Advertising and ‘Fad Diets’.

Some typical concepts used in fad diet advertising include:

• 4100 per cent guaranteed’

• ‘instant’ and ‘phenomenal results’

• ‘x kg weight loss in one month’ (usually a lot)

• ’100 per cent natural and Dr Recommended’

• ‘secret ingredients’

• ‘supported by Doctors and Dietitians’

• ‘lose inches (cm) while relaxing’

• ‘secret of the . . . Aztecs, Incas, Hunzas’ (insert an ancient tribe of your choice).

Myth-informations. The idea that fasting helps fat loss and ‘cleanses toxins’ has been clearly disproven. Any weight loss is quickly regained through physiological adaptation and Jew if any of the minerals lost in sweat are ‘toxins’.

Heat pads and electrical devices, although promoted for fat loss, are banned from advertising as such by the Australian Slimming Advertising Code.

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Recently there’s been increasing interest in the use of cyproheptadine (sold under the brand name Periactin). This antihistamine is used to treat allergies and often causes mild weight gain as a side effect. Cyproheptadine is a serotonin antagonist – that is, it keeps serotonin from linking up with its receptors in the brain. By blocking serotonin, cyproheptadine lets the patient keep eating and thus gain weight. Studies seem to indicate that while cyproheptadine is a little better than a placebo (a “sugar pill”) at relieving depression and at helping some hospitalized anorexics gain weight, the difference is generally not significant. Interestingly, this drug seems to produce some weight gain in non-bulimic anorexics, especially those who were born at lower weights than normal, but not in bulimic anorexics.

Because marijuana stimulates appetite, researchers wondered if marijuana’s active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol, might work in anorexia. As it turned out, it didn’t; not only did it produce no effect on weight, it also caused the patients to experience unpleasant moods.

Some medications might have use, not for the anorexia itself, but for some of the other physical problems associated with the disorder. For example, many patients relearning how to eat complain that the presence of food in their stomachs causes them to feel painful bloating. This is normal, even predictable, since their bodies have largely forgotten what it feels like to take in food. Anorexia disrupts many of the feedback loops regulating digestion. In some cases, use of medications to speed up emptying might help. Other such medications include bethanechol and metoclopramide. We don’t yet have all the facts we need, however, to use these medications regularly as part of the medical treatment plan. Simethicone, a compound used to reduce gas and found in many over-the-counter digestive aids, can also help relieve the discomfort of re-feeding.

I’ve just given you several pages of information on drugs that have been investigated as possible treatments for anorexia. I must state again, however, that medications have not yet proved as helpful for anorexia as they have for bulimia. In my experience, no medication can substitute for a comprehensive program that addresses the many behavioral, cognitive, and family issues contributing to the illness. At best, drugs serve as a means of temporarily relieving a symptom, of taking some of the heat off the patient, so that we can begin to tackle the real problem.

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At age 30, Lori, of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, seemed to have everything: the love of her husband, two great kids, a wonderful career in nursing. But at 5 feet, 5 inches and 205 pounds, she hated her body—and shopping for clothes. To avoid feeling humiliated, she looked at purses and earrings while her friends tried on miniskirts and bikinis.

But humiliation was exactly what Lori felt when she was fitted for a bridesmaid’s dress for her best friend’s wedding. The seamstress shouted out Lori’s 44-37-45 measurements for all to hear. Then she said brassily, “You’ll need to pay more. You’re too big for regular sizes.”

Sobbing, Lori headed straight for McDonald’s to indulge in french fries and a sundae, her favorite comfort foods. But by the

time she got there, she had changed her mind. She bought a diet Coke and drove home, where she immediately called the seam- ^ stress and ordered a smaller size. The woman argued. Lori insisted.

Five months and lots of low-fat meals, walks, and bicycle rides later, Lori got her sweet revenge. The seamstress had to take in Lori’s size-14 gown. |

Since her friend’s wedding, Lori’s efforts to slim down have continued to pay off. She’s down to 140 pounds, a weight that she has maintained for more than 3 years.

“Despite her rudeness, I actually have to thank that seamstress,” Lori says. “She catapulted me to a new, healthier way of living.”

WINNING ACTION

Don’t let someone else’s problem become yours. Like Lori, many of us can be so hurt by someone’s cruelty that we feel the need to drown it out—usually with food. Instead of using that as an excuse to binge, slow down and focus on what you need to do at that moment to make yourself feel better, not worse.

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