Gabriel Iglesias Validates Science

gabriel-iglesias

In a very recent post, we quoted Dr. Ruopeng An, whose research team determined that…

If people simply substitute diet beverages for sugar-sweetened beverages, it may not have the intended effect because they may just eat those calories rather than drink them.

This has been confirmed by an expert, namely world-class comedian Gabriel Iglesias, who says that when someone asks him “Why do you drink diet soda?” he replies, “So I can eat regular cake!” There you have it, in the comedy special titled “Hot and Fluffy,” from a man who knows whereof he speaks; who used to be what he characterizes as “borderline Discovery Channel fat.”

In the same show, he also defined the five levels of fat: big, healthy, husky, fluffy, and Damn! Iglesias knew he had attained Damn! at the 445 pound mark, when he was warned to put his affairs in order, because he had about two years of life left in him. His reaction was, “But I just started making money!”

The saga continued seven years later in another performance film, The Fluffy Movie, where Iglesias (still alive) talked about receiving the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. He looked into the possibility of gastric bypass surgery, but it was impractical because work kept him on the road 46 weeks out of the year.

He managed to lose 100 pounds anyway, and when friends wondered, “What’s he gonna talk about if he continues to lose weight?” he shared their concern. But life kept on supplying him with comedic material, including the astonishment he felt at meeting someone even bigger than himself.

Iglesias, incidentally, has always been a big man in more ways than one. Because of his sweet nature and legendary generosity, he is as beloved by real-life friends as by fans of his comedy.

A gentle warning

Childhood Obesity News has devoted a great deal of space to the subject of sugar-sweetened beverages, or SSBs, because they are very destructive, and quitting them can make a considerable difference to a person’s quality of life. In a piece titled “6 Weight Loss Myths Debunked,” Liz Neporent makes a sad point. Many people believe that removing a single element, the problem food at the top of one’s personal problem food list, will result in weight loss success.

But sadly, the elimination of just one obesity villain will not change everything, and this is true even of soda, and even of someone who has a massive SSB habit. Neporent quotes James Hill, who directs the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Health and Wellness Center:

You might lose weight initially by limiting a certain food, but it’s because you eat fewer calories… It might have a tiny effect, but there’s nothing stopping people from replacing it with something else.

Fortunately, there is no need for any aspiring weight-loser to flail around, helplessly wondering how to proceed. The road to health is paved, painted with lines, posted with directional signs, and headed in the right direction as described in this comprehensive page about Dr. Pretlow’s W8Loss2Go smartphone app. It’s only one click away!

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Hot and Fluffy,” FluffyShop.com, 2007
Source: “The Fluffy Movie,” FluffyShop.com, 2014
Source: “6 Weight Loss Myths Debunked,” ABCNews.go.com, 07/02/13
Photo credit: Sidewalks TV via VisualHunt.com/CC BY-ND

2 Responses

  1. I found it easier to maintain a healthy weight and diet (I used to suffer from binge eating) by learning to LOVE stuff that’s good for me – grapefruit, bananas, avocados, grilled/ steamed sweet potatoes and yams, baked salmon, hearty salads, sugarless chocolate – …instead of focusing my thoughts on cutting out stuff.

    After realising wheat and sugar triggered my binge-eating, and that I was losing hair (!!!), I embarked on a sugar-free lifestyle (fruits are ok!). Now I’m used to it. After trial and error, I can survive the occasional (sometimes weekly) cheat, or the holiday season by going back to the food I love – the wholesome stuff 🙂 It’s actually liberating, thank God.

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OVERWEIGHT: What Kids Say explores the obesity problem from the often-overlooked perspective of children struggling with being overweight.

About Dr. Robert A. Pretlow

Dr. Robert A. Pretlow is a pediatrician and childhood obesity specialist. He has been researching and spreading awareness on the childhood obesity epidemic in the US for more than a decade.
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Presentations

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation at the American Society of Animal Science 2020 Conference
What’s Causing Obesity in Companion Animals and What Can We Do About It

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation at the World Obesity Federation 2019 Conference:
Food/Eating Addiction and the Displacement Mechanism

Dr. Pretlow’s Multi-Center Clinical Trial Kick-off Speech 2018:
Obesity: Tackling the Root Cause

Dr. Pretlow’s 2017 Workshop on
Treatment of Obesity Using the Addiction Model

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation for
TEC and UNC 2016

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation at the 2015 Obesity Summit in London, UK.

Dr. Pretlow’s invited keynote at the 2014 European Childhood Obesity Group Congress in Salzburg, Austria.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation at the 2013 European Congress on Obesity in Liverpool, UK.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation at the 2011 International Conference on Childhood Obesity in Lisbon, Portugal.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation at the 2010 Uniting Against Childhood Obesity Conference in Houston, TX.

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