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Overweight women face a multitude of hardships – such as discrimination in the workplace – that arise from the stigma surrounding obesity.  while weight loss may seem like the solution for women hoping to escape anti-fat prejudice, it may not be that simple after all.

New research out of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, The University of Manchester and Monash University, has revealed that anti-fat prejudice still persisted against former obese women, even after they had lost a significant amount of weight.

“Previous research has shown that the harmful nature of obesity stigma crossed many domains,” Dr. Janet Latner, the study’s lead author at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, told FoxNews.com.  “So we designed an experiment to look at whether obesity sting persisted once the weight had been dropped.”

Published in the journal Obesity, the study asked young men and women participants to read various stories about a woman who had lost about 70 pounds, or a woman who was currently obese or thin who had remained stable. The participants were then asked to rate the women’s attractiveness and then give their opinions on fat people in general.

“We were surprised to find that currently thin women were viewed more differently depending on their weight history,” Latner said in a press release.  “We found that people who had lost weight were viewed more negatively in terms of attractiveness than people who had remained stable” – regardless of whether or not they had remained thin or obese, Latner told FoxNews.com.

Negative attitudes toward the obese targets also seemed to increase when the participants were falsely told that the person’s weight was easily controllable.  

Though the researchers cannot explain exactly why the findings were the way they were, Latner and her colleagues theorized that people are perhaps more judgmental towards the obese, because they believe that it is something the person can easily manage.

“There are several theories as to why anti-fat stigma persists,” Latner said.  “The leading theory is controllability theory – suggesting that stigmatized conditions are despised more when they are perceived as easily controllable, a widespread perception about obesity.  Our findings partly supported this theory by demonstrating that reading vignettes describing weight loss led to greater obesity stigma than reading vignettes describing weight stability.”

Because of their staggering findings, Latner and her team agree that government intervention is necessary to reduce the prejudice against the overweight and obese.

“We really need public policies that combat obesity stigma,” said Latner.  “Findings on effective interventions to reduce weight stigma are limited.  Some evidence suggests that social consensus approaches, cognitive dissonance approaches and intensive education approaches can be effective in reducing stigma.”

According to Latner, while obesity is important to combat in today’s society, obesity stigma is just as important to address, because its persistence could deter overweight women from shedding the pounds.

“The strength of obesity stigma is so powerful, pervasive and persistent,” Latner added.  “[Our results show] just how strong and harmful it can be. Many people are seeking weight loss to shake off the sting of obesity, and they may not necessarily achieve that.”

by Judy BuchenotBuchenot@comcast.net may 30, 2012 4:30PM

Chef Amaury Rosado shows off the Copper River salmon fillets. | Judy Buchenot~For the Sun

storyidforme: 31272589 tmspicid: 11395277 fileheaderid: 5203944

3 organic free-range eggs

2 teaspoons organic heavy cream

Sea salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons small diced red pepper

2 tablespoons small diced onion

1/2 avocado, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon grated sharp cheddar

2 slices lean roast turkey, chopped

2 spears asparagus, sliced on the bias

Coat a nonstick frying pan with a thin layer of olive oil. Cook red pepper, asparagus and onion until tender. Add spinach, which will wilt. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a bowl and set aside. in the same pan, add 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon olive oil, and heat until butter melts. in a bowl, beat together eggs, cream and water with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into pan. Over low heat, slowly cook eggs. Lift up edge of eggs as they cook to allow uncooked egg to flow under. keep cooking until mixture is set. Cover and cook one more minute. Add cheese, turkey, vegetables and avocado. Cover and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Fold omelet in half and serve.

Amaranth Mushroom Risotto with Vegetables

Pinch of salt

8 ounces mushrooms (portabella or shitake)

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups sugar snap peas, strings removed

1 red pepper, cut into strips

1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh basil for garnish

Toast amaranth lightly and then rinse for five minutes in fine colander under running water. Bring 5 cups water to a boil in a nonstick pan. Add salt and amaranth. Bring to a boil again and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook and stir until amaranth is al dente, about 15 minutes. Set aside mixture. Coat the bottom of a pan with a thin layer of olive oil and sauté mushroom. Remove mushrooms and set aside. Sauté onions and pepper until tender. Add garlic and sugar snap peas and sauté about a minute. Add mushrooms and amaranth to mixture. Stir in enough vegetable stock to make a moist mixture. Heat until very warm and then stir in cheese. Remove from heat and add butter. Garnish with fresh basil.

Article Extras

Updated: may 31, 2012 12:38AM

Chef Amaury Rosado comes bearing the plate like a gift. He gently places it on the table and then steps back in anticipation of the first bite.

“Taste it. It is so amazing. It is Copper River salmon from Alaska. For three to four weeks a year, the salmon swim upstream in a 300-mile journey to spawn and lay their eggs,” says the chef, so excited that he is unable to sit at the table.

To prepare for this journey, the Copper River salmon store extra fat and oils resulting in extraordinarily tender and flavorful flesh. Strict limits are set on the amount of salmon that can be caught, and the fish are only in the river for a few weeks, so being able to secure this delicacy is a feat. the flesh of the fish is a brilliant orange red. Chef Amaury carefully sears the surface of the filet, cooking it only until it is slightly warm with a cool, moist red center. the flavor of the flake-tender, rich salmon is both nutty and sweet.

“Isn’t it amazing?” questions Amaury, nodding his head in agreement and grinning because he knows the answer.

Rosado freely admits that he is a “foodie,” a person who expends great energy in finding and securing the best ingredients to be prepared in a way to complement their unique flavors. the Aurora resident owns and operates 33 West, a restaurant at 33 W. New York St. in Aurora, where he is able to share his food treasures with his customers. although the restaurant has been in operation for two years, Rosado has decided to change his menu to focus on organic and healthier entrees. He also will be adding a small plate option so patrons can enjoy small servings of his delicious dishes.

“I started eating healthier and have lost nearly 40 pounds,” Rosado says.

He improved his personal diet by eating more vegetables and fruits, adding whole grains, watching fats and reducing sugar without sacrificing the flavor and quality of his meals. He wants to offer this healthy option to his patrons by changing menu items. For example, instead of using rice in his risotto, he is using amaranth, a healthier grain option. He serves grass-fed beef, which has a higher concentration of beneficial omega-3 oils. He is using eggs from free-range chickens, seasonal produce from Panda Grove Farms in Dixon and continually looking for healthier menu options.

“Food is still my passion,” Rosado says. “I am just looking at it in a healthier way.”

Supporting small business is also a focus at 33 West. almost 80 percent of the produce served comes from local small farms. the bar serves beer and wine made by local brewers and vintners.

“I am a small business who is dedicated to supporting other small businesses,” Rosado says. “There is a sort of synergy created from using all independent businesses.”

Rosado is continuing this quest to promote healthy eating by being involved in a new festival slated for August 2013 at Naper Settlement in Naperville. the Fusion Festival will feature a blend of yoga, art, music, street performers, environmentalism and food. Rosado and his wife, Trisha, are co-chairs for the food portion of the festival.

“We are focusing on organics,” he says. “The whole festival also is going to be very green. every little detail is being carefully examined — even things like how to get rid of the trash that is collected during the event.”

As a dedicated foodie, Rosado is excited about sharing his recent finds with his customers. the salmon will be available for a few more weeks, and as local crops ripen, they will be prominently featured at 33 West. He invites everyone to give healthy eating a try there, but also offers recipes for his favorite healthy breakfast omelet and his healthier risotto option for everyone to try at home.

Know someone who really likes to cook and is good at it? Contact columnist Judy Buchenot at Buchenot@comcast.net.

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I don’t know about you, but I love games that let me build and maintain some type of empire. Whether it’s a farm, island, city, resort, or even a simple restaurant, I take pleasure in starting an enterprise from scratch, growing it, unlocking items, and completing missions. But as much as I’ve enjoyed playing these types of games over the years, I’ve always felt there was one element missing: zombies. until now, that is.

Meet Zombie Lane for Android (download), a freemium simulator-style game that’s part FarmVille (iOS) and part “The Walking Dead.” It’s got the addictive elements of an empire-building simulator, plus the undead charm of the zombie apocalypse. In other words, it’s something of a dream come true for me, minus one major element (I’ll get to that later).

In Zombie Lane you are one of a handful of survivors, fending for your life as zombies rip your neighborhood to shreds. Armed with only a shovel and a few shotgun shells to start, your goal is to reunite with your family, keep your home safe, and help out a few fellow survivors along the way.

Similar to many other simulator games, Zombie Lane starts you off with a basic mission: rebuild your home. You have to fix the damages, protect it with fences, clear rubble from around it, and even decorate it. But in order to meet your objectives you need two things: energy and currency. every action you take uses one unit of energy, with your reserves replenishing automatically as time passes. this means that the game limits how much you can do in a single sitting, which is probably the most frustrating part of Zombie Lane. if you get sick of waiting, you can purchase more energy, but that requires an in-app purchase using real-world money.

Zombie Lane currency comes in the form of coins, dollars, bricks, and chickens. Whenever you kill a zombie or complete a task you are rewarded with some type of currency, which can then be used to buy new weapons, buildings, decorations, fences, or crops. also, certain levels of currency are required to complete missions, so picking up money should be high on your priority list.

Missions include helping neighbors find lost items, saving them from attacks, or helping them grow crops in their yards. also, your spouse sometimes barks orders at you through a walkie-talkie (she is missing, and one of your main objectives in the game is to bring her home).

The best thing about Zombie Lane is its level of detail. The animation is cartoonish, though still polished; the weapons vary from silly-looking flaming boxing gloves to realistic assault rifles; and you can even change the attire and physical attributes of your characters. Plus, it looks like the developers are working on expanding the neighborhood to include real-world friends, which would add a stronger social element to the game. Altogether, these details make for a rich gaming experience, with the potential to get even better.

The one thing that really drags this game down, though, is its low stakes. When I first started playing, I was surprised to find out that zombie attacks carry almost no consequences because there’s no way to die or even get hurt in the game. see, while the action in most zombie games is propelled by an unnerving fear of being torn to shreds by the undead, Zombie Lane eliminates this fear altogether. So, getting attacked by a zombie doesn’t mean certain death as one might expect. instead, it means a slight inconvenience on your way to planting that flowerbed in front of your home or repairing that fence next to your tool shed. And that’s a shame.

As unique and fun as Zombie Lane is, I can’t overlook the fact that there is no risk of character death in it. With such low stakes, the game feels a bit empty at times, with more conflict to be desired. That said, I still recommend giving it a try. Building and protecting your property is addicting, and there’s something undeniably pleasurable about smacking a zombie with a shovel (whether that zombie is dangerous or not).

Zombie Lane (download) is available now for free on Google Play. But before downloading, be sure you have enough space on your device, as the file is quite large.

According to a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, women who drop a few pounds may find themselves off the breast cancer list. Apparently, women who lose weight also lower their estrogen levels and other hormones associated with breast cancer. 

Researchers looked at 439 obese and postmenopausal women from ages 50 to 75 who were not in the habit of exercising and who were not taking hormone-replacement therapy. they then divided the participants into four groups. the first group simply dieted, avoiding sugar drinks and desserts; the second was made to exercise, working out for 45 minutes for five days a week; the third group engaged in both diet and exercise programs; and the fourth group carried on with their usual routine. 

After about a year, the diet and the diet plus exercise groups dropped an average of 10 percent of their weight and showed lower levels of estrogen, thereby lowering their risk of breast cancer. Even those who only lost 5 percent of their weight showed considerable change in breast cancer risk. however, the exercise-only group and the control group experienced no risk loss at all. Apparently, exercise alone wasn’t enough to make the participants lose significant weight. 

Now if you’ve always wanted to lose weight but just can’t seem to find the motivation to start, then the possibility of lowering your breast cancer risk may be able to push you in the right direction. There’s no better time to adopt healthier eating habits than the present. Even the smallest changes you make today will affect your health in the future. 

(Photo by rbayrak via sxc.hu; edits by Mike Dee)

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – the chief executives of Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co ltd are used to running the show at their global tech empires, but they will be in for a different experience when they arrive at a San Francisco federal courthouse …
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The Republic

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AN AUTHOR has raided the archives to publish a collection of vintage Women's Institute recipes. For the past year, Jessica Simmons, 30, who is from Grimsby but now lives in London, has been compiling Vintage Teatime, a collection of tried and tested …
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While the end of a yoga class should be the pinnacle of relaxation, sometimes getting into Savasana (Corpse pose) can be a bigger stretch for your mind than any pretzel-like shape for your body. I'm a big believer that no matter what, you should stay …
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the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board will consider boosting its travel budget after Chairman Ericka Ellis-Stewart found herself short of the $4,800 she needed to pay for the recent London trip sponsored by the Charlotte Chamber.

Ellis-Stewart said Wednesday she had submitted an invoice to interim Superintendent Hugh Hattabaugh and was on the plane that was supposed to take a group of executives, civic leaders and elected officials to London on May 19. But the trip was canceled after mechanical problems kept the flight from taking off, and the chamber has said taxpayers won’t be charged.

Stewart, who took office in December, already had spent all but $284 of her travel budget for the year that ends June 30, according to travel records provided by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

She said Wednesday that two board members had agreed to let her use some of their unspent travel money. Richard McElrath told the Observer he was willing to let Ellis-Stewart use all of the $3,110 he had left. Amelia Stinson-Wesley, who was appointed to the board in January, said she’d agreed to give the chair $800 from the $1,350 she hasn’t spent.

The board budgets $29,950 a year for school board travel, with $5,150 for the chair and $3,100 for each of the other eight members.

This year’s election and change of chairmanship required some juggling. Ellis-Stewart’s budget was $2,575 for half a year as board chair, plus $517 from money that wasn’t spent by three members who left office in December. the CMS report shows Ellis-Stewart spent just over $2,800 on two trips to Raleigh and the National School Boards Association conference in Boston.

State law requires board members to get 12 hours of continuing education credit, which often involves trips to out-of-town meetings or classes.

“over the last several months, I have heard from a few board members that we do need additional dollars,” Ellis-Stewart said Wednesday. “by the time you do the costs and the travel, it pretty much exhausts your travel budget. I believe we will talk about that at a future retreat.”

The trip to London was not directly related to education, but Ellis-Stewart said it was a good chance to network with business leaders who could help CMS in public-private partnerships. the chamber’s annual trips are designed to let Charlotte’s decision-makers check out economic development, quality of life and public policy in other cities.

Her colleagues voiced mixed opinions about her decision to exceed her travel budget and the need to boost that budget. in 2010-11, with CMS in the depths of recession, the board spent less than $17,500. Then-chair Eric Davis had the highest spending: $3,847 for five trips, including the chamber’s 2011 visit to Seattle.

Davis and other members say Ellis-Stewart isn’t the first board member to borrow unspent travel money from colleagues. Kaye McGarry, who held an at-large seat until December, has done so, they say.

But Davis said it is clear that members must have the money lined up before they commit to a trip. the totals reported by board members would have given Ellis-Stewart almost $4,200, $600 short of the bill for London. Ellis-Stewart said two members had given her “maybes” on helping with the tab.

Davis said he wouldn’t support an increased travel budget “given the financial situation the school district is in.” the school board is seeking a $27.5 million increase from county commissioners to provide 3 percent staff raises after three years of frozen wages.

Board member Rhonda Lennon, who has spent none of her travel budget this year, said Ellis-Stewart asked her for unspent travel money on the day her flight was scheduled to depart, and she declined. Lennon said she didn’t consider networking a good enough reason to spend the money.

“you can buy a whole lot of lunches for $4,800,” she said.

McElrath, who already had transferred about $500 from his travel budget to Vice Chairman Mary McCray, said he doesn’t mind letting others use his money because “I have no plan on using it.” He said he wishes there were more flexibility on spending.

Member Joyce Waddell, who joined Ellis-Stewart and McCray at the national conference in Boston, agreed with the chair that travel money can run out quickly after a session like that. “I think it needs to be increased,” she said.

Tim Morgan said he was one of the “maybes” on transferring money to Ellis-Stewart.

Morgan agrees the board should discuss travel spending, but noted that he hasn’t used his full allotment in three years on the board. “I personally don’t need more travel money.”