My stepmom is already thin. People comment on it all the time with worry in their voices. She’s always been thin, yet she will not be convinced that she doesn’t need to lose weight. In the 15 years I’ve known her, she has not stopped counting calories, avoiding carbs, taking up fad diets (South Beach, Atkins, Weight Watchers, Master Cleanse, etc., etc.), and skipping meals altogether. Our refrigerator contains nothing but low-fat / fat-free / diet / low-calorie / 0-calorie / negative-calorie products. Now, just a few days ago, I found something that really sent up a red flag: a stash of appetite suppressants and diet pills that fills a kitchen drawer and two cupboards. It includes:
-"Quick Boost" Energy Drink Mix / Dietary Supplement from Quick Weight Loss Center (24 boxes, each containing 14 units)
-"Herbal-Slim Lite" from Quick Weight Loss Center (3 bottles, each containing 180 capsules)
-"EFA" Essential Fatty Acid Dietary Supplement from Quick Loss Weight Center (8 bottles, each containing 120 capsules)
-"Carb Blocker" from Quick Loss Weight Center (8 bottles, each containing 90 capsules)
-"Herbal-Slim Metabolizer" from Quick Loss Weight Center (4 bottles, each containing 180 capsules)
-"15-Day Weight Loss Cleanse & Flush" (1 bottle containing 60 capsules)
-"Fücothin" Concentrated Fucoxanthin (1 bottle containing 60 capsules)
-"Zenergize: Burn" Natural Weight Loss Boost (2 boxes, each containing 10 units)
-"Naturalean Complete: Trim Effects Crave Control Formula" (1 bottle containing 100 capsules)
-"Glycotrol" from the Houston Weight Loss & Lipo Center (2 bottles, each containing about 50 pills)
-"Slim Shots" Liquid Appetite Controller (1 box containing 30 shots)
I hope my stepmother is not taking all of these products concurrently. It appears that she’s at least sampled each one, and worked her way through many of them. A quick glance over these products reveals that few, if any, are FDA-approved. "Slim Shots" claims that four separate studies point to the efficacy of their product, but I can’t find any of these studies published anywhere. The claims of some of the other products (e.g. Fücothin) seem to be based on results of preliminary studies that have not yet been replicated. And although they all claim to be "all-natural" and "chemical-free," they seem to have effects on the body that could still be dangerous: altering the pancreas’ absorption capacity, changing the body’s base metabolic rate, making the body feel full when it is actually hungry, etc. And isn’t GlycoTrol intended for people with diabetes? I know my stepmother is not diabetic.
The worst part is that my sister and stepsister, both teenagers, have learned that the compulsive quest for thinness is completely normal and that taking supplements for weight loss is nothing unusual. My sister, who is 19 and perfectly thin, berated me today after I criticized her for taking Sim Shots. She claims to have her own sizable stash in her room somewhere.
Am I making a big deal out of nothing, or is there cause for legitimate concern here? Is this grounds for some sort of intervention? Should I talk to my doctor?
I should probably add that I’ve heard through the family grapevine that my stepmother has suffered from eating disorders as a teenager and young woman.
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