As Black Friday looms, NAAFA has a way for you to avoid the craziness of shopping on the day after Thanksgiving. Why face those early morning hours and aggressive crowds? Instead, why not sleep in and shop online? And while you are at it, you can support those companies that support NAAFA all year long, year after year: the companies that provide products and services especially for our community.

To help with your shopping this year, we have a special page on the NAAFA website with links to dozens of businesses that specialize in products for large-sized people: http://www.naafaonline.com/dev2/education/links.html

Simply click on the category that interests you and the list will open. We have links to clothing, jewelry, art, furniture, books, videos and more. You are sure to find something for everyone on your list on these websites.

NAAFA takes no responsibility for the sale of goods and services from these websites, and suggests that you shop with the same care as you would in any other marketplace. 

Special Journal Issue of Interdisciplinary Humanities: Fat Representations
 Guest co-editors: Dr. Brenda Risch and Christoph Zepeda, M.A.

In this special issue of Interdisciplinary Humanities, we are seeking submissions of scholarly articles, nonfiction essays, and book reviews that explore representations and theories of fat, gender and eating. Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:

Eating: Representations of eating in popular culture, literature, film, and art. How is eating positioned as an activity of significance/insignificance? How is eating gendered, raced, classed, sexed, etc? What are the linkages between eating and identity, and how are these connections theorized?

Fat Positive Representations: How do positive representations of fat articulate subjectivity? How is gender, race, class, sexuality, religion, age, physical ability woven into or expressed through fat positive view points? What theories of being rise out of positioning fat/plenitude/abundance as a positive attribute?

Fat Superheros: What makes a Hero or Heroine of size? What complexities and textures of superhero-hood become visible in a fat superhero? How is she/he translated in film, literature, paintings, action figures, comic books, graphic novels, ceramics, and music?

Additional topics include: Fat Sexualities; Fat Abroad; Global Perspectives on Fat/Size.

We ask that all essays be interdisciplinary in nature, double-spaced, numbered, with one-inch margins on all sides, and that they do not exceed 6,000 words.

Please include a 100 word abstract, c.v., and author biography of 200 words.

Please send inquiries and submissions to either Dr. Brenda Risch at brisch@utep.edu or Christoph Zepeda at czepeda@alliant.edu by May 1, 2013.

Interdisciplinary Humanities is a refereed, scholarly journal published by HERA, the Humanities, Education, and Research Association. 

by Darliene Howell

Very often Thanksgiving dinners are accompanied by loads of sugary items, such as pumpkin or sweet potato pies. If you want something that will give you a naturally sweet treat without adding ANY sugar, you need to try my delicious Butternut Squash! The apples and spices give the squash that special sweetness that we all love. I served this dish to a large group of friends and received kudos galore!

 

DAR'S BUTTERNUT SQUASH

1 medium Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 Gala Apples, peeled and cut into small pieces
Cinnamon
Cloves
Allspice
Cardamom
Butter, refrigerated and thinly sliced
1 - 1.5 cups water

Spray a 13" x 9" baking dish with Pam. Put the diced butternut squash in the bottom of the baking dish. Spread the apples pieces evenly over the squash. Sprinkle each of the spices evenly over the entire dish (light amount of the cloves, allspice, and cardamom). Place thin slices of cold butter over the entire dish (9 - 12 thin slices). Add water to dish at various spots of the dish to allow the spices to run down into the squash. There should be about a 1/4" of water in the bottom of the dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Then remove the aluminum foil, lightly mix the squash/apple mixture and return to the oven for another 15 minutes without the foil.

Enjoy! 

by Cinder Ernst

Hello NAAFA readers. Last month I introduced you to a nifty little exercise called the Butt Buster, remember? You simply sit near the edge of your chair and squeeze your butt, and voila, you begin building leg strength. Did you try it? If not, why not just squeeze your butt right now, then release, phew. That's it. Do a few each day if you're so inclined.

Some of you did not like the name of the exercise and I hear you. So how about we name that move? Try the exercise then send me your suggestion for what we should call it. I'll let you know next month. I would love your feedback on this at coach@cinderernst.com

We are going to do an upper body exercise this month. Before you try it, roll your shoulders forward 4 times, then back 4 times, this warms up the muscles. If you do the warm up right now, then you can follow along and try the next exercise.

This month's exercise is called the Shoulder Blade Kiss; now that's a nice name. Here's how you do it: Sit up tall in your chair, arms at your sides or in your lap. Focus on pulling your shoulder blades toward each other, making them "kiss". They will not actually come all the way together. Then relax each time. Try this 5-10 times. If this hurts, don't do it or do it more gently.

When you do the shoulder blade kiss you want your chest to feel open and your shoulders to go straight back, even if they only move a little bit. This is called a small range of motion. You do not want your shoulders to go up toward your ears. Do the kiss in the mirror and see what you see. What do you feel? Send me an email, let me know how this is for you.

Just like the Butt Buster, the Kiss has an important function. Our bodies have a tendency to want to go forward, especially as we get older. Think about how you might see an older person walking along with that forward bend going on, or someone with a "hump" on their back. Many of our routine activities contribute to this forward posture like using a computer, driving, reading . . . anything that pulls your attention and your body forward. That is where the Shoulder Blade Kiss comes in; it strengthens your upper back. When your upper back is stronger, your posture is better and you can reduce neck and shoulder pain.

I suggest you do 5-10 Shoulder Blade Kisses each day and see what you notice. Remember to do the shoulder rolls first. A little bit goes a long way with this exercise, so don't overdo it.

Please let me know how this is useful for you, and what other exercise related topics you would like to hear about. Coach@cinderernst.com Here's to Your Premium Health, no weight loss required. 

by Bill and Terri Weitze

[Find more news at http://naafa.org]

 

September 2011: According to a study from Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam (the Netherlands), many public interventions to lower the rate of fatness (1) don't work, and (2) are actually harmful to the people they're supposed to help, causing "uncertainty, fears and concerns, blaming and stigmatization and unjust discrimination; inequalities are aggravated; inadequate information is distributed; the social and cultural value of eating is disregarded; people's privacy is disrespected; the complexity of responsibilities regarding overweight is disregarded . . ." and so on.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21545391

 

September 29, 2011: Current medical guidelines encourage stroke survivors to lose weight; but this study shows that fat people tend to have better outcomes after a stroke.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21960580

 

October 2, 2011: Dr. Deah Schwartz blogs about the controversy of lap band clinics and the ubiquitous 1-800-GET-THIN billboards, providing readers with two opportunities to voice concern over the dangers of lap band surgery.

http://www.leftoverstogo.com/2011/10/02/slap-hbands

 

October 3, 2011: Wherever you stand on the issue of abortion, most people will be shocked by the story of a woman who was told that she could not get an abortion because she was too fat. This issue was the anesthesia, and while this particular woman got the care she needed, refusing care rather than learning about and adapting to the special needs of fat people is unacceptable.

http://jezebel.com/5844802/too-fat-to-have-an-abortion

 

October 5, 2011: Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is starting a new campaign against sugary drinks, pointing out that they can contain up to the equivalent of 22 packets of sugar. Of course, the reason you don't want to ingest these drinks is not because consuming so much sugar might not be a good choice, but because it makes you fat. Sigh. (Note: the second link is to a similar campaign in Boston that uses fat hatred to get people to dislike sugared soda.)

http://laist.com/2011/10/05/renew_la_county_campaign_to_combat_ obesity.php

http://fatsmack.org/#!prettyPhoto/0

 

October 5, 2011: Most insurance doesn't cover weight loss surgery (WLS), and WLS yields complications more often than it does long-term (five-year plus) success. Even so, some people still want it, but the WLS providers behind 1-800-GET-THIN are more about the money than helping their patients. The Los Angeles Times reports on two patients who thought they had settled their surgery bills, but still received letters telling them that they needed to sue their insurance companies or face more collection letters. Turns out, the law firm behind these letters also works with 1-800-GET-THIN. The law firm is called Patient Advocacy Law Group, but since the insurance money would go straight to the WLS clinic, who are they really advocating?

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-fi-hiltzik-20111005,0,395283.column

 

October 6, 2011: Paul Campos and Amy Farrell are guests on Joy Cardin's Wisconsin Public Radio Show discussing why the type of negative attention paid to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's weight was unfair, and is faced too often by fat Americans.

http://wpr.org/cardin/index.cfm?strDirection=Prev&dteShowDate=2011-10-07

 

October 7, 2011: In her response to a commentary on child obesity in the State of Maine and the comments made to the article in The Times Record, Darliene Howell recommends the NAAFA Child Advocacy Tool Kit as a resource for people looking to create programs for the health of children.

http://www.timesrecord.com/articles/2011/10/07/opinion/letters/ doc4e8f06b947eab033218425.txt

http://www.timesrecord.com/articles/2011/10/03/opinion/ commentaries/doc4e86029220956717592148.txt

 

October 7, 2011: Led by Diane Graham, a clinical nurse specialist, the nurses at John Muir Medical Center in Concord, California have started a program to improve the safety of staff and fat patients, through staff education, communication, equipment upgrades and attention to respiratory care.

http://www.outpatientsurgery.net/news/2011/10/5-Are-You-Prepared-For-Obese-Patients

http://www.aornjournal.org/article/S0001-2092%2811%2900785-X/abstract

 

October 10, 2011: Researchers looking at the results of forty-four other studies find that exercise offers only a modest reduction in chronic disease risk for obese people, although the authors actually state "the degree to which physical activity is effective at lowering risk factor levels among high-risk obese individuals is not known." Meaning, maybe there's little effect, or maybe the research isn't very good.

http://www.doctorslounge.com/index.php/news/pb/23691

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2011.00933.x/abstract

 

October 10, 2011: Another South Beach Diet book is coming out, and author Dr. Arthur Agatston wants us all to know that fat people are sick people. Want to post a comment at Huffington Post and let him know how you feel about diets? Click on the link below.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-arthur-agatston/south-beach-diet-how-to-lose-weight-live-longer_b_1003293.html

 

October 10, 2011: In a great interview, Linda Bacon, PhD discusses the science behind the HAES^TM approach and why healthcare professionals might do better to stop concentrating on weight and start focusing on health.

http://www.more.com/weight-loss-diet-myth

 

October 12, 2011: Starting in March 2012, AirTran, as part of its integration with Southwest Airlines, will require the purchase of more than one seat for a passenger who, "in the carrier's sole discretion," can't sit in just one seat with the armrest lowered. [The second link is to the current SWA policy.] A related article in The Orlando Sentinel quotes NAAFA's Peggy Howell and Brandon Macsata of the Association for Airline Passenger Rights, linking the policy to lots of negative press. Finally, Social Media News looks at how social media is being used to get the word out about Southwest.

http://www.ajc.com/business/airtran-adopts-southwest-policy-1198871.html

http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/faqs.html?topic=extra_seat_policy

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-southwest-customer-of-size-20111020,0,1889189.story

http://www.realestateradiousa.com/2011/10/21/southwest-airlines-has-huge-i-mean-big-fat-social-media-problem-video

 

October 13, 2011: When doctors express their disapproval of your fatness or sexual activities, it can get in the way of health care. This article by Anna North offers tips on dealing with judgmental doctors, and quotes several size-positive writers.

http://jezebel.com/5849489/how-to-deal-with-judgy-doctors

 

October 14, 2011: To get both sides of the controversy over Paul Kramer's book Maggie Goes on a Diet, Jean Fain, LICSW, MSW interviews Mr. Kramer and Darryl Roberts (director of America the Beautiful 2). Both support healthy lifestyles, but while Mr. Roberts embraces self-acceptance for everyone, Mr. Kramer says that if his son were fat, he'd love him just the same but would help him understand "how not be obese". Ms. Fain concludes that both are fighting the same fight. We say that healthy behaviors should be taught to all kids, not just fat ones.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jean-fain-licsw-msw/paul-kramer-maggie-goes-on-a-diet_b_1003714.html

 

October 15, 2011: Dr. Matthew Ryan's (unpublished as yet) research shows that many fat people do not believe that their fatness is a health risk, and that many have not been informed of these risks by healthcare professionals. On the first point, perhaps the patients understand the difference between causation and correlation. On the second point, is there anyone who hasn't heard the fat=bad mantra?

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/managing-your-healthcare/treatment/articles/2011/10/15/many-dont-believe-their-obesity-poses-health-risks-study

 

October 16, 2011: A study slated to be published in The Journal of Genetic Psychology shows that a fat or aggressive child is more apt to be teased by other children because kids feel those traits can be changed. What really needs to be changed is a culture that says that it's OK to pick on fat kids.

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2011/10/16/kids-can-be-tougher-on-obese-peers

 

October 17, 2011: A small study (35 patients with no control group) asserts that the family members of WLS patients also tend to lose weight (an average of eight amazing pounds) by eating less and being more active. The study, however, only follows the WLS patients and families for one year.

http://archsurg.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/146/10/1185

 

October 19, 2011: Researchers found that moving from a high-poverty neighborhood to a low-poverty neighborhood resulted in reduction in fatness, as well as lowering HbA1c. The research shows that the link between fatness and disease could be partly due to a third factor that causes both.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/PublicHealth/29130

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1103216

 

October 20, 2011: A study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine shows that weight is not a factor in the outcome of in vitro fertilization. Hopefully this will lead to more equality in access to IVF.

http://worldbookandnews.com/medical-news/endocrinology/185578-ASRM-Weight-Has-Little-Impact-on-IVF-Outcomes-CMECE.html

 

October 24, 2011: Research by the University of Manitoba tends to dispel some common myths about fat people. The study shows that overweight and obese people are not overburdening the health care system and overweight people seem to have no greater risk of ill health than "normal" weight people.

http://www.canada.com/health/Myths+about+piling+pounds+ belly+study/5590263/story.html

http://mchp-appserv.cpe.umanitoba.ca/reference/MCHP-Obesity_summary_final_WEB.pdf

http://mchp-appserv.cpe.umanitoba.ca/reference/MCHP-Obesity_Report_WEB.pdf

 

October 26, 2011: A small study out of Australia has found that the body fights dieting by increasing hormones meant to stimulate appetite and keeps those levels elevated long after weight loss from dieting has ceased.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/health/biological-changes-thwart-weight-loss-efforts-study-finds.html

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1105816

 

October 27, 2011: A study shows that, among women having elective breast surgery covered under Blue Cross and Blue Shield, fat women average 12 times more claims related to post-operative complications than other women. This may be related to the relative quality of care given to fat women, and not their inherent healthiness.

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/582189

http://journals.lww.com/plasreconsurg/Fulltext/2011/11000/The_ Impact_of_Obesity_on_Breast_Surgery.5.aspx

 

October 29, 2011: Fans of Kelly Clarkson talk about how, in the face of sniping about her weight, Ms. Clarkson's own self-acceptance teaches women that talent and attitude are more important than a dress size.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/fashion/kelly-clarkson-the-role-model-next-door.html

 

October 30, 2011: An article looks at the problems of "wellness" programs that penalize employees for smoking or being fat, including the greater impact these programs have on lowest-paid employees.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/10/30/us-penalties-idUKTRE79T2S220111030

 

October 31, 2011: Unsurprisingly, happiness is correlated with longer life, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It's unclear whether happiness causes longer life or something else causes both, but in any case, the study should give pause to those who make fat people miserable "for our own good".

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/mind-soul/story/2011-10-31/Happy-You-may-live-35-longer-tracking-study-suggests/51016606/1

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2011/10/24/1110892108.short 

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