LETS CHEAT!

i think that we can all agree that we are fed up with those people who can eat and eat and eat and not gain an ounce, while the rest of us constantly obsess about every little calorie... why? because they probably either have a superfast metabolism or a thyroid condition like my mom... i know some people have a thyroid condition that prevents them from loosing wieght, but some have a thyroid condition that prevents them from gaining weight, both of which are treatable with medication...

so why hasnt anyone exploited this yet? why do people resort to diets and stomach stapling when we could probably just toy around with our thyroid glands... its not like we don't have the technology, we transplant organs and give people artificial limbs.. why not a artificial thyroid or "better" one to help people loose weight (or gain)? (or do they do this and im just unaware haha)... your thoughts?

Wow... What an interesting concept...

I'd sign up for that surgery :)

Because noodling with the thyroid gland (or ANY part of the endocrine system) would seem to be very dangerous!  I'm not a doctor, this is just my two cents worth.

Medicating a condition like hypo/hyperthyroidism to bring the levels to normal fixes so many other things besides just the thyroid.  My MIL is a type 2 diabetic and getting her medication and diet in check helped her high blood pressure and weight along with her blood sugar.

Same deal with organ transplants and artificial limbs.  You are correcting something that is not functioning properly.

Think about all the diet pills out there (ephedra and whatnot).  Think about how many people die or suffer grievous injury because it tinkers with something that's not meant to be tinkered with. 

It's an interesting question, I'll give you that.  :) 

Messing with thyroid can be dangerous.

My younger sister went off her thyroid medicine because she wanted to loose 10 lbs.  She ended up losing a lot of her hair (it became brittle), skin became dry and tight, she developed very dark circles under her eyes - just to mention a few of the problems.  She very nearly ended up in the hospital.

Thyroid affects a lot of your body systems, not just weight/energy.

very interesting point. it would be interesting to see, plus...medical science has been "noodling with the endocrine system" for years...how many people still have their tonsils or adenoids?

 

Well, the thyroid is one of the larger endocrine glands and actually produces hormones regulating metabolism. Mammalian metabolism is actually pretty complex since it is composed of all sorts of feedback/inhibitory/regulatory/etc pathways and cascades.

Adenoids and tonsils are part of the lymphatic system...part of your immune system.

messing with your body is dangerous.

Messing with your body is dangerous, but people do it everyday in some form or another, surgeries be it helpful or cosmetic, drugs, prescriptions etc.  This is a very interesting concept.  Why not come up with something a little more helpful for the "OVERLY OBESE AMERICA" instead of sitting there with there thumbs in their bums.  I realize overeating is the fault of our own, we do counseling, diets, surgery, diet pills.  Why not come up with something that won't make you crap your pants.

Oh and on top of that, to add yes overeating is our fault, but why fricking make healthy food so expensive.  Headlines everyday about obsesity but no relief for fruits, vegis, meat things that would make a difference.  Sorry I'm a little angry right now.

Original Post by jjlewis305:

Oh and on top of that, to add yes overeating is our fault, but why fricking make healthy food so expensive.  Headlines everyday about obsesity but no relief for fruits, vegis, meat things that would make a difference.  Sorry I'm a little angry right now.

ALOT of healthy foods are cheap. like oatmeal, various fruits, veggies, rice, beans...

Haha. Sounds like a plan to me!

I've always thought about inducing lactation as a means of dieting. Anyone with me? lol.

Well, I'm not sure who you're angry at, but I feel obliged to say that, as a student in public health, a lot of us are trying to initiate changes. One of those changes are the movements for schools to implement healthier lunches instead of pizza and fried chicken in the cafeterias. I'm sure a lot of you guys have seen Super Size Me, or the news where physical education is only required 1 day out of the week for the children.

There are also studies in the environmental sector of public health dealing with the overabundance of fast food restaurants in lower income neighborhoods, and designing neighborhoods which encourage more utilitarian physical activity (as opposed to recreational, in a gym). For example, studies have shown that having coffee shops, grocery stores, and parks within walking distance of your houses raises the overall physical activity of the area.

It's not that people aren't trying to design solutions to combat the problems - it's that we're not getting a lot of funding. The lesson? Pay attention to your congressmen and candidates this election season :)

I like the idea of "How much would you be willing to pay to get surgery that lets you eat whatever you want and how much you want and you don't gain weight?"

Hyperthyroidism is a serious illness, not just a way of losing weight.  Sometimes people who have hyperthyroidism don't even lose weight, because you get this amazing appetite that intices you to eat everything in sight.  Uncomfortable side affects include anxiety, intolerance to heat, fatigue, weakness, hyperactivity, irritability, depression, apathy, frequent urination, excessive thirst, nasea, vomiting, diarrhea, and sweating.  These side affects may be enough for you to not want hyperthyroidism.  However, there are many even more serious side affects that might even cause death, like palpitations and arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation, shortness of breath, and osetoporosis.  Thyrotoxic crisis is always a problem, especially when a person with hyperthyroid is stressed, leading sometimes to coma and death.  Tremor, involuntary movements, muscle weakness, and periodic paralysis are neurological manifestations.  Another serious complication of hyperthyroidism is stroke of cardioembolic origin due to the atrial fibrillation.

So if you want to do that to your body and risk stroke, coma, and death, to having a chance to lose weight easily, sure, that'd be great.  It's kind of like asking if there'd be a chance to get a big dose of radiation to stimulate cancer in your body just so you'd have loss of appetite and weight loss that usually comes with it.  I believe it's dangerous messing with your body, and big weight loss that comes with diseases such as hyperthyroidism is not healthy.

Original Post by peacelovehominy:

Original Post by jjlewis305:

Oh and on top of that, to add yes overeating is our fault, but why fricking make healthy food so expensive.  Headlines everyday about obsesity but no relief for fruits, vegis, meat things that would make a difference.  Sorry I'm a little angry right now.

ALOT of healthy foods are cheap. like oatmeal, various fruits, veggies, rice, beans...

Cheap for you, fat paycheck maybe, have you checked the price of a bag of oranges 8 bucks, a pound of apples 2.69, thats four at most, how about a head of lettuce 2.00, cukes .99 each, broccoli and cauliflower 4 bucks or more, peppers, $3 a pound again 3 or 4 at the most.  celery 3 dollars a bunch....shall I go on.  Yeah they may seem cheap individually but to stock up for daily consumption, its about half my allowance.  I eat oatmeal as yes it is cheap.  I don't eat rice and love legumes.

O.o wow that idea is just stupid.... I was extreamly hyperthyroid but recently my endo found a toxic nodule in my neck.  Had to have 90% of my thyroid removed, after the surgery I became hypo, gained about 60 lbs.  Even with synthroid its become difficult to regulate my weight.  -.-* It is better than before though, being very hyperthyroid comes with its disadvantages, I was put on beta blockers because I developed heart palpitations, and my PTU went up to 4x a day. Being Hyperthyroid was far from a blessing.

Original Post by jjlewis305:

Messing with your body is dangerous, but people do it everyday in some form or another, surgeries be it helpful or cosmetic, drugs, prescriptions etc.  This is a very interesting concept.  Why not come up with something a little more helpful for the "OVERLY OBESE AMERICA" instead of sitting there with there thumbs in their bums.  I realize overeating is the fault of our own, we do counseling, diets, surgery, diet pills.  Why not come up with something that won't make you crap your pants.

Counseling, diets, surgery, diet pills... this post mentions everything but the healthy solution to obesity - eating right and exercising.

There are many supplements that stimulate different glands to entice you to speed up your metabolism. Many of the diet supplements have kelp in them, kelp is high in iodine, high doses can cause thyroid to increase activity therby loosing weight. Dont get me wrong, kelp is actually very good for you, but in normal consumption, not in condensed super potent formulas. But the problem is as others have stated. Messing with these things is a bad idea. My daughter is diabetic, when she was a teen she discovered if she stopped taking her insulin she could drop 5-10lbs very quickly...yeah, she dropped the weight at the expense of her health. VERY dangerous to try and pull your glands out of balance.

Original Post by kizzichan:

Original Post by jjlewis305:

Messing with your body is dangerous, but people do it everyday in some form or another, surgeries be it helpful or cosmetic, drugs, prescriptions etc.  This is a very interesting concept.  Why not come up with something a little more helpful for the "OVERLY OBESE AMERICA" instead of sitting there with there thumbs in their bums.  I realize overeating is the fault of our own, we do counseling, diets, surgery, diet pills.  Why not come up with something that won't make you crap your pants.

Counseling, diets, surgery, diet pills... this post mentions everything but the healthy solution to obesity - eating right and exercising.

I was about to post the same thing.

 

UD

Original Post by jjlewis305:

Oh and on top of that, to add yes overeating is our fault, but why fricking make healthy food so expensive.  Headlines everyday about obsesity but no relief for fruits, vegis, meat things that would make a difference.  Sorry I'm a little angry right now.

 Growing your own veggies make it a little cheaper. Just a suggestion.