Skinny Caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is probably one of my mom's favorites books. That and Winnie The Pooh. I love the story too. I remember having a large book version as well as a pocket sized version. I loved turning the pages and seeing the caterpillar eating through different fruits and vegetables. I saw party plates and what not with this theme at Target not too long ago and I was so excited. Anytime a new baby is born, this is the best gift. Get this book and the stuffed worm from the book and it's the best gift ever. Well, now pediatricians want to use this book to teach kids about healthy eating habits and of course the love for reading. I think this is kind of awesome. Since so many kids are either obese or on the verge of obesity, this book is perfect because it shows the caterpillar eating healthy foods before he turns into a butterfly. So next week, The American Academy of Pediatrics will send out 17,000 copies of this book along with growth charts and parent handouts on healthy eating to various schools. I kind of want one.

The Patch

Before bed I like to wind down a little by watching some TV. Nothing special, usually just flipping. On Sunday night I was flipping through the channels and hit a news station that caught my eye. I decided to watch for a little bit and I was a little shocked by what I saw. They were talking about a new way to lose weight. Of course, I was curious because people are always coming up with new and insane ways to lose weight and let me tell you this one did not disappoint.

This one doctor came up with the idea of stitching a piece of rough fabric to the tongue making it too uncomfortable to eat solid foods leaving the person to remain on a liquid diet. They interviewed a girl who was the test dummy for this and they showed how they sew the piece on. They also interviewed the doctor who decided this would be a good idea and he of course thinks it’s brilliant, but made sure to point out that the patch isn’t safe to wear for more than 30 days. He also went on to say that 30 days was enough anyway. He had patients lose up to 50 pounds in 30 days. Um, that doesn’t sound healthy. How are these people getting nutrition? I’m sure he puts them on a specific liquid diet, but still. This is insane! I understand that a lot of people have a difficult time losing weight, but this is taking things to the extreme. Plus, this only seems like a quick fix. How many people actually keep this weight off? The test dummy chick specifically said she was trying to lose weight for a special occasion so once that occasion passes she would put all the weight back on again?

The procedure costs $1,500 for 30 days. The doctor guarantees results, which makes sense when you can only drink your food. The test dummy chick said she couldn’t talk for 2 days after they sewed the patch on her tongue because it was sore and uncomfortable. I just don’t know how I feel about using a foreign object to help you lose weight. What ever happened to eating right and exercising? Is this worth it? I don’t think so. I would rather be fat….