I read the news today... Oh boy...

The hubby and I got a spiffy new Blue Ray DVD player that not only plays high def DVD's but also allows access to such internet marvels as NetFlix (OMG the love of not having to watch movies on my desktop computer!) and Pandora... I never really saw the use of Pandora initially, but now I have a very fond love for it and especially the Beatles Radio Station... it also comes in extra handy when trying to come up with a blog title. :)

Granted, I could also call this "The one that gets me in serious trouble"... But I digress...

I had a moment of disbelief, annoyance and sadness this morning when I looked at the paper.

There, on the front page, was a headline of the FDA reviewing 3 new weight loss drugs, and one showing promising results with the least amount of side effects.

Here's the article if you would like to read it yourself:

I also came across a similar report in today's SparkPeople Health News Update

Things like this used to hold a little interest for me - it was a matter of "oh it would be so nice if I just could take a pill to lose weight." But with the Fen-Phen scares, and side effects a mile long on all the others on the market (umm... this causes /what/ kind of leakage?!) it's a really scary road to travel down. I will be the first to not cast any stones because I have had my share of dalliances with "fat burners" that all resulted in major "FAIL" - wonky blood sugar levels, jitteriness, anxiety, and a whole slew of other issues that made me just out right avoid them.

Thing is, I was looking for salvation in a box from my dietary and inactive sins. I was looking for the easy road without really looking at what I was getting into... or what was getting into me.

Looking at these new medications coming on the market, there's a scary mix of pharma-soup that's about to be unleashed unto the general populace. One medication is a mix of the Phen part of the Fen-Phen club, which is amphetamine based, mixed with an anticonvulsant medication. The other medication takes the anticonvulsant and mixes it with an antidepressant. The final one effects serotonin levels in the brain, which is what many antidepressants do as well... oh, and by the way, that's what the "Fen" claim to fame was as well.

Reading the statistics that accompany this article, along with many other statistics on obesity in America, I can understand the motivation behind these and many other medications. This article states that 35% of Americans fall into the obese category on the BMI scale. In another article 27% of all young adults are not eligible to serve in the military due to their high weight.

These articles focus on individuals falling into the "obese" category, a category that, until a couple years ago, I was a near permanent resident. I finally decided to steel myself for the long, hard, old school road that was slow, steady, sustainable and oh. so. boring: exercise, good nutrition, rest, and a whooole lot of self discovery. Basically, learning to listen to my body again... or maybe for the first time since I was a kid

Yes the ads for this or that pill, powder and potion were really tempting. Images of sad and flabby being transformed into happy and buff from one photo to the next really pack an emotional punch when the scale hasn't moved in a month (or 6), workouts are becoming boring, and family/friends/co-workers are bemoaning the fact that I used to be so much more fun when I didn't 'care' what I ate.

But there are many times in ones life when faced with having to make the choice between what's easy and what's right.

Even though the choice can be challenging to make, I for one am grateful for articles like this that give me a reality check, and let me know that I am not alone on this journey... reminding me to take a deep breath, take things in stride and that I really do have it in me to reach my goal... it's all about moderation.

And you know what, you do to.

We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.
Vince Lombardi

It always seems impossible until its done.
Nelson Mandela

What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we are.
Tony Robbins