|
|
|
Newsflash!
More than 1 in 4 American adults are obese, according to a new government study.
The story is here.
Suggestions to lower this number are appreciated.
Here's mine: Walk more. Eat less.
— Andrew Mockett
|
Comments [25] - Views [115]
|
|
|
|
I get loads of press releases for the latest supplement, latest treatment, latest surgery, latest fad, etc.
And I got this one a couple of weeks ago:
Enter Heidi Roizen. A former Silicon Valley software company CEO and venture capitalist with a love for boardroom snacking, Heidi was tired of...
|
Comments [7] - Views [58]
|
|
|
|
A Massachusetts bill aims to add weight and height to the list of characteristics people cannot use to discriminate with.
From the Chicago Tribune:
Currently, people can seek protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but they must prove their obesity is a disability and, in some...
|
Comments [5] - Views [60]
|
|
|
|
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.
Fast food jungle. Food desert.
Considering we live in neither a jungle nor desert — well, most of us anyway — I came up with my...
|
Comments [6] - Views [85]
|
|
|
|
For once, we're not among the worst.
A new study has found that women's life expectancy declined significantly in 180 U.S. counties from 1983 to 1999.
And, happily, Kern County isn't among those.
Most of the counties are in the deep South and Appalachia, according to the study, which was done...
|
Comments [1] - Views [29]
|
|
|
|
Why is it I always seem to get hungry when I'm surrounded by unhealthy food?
Particularly, this seems to happen when I'm in a convenience store trying to pay for gas or stick to just buying a gallon of milk.
I recently went on a tour of a local 7-Eleven with dietitian Avtar Nijjer-Sidhu,...
|
Comments [1] - Views [51]
|
|
|
|
Diabetes is a condition that has unfortunately been passed down through families, said one Southern California pediatrician.
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 California...
|
Comments [2] - Views [63]
|
|
|
|
Eric Schlosser is an out-and-proud carnivore.
His favorite meal: cheeseburger, French fries and a chocolate shake.
But that doesn't mean the "Fast Food Nation" author goes easy on the burger-and-fries industry. If you know anything about him or his New York Times bestseller, you know...
|
Comments [1] - Views [20]
|
|
|
|
The debate over who's to blame for obesity — society or the individual — is an interesting one many of you have been involved in on this blog.
It makes me think of this passage from Fed Up! Winning the War Against Childhood Obesity by Dr. Susan Okie. The first sentence is a little...
|
Comments [4] - Views [37]
|
|
|
|
When I first saw this bit of news, I thought it was out of The Onion.
A Mississippi bill wants to make it illegal to feed the obese.
From the text of House Bill No. 282:
Any food establishment to which this section applies shall not be allowed to serve food to any person who is obese, based on...
|
Comments [11] - Views [145]
|
|
|
|
The Californian gave Brooke Stanley, one of the teens featured in the Weighed Down series, an audio recorder to use between interviews.
We used one of the audio entries in her photo slideshow.
Attached are some more of her thoughts, including her opinions on surgery, gym class and going to the...
|
Comments [1] - Views [50]
|
|
|
|
After a year of work, "Weighed Down," The Californian's project examining obesity and the young people it affects, is complete.
Look for the stories today through Monday in the newspaper, or read all the stories online right now.
We would love to hear your thoughts on the...
|
Comments [1] - Views [37]
|
|
|
|
Want to know more about obesity, nutrition, fitness and bariatric surgery?
Here are some places to turn to for more help.
What is obesity?
National Institutes of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Information on women and obesity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human...
|
Comments [0] - Views [32]
|
|
|
|
Consider this:
"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...
|
Comments [26] - Views [196]
|
|
|
|
The previous post on Fast Food Nation and obesity provoked such a discussion that I decided to expand that into this post as well.A lot of the conversation so far has focused on fast food's role in the rise in obesity rates.Well, here are the points made by groups on either side of the debate....
|
Comments [1] - Views [71]
|
|
|
|
In a county obese with burgeoning waistlines, choosing Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal as the next “One Book One Bakersfield...One Kern” installment seems all too fitting.
This latest "One Book" effort kicks off Thursday.
Here are some facts...
|
Comments [16] - Views [253]
|
|
|
|
Welcome to Weighed Down, the blog that will accompany the Californian's upcoming series of stories exploring obesity.
Overweight and obesity has exploded over the last 30 years, becoming an epidemic facing over 60 percent of Kern County residents alone.
To see how obesity affects people's...
|
Comments [5] - Views [113]
|
|
|
|
Chew on this (as you prepare for the most gluttonous, overindulgent holiday of the year): Condors fans will soon be able to take advantage of an All-You-Can-Eat Pavilion in Rabobank Arena.
As if Kern County needed another excuse to overeat.
Here's the news release:
BAKERSFIELD, Calif....
|
Comments [0] - Views [46]
|
|
|
|
Chalk up something else to our burgeoning girths.
Obesity has killed the It's a Small World ride at Disneyland, or, at the least, it has put it out of service.
From Wired:
"The boats routinely bottom out under the weight of super-sized riders, bringing the popular ride to a...
|
Comments [12] - Views [148]
|
|
|
|
I love me some Italian food.
I lived at Fazoli's, a fast-food Italian restaurant back East, when I was in college. Frugatti's is my favorite place to eat in Bakersfield. Give me pasta, sauce, maybe some meatballs and bread sticks and I am a ragazza felice (happy girl).
But maybe this is why I...
|
Comments [1] - Views [305]
|
|
|
|
I always knew people who liked candy corn were strange. Who likes candy shaped like vegetables? It defeats the purpose.
I can also think of a couple Twizzlers and Butterfingers. Weirdos.
What is your Halloween candy personality? The Washington Post put together a neat guide to gaging who...
|
Comments [9] - Views [404]
|
|
|
|
A box of Halloween cookies have been tempting me all week. Right now they are sitting on the end of my kitchen table, beckoning me to take "just one." I bought them to give out at work, and that's where they will go...not all into my stomach...I'm promising myself.
Halloween can be...
|
Comments [5] - Views [55]
|
|
|
|
Do you have an inspirational story to tell about your personal weight-loss journey? If so, the Californian wants to hear about it.
We're gearing up to do a large package of stories on obesity — childhood obesity in particular. And we want to get our readers involved in the final...
|
Comments [4] - Views [89]
|
|
|
|
Thanks to all who commented and continue to write on the first blog.
If it came off as very matter-of-fact, it was supposed to. We have share everyone's feelings on weight, cause we are dealing with it ourselves.
Your first steps were deal with where you are at, begin to make smart eating...
|
Comments [1] - Views [38]
|
|
|
|
You may have heard all of these before, but if you haven't or are in need of a refresher, here's 10 steps to better health, courtesy of California First Lady Maria Shriver.
10 steps for parents:
If you eat healthfully, your family will too.
When your family's thirsty,...
|
Comments [1] - Views [33]
|
|
|
|
Reporters get inundated with press packets and releases every day.
For example, I just got a release blaming high heel shoes for an increase in urinary tract infections. Don't know the validity of that argument, but I've been surprised before.
David Burger, the entertainment reporter, just...
|
Comments [1] - Views [66]
|
|
|
|
Think you know your way around a fast-food menu board?
Test your knowledge.
1. Which of the following breakfast items that are served at Denny's do you think has the fewest calories?
A. ham and cheddar omelet
B. country fried steak and eggs
C. three slices of French toast...
|
Comments [3] - Views [79]
|
|
|
|
A study came out yesterday that found health benefits to be the most highly coveted of employee perks.
One caveat of the National Business Group on Health report that I found particularly interesting was the fact that two in three, or 65 percent, favor charging smokers more for health...
|
Comments [17] - Views [100]
|
|
|
|
The Californian is undertaking a large project on childhood obesity in Kern County — a serious issue that's impacting our schools, our health system and, most importantly, our children's lives.
And we're looking for some help.
Wanting to go beyond the basic...
|
Comments [2] - Views [89]
|
|
|
|
Want a little help taking off a few extra pounds? The Food and Drug Administration approved an over-the-counter diet pill for the first time Wednesday.
Orlistat, formerly available by prescription, can now be sold as a reduced-strength OTC.
This new weight-loss aid will go by the name...
|
Comments [12] - Views [211]
|
|
|
|
Well, it's happening again. Another step toward American irresponsibility, super profits of medical care and a step toward the time when taxpayers will foot the bill for parent's abuse and neglect of their children. I am not speaking of beatings or sexual abuse, I am talking about childhood...
|
Comments [10] - Views [222]
|
|
|
|
Big Mac — got it.
Fruits and veggies — not so much.
The city tops the list for having the most fast-food and convenience stores compared to supermarkets and produce vendors -- an issue that may be adversely affecting residents' health. (Read "City lacks options" in...
|
Comments [2] - Views [237]
|
|
|
1
