The Feeding Tube Diet and Other Diets from Galaxies Far, Far Away!
This past Friday night I had no plans, so I stayed home and relaxed. After much channel surfing, I wound settled on 20/20. The topics on the program never cease to amaze me but I have to say, this episode had my hair standing on end. After numerous failed attempts to lose weight, this woman resorted to having her doctor insert a feeding tube into her nose. Almost guaranteed for her to shed 20 pounds and 10% of her Healthy Body weight, she was willing to endure the strange looks and a sore throat for ten days.
I thought about all this for a moment after the segment was off the air. I played the image over and over in my mind of the doctor inserting this feeding tube into her nose as he instructed her repeatedly to swallow, swallow, swallow this tube that went down her throat to her oesophagus and into her stomach below.
This feeding tube diet, known as the ketogenic enternal nutrition diet (K-E for short), delivers a combination of protein and fats (no carbs!) in liquid form. Bypassing the ability to taste the food, chew it and enjoy it, it winds up in the stomach. Accustomed to eating 2000+ calories a day, patients are restricted to a staggering 800 calories a day. Well, sure, anyone will lose weight starving themselves. Would someone really pay a doctor to do this? Evidently because it’s been popular for years in Europe!
But the part that boggles my mind the most is: aren’t these people (mostly women) aware of the health risks of such a drastic measure? Some of the obvious ones that come to mind are kidney stones, severe dehydration, migraines and whacked out blood sugar, just to name a few.
Is the feeding tube diet any crazier than the other diets out there? There are some that make me wonder who dreams up this stuff? I think this “diet” joins the ranks of the:
- The cigarette diet – yes, this one makes great sense. Take up smoking to lose weight!
- The tapeworm diet – wait! Aren’t we supposed to try and avoid tapeworms?
- The Twinkie diet – Can we say oxymoron?
- The hCG diet – injecting anything, especially hormones, to lose weight doesn’t sound healthy.
I know there are many others out there; we could go on all day! I have this great idea. Why don’t we just try a little portion control, eat a balanced diet and get off the couch and exercise? Too old fashioned and it doesn’t sound as hip to tell people that’s how you lost weight, I know.
Until next time,
Peace, love and vitamin C!
