some. This has perpetuated our belief that people with increased weight lack the willpower to keep it off. This phenomenon of loss and regain has been reproduced in study after study the fact is that weight regain is the norm. Are all seven million Canadians living with obesity lacking in willpower? Or is there another biological explanation?

We now understand that obesity is a complex, chronic medical condition caused by the interplay of a multitude of factors. It is not a simple matter of calories in, calories out." This inaccurate assumption has led to the longstanding weight-loss prescription: eat less, exercise more. But this prescription doesnt work, and it hasnt been working for a very long time. We need to shift our old paradigm toward a new understanding: obesity is the result of disordered weight regulation owing to a number of factors including our genetics, our current food environment, the brains hormonal control of appetite, medical conditions and medications, emotions, stress and poor sleep, to name a few.

In addition, efforts to lose weight are met with strong biological resistance. Our brain is programmed to defend against weight loss. When body-fat stores decrease, a warning signal is sent to the brain to do everything in its power to retain fat. Our metabolic rate slows and we have an increase in hormones controlling hunger, appetite and feeding behaviour. Weight regain is the result.

People with obesity may even experience food differently than thin people. For example, studies using functional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) have found that the reward centre of the brain is more active in people with obesity than lean people, when shown pictures of highly palatable foods. Furthermore, the reward centre activation in people with obesity does not turn off in response to a meal the way it does in a thin person.

So, is long-term weight management an impossible task? The good news is that with more research and understanding, we are becoming better equipped to manage what the World Health Organization considers a chronic disease.

While dietary changes and increasing activity levels are valuable, they are often not enough. A recent Canadian study called ACTION, found that although 75 per cent of people living with obesity believe that it is their own responsibility to manage their weight (lets muster up some more willpower!), only one in 10 people are able to maintain a 10-per-cent weight loss at one year.

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Obesity management requires a multimodal, long-term strategy. One that takes into account individual factors and addresses the propensity to weight regain, with a focus on long-term weight stabilization. Evidence-based treatments include lifestyle changes bolstered by cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), learned behavioural skills, anti-obesity medications, and for some, bariatric surgery. Until we recognize that this is a chronic condition requiring a long-term solution, Six Week Weight Loss Challenges or Lose Weight Fast strategies will continue to fail people.

Obesity affects one in four Canadian adults, and one in 10 children, with prevalence expected to reach 30 per cent of our population by 2030. Medical complications affect virtually every part of the body, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, depression, fatty liver disease, respiratory problems and arthritis. Lets stop blaming people for their weight and instead, as a society, put efforts and finances toward research, prevention and treatment of this serious medical condition.

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Fat-shaming has no place in obesity treatment or anywhere else - The Globe and Mail

One woman is celebrating this weekend after undergoing a phenomenal transformation that saw her lose half her body weight.

The astounding 10 stone weight loss saw Sarah Doyle, from Chatteris, awarded Slimming World's 'Club 50' Award - specifically created this year to celebrate the company's 50th birthday and to celebrate anyone who lost 50% of their starting weight.

Sarah, whos gone from 18st 13lb to 8st 12lb, says: I had been overweight for years. Im so proud and happy to win this award. I feel like a new woman since losing weight in fact, I look so different that people who I havent seen for a while often cant believe Im the same person. For me though its the change on the inside thats been the greatest. I'm happier, healthier and much more confident now.

The 45 year old joined her local group in August 2016. "My weight impacted on so many aspects of my life," she said, "from struggling to find clothes that I like to fit, to not being able to do simple, everyday tasks without feeling tired and out of breath."

After checking the Slimming World website, Sarah decided to join her local Slimming World group at Chatteris.

"Walking through those doors was one of the hardest things Ive ever done, I was embarrassed about my size and scared that I might be the biggest person there. I needn't have worried though, everyone there was so friendly and I was so relieved when I found out my weight was confidential between me and the consultant. I'd had visions of having to tell everyone how much I weighed!"

Sarah followed the clubs Food Optimising eating plan and swapped fast food and takeaways for home cooked alternatives, finding she could still eat fish & chips and lose weight.

"People think slimming means going hungry, eating nothing but salad or obsessively counting every calorie you eat, but its not like that at all. In fact, people are always surprised at how much food I have on my plate and can't believe I'm losing weight and eating so much without ever feeling hungry!"

After dropping from a size 24/26 to a size 10, Sarah made a career out of her transformation and is now a consultant running groups in Chatteris and Worboys.

Sarahs group in Warboys meets every Monday at 5:30pm & 7:30pm at The Sports and Social Club, and the Chatteris group meets every Thursday at 5:30pm & 7:30pm The Conservative Club.

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Cambridgeshire woman unrecognisable after losing half her body weight in astonishing transformation - Cambridge News

Daily Mail A Michigan mother who ate McDonald's every day has lost 154 lbs. and dropped an impressive 10 dress sizes after giving up fast food and sugary drinks.

Angela Gerzanics, 35, halved her 308 lbs. frame, going from a size 30 to a size 10, after kicking her unhealthy habits and undergoinggastric band surgery.

Angela used food to improve her mood ever since she was a youngster and it soon became her only coping mechanism. She was diagnosed as overweight at just age 9.

Living most of her life overweight,Angela visited her localMcDonald's drive thru every day on her way home from work, and before eating dinner with her family.

But eventually, the devoted mother realized that if she continued with her unhealthy lifestyle she could possibly miss seeing her two sons grow up, and in August 2016,Angela had a gastric band fitted.

She dropped to154 lbs. after losing half her308 lbs. before having her excess skin removed in June 2018, and now Angela's self-confidence has grown.

At her heaviest, Angela felt miserable in her body and was constantly ashamed of how she looked. She pretended to be happy for years until in 2015, she suddenly realized that she didn't want to cut her time with her sons Anthony, 15, and Justin, 7, short because of her unhealthy lifestyle.

Angela said she felt that she had becomea shell of a mother, sitting on the sidelines rather than taking part in activities with her children.

The assembly technician was diagnosed as overweight at just nine-years-old

"My childhood was troubled, but food was one of the only constants in my life. When I ate, I felt good, it gave me comfort and happiness," Angela says. "I lived my entire life being morbidly obese and one hundred percent dependent on that good feeling I got from food. I felt like food was the only thing there for me and never let me down."

She added: "Before I lost weight, I felt awful about myself. I felt ashamed, embarrassed, and completely trapped in my body. I had given up and just came to terms that this was how my life was supposed to be. But I decided to make a drastic change and take control of my health. I have two kids who need me - and they need all of me, not just a shell of a mother."

Angela dropped to 154lbs after losing half her 308lbs weight, and now Angela's self-confidence has grown

Since losing weight, Angela enjoys running around with her children in the park - something she never believed would be possible. She said that her frame may never look "perfect," but she has so much appreciation for what her body has been through.

"I was a stay-at-home mother for a few years but then I got a job with great health benefits. I used those medical benefits to have weight loss surgery and it forever changed my life," said Angela.

Speaking about her unhealthy food habits, she admitted: "My diet before weight loss surgery was McDonald's drive thru on my way home from work and everything from the freezer section in the supermarket. Now when me and my family go grocery shopping, we spend most of our time shopping the fresh produce, meat and dairy."

"Now I do my best to try to only eat whole foods and limit how much processed food I eat. I am far from perfect and sometimes I indulge, but I no longer eat to comfort my feelings."

She added: "I drink almost no sugary drinks anymore, mostly sticking to water or black coffee. I make it a point to drink no less than two liters of water a day, whereas before I would be lucky to get that much water in a week."

Angela, who can even shop in the teens clothing section now, said losing weight has changed her life for both herself and her family because she now has more energy to spend time with them.

She continued: "I can fit on rides and fully enjoy being out with my boys. I'm no longer the mother sitting on the side watching them. I finally love my body and my flaws. I have never been so at peace with myself than I am now. People are genuinely shocked at how much weight I've lost. They are so happy for me and I have some great support."

Slideshow: These are the best exercises to burn belly fat as fast as possible (Courtesy: Prevention) Getty

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Woman who ate McDonald's EVERY DAY before dinner sheds 154lbs with the help of a gastric band after deciding she didn't want to be a 'shell of a...

SAN RAMON, Calif., Oct. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Surprising results in a new national survey find that consumers rarely trust popular celebrity endorsements for weight loss programs. In fact, according to the survey, conducted by LeanMD, Inc., nearly 60% of adults say medical professionals are their go-to-source for weight loss information. Although the weight loss industry paid out multi-million dollar sums to celebrities for their endorsements last year, including the Kardashians, Oprah Winfrey, Rob Lowe, Marie Osmond and Dan Marino, the survey uncovered the fact that less than 2% of consumers are inclined to take their advice.

Less surprisingly, the survey found that men and women across all age, regional and economic demographics, have attempted to lose weight. Over one third of respondents have lost between ten and 25 pounds in their lifetime.

LeanMD, Inc. is a medically supported weight loss program that features a mobile app and offers patients a way to lose weight safely and effectively. Additional findings from their survey of 1,022 adults age 18 to 65 from across the US include:

"Although the weight loss industry pours incredible amounts of money into celebrity endorsements, we were not surprised to find most adults prefer to get their medical advice from a medical professional," said Dr. Mark Musco, co-founder, CEO & Chief Medical Officer of LeanMD. "When we look at a patient, we see the entire person, including their lab results, medical history, body composition analysis, and more. As medical providers, we have access to all the tools needed to maximize patients' metabolism and help them reach optimum health levels. For example, we can check hormone levels, thyroid function and other key metrics; and we can prescribe medications to help the patient manage hunger safely."

Dr. Musco adds that losing weight can be risky especially if the patient has known (or unknown) health conditions and it is important to have weight loss and vital signs monitored consistently, to ensure weight loss is accomplished safely.

About LeanMD, Inc.LeanMD is a medically supported weight loss program that features a mobile app and offers patients a way to lose weight safely and effectively. Today, LeanMD has locations throughout California, Colorado, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana, Texas and Oregon, with new markets scheduled to launch. Learn more at http://www.leanmd.com.

Photo(s):https://www.prlog.org/12793274

Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE LeanMD, Inc.

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National Survey Debunks Celebrity Endorsements with Nearly 60% of Adults Claiming Medical Professionals are their Go-To Source for Weight Loss Info -...

The Center for Healthy Living welcomed its first client on Oct. 16, 2013.

The old fire building on Texas Highway 155 South in Tyler was established to continue providing a lifesaving function to residents of Tyler through the partnership between the city of Tyler and Northeast Texas Public Health District (NET Health) to provide chronic disease prevention services to underserved and uninsured communities in Tyler and across East Texas.

As a unique fixture within the St. Louis community of Tyler, the Center for Healthy Living (a.k.a. the Center) is the only local community health center in the area and the first of its kind to be staffed by four certified community health workers (CHWs) and a certified health education specialist. The majority of our clients who have been seen and screened at the Center are uninsured and unemployed loved ones, friends and family in your neighborhood, co-workers and customers of your company.

The staff at the Center offers free chronic disease prevention education and resources Monday through Friday. Throughout our six years of operation, the Center has provided diabetes prevention and diabetes self-management education to more than 200 clients and health-screening services to more than 2,000 clients. Within the past year, more than 600 uninsured clients were scheduled for free pap smears and mammograms in an effort to counteract the rates of breast cancer and colon cancer in the Tyler area, which are both higher than the state and national averages.

The Center offers a home blood pressure monitor project to people identified as having undiagnosed or uncontrolled high blood pressure. Participants are given a free blood pressure monitor to check their blood pressure daily for 16 weeks, so that our CHWs can call each participant to obtain numbers and provide additional education and assistance. Average blood pressure before the project was 161/92 mmHg. After the completion of the program, blood pressure among the participants decreased an average of 18 systolic points and 9.5 diastolic points, and persons enrolled in our 16-week project maintain an 86% completion rate.

The Center has also become the hub for a community clinical linkage project called CommUNITY Cares. Our CHWs electronically connect uninsured individuals to a primary-care home and to the social services agencies best suited to address the persons health needs. Through a network of clinical and community partnerships, the CommUNITY Cares project addresses insufficient access to primary health care services, removes the high costs due to potentially preventable hospitalizations and minimizes inappropriate emergency department use by individuals seeking health care in an emergency room. Referrals to the Center come from Tyler hospital ERs and social service agencies. More than 125 uninsured have successfully been enrolled in a primary health care home.

Since February 2017, the Center maintains annual accreditation through the American Association of Diabetes Educators for diabetes services. The Center is the only National Diabetes Prevention Program site in Northeast Texas recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two members of our staff are lifestyle coaches who provide free classes on how to prevent diabetes, to safely lose weight and to learn how to easily enjoy a healthy lifestyle.

This designation is reserved only for programs that have effectively delivered a quality, evidence-based program that meets all of the standards for CDC recognition. The sustained success of our lifestyle change program makes an invaluable contribution to the prevention of Type 2 diabetes, both in our Northeast Texas region but also nationally. According to data collected by the CDC, over 86% of health care spending in the U.S. is for chronic disease, and the Center for Healthy Living continues to minimize these costs within the East Texas area.

Joy Johnson is NET Health assistant director of community outreach. NET Health will continue to talk about Your NET Health. This feature will focus on a variety of health issues that hold importance to your community. Let us know if you have questions about our article, or if you have a topic or topics that you want us to cover, by sending us an email at ContactUs@netphd.org.

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Center celebrates 6 years of healthy living - Tyler Morning Telegraph

What I think about some things I saw over the weekend . . .

The AJCs Steve Hummer caught up with Falcons franchise owner Arthur Blank in Houston after yet another bad loss for his team. Blank said hes not contemplating firing coach Dan Quinn or anyone else. Maybe Blank is just saying that for public consumption, but Im not sure about that.

Im back to wondering how well Blank, a business person, can evaluate his football people with such an awkward power structure.Co-team builders Quinn and general Thomas Dimitroff report to Blank and there is no other senior football executive who can provide Blank an honest accounting of the operation.Blank can look at the results, but how does he judge the decision-making process?

When Quinn fired his three coordinators in January and put himself in charge of the defense, he said he did it because new direction and voices were needed to rediscover the teams style and identity. Quinns voice, which carries the most weight on the football side, remained.As I wrote at the time: Blank is counting on the same voice and direction producing better results.

Clearly, that hasnt happened. Now Blank is saying that the teams staff and players have performed at a much higher level in the past. Sure, but what about now and the future? Blank says the co-team builders dont know how to lose. OK, then how does he explain all the losing?

The Falcons would be 0-5 if not for Nelson Agholor dropping what should have been a game-winning TD pass. As it is, the Falcons are minus-50 in point differential, worse than every NFC team except Washington (-78). Thats 12 points worse than the Cardinals, who the Falcons play on Sunday in Phoenix.

Quinns defense ranks next-to-last in points allowed behind the Dolphins, who are tanking. Special teams coordinator Ben Kotwicas units have been plagued by penalties, a blocked punt and poor production on returns (the Texans correctly determined the Falcons could do nothing with kickoffs and so didnt even try for touchbacks). Dirk Koetters offense is ranked No. 21 in points, two spots better than Steven Sarkisians group in 2018.

Blank expressed his disappointment with all of this. He said Quinn and his staff are working hard to find solutions. Blank offered public support of Quinn and his staff, which he should do up until the moment he decides he needs a new staff.

Blank has more information than anyone about the Falcons football operations. Im just not sure he knows how to parse it all. After all, Blank co-signed Quinns staff restructuring plan based on his head coachs past performance and we see how thats turning out.

It can be hard to wrap your head around it because you see the names. A team with Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman, Grady Jarrett, et al surely must be this bad. But the Falcons really are this bad. They are the worst team in the division by a decent margin.

The third-place Buccaneers (2-3) have been outscored by one point and own two road victories (at Panthers and Rams). They were competitive against the Saints (4-1) who, by the way, are winning with backup QB Teddy Bridgewater. The Panthers (3-2) are plus-22 in point differential and, oh yeah, have won three straight games with Kyle Allen at QB.

The Falcons have no worse than the second-best talent in the division. They likely have the most talent for as long as Saints QB Drew Brees is sidelined. Yet they are the worst team in the South. Worse for the Falcons, after a toss-up game at Arizona, they are likely to be underdogs in their next three games: vs Rams, vs. Seahawks and at Saints.

Georgia quarterback Jake Frommopened up the offense at Tennessee. Well, at least he did until the Bulldogs got a lead and ground the Vols down on the ground. The Bulldogs needed to make a few plays downfield to loosen up Tennessees defense. They are going to need to do the same thing against Florida, which is playing elite defense in coordinator Todd Granthams second season.

If there is a weakness for the Floridas defense, it seemed to be in the secondary. But the Gators intercepted Auburn freshman Bo Nix three times on Saturday. Floridas offense still is limited but managed to score 24 points against Auburn despite losing three fumbles.

The Bulldogs cant look ahead to Florida. The rest of us can safely do so. The Bulldogs are going to beat South Carolina and Kentucky, take a weekend off and then head to Jacksonville to face a good Gators defense.

The Bulldogs should beat Florida. ESPNs FPI gives them a 71 percent chance of doing so. Its one thing for the Gators to rattle a freshman QB in The Swamp. It will be a lot harder to get to Fromm on a neutral field, especially if he keeps making downfield throws.

Missouri may not be a walkover for the Bulldogs, after all. The Tigers have quietly recovered from an ugly loss at Wyoming in the opener (still puzzled why they would even schedule that game). The Tigers have won four straight home games since then by an average score of 41-8.

It looked like Missouris season might be wrecked when QB Kelly Bryant suffered a knee injury on a cheap shot by a Troy defender. But a team spokesmantold the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Bryant has a sprain and is expected to practice this week. Bryant is producing even better for Missouri than he did at Clemson: 8.6 yards per pass attempt, 11 TDs and three picks.

However, star linebacker Cale Garrett will have surgery for a torn pectoral tendon. That almost surely rules him out for the No. 9 game at Georgia. His loss is a big blow to Missouris defense, which is ranked No. 7 in SP+.

Im ashamed that I picked against Georgia State as home dogs. The Panthers dont have much of a defense, but their offense is good. The Panthersput up a record 722 yards against Arkansas State, which is 66 more than the Red Wolves surrendered to Georgia. (Yes, the Bulldogs throttled down with a big lead, but still.)

I correctly foresaw that Houstons offense would find its footing against the Falcons. I still have no idea what to make of Tech, which didnt cover against North Carolina as home dogs.

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Michael Cunningham

Michael Cunningham has covered the Hawks and other beats for the AJC since 2010.

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Weekend Reflections: Does Blank know what needs to be fixed for Falcons? - Atlanta Journal Constitution