Starvation: A good thing when concerning the Obese.

bcskittlez · Sep 25, 2006

I simply believe that she was asking for help with research for work or school. We help alot of people here with such things, so no biggie. Isn't moderate fasting basically what patients who have had gastric bypass are doing? You are eating at an anorexic rate for life. Isn't dieting moderate fasting? Some people fast for religious reasons and for cleansing. Doesn't kill you off anymore than eating a bucket of fried chicken. That seems to slow your metabolism down even worse. That being said, I would rather slow my metabolism down with a good bowl of ice cream. The psychological problems behind fasting would make it near impossible for some people to go that route for weight loss. For instance.. me.. I think I would rather be shot.

Another point, anorexics that fast don't seem to have a problem losing weight. Doesn't seem to slow their metabolism down at all. There is just not enough paid research to find out whether it will slow your metabolism down or not.

Yet another point, some people will fast and not even lose weight. They would probably die first due to medical illness. Which brings me to another point. Some obese people are obese because of an underactive thryoid and other diseases that I don't feel like looking up right now.

TazziRN, RN · Sep 25, 2006

P.S. This thread may be just to get a rise out of us . . . . :wink2:
steph

Oh, it's working...............

bethem · Sep 25, 2006

Another point, anorexics that fast don't seem to have a problem losing weight. Doesn't seem to slow their metabolism down at all.

Actually, after long term fasting, it gets harder to lose weight. People with anorexia have to work harder and harder, eating less and less and exercising more and more, in order to reduce their weight past a certain point. The body is desperately trying to cling onto the supplies it needs to maintain life.

And conversely, when they do eat, their bodies store that energy just in case. It's a complicated survival mechanism, and it's why 'diets' don't work. For healthy, sustainable weight loss, reduced intake/increased output are required.

Not feeding the troll...heheh, now the troll is fasting!

PeachPie · Sep 25, 2006

I heard from my nutrition prof that some obese people do suffer malnutrition, plus tons of fluid imbalance. Gastric bypass is basically starvation without a lot of the discomfort, but they still have to do a lot. They have to eat small meals all day and take handfulls of horse pill vitamins. It's drastic, but it's a last ditch.

I know it's highly unethical to starve a patient or suggest it, but I can tell you that I've wanted to suggest the exact same thing as the OP to the morbidly obese people who strain my back and expect me to cater to them while they chow down on their buttery grits, bacon, fried chicken, salad drowning in thousand island, ham swimming in gravy, and other cheap food. Tell me you've never inwardly wished that they'd do something that would save your back. Yes, I know that a bunch of morality vultures are going to tell me that I'm rude and not fit to be a nurse, but I'm realistic and self-preserving, not stupidly prideful in being a martyr.

LydiaNN · Sep 25, 2006

I heard from my nutrition prof that some obese people do suffer malnutrition, plus tons of fluid imbalance.
I know it's highly unethical to starve a patient or suggest it, but I can tell you that I've wanted to suggest the exact same thing as the OP to the morbidly obese people who strain my back and expect me to cater to them while they chow down on their buttery grits, bacon, fried chicken, salad drowning in thousand island, ham swimming in gravy, and other cheap food. Tell me you've never inwardly wished that they'd do something that would save your back. Yes, I know that a bunch of morality vultures are going to tell me that I'm rude and not fit to be a nurse, but I'm realistic and self-preserving, not stupidly prideful in being a martyr.

Um... yeah...okay...

mvanz9999, RN · Sep 25, 2006

Frankly, outside of whether the actual fasting is healthy or not, I don't see the point. How did they get this way? Eating too much, poor food choices, etc. So, say someone fasts and loses a lot of weight. Well, when they go back to their old dietary habits, all that weight is going right back on, and this time probably even more weight. So what's the point? If you don't teach them good dietary habits, there is no point.

Elisheva · Sep 25, 2006

Proper dieting is not healthy fasting. Eating a healthy diet means eating an adequate amount of calories with the right amount of nutrients to maintain weight within a certain range. If a person is maintaining a healthy weight, they are not in a state of healthy fasting. They are in a state of eating the right amount of calories to maintain their weight...that's not fasting.

SmilingBluEyes · Sep 25, 2006

Here is my take (for whatever it may be worth).

You cannot possibly address the complex issues regarding/surrounding obesity by simply "starving yourself down"-----

Anyone with personal experience with eating disorders, and most health care professionals should already KNOW THIS. There are complex and myriad mental and emotional health issues one must address to "get healthy" and well and, this is particularly true in the case of obesity.

Personally, when tackling issues like obesity, eating disorders and their complications (such as type 2 diabetes), I see education is a good thing, but treatment and therapy must extend to the mental health arena for it to last or be complete.

That is my take, anyhow.

SmilingBluEyes · Sep 25, 2006

I see this thread as a potential opportunity for education for some, particularly those who feel obesity is as simply "cured" by fasting his or her way down to a healthy weight. Obviously, myths and ignorance regarding weight and obesity abound, even among health care professionals. That is sad.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Sep 25, 2006

I see this thread as a potential opportunity for education for some, particularly those who feel obesity is as simply "cured" by fasting his or her way down to a healthy weight. Obviously, myths and ignorance regarding weight and obesity abound, even among health care professionals. That is sad.

I agree.

And to those who think it's a troll post, or a research post, please simply ignore it and move on without comment., as it's well established early in the thread there are some that are not interesting in answering the question or taking it seriously. Thanks.

LydiaNN · Sep 25, 2006

I am all for education and enlightment, but again, I do find the wording of the original question, as well as the claim to have already done some research, curious. What research doesn't recognize that obesity is a complex issue that often has intermingling medical, genetic and psycho-social-emotional roots? What research doesn't suggest a multi-pronged approach to weight loss? What research (other than that sponsored by weight loss products, I guess) suggests that long term fasting is effective, except in extremely limited situations in which it is medically supervised? And what on earth research is there out there to suggest that obese people don't ''want'' to lose weight? Obesity in general, and childhood obesity in particular, is a hot topic these days. The most basic research should have yielded enough information for anyone to understand that obesity isn't going to be solved by simplistic ideas such as ''just fast''.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Sep 25, 2006

I agree Mercy, excellent observations on your part all of them, which is why I asked for the OP's research myself. Perhaps they were saying there wasn't any research they personally came across that said fasting is not a good way to lose weight.

Again, I'm giving the benefit of the doubt, and those of us who don't agree or appreciate it, should at this point is just ignore this thread, because the suspicions and objections have already been raised.

Like Deb said, there is a lot of misinformation out there, even among health professionals.