FDA? Oh, you mean MONSANTO and their drug company buddies!!

They are pathetic at best.

How about exercise, organic raw food diet and stay away from GMO foods!!

Sesame Street is now introducing 4 new SUPERFOOD muppets sponsored by MERCK (the drug company).

Just to show you how much these drug companies WANT you sick, here is a sneak peak at THEIR TAKE ON SUPERFOODS and they are going to teach your children this.

1. Banana - A good choice for a snack, but not a superfood.

2. BLOCK OF CHEESE - Wow, not even close!

3. Whole Wheat Hamburger Bun - WOWx2, worst than the cheese!!

4. Broccoli Spear - THEY GOT ONE RIGHT!! (someone most likely got fired at MERCK for this one)

So, out of 4 tries for a SUPERFOOD, they got 1 right.

Anyone who makes money off you being sick shouldn't be in charge of telling us what is healthy to eat or that vitamin D isn't needed.

Can it get any more retarded? Most likely yes, tune in tomorrow to see what big pharma and the FDA will do next.

Patrick - your response made no sense.

1. Banana - A good choice for a snack, but not a superfood. And Really how is a banana bad for you?

2. BLOCK OF CHEESE - Wow, not even close! Really, a BLOCK of cheese? Please provide references.

3. Whole Wheat Hamburger Bun - WOWx2, worst than the cheese!! Whole wheat is worse than white bread, again, please provide references.

4. Broccoli Spear - THEY GOT ONE RIGHT!! (someone most likely got fired at MERCK for this one) Yes, THEY GOT ONE RIGHT!!

WTF, Patrick? Are you an idiot or just a random troll?

I agree with you. The comments above are ree-dick-you-less!!! And; Who says "Retarded" ? It's offensive and shows your eagerness to provide commentary on a third grade level. Bananas are bad......WTF? The big "Fruit Conspiracy" Patrick....not a good response!

Jenn & Jeremy,

You need to read more carefully before you post. You are both in violent agreement with him, retards.

Hey Willy, fuh-q

Jeremy re your last comment, read and heed your own advice: "It's offensive and shows your eagerness to provide commentary on a third grade level."

Let me guess, you are a Republican Christian from the midwest, no? (stupid and a hypocrite)

WillyDinSD - Obviously before you start condeming other people for what they post YOU should actually read it. Jenn and Jeremy were absolutely NOT in agreement with Patrick. Jenn asked where Patrick had gotten his information, which is clearly wrong.

I rarely post or get involved in these little spats, but people clearly don't care to discuss the article, they want to demean and put other people down for what they post. Grow up and learn how to debate without the insults or personal attacks.

Now, back to the topic of weight loss drugs - Pharmaceutical companies are in the business of making money. Losing weight with changes in diet and exercise is hard, but never impossible. With the right guidance, nobody needs a magic pill. Too bad insurance companies don't (typically) pay for nutrition counseling or personal trainers.

Jen and Jeremy.

My comments were aimed at MERCK and their choice of the SUPERFOODS.

Banana, Cheese, Whole Wheat Hamburger Bun and Broccoli.

Again, for those of you who didn't understand my post for some reason. A banana is a great choice for a snack, but isn't classified as a superfood. Cheese isn't even close to being a superfood and whole wheat hamburger bun is not a superfood.

The only food they will represent as a superfood that actually is classified as a superfood is broccoli spear.

If you care to provide information prooving me wrong and link credible sources (not merck or big pharma sponsored sites) that show cheese, whole wheat bread and banana's as being widely accepted as superfoods I would love to see it.

This is just an example of the wide spread bull-crap drug companies do to get sheeple to remain sick and paying them.

BTW, the newest one by big pharma? If you are an adult picky eater, you now have a medical condition and a drug to help you. Congrats on that.

Time to wake up and take control of your own health and what you eat. GMO's are in 85% of foods today in one form or another. If you don't know what GMO foods do to your body and what they have done in tests to animals, you are in for a treat. Google it....

Kerrym, I guessing that since you rarely post or get involved the only reason you did is because you too are a midwestern Republican Christian (and proud of it!). I wish more of your ilk were astute enough not to participate. If you are too mentally slovenly to figure out where Patrick was going, I will not elucidate it for you.

Wow, adults using retard. Nice. Now I know why kids are so cruel to my daughter. It starts at home.

Patrick, sorry I misunderstood your post. I re-read it and it makes perfect sense.

I also apologize to everyone for spurring Willy's comments. The word he used was completely unacceptable.

So...how do you calculate that on a daily basis (with enough precision that makes this so "simple")? BTW--I'm not overweight, just curious.

its actually really easy. your body weight X 10 is roughly what you will burn on a daily basis with a sedentary lifestyle. So i burn AT LEAST 1800 calories a day. as long as i take in less than that. most people look at labels a lot in the begining to estimate calories but after a while you just know. as im cooking i know that scoop of mayo was 100 calories and that slice of bacon was 50. i shoot for 1200 calories a day, which gives me a 600 calorie deficiet. you need to have a deficiet of 3500 calories to loose one pound. so i can loose a little over a pound a week.

Actually, Alicia, that 'weight X 10' is not always accurate. My metabolism is much slower that than. I maintain my weight on approximately 8 calories per pound of body weight, and so must eat around 6 calories per pound to lose any appreciable weight. This has been verified with extensive record keeping over a number of years. Not everyone has the same metabolism.

But the old fashioned way doesn't make any of these huge corporations huge profits. Who cares about the health of Americans, just give them pills for a temporary solution.

If the government REALLY cared about the health of its citizens it would be regulating the food industry so much more and get rid of all the enriched flour, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial crap that is in all of processed food these days.

But like someone said earlier, they just want to keep everyone sick so they can keep making profits. Its a capatalist society. $$$$$ is all that matters anymore.

Let's face reality - YOU are making YOURSELF obese. It's that simple. You choose to eat too much and/or too much of the wrong things and/or exercise too little. Get yourself educated on the subject - READ - and stop going to these silly money making organizations catering to people like you who like to use/blame others for the problems/consequences of the choices they make. This is insane!!! Eat real foods only, as much as you want, restrict/eliminate all animal proteins. Look at President 'I'll have fries with that" Clinton. He finally figured it out - no animal protein - eats as much real food as he wants - just all plant based. (Please do not ask the stupid/usual food industry driven question "but where will I get my protein?". Knowing you/most will - the answer is: "from plants!" Animal protein causes obesity, "fertilizes/catalyzes cancer and promotes heart disease. Knowledge is power - read up on this and stop making excuses and spending money on people who help you perpetuate them!

"If I could get healthy food at Trader Joes or Whole Foods for the same price as I can get food at McDonalds I would do that. I'm tired with all the blame being placed on the obese people and no one looking to who is providing the food in making the people obese."

I do not know how people see McDonalds as inexpensive. You can feed two people for over $15 dollars with the meals.

I have eaten healthy meals made from ingredients bought from both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods for under $5 for two people. With meat added to the previous example it can sometimes push it up to $8 per two people (steak), but less if it is on sale. Unfortunately for $8, it is still too much food so I still need to work out the details and shrink portion/costs.

Sure, you can feed two people for $4 at McDonalds with the Dollar Menu, but that's hardly filling.

@Sarah-2554906 Have you visited a doctor to check for any medical conditions that cause/contribute to your weight issue?

Try Overeaters Anonymous, Sarah. It's not what you're eating, it's what's eating you.

Scott, eating disorders are real problems. They have to be treated as a disease, by physicians. Preaching about changing a vegetarian diet won't help someone with an eating disorder.

One point: you don't have to pay the prices at trader joes or whole foods to get healthy foods. When I was able to eat fruits, veggies and most meats, I was able to do it by buying most of it at the local grocery store, most of the time whatever was on sale. Unfortunately, I can no longer process most foods, so am limited to primarily processed foods. Let me tell you, it is more expensive to buy that stuff than it is to buy the fresh stuff. Although the stuff I buy now does generally last longer, so plus there.

Any day now an over wieght person is going to sue the grocery store for selling them food....just wait.

Hey Sarah, I find it hard to believe you are so morbidly obese that you are going to die and your doctors aren't helping you better. Have you tried Phentermine? Its a great weight loss drug. Also, as one reader suggested, eating only nature made foods, nothing man made is a good way to go. Some tasty choices, blueberries, black beans, grilled zuchini, etc. I've got a ton of ideas. I would love to help you....what area of the country do you live in?

I wish you all the best as you strugle with this problem. But I don't think this drug is going to have the effects you are talking about. If you re-read the article it says it meets the minimum needs of the FDA effectiveness. it has shown a 5% reduction in around 35% of the people who took it. This is way more likely to become a drug for slightly overweight people who want to lose a few pounds.

as a sidebar to your cost comments. I completely agree with the cost of foods that are nutritious. Cheap food is usually empty calories or very high in fat and cholesterol. However, all those weight loss programs you mentioned are pretty expensive and not greatly effective as you admitted. The weight loss industry is a fotune maker. If people used the money for diet schemes on better nutrition and education it may break even in cost. Again, best of luck with your health.

Hi Tammy,

I am not Sarah, but would appreciate some help. I just started phentermine

from my Dr. and need to lose 80lbs. I wanted to try HCG but my Dr. said

to try the phentermine first. Any advise you can give me would be appreciated.

I live in Wisconsin.

Thanks, Karen

Hi Sarah, I agree with you that is the industry that contributes to obesity.....starting from school lunches...to all the commercials with all sugary drinks and snacks. Then once the kids are adults have to take (spending money) on all these medicines for diabetes, controlling cholesterol, high blood pressure and others.

I believe the less processed food to eat are the best for our health since our body doesnt have to deal with extra chemicals. Please try and do this last new way of eating, "lets do lunch". http://www.letsdolunch.com/ you can first read all comments on the message board section.

Blessings.

There are good programs out there! Programs that actually feed your body good nutrition and help to detoxify. Another drug that causes heart problems is not the answer. I use Isagenix and have helped people lose up to 400 lbs. simply by giving the body what it needs.. Very simple, give the body what it needs, and it does what it is supposed to do..

Bravo Peridot

@Sarah--- I do have to admit that I feel torn when it comes to a weight blame game. Overweight people pick up the food and eat. No one.....NO ONE forced you to do this. You lack the willpower to eat healthy and exercise. You eat high fat, sugary, starchy and foods high in sodium! Right? That being said; this is why I'm torn. There are not enough programs in place to help people like you on the cheap. If you are unfortunate enough to have weight control problems of this magnitude, help should be available at a minimal expense. I AGREE with you 100% with regards to food cost. The WORST foods in the country are available at the lowest price. If you earn a low income there is a good chance that you are screwed when it comes to eating healthy. I have a family of 4. I don't even get out of the fresh produce s3ction without soending around $75-$100 just on produce that has a shlf life of just days. Yet, you can buy 10 boxes of Betty Crocker Scalloped Potatos for around $8.00? WTF? The Good for you food is VERY EXPENSIVE in comparison to the junk food. Exercise more.....Eat less. Good luck Sarah!!

People, there are other places to buy food than whole foods. Try a plain old grocery store. For those of you that can't cook, learn. You can get cook books that even anidiot can understand. I am about 40 pounds over weight. I am supposed to weigh 104. Yeah, try getting down to that. I barely eat 1000 calories a day. If they can come up with something that will speed up my metabolism I am there.

Sarah,

If you are able to afford, weight management programs and a personal trainer, then buying fresh food from a grocery store is surely not a stretch. It is much more affordable to buy seasonal (not expensive) groceries and prepare them your self. You get a lot more food and you know what's going into it. You don't have to buy "Organic" to be making a healthy choice. Also, fast food is not always terrible, just do it infrequently and make intelligent choices.

Sarah,

Have you had your thyroid checked. If not, do that before beating yourself up too much. I'm overweight, too, and it is a struggle to lose it. I tend to be a very impulsive person who is not happy with small results, but I had to get over that if I ever wanted to lose the weight. It has taken me three months to lose 15 pounds, and I still have 65 more to go. It killed me at first to make so many changes, as I really thought I was eating fine. I started keeping a food journal without making changes to my diet for the first week, and I was absolutely FLOORED that I consumed nearly three times as much as I should if I were at my ideal weight. The mysterious cause of my obesity then became very clear. Try the food journal, if you haven't already, and just be very honest. No one will see it but you. Sometimes a dose of reality is good medicine. It was in my case. I'm not trying to insist that you are eating too much, but I didn't think I was and it turned out that I was completely wrong.

Oh, and since I've cut the cheap fast food out, I've managed to save about $150 per month on groceries. Shop on the outside aisles of the grocery store and do it once a week, only buying what you know you will eat. There are lots of great recipes online that use basic ingredients like the ones you'll find in these aisles. I also asked my sweet husband to put the left overs away so I don't eat them all while I'm trying to get them into tupperware! lol! You'll notice after a few days of eating healthy like this that your energy will go up and cooking all those meals then cleaning up the mess might not seem like such a chore anymore. Also, my family is eating like this now, and my kids' behavior has improved drastically. My oldest daughter's grades have been straight 100's on her last two report cards. I REALLY TRULY think that this is from feeding them better.

The risks of being obese are far too great to ignore. I can tell you really want to get healthy, just like so many, but it's so hard to rewire a person's brain. I know because I'm in the process and still have a very hard time keeping myself out of left overs, away from the baking aisle, and out of the kids' snacks. And boy how I crave a Dr. Pepper constantly, but I've had to downsize to only one a day. I suppose that's better than none!

I'm not advertising at all, but one of the best places I've found to help out with keeping your weightloss journal is Sparkpeople.net. I don't use it anymore, but it really helped out at first and helped me get a good idea of what I should be eating. When I start plateauing, I get back in there and start keeping one. It's like free weight watchers. Anyway, I really hope you can get your journey started. It's a rough one. But give yourself three weeks and it will become second nature. Get lots of support, too. You're not going to be able to lose weight if your family does not help you. Any weight loss program that they cannot also participate in and eat from the menu is not healthy. Pills, fads, shakes, blah, blah, blah, anything that cannot be consumed by a five year old should be knocked off the market.

Good luck and I really hope that you can do this for yourself. If you want, you are welcome to send your hopes this way as well because I have a LONG way to go.

Sarah, you don't need drugs, you need will power. You need to take control of your life, and you can. Your desire to be thin and healthy has to over-rule the pain in your stomach. I'm blind, deaf and after I quit smoking, I gained 40lbs in one year (17lbs of which was fat {I weight lift too}). I started P90x, got my diet under control, and used their program and it works. It's hard as hell. First starting the program I was miserable, but the desire to live and be there for my son is greater. I'm currently 175lbs and 11% BF. I don't recommend P90x for a fitness beginner, but you could certainly do P90 or something similar. The only way you'll get results is to follow a program and believe in yourself.

Howdy,

you say p90? Is that like a beginner version of p90x? I've wanted to try p90x, but I don't want to spend money on something that I can't handle right now, so I'm curious about this.

Thanks!

Scott, do you think you're helping anyone with your negative bigoted attitude? 'Fatties,' 'morons' really? Your attitude is full of hatred and intolerance.

Do you disbelieve that anorexics and bulimics are victims of disease? Compulsive overeaters suffer from a disease as well.

Scott, you are clearly demonstrating your ignorance and bigotry here. You are helping no one. It would be better if you slipped quietly away and said nothing about this since you've shown that you know absolutely nothing about this topic.

There is help available to people who are compulsive overeaters. Anyone who wants to know what it is available can contact me through the Vine. It's not a diet or calorie counting club and it doesn't cost anything.

Addendum to above: Forgot to mention the solution doesn't involve wacky religion or drugs, either.

Scott, Peridot nailed it with your comments. Maybe if you ever become overweight you should eat sh.. and slip away

Vegan is not a proper diet! And Scott; "To belittle is to BE LITTLE"

Any of you arm-chair scientists want to post the series of chemical reactions that show how animal protein (pure protein now, not anything else that might be in meat) creates substances that lead directly to obesity? For extra credit, show how animal protein is different from plant protein in this reaction scheme. I would love to be enlighted, because in my book, this does not add up.

You know - we are not all brainless fast-food idiots BTW. Some of us find that most of the foods that are most appropriate to eat are also simply repulsive to our taste. Perhaps it is a matter of willpower. Perhaps it is a matter of taste receptors. Perhaps it is brain chemistry. I don't know. What I do know is that for a bunch of otherwise self-proclaimed liberal "love-each-other"s with your messages of tolerance and respect for even the least of civilization; a good number of you are downright smug and combative with your comments. So much for tolerance, eh? I can assure you that if it were as easy for me as any of your suggestions, I would do it in a minute. I have no actual interest in being so big - really. How about a little of your otherwise aggressively expressed compassion in this regard? Ah - maybe it would help you more if I told you that I was an unemployed, uneducated, minority paraplegic mother of 5 (no husband) living in squalor and entirely incapable or willing to help myself in any way? That's the kind of stuff that gets your compassion going, right?

Actually Tom (I'm not a vegan at all - just saying), there's quite a few differences, most notably whether the ratio of Whey Protein to Casein, Creatine content (yes, creatine naturally occurs in animal meat), and the ratio of amino-acids found in each, (leucine, glutamine, glycine, etc). That said, different amino-acids are used in different physio-chemical processes. Proteins are turned into tissue, used as energy, stored as fat, of flushed. A healthy diet is important in ensuring your body's function, but as for weight, it's simple calorie intake vs calorie expenditure. Google Twinkie diet if you think I'm wrong. GL

I have had weight issues all of my life. Last year I went sugar free and caffeine free for 8 months and lost 60 pounds. No chocolate, no cookies etc. I was a binge eater. Lots of emotional eating. Years before that I took Phen/Fen. I loved that but they took it off the market. I have exercised before and have no weight loss and was cutting my eating. I think people who think every person responds the same well, is clueless. We all have different body types, medical issues, weights, stresses, etc. I have taken weight loss medications under the guidance of a doctor for a few months to get my weight down so I could exercise more. You need to look at the big picture and find what motivates you. It is a lifestyle change. I agree about going to the meetings. They have overeaters ANN. Support is important. Good luck to you all. I am really interested to see this new drug.

in total agreement with you on this one. my husband, myself, our kids, none of us have weight problems. we eat real food, eat out maybe once every month or so, and are active. my kids play outside constantly, everyone that i'm related to that doesn't have a weight problem follows the same kind of program ie; eat right and exercise. the ones with the weight problems are the ones following diet fads and not exercising enough. this drug will help no one, and the fact that there is even a small risk of elevated blood pressure should be scary for anyone who's overweight and probably already dealing with high blood pressure as it is!

It's very scary that the FDA would be irresponsible enough to make something like this available to the public with the known side effects to a large enough group of trial participants. Especially given their history in the past few years.

I was recently taken off a drug for my constant nausea that was given a black box warning only this year. However, the neurological side effects, which I developed after 7 years of being on it, have been known to the FDA for years. It is not a new drug by any means. I was lucky that it took so long for the side effects to show up in me. Some develop them in just a few doses.

Your are so right. Money, money, money! Next thing we know, there will be a commercial on TV from some law firm stating that this drug has caused this or that and that we could be entitled to compensation.

The original statment is true. However what is in "regular" food is very different now than it was then.

I am afraid that our teeth say exactly the opposite of what you say: we are not made to eat meat,

oh geez, there always has to be some die-hard vegan to ruin the party. any vegan with a brain should know that you are NEVER going to change a meat-eaters position on the matter. so why bother?

You can be healthy as a vegan, it's just really hard to do. Also, as a man, if you want to have your serum estrogen skyrocket, eat loads of soy products like they suggest.

You're not overweight. You should weigh somewhere between 133 - 147 so you're right on target.

There was more than one person very negatively affected by ephedrine. My uncle had it given to him by his family doctor to aid in weightloss because the risk factors of his co-morbid conditions outweighed what were considered small risks of the ephedrine. He lost 30 pounds in two months, then suddenly died of cardiac arrest The final diagnosis was that the ephedrine alone did not cause the heart attack, but the stress on his heart from weight loss combined with the stress to it from the ephedrine.

I just want to share with everyone my opinion on this weight loss supplement business. I am close to morbidly obese. I have only been this way for about 4 years, but shortly before gaining all this weight, I was trying different diet pills, including ephedrine and phentermine, to lose 10 or 15 pounds here and there. They worked, but as soon as I stopped taking them, I would gain all the weight back plus some, even under the care of a doctor. These pills completely screwed up my metabolism and the result was uncontrollably gaining 80 pounds.

I am now struggling constantly to keep my weight coming off and I've found that the only thing that really seems to work is exercising more and eating less. This way, you will SLOWLY lose weight. Go to your doctor first, get a physical and have your thyroid, cholesterol, etc., checked, then talk to him/her about how many calories you need to consume. If you can't go to the doctor, you can get online and find a calorie calculator that will help you estimate how many calories you are consuming currently to maintain the weight you're at, then subtract 300 from that number and start counting EVERYTHING you eat, drink, lick, look at sideways. You get the point. It all matters. Add in 15 minutes of walking and gradually work up to 60 minutes over a 3 month period. When you lose ten pounds, recalculate the calories and subtract 300 again, so and so forth. The weight will come off, you just have to learn how to use your body. It is a struggle and can be very mentally, as well as physically, challenging.

Please DO NOT listen to these people who are calling us fatties and making fun of us because of obesity. Most of these people have never struggled with their weight. This sort of thing is something that is instilled in childhood, is part of our mental makeup, and it is hard to overcome. Just like some of these people who are JERKS have a hard time being nice. Just remember that it will NOT come off overnight, but it will come off if you try hard. Be happy with 0.5 lb per week if that's all you lose. Be happy with no weight lost as long as you know you are making a positive change. remember that our bodies are built for survival, so you have to play games with it and adjust when you start plateauing.

YOU CAN DO THIS and please don't kill yourself and waste your time on weight loss drugs. You'd be better of having a lapband done, in my opinion (I'm not a doctor), than wasting any effort with a drug. Of course, like I said, that is just my opinion.

Please those of you who are just wanting to give advice that makes you look like you are more intelligent or whatever the heck you are trying to do because you have no weight problems, keep your nasty mouths shut. YOU are the reason so many people like ME who are trying to make a change in their lives are afraid to show their faces in the gym, at the pool, at parks, go out and have a good time, or do things to be more physically active. YOU are the reason we have a hard time shopping at the health food stores with all the SKINNYS, most of whom are not looking twice at us. We take so much time to get over feeling like crap about ourselves and finally come to the conclusion that no one is really starting or making fun like we think, then, lo and behold, I read this post and it makes me sick to my stomach how incredibly mean some people can be.

momo3bur,

you make a lot of good points. good luck with everything and you are on the right track with what i consider to be the right way of thinking. diet pills, fads, supplements are never going to be the answer. if you really do your research, even the few diet pills that have clinical studies to prove that they are effective are only a boost to help you in combination with proper diet and exercise. once again, VERY FEW diet supplements have actual clinical studies backing them. most of them are just backed by bogus marketing hype.

the bottom line is that proper diet and exercise come first, ALWAYS. if you don't change your lifestyle, you will never be successful in the long run. 95% of losing weight, building muscle, getting in shape, etc. etc. is mental. you must make a lifestyle choice/change to make those things happen, period. supplements are just that, supplements. they can help, but they aren't going to do anything on their own magically.

Thank you! I actually didn't mean to go off on such a rant. The first paragraph was the only one intended for this post! lol! I just can't stand to see people making fun of others, especially when they may have no idea what the other person is going through.

It's true that there are no excuses for being fat unless you have a medical condition, but the truth is that it is very hard to rewind that path when you've gone so far down it and sometimes seems impossible or just not worth the effort. Hopefully if this drug is approved, it will be one that aides in gradual weighloss that a person can maintain. Also hope the health side affects are minimal.

It's all about will power. Your desire to lose weight has to overcome the pain in your stomach.

@ momo3bur, keep at it. I know how hard it is. It took me over 8 months to lose 50 lbs several years ago. Unfortunately, I got ill and my body kicked into starvation mode. I gained it all back, plus some, in less than 6 six months. I was able to keep it off for about three years though. I am considered on the line of "overweight/obese" according to the stupid BMI calculator, but to look at me, I just look overweight. However, I am thankful for that weight gain back then as I have lost 55 lbs this past year from my condition. I would be under 100 lbs now if I hadn't gained back then, so I guess my body knew what it was doing. Frustrating though.

@howdy, please stop sounding so insensitive. If you don't or never have had weight issues, you have no idea just how hurtful your seemingly "innocous" statements are. They do a lot more harm than you know.

momo3bur. sorry for your loss and hope you get better. My blog didn't post well last night as I re-edited, It timed out and it lost a whole paragraph or so. Too bad it was a descent rant but got carried away and lost time. My point was going to be more pointed towards the F.D.A. losing face after the fin-fin fiasco and then ephedrine abuse killed what was working. More people die from cigarettes and alcohol, So guess who is the biggest supporters of drugfreeamerica.org. we allowed the war on drugs and the ones we take to happen because we didn't know any better. A massive deception and profit scheme was created and controlled by the d.e.a. It has produced the longest and most costly war in U.S. history and a perfect example of why we can never win a war on terrorism...something to that effect. Maybe you will see the leaks coming about this very thing..cheers momo

They removed Phen/Fen because of Cardiovascular issues with the mitral valve not because a guy shot himself. They were sued by several individuals who had to go through open heart surgery. I took it for 2 years and never had any issues. I had to get an ECHO done because I was on it so long and it was normal. I always wondered if some people already had some heart issues they didn't know about before taking it because they didn't test you before you took it. This was 14 years ago. It was an amazing drug in the fact I was seeing my weight fall off of me and it stayed off.

Momo3bur, you rock!

anyone can get off their butt and go do something useful. it doesn't require bringing back labor jobs to the U.S., which isn't going to happen until you can do a better job at a competitive rate to a chinaman.

Thanks Jordan...made me smile!

If it wasn't for fast food resturants we would't have any jobs. I'm surprised the Government hasn't taken over the industry.

"lose weight," not "loose." Lose is a verb....loose is an adjective.

Even at fast food restaurants I can make better choices than choosing a "baconator" or equivalent. Almost all fast food restaurants serve grilled chicken and salad. And you can choose to not cover it in tons of ranch dressing. Baked potatoes are delicious when they are not covered in butter, sour cream, cheese, etc.

if people didn't open their mouths and stuff FAT and CARBS into them constantly, they wouldn't gain so much damn weight. but hey, blame it on the fast food restaurant, because they are twisting your arm and forcing you to shove that mound of calories down your throat.

You're talking about a country of idiots who will spend $8 on a cup of coffee and $10 on a pack of cigarettes. Raising the prices won't do anything for these morons.

Not true at all Shony. Sure, a few people will keep smoking at $10 a pack, but most, myself included, quit when the prices got ridiculous. If the extra money comes in the form of a tax that can go to pay for Medicaid, then I"m all for it. We're going to have lots of heart attacks to treat with all these overweight people.

Wow, morons. You are so kind.

ummmmm, what's the point of this rant other than to show you don't know how to make a solid point??

Me thinks ol Richard was sampling the mary jane when he wrote this post

Holy Crap!

lollllllllllllll!

Peridot I am obese. You have made some excellent points..its all about HABITS! OA helps put an end to bad habits without denying you....and eat less and move more! America always put lots of food on the table because back in the day we were toiling hard with physical labor..the jobs today are more sedentary...but we still eat like field hands....as a country, we're doomed if we don't develop better eating habits that match our activity level. The whole idea of weight loss surgery is to restrict the amount of food you take in....oh yes..i've lost..
i'm down 72 pounds.....

yikes! interesting point. i embarrassed myself and grinned.

nope! Gov't will be overwhelmed with trying to keep them alive before they die.

Cancer is BIG business. It would not serve thier purpose to find a cure (assuming they haven't found one already).

jchoney, thank you for pointing this out. I have felt this way for years.

Your last sentence is most poignant. I fear that this nation has lost its sense of enlightenment (if it ever had one) and is, instead, focused upon placing everyone in a particular niche so as to assuage their fears of things that they don't understand. Judgment of others is a waste of energy and precious time. Take that time and put it to good use...like understanding the problem rather than labelling it

Sounds like your daughter has real health concerns that there IS treatment for. With proper treatment her weight should normalize if she is eating a healthy diet and moving regularly.

People have health reasons for being overweight - but those conditions have treatments...

Your in a nation that values "how good a person looks" not " how good a person is." Until the over all values change, ( never in my lifetime for sure) you are going to have folk judge on looks not deeds. Not a good situation for a nation to be in.

I'm so happy for your daughter. She will be a stronger person after getting through this, despite all the criticism and teasing. Not that it's "healthy", but if I were her I'd add a few faces to rub in it as part of my prescription.

you daughter represents the minority, although i support and understand your frustration. however, MOST of the obese people in america have bad lifestyle habits and could do a lot for themselves by exercising more and eating less/better.

This is such nonsense. I am so sick and tired of people making a point about an exceedingly small percentage of the population that differs from the reality of the vast majority. We live in a country where you can never speak the truth about anything because if 1/10 of 1 percent of any group of people differ, suddenly you have to look at the other 99.9 percent of the group with sympathy. People are fat because they eat too much and don't exercise, period. Anyone that suffers from a condition that falls outside of this is part of such a small percentage that it is barely worth noting.

Rascal,

I'm glad your daughter found the cause of her weight gain. But your daughter is part of the minority. And the old weight loss formula still holds true. Burn more calories than you eat to lose weight. Your daughters thyroid condition was causing her to burn fewer calories than the norm. Not every body is the same. We all know women that can eat like a teenage boy and still retain a normal weight. I wish I were one of them. I'm not. I know that my metabolism is slower than average. Ya know what I do? I eat very balanced, nutritious, low-calorie meals and bust my ass exercising to maintain my desired weight. I don't blame my slow metabolism or my doctors that can't find a thyroid condition. I control what I can control. And that is how much I eat vs. how much I move.

I don't doubt for a minute that there are more people than we realize that are overweight due to a medical condition. But by playing the blame game and making excuses you are giving away your power and control of the issue.

Yeah 5%! What is that - 3 cookies a week?

Yes, your rational brain refused to absorb the quote regarding approving a non-effective medication so that the diet drug industry wouldn't give up.

That's right - positive reinforcement for a corporation/industry that isn't really succeeding but needs to feel better about itself. And the stockholders of its' underachieving friends are already feeling better about themselves as well. Even though they have changed nothing in their rejected formulas, so the lack of effectiveness and side effects are the same, they see too hope again.

After all, the FDA actually has a long and proud history of making drug manufacturers feel good about themselves. And has perfected the surprised/disappointed position they adopt when all the negative and dangerous side effects start popping up.

So that's what you missed. Except I doubt you missed it - I just think you couldn't believe that the panel member said that out loud and in public!

That's what I couldn't wrap my head around. They are going to approve a drug that helps very few lose a little weight, and has known cardiovascular side effects, to help boost the weight loss pill industry??

More than just a little irresponsible to me.

That's what I couldn't wrap my head around. They are going to approve a drug that helps very few lose a little weight, and has known cardiovascular side effects, to help boost the weight loss pill industry??

More than just a little irresponsible to me.