and...

Okay, maybe I figured out why the girl was hanging out in front of the machine.

She was calling someone to bring her a dollar bill in exchange for her change. Dang machine - even though it has a coinslot - will only take bills (I do not know why. It gave me the correct change for my dollar, so it's not like it's outta change.)

I will also observe that the Obesity Police seem to have got to the vending business. That packet of Cheetos had like four cheetos in it

(cheetos? cheetoes? What's the right plural there?)

I hate that. I hate the whole obesity-police thing, where EVERY SINGLE STINKING "health" story on my local news is about some new weight-loss fad, or about some obscure disease you are 1% more likely to have if you are really, really fat.

I hate being made to feel like I'm taking my life in my hands every time I eat a Cheeto, or go get carry-out Mexican, or go a day without downing the requisite five to seven servings of vegetables (which is frankly most days. I do not think there are seven different vegetables that I like and that are "in season" at the same time.)

(Standard disclaimer: I'm not really, really fat. I'm clinically overweight but I'm so sensitive about "not conforming" so I often feel like those obesity scare stories are a finger pointed right at me).

They did a )$(%*$@# seven-minute commercial (because that's really was it was) on this new Alli crap the other day (It's this pill for weight loss. Supposedly you lose 50% more weight on it. So if you were going to lose 2 points on your own, you'd lose 3 by taking this medication. Oh, and it's also a nice "punishment" for people who don't conform to the diet - if you eat too much fat, you get "anal leakage." [which are words I hope to never, ever write on this blog again].)

Basically, they spent their "health" segment talking about how "great" it was, and how it "totally helped me succeed" (as one woman said.) I don't know if it blocks appetite or if it's just the fear of the unappealing side effect that kept people on the diet plan.

I tend to be skeptical of any kind of medication that is, you know, not aimed directly at keeping you from dying or preventing major pain. There are too many side effects, too many interactions. (I remember the Fen-Phen lawsuits.)

This morning, they were talking about a new drug that may be approved here - basically, it makes people lose weight because it *blocks the pleasure centers in the brain.* Yes. Blocks the pleasure centers. (It's also promoted as a stop-smoking drug, apparently). The only problems, they found, in the trials were that many people had to drop out because they experienced severe depression.

Wait, what's the emoticon I want here?

O_o

I think that fills the bill.

Or maybe

:~/

They block people's brain pleasure-centers with a drug, and then they report (with some surprise) that a goodly proportion of those people became depressed?

I don't know. I'm all in favor of people being able to do things to lose weight (if they want to, if it's within the realm of what's healthy for them), but I kind of think we've gone too far when they begin talking about medications to remove the pleasure from eating (and, apparently, other things).

To me, that's too much like - oh, I don't know, using a caustic to burn off someone's taste buds so they won't eat so much. Or wiring jaws. Or I don't know what.

Look, I try to eat healthfully. (See the complaint about the vegetable servings above). But part of life is enjoying the simple things, and frankly, I want to be able to enjoy my meals. I don't care if it means I'm 10 pounds heavier than I otherwise might be. It just seems like too much messing with a person's head to give them something to make them enjoy eating less.