Super Size Me

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celb500
celb500 Posts: 76
in Food and Nutrition
Hi Guys,

I am currently watching SuperSize Me in pure horror. Although it has led me to this question:

What do you think about lap bands or gastric bands as they are called in the UK?

I don't need one but how do you feel about people who have them? Is it necessary?

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO JUDGEMENT HERE, I AM JUST CURIOUS :)

Peace & Love x
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Replies

  • CantarellaMiyani
    CantarellaMiyani Posts: 91 Member
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    I think that they're a fantastic option, for some people. One of the vets at the clinic where I worked had amazing results.

    They're a tool, like any other, and aren't good a good option for everyone. But I don't feel differently toward someone who has one than I do about anyone else. Of course, it's important to try to develop better habits as well, and not just depend on the band to do the work for you.

    Edited to add: I'm adding SuperSize me to my queue, I haven't had the chance to watch it yet. I'm expecting to be pretty ill by the end.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
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    I prefer to support less extreme weight loss methods before going full throttle with surgery.

    Super Size Me is TERRIBLE science. His immensely high caloric intake per day is what ultimately causes his problems, not the fact it was fast food. During this entire time, he consumes more calories per day than a professional wrestler or Olympic athlete.

    Similar effects would occur from eating such high calories of pretty much any diet type. It is NOT typical for anyone to eat 5,000 to 7,000 calories a day as he does in Super Size me.
  • lhergenr
    lhergenr Posts: 242 Member
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    I prefer to support less extreme weight loss methods before going full throttle with surgery.

    Super Size Me is TERRIBLE science. His immensely high caloric intake per day is what ultimately causes his problems, not the fact it was fast food. During this entire time, he consumes more calories per day than a professional wrestler or Olympic athlete.

    Similar effects would occur from eating such high calories of pretty much any diet type. It is NOT typical for anyone to eat 5,000 to 7,000 calories a day as he does in Super Size me.
    Yep, just what I was going to say! That movie is ridiculous. If you want to watch a real documentary about nutrition, watch Fat Head. It's on Netflix. It totally makes fun of Super Size Me and is really eye opening.
  • celb500
    celb500 Posts: 76
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    Thank you!! I'll watch that now!! I'm such a sucker for documentaries.
  • jamifaith
    jamifaith Posts: 47
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    I watched them both (supersize me and fat head) and I'm glad I watched Supersize me before Fat Head so that I knew what he was referring to. His attitude in FatHead bothered me, because even though Supersize me wasn't totally accurate and they definitely did things in a specific way to get specific results, the flick wasn't atrocious enough for me to have such a dramatic attitude toward it...but i guess different people get ruffled by different things.
    I think they are both too extreme, because even if you don't gain weight eating fast food all the time, I dont feel like its a healthy lifestyle choice. That being said, I don't think microwave dinners are a healthy lifestyle choice either, because ultimately, nothing can compete with fresh produce when it comes to nutritional content. And then theres the whole issue of lean meats, and all the added stuff that gives food a shelf life. and on and on and on. eating 1,000 calories a day or 5,000 calories a day, I think we can all agree that eating only fast food is not the best option for our bodies.

    If you are a netflixer, add Fat Sick and Nearly Dead to the list.
    I seriously watched like 6 or 7 documentaries of this nature one month, because netflix kept throwing them into the recommended section, and even if I didn't agree with everything they said, still interesting to watch (and I would watch while running on the elliptical)
  • sleepyjean88
    sleepyjean88 Posts: 180 Member
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    I love documentaries like this I wonder if I could get any of them online.
  • Nessiechickie
    Nessiechickie Posts: 1,392 Member
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    I think they are stupid.
    But saying that my cousin who has "basically" been over 300lbs for the majority of her life got one and she looks good now. 190-220lbs is her current weight
    But I also think that people can do whatever they like with their own body.
  • 916lude
    916lude Posts: 305
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    I prefer to support less extreme weight loss methods before going full throttle with surgery.

    Super Size Me is TERRIBLE science. His immensely high caloric intake per day is what ultimately causes his problems, not the fact it was fast food. During this entire time, he consumes more calories per day than a professional wrestler or Olympic athlete.

    Similar effects would occur from eating such high calories of pretty much any diet type. It is NOT typical for anyone to eat 5,000 to 7,000 calories a day as he does in Super Size me.

    Exactly.
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
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    I think I'm so skeptical about lap bands, bc once you have the procedure, you have to follow a very strict diet anyway, so... Why not just change eating habits without the procedure?
  • AMANDALOU4546
    AMANDALOU4546 Posts: 9
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    YUP
  • AMANDALOU4546
    AMANDALOU4546 Posts: 9
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    YUP
    I prefer to support less extreme weight loss methods before going full throttle with surgery.

    Super Size Me is TERRIBLE science. His immensely high caloric intake per day is what ultimately causes his problems, not the fact it was fast food. During this entire time, he consumes more calories per day than a professional wrestler or Olympic athlete.

    Similar effects would occur from eating such high calories of pretty much any diet type. It is NOT typical for anyone to eat 5,000 to 7,000 calories a day as he does in Super Size me.
  • tommygirl15
    tommygirl15 Posts: 1,012 Member
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    If you guys want to watch something inspiring, download episodes of 'Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition' :D
  • lalaloses
    lalaloses Posts: 22
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    I can't figure out what Super Size Me has to do with Lap-bands, but whatever.

    I have a lap-band. I got it after almost 20 years of yo-yo diets - I was constantly hungry. It didn't matter what I ate, I could eat more. I needed something to help me with that.

    Right now I am eating pretty much what I did on WW and other diet plans (type of food, calorie and protein wise) - but I can only eat so much, and I am never hungry (which is a huge relief) . It's changed my life immensely and I do not regret it one bit.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    I love documentaries like this I wonder if I could get any of them online.

    Food, INC.
    Fat Sick and Nearly Dead
    Hungry for Change
    Food Matters
    Fresh
    Killer At Large
    Forks Over Knives
    The Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue
    King Korn
    Food Fight

    Many of these are available online through Hulu, Netflix, or their own website.
  • BodyByButter
    BodyByButter Posts: 563 Member
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    I loved Heavy, which is on Netflix.
  • dinoskycm
    dinoskycm Posts: 267
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    Both of my parents had the gastric bypass, and again, it is just a tool. My mom has done well with it, and my dad still eats the same crap he did before surgery. (I'm not supportive of this) His doctor even told him that he should be losing more than he is, but he eats the worst stuff so he is still losing weight, but not as quickly as he should. My mom actually had complications with hers from the very beginning. For years, she had a Peterson hernia (somehow a hernia is created during surgery) because when she had hers originally, the doctors didn't know about the hernia. Now, they fix the hernia during the initial surgery. Anyway, she got the hernia fixed this past december, and she had a revision to her stomach, which leaked, and she ended up being in the hospital for 24 days, including an emergency surgery and extensive stay in the ICU. She is better now, but it was a horrible time for our family. Needless to say, I am NOT getting the surgery because I'm terrified of any complications, and there are so many things that don't agree with the new stomach like dairy. That's just my experience with it, and I know a lot of people have had some good experiences with it. I just don't think it's for me.

    As far as lap band goes, I have known three people who got the lap band, and they lost weight, but then gained it back. I have read that it is not as successful as the gastric bypass because there is no malabsorption. That's why surgery works. It prohibits nutrients from being absorbed, and the lap band doesn't have that malabsorption. Again, there are many successful cases, but all three women that I know have gained their weight back.

    Bottom line, as someone else said, if you are going to make the lifestyle change, why not just change the eating and exercise habits without the actual procedure? Its a lot cheaper and healthier! :)
  • lilpoindexter
    lilpoindexter Posts: 1,122 Member
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    The lap band is a crutch for today's society that wants instant gratification without working towards the results they want.
  • sabrajanebrown
    sabrajanebrown Posts: 23 Member
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    I appreciate the advice but sometimes it is not that simple to just "cut down on calories". Some people find it practically impossible and mentally problematic. Some people need the aid of things like bands and surgery to kick start the "eat less" programs. I am currently on the HCG diet where I eat 500 calories per day and take a low dose of HCG and have lost weight. I don't view this program as a long term fix but as a way to help me re-evaluate my eating habits. No offense but when you feel like you are starving, it is hard to think about anything other than eating much less to limit your calorie intake. I don't feel hungry on this HCG program so it gives me a clear mind to think about what I want to put into my body and my food choices. Maybe people who have the gastric bypass just need that extra help to get them to mentally think about the changes they need to make. Just my two cents of course.
  • mrswaite08
    mrswaite08 Posts: 93 Member
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    I wouldn't say the lap band is a crutch. It is a last resort for someone who is so obese that it would be safer to have major abdominal surgery than to remain at the weight they are at. I do not have the lap band and that would never be an option I would want to utilize for myself. With that said, don't judge someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes.
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    Food, INC.
    Fat Sick and Nearly Dead
    Hungry for Change
    Food Matters
    Fresh
    Killer At Large
    Forks Over Knives
    The Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue
    King Korn
    Food Fight

    Many of these are available online through Hulu, Netflix, or their own website.

    And, of course, the answer to Super Size Me ... Fat Head.

    Spurlock is an idiot.

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