Just read this and I dont know why but found this quite inspiring... It kinda gives the statement that every person can lose weight in any part of their body if they only eat right...

not that im telling people to starve themselves

Hey Mark,

Yeah, that's an interesting quote to think about. It kind of puts things into perspective, too--like, "Do you think my thighs are too fat?" is really kind of a meaningless question in the greater scheme...

Jay

hmm, yeh that too.. tis a shallow world we live in though these days. not that people trying to lose weight is shallow, weight loss is good for health and happiness and everything else

well... yeah. I supposed it's "shallow" to think twice about my thighs when my health is perfectly fine. Of course, when my pants don't fit because my thighs are out of proportion, I guess I can't do anything else other than to throw a shallow tantrum....

I'm not making any specific point... Jay just made me think... and I felt like saying SOMETHING... not quite sure what I'm saying though.....

My totally normal-sized sister-in-law once asked that question at a family gathering. All we could do was stare at her.

Jay

I've heard that sentiment expressed in a different way. "You never see any fat people in the newsreels of the concentration camp survivors." As someone in a mixed religion family (I have a half-jew half brother) I first was pretty disgusted by the statement. But then I realized that it was just a statement of fact. Yes, those people where in a horrible situation through no fault of their own, and they were quite simply being murdered through the agent of starvation. And no one should look to this horror as a method of weight loss for themselves.

But it did for me silence the little voice inside of me that was whispering "What if I simply can't lose weight? What if it is genetic? Maybe I'm geneticaly doomed to be fat like my dad for my whole life". If it were possible that there are humans who have a genetic dispostion such that it made losing weight impossible no matter little they ate, then surely some of the millions of jews, gypsies, gays, and anti-**** political prisoners would have had it.

It's a pretty grim little thought, and I hesitate to call it "inspiring" since just thinking of the holocaust makes me a little bit quesy. Let's just say that it's a harsh way to put things in perpective.

It also brings a slant to the whole thing of

"Starving slows down your metabolism, it doesnt work"

VERSUS

Anorexics Are Very Thin..because they don't eat.

Its morbid, but is the conclusion that starvation does make people thin, but it has to be consistent and prolonged?

on a side note, I can't read the word "Holocaust" without not being able to breathe for a minute.

emily
xxx

The holocaust was terrible. Horrific. Just the worst.

I have read alot about it. I do know I read in one account in particular,( so I am not trying to make sweeping assumptions, this is that particular persons opinion, a survivor of the camps themself.) that the people who were best able to survive were the people who came in and were already thin.

It would make sense that alot were thin coming in. Think about it, there was a war going on for years and food was rationed. These people were being limited on food and starved even in the jewish ghettos.

Now there must of been some spots (country's) where jewish people had more access to food cause these people were being shipped in all over from Europe. Anyhow this person said the jews that came in that were fat, and had fur coats(which I am sure were promptly taken) that he thought they would last longer cause they were fat and had fat stored up basically. But he said these were the people who he seen were dropping like flys. (I don't know how quickly.)

It was probably such a drastic shock to their system going from having plenty of food and overeating, to having little to nothing. Their body probably couldn't handle it. But that the people who were not used to having much to eat, were the ones that lasted longer.

This is just what I have heard and has stuck in my head.

That being said. We are all very fortunate.

Just a comment on starving and anorexia, as Emily brought it up.

Starving will slow down metabolism, but that doesn't mean you won't continue to lose weight eventually, as your body starts to consume everything it can to keep your brain going. The brain must have glucose--that's the prime directive. And in the absence of food, the body converts fat, muscle tissue, connective tissue, and even some organ tissues into glucose for the brain. This is in part why anorexia can do permanent damage to the heart, for example.

So, yes, I'd say the conclusion would be that starving makes people thin, if it's consistent and prolonged, and if they don't die first.

Jay