ON April 13th the New York Times published a piece in their ‘Weddings/Celebration’ section titled “Bridal Hunger Games" written by Linda Lee (obviously picking up the title from the popular new hit movie “Hunger Games”; A movie where teenagers kill each other off in rather rapid succession in order to win a game of sorts, so that they and their loved ones won’t starve - - - CHARMING). I was notified of this article shortly after I appeared on Baltimore’s NBC TV affiliate for my 11 Fitness morning news segment. I’d had a very heavy work weekend and other than being a part of the news, I didn't look at, read, or listen to any other news source for the duration of the entire weekend….until that is, I was shaken out of my work stupor and into the most twisted reality I wish I’d NEVER SEEN.
I was going along ‘fat, dumb, and happy’ (yes that’s another Oklahoma daddyism), when the voice mail notification on my phone caught my attention and I quickly scrolled through them. One of my clients had left a message about this column, just knowing I’d feel compelled to comment and SHE WAS RIGHT. In fact, I was unable to grasp what I was hearing as she tried to explain about brides and feeding tubes and the Times…but try as I could, I wasn’t able to make any sense of her message. I only caught those few key words, but with a bad connection - they made no sense at all. What was compelling however, was the urgency in her voice.
Now I had to know. So I ran to my Ipad and searched “The New York Times - Brides and Feeding Tubes” . Thanks to the power of Google, the link below popped up among others, but all containing the same content. Now I knew what she was so upset about. The highlighted link below contains the article from the Times, just in case you’d been living in a news free bubble as I had been over the past few days.
In short, the article is talking about healthy individuals (brides to be exact) having feeding tubes inserted for the sole purpose of dropping weight rapidly enough to be able to fit into their intentionally UNDERSIZED wedding gowns! Have mercy, we've finally gone insane!
I find this not only crazy and unsafe, but on the emotional side - extremely tasteless and void of all empathy whatsoever. Today there are literally thousands of folks using feeding tubes for the sole purpose of keeping their loved ones nourished and in many cases...ALIVE! I mean really, isn’t that what feeding tubes were intended to do?
But then again, we can’t have the brides of today losing weight (IF they felt it necessary), by such barbaric methods as switching to smarter food choices, reducing their serving sizes and breaking a good old fashioned sweat now can we? People, get real. What’s wrong with teaching responsibility and the consequences of one’s actions; especially as one prepares to WALK DOWN THE AISLE! I mean it’s high time we stop looking for quick fixes and teach our youth, (by example – oh yeah I’m going there - ) that we can’t always have what we want just because we want it….just when we want it! One literally cannot have their cake and eat it too!
In this case, the liquid diets being pumped through some of the feeding tubes contained only protein, with caloric contents of anywhere from 500 to 800 calories max. This my friends is also known as a type of starvation, causing an unhealthy state of ketosis. Ketosis can cause a number of side effects, including dizziness, bad breath, dehydration, constipation, headaches, weakness and irritation. After you are on it for a longer period of time, such as a few weeks, it can cause kidney stones and gout. Ketosis can cause death if you have diabetes and if you are pregnant.
This combination folks is not only unsafe and medically scary, if by chance they make it through the wedding without passing out, without the tube in place to continue to starve them out…. the results won’t last through the honeymoon, trust me!
THE ENTIRE IDEA IS BEYOND PSYCHOTIC! What doctor is going to accept money to do this…one can only recoil in terror at the thought.
Let’s focus on either accepting the size we are or doing the hard work necessary, in plenty of time… to squeeze our assets into a smaller size. Just the way God intended.
I suppose this looks a bit like a soap box, huh? Guess my client was right!
Folks, from the right motives tonight might I say….
Let’s all eat well to live well.
Until Next Time….
The Sane Fitness Diva - just pumping out the truth,
Candace
www.CandaceGrasso.blogspot.com
www.FitIsItCardio.com
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