About 10 days ago, I wrote a blog about the documentary "Killer at Large." At the time Lauren and I were only about 1/4 of the way through it, but we've finished it now.
I mentioned in my earlier post that the filmmakers followed a 12-year old girl from Texas as she was planning her liposuction procedure. They interviewed her parents (who were actually both skinny) and they were extremely in favor of the procedure and were willing to do anything to make their daughter happy. Obviously they would have to be...otherwise how could a 12-year old get herself to and from the appointments (all of which need parental consent) and pay for it. That just seems ridiculous to me. She complained about not being able to control her eating habits...so maybe her parents should stop buying the shit that made her fat in the first place.
They showed the procedure next, which was kinda gruesome (although Lauren liked that part), and the doctor ended up extracting 60 lbs of fat from her! Afterward, she still wasn't a "skinny" girl, although she was much smaller than when she went in. She even landed a modeling contract (for teenage plus-sized models I'm sure)!!
The saddest part of all this, though, came at the end. The producers checked back in with her several months later and she had gained approximately 40 of the 60 lbs back. She was actually surprised that she gained the weight back, although she admitted to not changing any of the habits that made her overweight in the first place (no dietary changes, no change in basic activity levels, etc.). She then started getting consultations for gastric bypass surgery, but no doctor would perform the operation (good for them). Her parents did find a surgeon in Mexico who would perform it though!
The movie definitely had more to it than following this girl around, I just wanted to illustrate that as a pathetic example of how some people are dealing with obesity. There were quite a few pieces on the food industry as well that were very informative. I particularly liked where they discussed the incestuous relationship between major food corporations and the FDA. Basically, the current lineup at the FDA consists of former executives from major food corporations, and vice versa! How could anyone expect any legislation to get passed in favor of positive, healthy changes when the ones calling the shots have financial incentives to ensure otherwise??
Overall, I would say the documentary was very informative and I would recommend it to anyone who has both an interest in either health or food and generally likes documentaries. I definitely learned a lot from watching it.
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