Would You Take The Pill?
 

If you weigh more than you "should", and there was a no-physical-side-effects pill that you could take to get instantly to your ideal weight, would you? Would you if it was free/covered by your insurance? Would you if it cost less than $500? Would you at any price? What would you do afterwards? (the "magic" pill has no long-lasting effects, it's a one-shot deal.)

I don't think I would. I could do with losing about 30lb, but I'd be worried that if I didn't do it the diet/exercise way, it'd come off the wrong places and go straight back on becasue I hadn't changed my habits. Which would be depressing. Tempting though it would be to see how I might look. Also I might -in a paranoid moment- worry that it would reduce my weight by removig my head. Unless it expressly said not in the small print.

I would be willing to pay $5000 for this immediately.

and then? are you all happy and healthy now so wouldnt get back there? Or are you just after the moment of glory?

I'm not sure how I got here, but I think it's because I experience a sort of cycle of shame or something, which causes me to lose the will to improve myself, and maybe looking good would break the cycle. Plus I would like to have people respect me again.

Everyone has the power to have what they need. I would not take a pill. Strength of character comes from within and cannot be digested. If people do not respect you because of your appearance, they are fools. No respect is far better than having a fool for company.

I think it'd be good for some people, like UT mentioned - being overweight is a cycle for some folks. You feel bad about being fat, so you overeat. Your body feels clumsy and awkward and you worry about how you look in gym attire, so you don't exercise. If you suddenly looked and felt perfect, you might be motivated to get out there and jog, swim, climb mountains, have lots of athletic sexual encounters, etc.

But for those of us who are overweight just because we flat-out hate exercising and like to munch on junk food and drink beer, obviously its value would be questionable.

Now, if I could pay $100 or so to "reset" myself once a year, I might be content with that.

guilt is a 'pain body'

pain bodies want to survive.

I'd take it and take the chance that I could maintain my new "perfect" weight. Heck, the worst that could happen is that I would return to my old chubby self. I don't believe that would cause me to go into some sort of emotional melt down. I have lots of realy good things that I beat myself up over on a regular basis. My weight is nothing by comparison.

Well ... if it would work without leaving me with a load of loose skin requiring multiple plastic surgeries,

if it would not require any additional maintenance,

if it wouldn't have the nasty little secret side effect of the bariatric surgeries (folks just up and die a couple of years after they have their stomachs stapled, you heard it here first),

then maybe I'd give it some serious consideration.

Bear in mind, however, that I continually ask my cow orker who is still paying for her laser eye surgery, "So, you gone blind yet? You missing that night vision terribly much?"

I'm not one of those first-adopter kind of people, or whatever they're called.

If that's the blue pill, can I please have the red pill? I want about another 15kgs.

But, if there were no long term (negative/side) effects ... yes I suppose I would. I don't really buy the idea that all goals should be reached by a long arduous process. If getting into the garden is your goal, then why climb over the wall when the gate is unlocked?
(Unless facing and beating a challenge is itself your goal, in which case, let's climb the highest part).

Just a couple of data points.

A lady from my church, mid 40's & mom of 3, died the winter before last following a family snow tubing trip. Evidently a nasty spill from the snow tube ruptured something internal. When I heard about this, I totally freaked out, because I really like that particular activity - tubing at Perfect North Slopes in Indiana is one of my family's favorite winter trips. OMG, I'm 40...I can't tube anymore, what if I die too? But then someone let it slip to me that she'd had bariatric surgery, lost a bunch of weight in the last year, and that's what caused the fatal incident - a minor injury which would have been nothing to a normal person killed her.

So I guess I'm safe to slide down that hill, after all.

Second point - a good friend of mine got Lasik three years ago. He LOVES it. He has no problems whatsoever, even at night.

As for me, I'm nearly blind - I got a consultation way back when it was still called radial keratotomy and they said they could improve my vision but I'd still have to wear glasses and could never wear contacts again, so I passed on it. Maybe things are different now. I'll consider it, maybe in a year or so, when I get my finances and my mother's estate settled and figure out if I can afford it or not.

I think I'll let my husband go first. ;)

Yeah, I'm not an early adopter either. With most things, I usually figure that if things are working OK, why screw them up?

I'd take it like a shot.
I'm an act now think later kind of person.

I would try it. Like others have said, break the cycle.

I've known a couple people who've had "the surgery" though, and they promptly went off the deep end, and not on a tube. These folks had been morbidly obese their whole lives, though, so I can't imagine what the new lifestyle would feel like.

I've been a yo yo since HS. (No comments from the peanut gallery.) :) It's hereditary, but it's my fault for not controlling it. I do find that once I get on a roll as I start to improve it just seems to snowball from there. So, breaking the cycle sounds good to me.

All puns and in-jokes above were intended. :)

As tempting as this magical pill is, I don't think I'd do it. Sure, I'd love to lose 20 lbs -- and the idea of breaking the cycle is appealing, too. But I think it'd be easier to do it gradually and really earn it, because that'd mean slowly making all of those lifestyle changes I'd need to make anyway to keep the hot new bod and addressing all of the self-esteem issues that come with being off from whatever I think my goal is.
The other thing is that just because the fat is removed doesn't mean there'd be any muscle tone underneath to support it, so I'd probably look pretty scrawny and silly. For now, I'll keep the curves.

The magic pill doesn't contain the egg of a tapeworm with a short-term lifespan, does it? :eek: I'd take the pill, but with stubborn remnants of the Puritan work ethic in my character I think I'd have to ask that it be cut up into tiny pieces and doled out, one small piece at a time, at my gym.

Scouts. You can tell from the arrows in their backs.

You and John McCain.

I'm no expert in weight loss, having never attempted it, but it seems to me that losing weight has got to be harder than maintaining a constant weight. After all, you have to burn off more calories than you take in to lose weight, but to maintain you only have to burn off as many as you bring in.

So if you are able now to maintain your current weight, whatever it is, then if you take the magic pill, you should still be able to maintain your weight. It will just be a new weight you are maintaining.

but your new body will most likely need fewer calories for maintenance.

I told you I'm no expert, it shows.

But won't the new body also be all fit and fun and stuff, and you'll be active just because it's fun to be active?

it's your pill so you can make your own rules. My pill will give me Matt Mccoaauuanaheaaaay's body. preferably not his stoner demeanor though.

If you take the pill and lose 30 pounds all at once --- I don't want to be the one having to clean out the toilet.

Also, recent studies indicate that, once your body contains a certain number of fat cells, it wants to maintain that number. If you lose weight, your body will want to rebuild back to where you were before.

I thought fat cells never left they just got smaller.

You're thinking of trolls. common mistake.

I thought you have a set number of fat cells and they just grow and shrink depending on consumption.

Yeah, what classic said...

but it takes more calories to move 400lb than 200lb.

You can be born with a certain number of fat cells. Excess intake of calories the body does not use can cause the body to create new fat cells. These cells are always screaming to be filled up! Strict dieting can eliminate fat cells but its very difficult. Maybe liposuction is the answer. :)

Exactly. The Cellar has a set number of trolls.

Huh. This is interesting.

How bout if it had no negative physical side effects but got you really high as well? I'd definately consider that....

I went to the gym today. I did not see any pills, but I did see several medicine balls.

Why not? The demeanor is what gets me interested long enough to appreciate the bod. :)

Oh yeah...the pill sounds tempting and stuff, but I probably wouldn't do it. I am too cynical for that.

I could lose 15-20 pounds to get back to my college weight, but since this pill's effect isn't permanent, I'll pass on it.
Instead I'll keep on using our treadmill. I can't use my weight bench, its buried under and all around with fishing tackle right now. :rolleyes: