Over the past 25 years, I have probably given over a 1,000 talks to audiences ranging from a handful of medical residents to halls packed with thousands of attendees.
I have lectured on five continents (including, once on three continents in a week).
Most of these talks have been to professional audiences and were usually chock full of science and serious stuff on obesity prevention and management.
But talks on serious topics don’t have to be serious.
In fact, there is much about obesity (even the science) that is downright funny. Indeed, I can think of no other medical topic, that, despite its seriousness and often devastating impact on people’s lives, lends itself more to a ‘light-hearted’ look than obesity.
And I am not talking about laughing ‘at’ people with excess weight or even making ‘light’ of their efforts and struggles.
I simply think that the knowledge and science of obesity and management can be presented in a way that engages the audience and is not all ‘doom and gloom’ or ‘let’s all blame big food’ or ‘losing weight is easy if you just follow my new diet plan’.
No, obesity lends itself to a ‘light-hearted’ discourse because no other field of medicine is as burdened by pervasive myths and beliefs and few other topics provoke such strongly held opinions or misconceptions about what works and what doesn’t.
So, next month, I will be embarking on a new venture – ‘light-hearted’ talks on obesity designed for a lay audience – for anyone, who wants to learn more about the latest in what drives weight gain and what we can do about it.
The first two events (“Stop Being a Yo-Yo”) are planned for
St Albert, November 5, 2013, 7.00 pm
and
Mill Woods – Edmonton, November 14, 7.00 pm
Space is limited, so reserve your tickets ($25) now.
Proceeds from these events will go to support the Canadian Obesity Network.
AMS
Boston, MA
In The News
October 12th, 2012 at 7:11 am
That sounds like a good idea. There’s a common belief out there that yo-yoing is harmless, or even that it’s somehow healthier than staying the same size. It seems to me that it promotes long term weight gain and muscle loss, and that it causes a lot of physical discomfort and emotional pain.
I strongly suspect that accepting your body at the size it naturally settles at when you have a active, pleasant and moderate lifestyle is the healthiest option for most people. It’s about time someone with recognised expertise and authority starting spreading the word. It could help a lot of people start to heal.