Weighed Down - weigheddown's Blog - Bakersfield.com http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown All about overweight and obesity, a serious problem plaguing over 60 percent of Kern County residents All about overweight and obesity, a serious problem plaguing over 60 percent of Kern County residents en-us Your top tunes to tone up to http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/25896 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/25896 <p>I get loads of press releases for the latest supplement, latest treatment, latest surgery, latest fad, etc.</p> <p>And I got this one a couple of weeks ago:</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">Enter Heidi Roizen. A former Silicon Valley software company CEO and venture capitalist with a love for boardroom snacking, Heidi was tired of being overweight. On her quest to regain her slender waistline through diet and exercise, she teamed with a Grammy-winning producer David Malloy to develop fun, pop-chart quality tunes sung by emerging artists and designed to motivate and inspire during the weight loss process. In January 2008, SkinnySongs debuted, and the buzz continues.</p> <p>Well, I had to give this a listen. (To hear snippets of the songs, go to <a href="http://www.skinnysongs.com/">www.skinnysongs.com</a>.)</p> <p>I think &quot;Skinny Jeans&quot; is my favorite.</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">From the moment that I saw you hanging out at the mall,<br /> I had to own you, your rhinestones and all.<br /> You didn't come cheap, but somehow I knew<br /> Whatever the cost, it was worth having you.<br /> For years we were together every Saturday night.<br /> We'd go out dancing. You'd hold me in tight.<br /> But you're unforgiving, and you wouldn't let me grow.<br /> Now I can't put you on, but I can't let you go.<br /> Skinny jeans, skinny jeans, you're still hanging 'round<br /> In the back of my closet, and it's bringing me down.</p> <p>And who could forget the hip-hop classic, &quot;You Da Boss.&quot;</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">Yo, I need to talk to you before you go and mess it up<br /> Yeah, uh, I got to call it like I see it, so yo now listen up, yeah<br /> This is your conscience talking, this is your conscience talking<br /> And I know just what you're feeling. I know with what you're dealing. <br /> But you don't need that piece of pie<br /> Gotta let it go and pass you by<br /> And I'm here to remind you why<br /> It's cause you wanna be looking and feeling fly.<br /> You da boss. You da boss. Yeah.</p> <p>If songs like these will help you become healthier, though, then who am I to judge.</p> <p>The whole concept of songs about weight loss made me think about the music people listen to while working out.</p> <p>My work-out playlist includes some Beck, Flaming Lips, Go! Team, Spoon, Weezer, Clash. I'm currently in love with VHS or Beta's newest album, &quot;Bring on the Comets.&quot; It has a great beat to run to.</p> <p>What do you jam to while you're breaking a sweat?</p> <p><i><br /> &mdash; Emily Hagedorn, health reporter<br /> (661) 395-7510<br /> ehagedorn@bakersfield.com<br /> <br type="_moz" /> </i></p> Bill bans weight, height discrimination http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/25786 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/25786 <p>A Massachusetts bill aims to add weight and height to the list of characteristics people cannot use to discriminate with.</p> <p>From the <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/health/chi-fatapr28,0,125356.story">Chicago Tribune</a>:</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">Currently, people can seek protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but they must prove their <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007297.htm">obesity</a> is a disability and, in some cases, that it is caused by physical traits beyond their control.<br /> <br /> &quot;Right now, fat is just a marker of bad character, an undesirable personal trait that people bring on themselves,&quot; said (Anna) Kirkland, (an assistant professor of women's studies and political science at the University of Michigan) who prefers the word fat to the ambiguity of overweight and the clinical-sounding obese. &quot;What you're doing is forcing the law to force social change.&quot;</p> <p>The text of the bill is attached to this post.</p> <p>I found this section of the Tribune story particularly intriguing:</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">But not everyone, including the corpulent, considers anti-weight-bias legislation a good idea.<br /> <br /> &quot;Legislation happens when people are too childish to police themselves,&quot; said Sue Ann Jaffarian, author of the Odelia Grey mystery series starring a 220-pound heroine who is a reflection of her creator.<br /> <br /> &quot;But, as a fat woman, I don't want a green light,&quot; said Jaffarian, 55, who worries that such a law would validate what some consider unhealthy weight. &quot;The downside of legislation is that the prejudice would go more underground.&quot;</p> <p>Should &quot;fatism&quot; be banned?</p> <p>(Read a Q&amp;A I did with <a href="http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/who/rpuhl.html" target="_blank">Rebecca Puhl</a>, director of research and anti-stigma initiatives at the <a href="http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/index.html" target="_blank">Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University</a>, in the post <a href="http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20155">&quot;Sexism, racism...fatism?&quot;</a> on this blog.)</p> <p>Here's how Tufts University's newspaper, <a href="http://media.www.tuftsdaily.com/media/storage/paper856/news/2008/04/15/OpEd/Editorial.Size.Shouldnt.Matter-3325627.shtml">The Tufts Daily</a>, weighed in, no pun intended:</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">It is also important to note the necessity of public health education. Some critics of the proposed bill argue that it encourages obesity or allows for protection against discrimination based on lifestyle choices. Obesity is very rarely a lifestyle choice: Most people who are clinically obese, or even overweight, are not ordering five Big Macs every morning. Rather, they usually suffer from a metabolism or a thyroid condition that makes it more difficult to remain thin than it would be for other people - even if they have the same diet.<br /> <br /> The problem exists not in individual behaviors, but in a society that makes it difficult (especially for those of lower socioeconomic status) to remain healthy. Those who worry about encouraging obesity should concern themselves not with opposing this bill, but rather with encouraging public health measures that would help combat America's weight problem.</p> <p><a href="http://www.topix.net/forum/source/chicago-tribune/TEO91JJAVNK15V22M">One Chicago Tribune reader sees the recession as a solution to this.</a></p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">I think this issue will take care of itself without legislation. Due to energy costs and world competition, the cost of everything is going to skyrocket, especially food. According to some news media reports last week, there is s a looming world-wide food shortage. Therefore, people will loose weight because they won't be able to afford or find the food.</p> <p>We should embrace famine as a means to make us healthier...don't know about that one...</p> <p>I'd love to hear your thoughts on this issue.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <p><i> &mdash; Emily Hagedorn, health reporter<br /> (661) 395-7510<br /> ehagedorn@bakersfield.com</i></p> Welcome to the 'calorie valley' http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/25715 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/25715 <p>In reporting the story yesterday about Kern being No. 3 for its concentration of fast food and convenience stores, I came across a couple of buzz words.</p> <p>Fast food jungle. Food desert.</p> <p>Considering we live in neither a jungle nor desert &mdash; well, most of us anyway &mdash; I came up with my own: calorie valley.</p> <p>A new study released today has Kern third, among the most populous California counties, with 5.23 times as many fast-food restaurants and convenience stores than supermarkets and produce vendors.</p> <p>The researchers argue that this results higher prevalence of <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000313.htm">diabetes</a> and <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000313.htm">obesity</a>.</p> <p>Kern was first for diabetes prevalence, among the counties surveyed, at 10.2 percent. For obesity, it&rsquo;s fourth with 28.2 percent of residents obese.</p> <p>(Read <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/429993.html">&quot;Study: Kern No. 3 for fast-food, convenience stores&quot;</a> in today's <i>Californian</i>. The study, which was done by the <a href="http://www.publichealthadvocacy.org/designedfordisease.html">California Center for Public Health Advocacy</a>, <a href="http://www.policylink.org/">PolicyLink</a> and the <a href="http://www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu/">UCLA Center for Health Policy Research</a>, is attached.)</p> <p>The researchers offer several solutions to counteract the fatty forest, the McTundra.</p> <ul> <li>Provide incentives, such as low-interest loans and grants, for retail store development and improvement.</li> <li>Promote smaller-scale markets, like mobile vendors, farmers&rsquo; markets and cooperatives.</li> <li>Ensure that low-income communities can take advantage of upcoming changes to the food offered by WIC. The new changes include offering fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy.</li> <li>Implement zoning changes to limit how many fast-food restaurants can operate in an area.</li> <li>Require restaurants to post nutritional information on menu boards.</li> </ul> <p><br /> The county Public Health Department is working to identify communities lacking in healthy food options, said spokesman Daniel Kim.</p> <p>They are also promoting a farmers' market at the department's headquarters on Mt. Vernon Avenue, which will run weekly throughout the summer. This will hopefully start next month.</p> <p>The department is waiting to see what happens with menu labeling bills that are making their way through the legislature. Sen. Alex Padilla's <a href="http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/sen/sb_1401-1450/sb_1420_bill_20080221_introduced.html">SB 1420</a> would require restaurants to post nutritional info on menu boards. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a similar bill last year.</p> <p>Kern County Assemblywoman Nicole Parra's <a href="http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/asm/ab_2551-2600/ab_2572_bill_20080415_amended_asm_v97.html">AB 2572</a>, which is backed by the California Restaurant Association, makes restaurants post information on tray liners, brochures, food case stickers or posters, not menu boards.</p> <p>Kim praised the <a href="http://www.csufresno.edu/ccchhs/institutes_programs/CCROPP/index.shtml">Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program</a> for tackling obesity issues locally. The group will officially unveil a new walking path in Greenfield May 10.</p> <p>What do you think of these solutions? Anything to add to the list?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><i>&mdash; Emily Hagedorn, health reporter<br /> (661) 395-7510<br /> ehagedorn@bakersfield.com</i></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> Study: Obesity, smoking reduce some women's life expectancy http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/25346 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/25346 <p>For once, we're not among the worst.</p> <p><a href="http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&amp;doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0050066&amp;sid=ST2008042102630&amp;ct=1">A new study</a> has found that women's life expectancy declined significantly in 180 U.S. counties from 1983 to 1999.</p> <p>And, happily, Kern County isn't among those.</p> <p>Most of the counties are in the deep South and Appalachia, according to the study, which was done by researchers at Harvard University, the University of California, San Francisco, and the University of Washington.</p> <p>There wasn&rsquo;t a big change in our life expectancy over the last 40 years, observed interim Public Health Officer Dr. Claudia Jonah, looking over the data.</p> <p>&quot;That really is very encouraging,&quot; she said. &quot;I see that Kern could very well avoid going down the road of some of these other places.&quot;</p> <p>Here is some of Kern's data broken out, starting with the first year info is available:</p> <ul> <li>1961: 69.94 years (66.36 years for men, 74.36 years for women)</li> <li>1965: 69.57 (65.91 for men, 73.98 for women)</li> <li>1970: 70.26 (66.53 for men, 74.53 for women)</li> <li>1975: 71.79 (68.01 for men, 76.07 for women)</li> <li>1980: 72.81 (69.07 for men, 76.88 for women)</li> <li>1985: 73.77 (70.35 for men, 77.44 for women)</li> <li>1990: 74.23 (71 for men, 77.67 for women)</li> <li>1995: 75.19 (72.44 for men, 78.06 for women)</li> <li>1999: 75.68 (73.32 for men, 78.12 for women)</li> </ul> <p><br /> See the attachment for the complete list.</p> <p><a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000468.htm">High blood pressure</a> as well as <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007297.htm">obesity</a> and <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002032.htm">smoking</a> are responsible for the decline in women's life expectancy, the study says.</p> <p>&quot;I think this is a harbinger. This is not going to be isolated to this set of counties, is my guess,&quot; said Christopher J.L. Murray, a physician and epidemiologist at the University of Washington, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/21/AR2008042102406.html?hpid=topnews&amp;sid=ST2008042102630">to The Washington Post</a>. Murray led the study.</p> <p>Jonah says the fact Kern's life expectancy hasn't declined shows that people are taking their health more seriously.</p> <p>&quot;It's always been tricky with high blood pressure,&quot; she said, because people often disregard blood pressure as just a number.</p> <p>&quot;That number represents silent things and damage going on in the body.&quot; Jonah said. &quot;I think there&rsquo;s a lot of willingness to hear about we need to do to take better care of ourselves.&quot;</p> <p>People also aren't looking at bad health as an eventuality, which is encouraging, she said. This shows that simple messages about eating a healthy diet and getting exercise are getting through to people. <br /> &nbsp;</p> <p><i>&mdash; Emily Hagedorn, health reporter<br /> (661) 395-7510<br /> ehagedorn@bakersfield.com</i></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> Taking away recess is 'cruel and unusual' http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/22886 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/22886 <p>Diabetes is a condition that has unfortunately been passed down through families, said one Southern California pediatrician.</p> <p>Dr. Patricia Riba, a pediatrician with the Community Care Health Center in Huntington Beach, spoke at a recent Latino and health care workshop put on by the <a href="http://www.ccnma.org/">California Chicano News Media Association</a> that religion/general assignment reporter Louis Medina and I attended.</p> <p>She had several interesting insights into diabetes, obesity and schools.</p> <p>Riba has been working with her local schools on improving their menu.</p> <p>It's hard to teach a child to eat healthy when they get Fruit Loops and juice for breakfast and a corn dog and chocolate milk for lunch, she said. She advocates packing kids a lunch.</p> <p>And then to punish a child by taking away their recess, which could be the only time they are active, is &quot;cruel and unusual,&quot; Riba said.</p> <p>She's a fan of letting the children decide what to eat.</p> <p>When she goes to a restaurant she has her children put the food they want on their plate. This pushes them to develop their own internal controls on how much is too much. It also avoids the &quot;eat everything on your plate&quot; mentality.</p> <p>Also, juice is never a good choice. It's pumped full of sugar, Riba said.</p> <p>&quot;Eat an orange and drink a glass of water, other than orange juice,&quot; she said. &quot;The machine that makes the juice does all that the body should do.&quot;</p> <p>Lastly, don't put junk food around your kids. If they only have healthy food to choose from, they'll eat it.</p> <p>&quot;I hate to have a child decide between broccoli and Cheetos,&quot; she said.</p> <p>(Read<a href="http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/22884"> &quot;Latinos and access to health care&quot; on The Pulse blog</a> for Riba's other insights.)</p> <p>How do you feel about what she said? Do you agree? Anything to add?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> Schlosser gives some food for thought http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/21096 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/21096 <p>If you saw <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Food-Nation-Dark-All-American/dp/0060938455"><i>Fast Food Nation</i></a> author Eric Schlosser speak last night at Cal State Bakersfield, you probably left a little smarter and a little more grossed out by hamburgers.</p> <p>Some things he mentioned that I checked up on:</p> <ul> <li><b>Schlosser mentioned that McDonald's is marketing beef in China by referencing the Chinese belief that beef enhances virility.</b> After watching one of these ads on YouTube I feel thoroughly scandalized. As one of my coworkers put it, this ad makes hamburgers orgasmic. The ad includes the words, &quot;You can feel it. Thicker. You can taste it. Juicier.&quot; If you want to see it for yourself, go to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYzJdyIbnjA">www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYzJdyIbnjA</a>.</li> <li><b>The red dye carmine, or cochineal, is made from ground insects, which some people are allergic to, Schlosser said.</b> <a href="http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/fr060130.html">From the FDA</a>: &quot;Cochineal is a dye made from dried and ground female bodies of the<span style="font-family: monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span>scale insect Dactylopius coccus costa.&quot; The FDA also says, &quot;Food uses for carmine include popsicles, strawberry milk drinks, port wine cheese, artificial crab/lobster products, cherries in fruit cocktails, and lumpfish eggs/caviar. Cochineal extract is used in fruit drinks, candy, yogurt, and some processed foods...Carmine has been reported to be used in 814 formulations including lipsticks, blushers, makeup bases, eye shadows, eyeliners, nail polishes, hair colors, skin care lotions, bath products, baby products, and suntan preparations.&quot; <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1302796">Here's</a> a story from NPR about harvesting cochineal insects.</li> <li><b>Some Humane Society workers went undercover in a slaughterhouse in <span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody">San Bernardino County, which supplies beef to the National School Lunch Program, and filmed workers dragging cattle by forklifts to be slaughtered, among several other atrocious acts, he said.</span></span></b><span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody"> <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-humane31jan31,1,5209685.story">From the L.A. Times</a>: &quot;</span></span>The video, presented by the Humane Society of the United States at a news conference Wednesday morning, showed workers at Hallmark Meat Packing using forklifts to pick up and roll animals too weak to stand and forcing sick or weak cows to stand by shooting high-pressure water sprays into their nostrils or repeatedly shocking them with electricity...Meat processed at Hallmark is distributed by Westland Meat Co., also of Chino. According to the USDA, Westland sold 27 million pounds of frozen meat last year to federal food and nutrition programs, including those that provide school lunches and meals for the poor and elderly.&quot; <a href="http://video.hsus.org/index.jsp?fr_story=346bfda2cbbf061e88fa57cbef243b30d049b3b7">The Humane Society's site</a> has the undercover video, but be warned that it contains graphic footage.</li> <li><b> One beef patty may contain the meat of a hundred different animals from several countries, Schlosser said. </b><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/meat/interviews/tauxe.html">From a Frontline interview</a>: &quot;I suspect there are hundreds or even thousands of animals that have contributed to a single hamburger,&quot; said Dr. Robert Tauxe, chief of the food-borne and diarrheal diseases branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<br /> &nbsp;</li> </ul> <p>These are just some things that I found interesting/disgusting. If you saw Schlosser and have some things to add, please do.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <p><i>&mdash; Emily Hagedorn, health reporter<br /> (661) 395-7510<br /> ehagedorn@bakersfield.com</i></p>


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ffschlosser.JPG Author talks fries, farming, immigration http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20891 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20891 <p>Eric Schlosser is an out-and-proud carnivore.</p> <p>His favorite meal: cheeseburger, French fries and a chocolate shake.</p> <p>But that doesn't mean the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Food-Nation-Dark-All-American/dp/0060938455">&quot;Fast Food Nation&quot;</a> author goes easy on the burger-and-fries industry. If you know anything about him or his New York Times bestseller, you know he's brought watchdog journalism to fast food like how Upton Sinclair brought muckraking to the meatpacking industry.</p> <p>As part of <a href="http://www.onebookonebakersfield.com/">One Book, One Bakersfield...One Kern</a>, Schlosser will be talking about his book, which was chosen as One Book's 10th community read, Thursday night and Friday morning.</p> <p>I got a chance to talk to Schlosser yesterday. Read the interview and get the details now on his visit on <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/354677.html">Bakersfield.com</a> or read tomorrow's <i>Californian</i>.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <p><i>&mdash; Emily Hagedorn, health reporter<br /> (661) 395-7510<br /> ehagedorn@bakersfield.com</i></p> <p><i><br /> <br type="_moz" /> </i></p>


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 fastfoodnationcover.jpg weigheddown ffchewonthis.jpg weigheddown ffschlosser.JPG weigheddown Who's to blame? http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20889 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20889 <p>The debate over who's to blame for obesity &mdash; society or the individual &mdash; is an interesting one many of you have been involved in on this blog.</p> <p>It makes me think of this passage from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fed-Up-Winning-Against-Childhood/dp/0309093104"><i>Fed Up! Winning the War Against Childhood Obesity</i></a> by Dr. Susan Okie. The first sentence is a little technical, but stick with it:</p> <p style="margin-left: 80px;"><i>The control centers for tracking energy balance and regulating body weight are located primarily in the hypothalamus, a small part of the brain that specializes in integrating messages from other parts of the body and orchestrating the organism's response to its environment...(Columbia University obesity scientist Rudy) Leibel points out that unconscious signals sent by the hypothalamus to the cerebral cortex, the &quot;thinking&quot; part of the brain, contribute to such conscious actions as ordering pizza or having a second piece of pie. &quot;Just because a behavior is involved does not mean that all aspects of the behavior are 'voluntary' in the usual sense of the word,&quot; he says.</i></p> <p>So, from what it sounds like this researcher is saying, while we do have control over our actions, sometimes there are other things going on pushing us to overeat. And considering the human body is designed to protect us from starvation and ill-equipped for times of feast, it's no wonder it's so difficult for some people to lose weight.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <p><i>&mdash; Emily Hagedorn, health reporter<br /> (661) 395-7510<br /> ehagedorn@bakersfield.com</i></p> <p><i><br /> <br type="_moz" /> </i></p>


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 cover_fedup.jpg weigheddown Bill: Do not feed the obese http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20679 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20679 <p>When I first saw this bit of news, I thought it was out of <i>The Onion</i>.</p> <p>A Mississippi bill wants to make it illegal to feed the obese.</p> <p>From the <a href="http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2008/html/HB/0200-0299/HB0282IN.htm">text of House Bill No. 282</a>:</p> <p><i>Any food establishment to which this section applies shall not be allowed to serve food to any person who is obese, based on criteria prescribed by the State Department of Health after consultation with the Mississippi Council on Obesity Prevention and Management established under Section 41-101-1 or its successor. The State Department of Health shall prepare written materials that describe and explain the criteria for determining whether a person is obese, and shall provide those materials to all food establishments to which this section applies. A food establishment shall be entitled to rely on the criteria for obesity in those written materials when determining whether or not it is allowed to serve food to any person.</i></p> <p>It goes on to say that restaurants that repeatedly serve the obese could have their permits revoked.</p> <p>On one hand, the rising rates of obesity affect all of us in the sense that health care costs increase to cover the ever-growing list of conditions obesity can lead to, i.e. diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver disease, etc.</p> <p>But, on the other hand, making the lifestyle changes to eat better and be more active is a personal decision. Nothing can make someone do this unless they choose to. If you look at obesity like an addiction, you can't make someone stop smoking unless they make that decision first.</p> <p>Do you consider this discrimination?</p> <p>And I'm still fuzzy on how restaurants would determine if someone is obese. Would they pull out the scale and calculate their body mass index?</p> <p>I'm interested to hear your thoughts on this.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <p><i>&mdash; Emily Hagedorn, health reporter<br /> (661) 395-7510<br /> ehagedorn@bakersfield.com</i></p> In her words http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20424 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20424 <p><i>The Californian</i> gave Brooke Stanley, one of the teens featured in the <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/weigheddown">Weighed Down</a> series, an audio recorder to use between interviews.</p> <p>We used one of the audio entries in her <a href="http://www.bakersfield.net/photography/slideshows/o_brooke/">photo slideshow</a>.</p> <p>Attached are some more of her thoughts, including her opinions on surgery, gym class and going to the doctors office.</p> <p>She brings up issues related to her weight most people might not think of.</p> <p><i>&mdash; Emily Hagedorn, health reporter<br /> (661) 395-7510<br /> ehagedorn@bakersfield.com</i></p> <p><i><br /> <br /> </i></p>


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Credit: John Harte

 Brookebroom.JPG In most respects, Brooke Stanley is a typical teenage girl. But her weight has resulted in some heartbreaking and embarrassing moments for her. In this photo, she sits in her room and talks to friends. John Harte Comments? Questions? Concerns? http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20271 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20271 <p>After a year of work, <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/weigheddown">&quot;Weighed Down,&quot;</a> <i>The Californian</i>'s project examining obesity and the young people it affects, is complete. <br /> <br /> Look for the stories today through Monday in the newspaper, or read all the stories online right now. <br /> <br /> We would love to hear your thoughts on the project. </p> <p><br /> &nbsp;</p> When three days of stories just aren't enough http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20265 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20265 <p>Want to know more about obesity, nutrition, fitness and bariatric surgery?</p> <p>Here are some places to turn to for more help. <br /> <br /> <b>What is obesity?</b><br /> <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007297.htm">National Institutes of Health</a><br /> <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a><br /> I<a href="http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/weightloss.htm">nformation on women and obesity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services</a><br /> <br /> <b>What is body mass index and where can I get mine?</b><br /> <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/index.htm">CDC BMI calculator</a><br /> <a href="http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/bmi_tbl.htm">BMI table from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute</a><br /> <br /> <b>Where can I get tips and learn more about nutrition and fitness?</b><br /> <a href="http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov">Weight-control Information Network from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases</a><br /> <a href="http://www.familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/food/improve/788.html">&ldquo;What You Should Know Before You Start A Weight Loss Plan&rdquo; from the American Academy of Family Physicians</a>: <br /> <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition/nutrition_for_everyone/healthy_weight/index.htm">&ldquo;Nutrition for Everyone&rdquo; from the CDC</a><br /> <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/childhood/tips_for_parents.htm">&ldquo;Tips for Parents &mdash; Ideas and Tips to Help Prevent Childhood Overweight&rdquo; from the CDC</a><br /> <a href="http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov">Recipes, tips, Q&amp;A and personal fruit and vegetable calculator from the CDC</a><br /> &ldquo;<a href="http://www.bam.gov/sub_physicalactivity/index.html">BAM! Body and Mind,&rdquo; an exercise and nutrition site for kids 9-13</a><br /> <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/youthcampaign">&ldquo;Verb: It&rsquo;s what you do&rdquo; campaign for physical fitness among tweens</a><br /> <a href="http://www.mypyramid.gov">Food pyramid from the U.S. Department of Agriculture with calculator to determine personal nutrition plan</a><br /> <a href="http://www.nutrition.gov">Food and Nutrition Information Center from the U.S. Department of Agriculture</a><br /> <a href="http://www.fitness.gov">The President&rsquo;s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports</a><br /> <a href="http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/risk.htm">&ldquo;Aim for a Healthy Weight&rdquo; from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute</a><br /> <a href="http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/menuplanner/menu.cgi">Interactive menu planner from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute</a><br /> <a href="http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/baylor/food3.htm">A guide to reading food labels from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences</a><br /> <br /> <b>Where can I learn more about bariatric surgery?</b><br /> <a href="http://www.asbp.org">American Society of Bariatric Physicians</a><br /> <a href="http://www.asbp.org/locate_physician.php">&quot;Locate a Physician&rdquo; from ASBP</a><br /> <a href="http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/gastric.htm">Info on gastrointestinal surgery for severe obesity from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases</a><br /> <a href="http://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/health-info/docs/2400/2451.asp?index=9472">&ldquo;Surgical Options for Severe Obesity&rdquo; from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation</a><br /> <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/gastric-bypass/HQ01465">&ldquo;Gastric bypass surgery: What can you expect?&rdquo; from the Mayo Clinic</a><br /> <br /> <b>Where can I go for more information?</b><br /> <a href="http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/glossary.htm">Obesity, physical activity and weight-control glossary from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases</a><br /> <a href="http://www.obesityinamerica.org">The Endocrine Society/The Hormone Foundation</a><br /> <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=Obesity">Clinical trials studying obesity</a><br /> <br /> <b>Other reading</b><br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Parents-Guide-Childhood-Obesity-Roadmap/dp/1581101988/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1201335967&amp;sr=1-1"><i>A Parent&rsquo;s Guide to Childhood Obesity: A Roadmap to Health</i> by the American Academy of Pediatrics and Sandra G. Hassink</a><br /> <a href="http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&amp;id=IVHI10JQRhsC&amp;dq=an+epidemic+of+obesity+myths+from+the+center+for+consumer+freedom&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;source=web&amp;ots=G7hs2EECSI&amp;sig=vGzD_gZLsu2oirR05_V7eYPU4Gw"><i>An Epidemic of Obesity Myths</i> from The Center for Consumer Freedom</a><br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Supermarket-Fattening-Dumbing-Poisoning/dp/1569803323"><i>Death by Supermarket: The Fattening, Dumbing Down and Poisoning of America</i> by Nancy Deville</a><br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Food-Nation-Eric-Schlosser/dp/0060838582/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1201336548&amp;sr=1-1"><i>Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal</i> by Eric Schlosser</a><br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Politics-Americas-Obesity-Epidemic/dp/0195169360"><i>Fat Politics: The Real Story Behind America&rsquo;s Obesity Epidemic</i> by J. Eric Oliver</a><br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fed-Up-Winning-Against-Childhood/dp/0309101980/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1201336231&amp;sr=1-1"><i>Fed Up! Winning the War Against Childhood Obesity</i> by Dr. Susan Okie</a><br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Generation-Extra-Large-Rescuing-Children/dp/B000C4SZRE"><i>Generation Extra Large: Rescuing Our Children from the Epidemic of Obesity</i> by Lisa Tartamella, Elaine Herscher and Chris Woolston</a><br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Preventing-Childhood-Obesity-Health-Balance/dp/0309091969"><i>Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance</i> by Jeffrey P. Koplan, Catharyn T. Liverman, Vivica A. Kraak and the Committee on Prevention of Obesity in Children and Youth </a><br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/No-Gimmick-Guide-Raising-Fit-Kids/dp/1589973798"><i>The No-Gimmick Guide to Raising Fit Kids: The Parents&rsquo; Plan for Overcoming Childhood Obesity</i> by Robert S. Andersen</a><br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Underage-Overweight-Americas-Childhood-Epidemic-What/dp/1578261201/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1201336506&amp;sr=1-1"><i>Underage &amp; Overweight: America&rsquo;s Childhood Obesity Crisis &mdash; What Every Family Needs to Know</i> by Frances M. Berg</a><br /> <i><br /> <br /> &mdash; Emily Hagedorn, health reporter<br /> (661) 395-7510<br /> ehagedorn@bakersfield.com</i></p> <p><i><br /> <br type="_moz" /> </i></p> Sexism, racism...fatism? http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20155 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20155 <p>Consider this:<br /> <br /> &quot;As obscene as it sounds, a generation or two ago, black people were considered to be inherently ugly, stupid, unsanitary, lazy and enslaved by creature comforts. Today, fat people are assumed to be inherently ugly, stupid, unsanitary, lazy and enslaved by creature comforts. Such stereotypes are reinforced by both the media and the public. Even in 'politically correct' circles, where one would never hear derogatory remarks about people of color, gays and lesbians or people with disabilities, one continues to hear disparaging remarks about fat people.&quot;<br /> <br /> That was written by Sally E. Smith, executive director of the <a href="http://www.naafa.org/">National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance</a>, in 1990.<br /> <br /> And, after researching obesity for the last year and talking to several people in the community, it seems like &quot;fatism,&quot; &quot;sizism&quot; or &quot;obesism&quot; hasn't improved in nearly 20 years.<br /> <br /> I bounced some questions about <a href="http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/what/bias/index.html">weight bias and prejudice</a> off <a href="http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/who/rpuhl.html">Rebecca Puhl</a>, director of research and anti-stigma initiatives at the <a href="http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/index.html">Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University</a>.<br /> <br /> What do you think of her answers? Have they changed the way you think and what you might say about people who are overweight or obese?<br /> <br /> <b>Q: Why does society tolerate a weight stigma?</b><br /> A: Well, weight bias is ignored and rarely challenged. It has become so ingrained in our society to express negative attitudes about &quot;fatness&quot; that many people aren't even aware of the bias that they are expressing.&nbsp;One reason why this bias continues is the portrayal of overweight and obese individuals in the media &ndash; they are often negatively stereotyped and ridiculed in television, film and other forms of media, which serves to reinforce and perpetuate stigma. Another reason is that notions of personal responsibility for body weight are also very prevalent in our society, and this can reinforce perceptions of blame on obese persons that also perpetuate stigma, e.g. contributes to views that obesity is simply an issue of personal willpower or lack of self-discipline. It&rsquo;s important to recognize the complex causes of obesity.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> <b>Q: What would need to happen to make weight discrimination taboo?</b><br /> A: Unlike other forms of more widely recognized social stigmas related to ethnicity or gender or age, there is a lack of any legal sanctions to protect obese individuals from weight discrimination. If we allow weight discrimination to continue against obese adults in areas such as employment, we are sending a message to our children that this form of bias is acceptable. We badly need legislation to protect overweight and obese individuals from unfair treatment and bias<br /> &nbsp;<br /> <b>Q: How much of a taboo should it be?</b><br /> A: We should treat this form of bias as we would any other legitimate form of bias. Sometimes people think that if we don't have stigma, then people won't be motivated to lose weight. But on the contrary, this is not the case at all. For example, research shows that as obesity rates have increased, negative attitudes and stigma have worsened &mdash; there is no correlation to suggest that increasing stigma will lead to less obesity. There is also research (our own studies) showing that obese adults report coping with weight bias by engaging in unhealthy eating behaviors such as binge-eating, which may only lead to additional weight gain. It's important to recognize that we can fight the disease of obesity without stigmatizing the person. <br /> &nbsp;<br /> <b>Q: Does weight stigma affect overweight people any differently than racism and sexism affects minorities and women?</b><br /> A: Weight bias has negative implications for emotional, social and physical health of obese individuals, just as other forms of discrimination do. Obese individuals face unfair wage penalties because of their weight, they are vulnerable to depression, low self-esteem and other impairments in emotional well-being, and it can also have negative effects on overall quality of life. <br /> <br /> <b>Q: Is there any one group that is especially responsible for furthering this stigma?</b><br /> A: There are many settings that help perpetuate weight stigma &mdash; the media, as I mentioned above. The billion dollar diet industry also contributes to this problem, by communicating the message that the body is infinitely malleable and suggesting that one's body weight is entirely within personal control and can simply be altered with a pill or particular diet plan. If it was that simple, we wouldn't have the obesity epidemic that we have now. And unfortunately these messages reinforce blame on obese individuals for their excess weight, which in turn leads to additional stereotypes.<br /> <br /> <b>Q: You write about parents being a source of weight stigma. What should parents do and not do?</b><br /> A: I've actually written many handouts on this; it's kind of a longer response. Check out<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span><a href="http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/what/bias/tools_parents.html">www.yaleruddcenter.org/what/bias/tools_parents.html</a>.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> <b>Q: Since being overweight seems to be the new norm, will the teasing go down?</b><br /> A: It's unlikely that teasing will go down, and as I mentioned above, research actually shows the opposite. In fact, compared to studies done over 40 years ago assessing weight bias, it appears that attitudes have become worse, and stigma has increased. <br /> &nbsp;<br /> <b>Q: You write that this stigma should not be used to motivate weight loss. Why not?</b><br /> A: Besides the research already showing that overweight and obese individuals sometimes cope with stigma by eating more food, refusing to diet and engaging in unhealthy eating behaviors, we know from psychology that shame and internalized blame are not effective motivators of behavior change. We should not be &quot;shaming&quot; people to lose weight. We should be providing them with support, effective strategies to be healthier and creating an environment where it is easy for people to be healthy. <br /> &nbsp;<br /> <b>Q: What can be done to eliminate this stigma?</b></p> <ul> <li>We need to increase public awareness of this problem and educate both children and adults about the seriousness of weight bias and its consequences.</li> <li>We need major shifts in societal attitudes. This requires changes in media portrayals of obese and overweight individuals.</li> <li>We need school systems to treat weight bias with the legitimacy of other forms of bias that are addressed in diversity curriculum and enforce zero-tolerance teasing and bullying policies that protect overweight students<br /> &nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><i><br /> &mdash; Emily Hagedorn, health reporter<br /> (661) 395-7510<br /> ehagedorn@bakersfield.com</i></p> The skinny on fast food http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20093 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20093 <p>The previous post on <i>Fast Food Nation</i> and obesity provoked such a discussion that I decided to expand that into this post as well.</p><p>A lot of the conversation so far has focused on fast food's role in the rise in obesity rates.</p><p>Well, here are the points made by groups on either side of the debate. (The PDFs I pulled this info from are attached.)</p><p>The anti-fast food side from the <a href="http://www.cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy/policy_options.html#NutritionLabeling">Center for Science in Public Interest</a>:</p><ul> <li>Increases in Americans&rsquo; caloric intake over the past two decades are due in part to increases in the frequency of eating out. Studies have found a positive association between eating out and higher caloric intakes and higher body weights. Children eat almost twice as many calories when they eat a meal at a restaurant (770 calories) as at home (420 calories).</li> <li>Restaurant appetizers can use up half a day's calories before people even get to their meal. Buffalo wings with blue cheese dressing (1,010 calories) and stuffed potato skins with sour cream (1,260 calories) each provide about a half a day&rsquo;s calories. No one would mistake cheese fries with ranch dressing for a health food, but few would guess that a typical serving uses up more than a whole day&rsquo;s worth of calories (3,010 calories).</li> <li>Portion sizes at restaurants are often large. Pricing can make larger serving sizes more appealing, and studies show that people tend to eat greater quantities of food when they are served more.</li> <li>One study found that women who eat out more often (more than five times a week) consume 288 more calories each day than women who eat out less often. (Despite eating more calories, the women did not consume more of beneficial nutrients such as calcium or fiber.) Fast-food meals also are linked to eating more calories, more saturated fat, fewer fruits and vegetables, and less milk.</li></ul><p><br />The other side from the <a href="http://www.restaurant.org/government/state/nutrition/resources.cfm#talkingpoints">National Restaurant Association</a>:</p><ul> <li>All foods can be a part of a healthy diet. The key is balance and moderation, complemented by physical activity. Government studies clearly prove that food cannot be, and is not, the sole culprit of the increasing rate of obesity among some Americans.</li> <li>People, particularly young people, are leading more and more sedentary lifestyles. The average U.S. child spends 15,000 to 18,000 hours watching TV by age 17. This represents 38 percent more time spent sitting in front of TV than in school (12,000 hours), according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, along with experts at the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.</li> <li>Recent research shows that virtually all Americans (95 percent) feel they are qualified to make their own dietary choices, and more than two out of three (68 percent) are tired of the &ldquo;food police&rdquo; telling them what to eat and hearing about &ldquo;good&rdquo; and &ldquo;bad&rdquo; foods.</li> <li>While restaurants continue to grow in popularity, the average American consumes 76 percent of meals at home.</li> <li>More than three out of four adults (78 percent) agree that there are menu items available at table-service restaurants for those who are watching calories or fat consumption, and more than half (56 percent) say restaurants make it easy for diners to choose a portion size they want.</li></ul><p><br />What side do you agree with more? How big of a role does fast food play?<br /><br /><i>&mdash; Emily Hagedorn, health reporter<br />395-7510<br />ehagedorn@bakersfield.com</i></p><p>&nbsp;</p> 'Fast Food Nation' attacks Bako http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20036 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/20036 In a county obese with burgeoning waistlines, choosing <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Food-Nation-Dark-All-American/dp/0060938455"><em>Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal</em></a> as the next <a href="http://www.onebookonebakersfield.com/">&ldquo;One Book One Bakersfield...One Kern&rdquo;</a> installment seems all too fitting. <br /> <br /> This latest &quot;One Book&quot; effort kicks off Thursday. <br /> <br /> Here are some facts to consider:<br /> <br /> <ul> <li>Bakersfield topped the list last year for California cities with the most fast food and convenience stores compared to supermarkets and produce vendors. Bako has 6.63 times as many &quot;unhealthy food&quot; options as &quot;healthy food&quot; options, according to the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, which did <a href="http://www.publichealthadvocacy.org/searchingforhealthyfood.html">the study</a>. The state average was 4.18. (Read <a href="http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/4236">&quot;Not lovin' it: Bakersfield tops for hamburgers and fries&quot;</a> post on <a href="http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn">The Pulse blog</a>.)</li> <li><span class="text"><font color="#000000">In California, there are 14,823 fast-food restaurants and 6,659 convenience stores, excluding stores with gas pumps, compared to 3,853 supermarkets and 1,292 certified produce stands and farmers markets.</font></span></li> </ul> <br /> &ldquo;There&rsquo;s fast food everywhere, not just in the franchises,&rdquo; said Kristie Coons, coordinator of &ldquo;One Book One Bakersfield...One Kern.&rdquo; &ldquo;I hope this helps people think more about their food choices.&rdquo;<br /> <br /> For the 10th community read, the organizers chose investigative journalist <a href="http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/catalog/authordetail.cfm?authorID=4629">Eric Schlosser</a>&rsquo;s expos&eacute; of the fast-food industry. (See attached PDF for list of events.) <br /> <br /> Schlosser, a correspondent for &ldquo;The Atlantic Monthly,&rdquo; started researching the fast food industry for &ldquo;Rolling Stone.&rdquo; His work progressed into the book, published in 2001, and has been compared to Upton Sinclair&rsquo;s <em>The Jungle</em>.<br /> <br /> I haven't read <em>Fast Food Nation</em> yet -- though I'm looking forward to it -- but I have read <em>The Jungle</em> and consider it one of my favorites. So if it can live up to Sinclair's <span class="me bi">pi&egrave;ce de r&eacute;sistance</span>, I will be very pleased. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/books/01/01/21/reviews/010121.21walkert.html">The <em>New York Times</em> review of the book</a> said:<br /> <br /> <em>While the things Schlosser is concerned about (small farmers, mom-and-pop store owners, low-skilled immigrant workers, child-focused marketing, the political clout of big business) and the solutions he suggests (mostly better government regulation) will seem like predictable liberal carping to some, the book manages to avoid shrillness. This is a fine piece of muckraking, alarming without being alarmist.</em><br /> <br /> Have you read this book? If you did, what did you think? And if you didn't, do you plan to?<br /> <br /> As I read the book, I'll update this blog with thoughts and discussion topics.<br /> <br /> <em>&mdash; Emily Hagedorn, health reporter<br /> (661) 395-7510<br /> ehagedorn@bakersfield.com<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> </em>


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fastfoodnationcover.jpg Welcome to the Weighed Down blog! http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/19823 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/weigheddown/19823 Welcome to Weighed Down, the blog that will accompany the <em>Californian</em>'s upcoming series of stories exploring obesity.<br /> <br /> Overweight and obesity has exploded over the last 30 years, becoming an epidemic facing over 60 percent of Kern County residents alone. <br /> <br /> To see how obesity affects people's lives and the difficulties they face, we decided to look at how it begins, with children and teens.<br /> <br /> For the past year, we have followed four local kids with weight issues. <br /> <br /> <ul> <li><strong>Brooke Stanley</strong>, a sophomore at Liberty High School, is on the cusp of a decision. She's fine with her weight, or so she says. Inside, though, she's worried about her health and her future. Diet and exercise haven't worked. Is surgery her only hope?<br /> </li> <li><strong>Ashley Cedeno</strong>, 9, was headed toward a lifetime of severe health problems shared by many in the Hispanic community &mdash; obesity with all its attendant ills, diabetes, high blood pressure and more. It was a path her own family had set her on. Her mother, Mary Jacinto, decided to alter that course, but she realized she needed help.</li> <li><strong>Ashlyn Dowling</strong>, like a lot of teen girls, wants a slim, fit body. Her reasons aren't just about vanity. Her family has a history of serious weight-related illnesses, and she wants to avoid that fate. But in her zeal to get thin, Ashlyn has developed some extremely unhealthy &quot;dieting&quot; techniques. <br /> </li> <li><strong>Michael White</strong> was just 16 when his parents decided surgery was the only option to save him from an untimely death. He was 480 pounds with pre-diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, dwindling kidney function and asthma. While the surgery was successful, it wasn&rsquo;t without controversy.</li> </ul> <br /> The series will run over three days, starting Jan. 26. Look out for it, and feel free to send us an e-mail with suggestions for this blog, thoughts on the series, story ideas, etc.<br /> <br /> We want to keep this blog running long after the series, so check back often for posts on new obesity-related research, interesting news articles and in-depth discussions. <br /> <br /> Thanks for reading!<br /> <br /> <em>&mdash; Emily Hagedorn, health reporter<br /> ehagedorn@bakersfield.com<br /> 395-7510<br /> <br /> <br /> </em>