Women use cocaine and speed for weight-loss

by Martha Edwards (Subscribe to Martha Edwards's posts)
Oct 17th 2007 11:12AM

How far have you or would you go to lose weight? Would you take laxatives? Would you try fasting? Would you take diet pills? Would you ingest a tapeworm? Would you make yourself throw up? How about taking illegal drugs? According to a survey done in the UK, one in seven women have used illicit (and very dangerous) drugs like cocaine and speed specifically for the purpose of losing weight.

This statistic is really alarming, and a sign that the emphasis needs to be taken off looks and weight in particular. But how? I think celebrities need to start setting a good example for the young women out there. I also think that the media needs to stop being so quick to point out when someone's gained a few pounds -- what do you think?

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Comments (57)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Chris A 10-17-2007 @ 4:31PM

In other news.... the sky is blue, and water is wet.

elizabeth 10-17-2007 @ 6:22PM

I was given black beauties - speeders - when I was in 2nd grade. And I gained it all back.

In later years, when I was a real live, bonafide druggie, I did both coke and speed.

Never lost a pound. Alcohol screws up that process quite nicely.

And friends I had, who were heavy as well never lost either. I had one friend give up the coke and she lost weight.

And yes, too much emphasis is placed when a celebrity gains weight. We need to break the Twiggy idea.

starwxrwx 10-17-2007 @ 7:58PM

I'd prefer to see the media constantly point out ways to eat better and exercise more, not condone getting fat.

Sure, we all can go through times where we put on weight, but I'd rather be motivated to go out and lose it rather than be told it's OK to be chubby.

Jen 10-18-2007 @ 10:53AM

Yikes, between this and the bariatric surgery people are killing themselves to be thin. The risk of dying is very real, whether it is by accidental drug overdose or the risks inherent in major surgery. And those that get through bariatric surgery might get thin, but they also have to deal with basically being malnourished for the rest of their lives.

If you want a weight loss plan that makes sense, try this one: http://www.cinchplan.com/good_health It incorporates both good nutrition and exercise in a easy, user friendly plan.

Jibbie49 10-19-2007 @ 11:15AM

I have found the website SPARKPEOPLE to be a great help in losing weight and getting myself to set goals. I knew a college girl who took coke so she had energy to clean her house as she said she HATED to clean, but she could do it in 2 hours after snorting coke. Never used any drugs or alcohol in my life as I love myself too much to do that to my body.

Lexi 10-21-2007 @ 6:16AM

I've never done coke or speed, but I have tried about all the rest of it... making myslef puke, laxatives, diet pills, not eating more than 500 cals per day. Ephedra worked wonders for me. I would still take it if I could find it. Unfortunately, when I stopped taking it I gained my weight back plus more.
I can't find any articles about people who gain weight for medical reasons like because of a disease or medication they have to take. I take a medicine called Seroquel and one of the side effects is weight gain. I know about healthy diet and exercise, but nothing is working for me. Does anyone know of a web site or article that address it? Does anyone who has gone through the same thing have any tips?

psy 10-21-2007 @ 6:29AM

heroin is the best drug for weight loss

it should be legal and free

morbid obesity is 10 times worse then heroin addiction

laprns 10-21-2007 @ 7:02AM

I used illegal drugs to lose weight. It is not a matter of loving yourself enough to not do them. I simply was not afraid of them. I had intelligent, respected, gorgeous aunts who used them (dexedrine to cocaine) and I did what they did to maintain my weight. Unfortunately, it affected my health and I had to stop. I gained over a hundred pounds and it is hard to lose now, but I am exercising and cooking healthier meals. It is taking a while to get my metabolism "reset" but I can wait-I do not consider being thin worth dying for.

sheila 10-21-2007 @ 7:15AM

Lexi...poster 6...........these foods promote or aid in weight loss.........carrots. cabbage.chestnuts..beets..green tea..grapefruit..figs..peanuts..olive oil...water and watermelons......

sally 10-21-2007 @ 7:56AM

Poster #9 is obviously someone who has never been addicted to food. In 1990 I went from 200 lbs. to 140 lbs. At 5'5" I was still considered overweight by the skinny community who have no idea what it's like to be overweight and hungry all the time. When that craving hits, it's just like a smoker craving a cigarrette. The foods #9 listed don't help the craving. I'm not a sweets eater, but a salt and junk food junkie. I, too, would buy Ephedra is it were still available. Tried the hard drugs, but didn't like being that out of control.

Lisa 10-21-2007 @ 7:58AM

A healthy vital body is far more appealing than that starved heroine image. But as much as super-thinness should not be advocated neither should the "accept your overweight body for what it is" be touted. "Fitness" should be the focus of all diet goals...NOT thinness. The average diet is loaded with processed foods, foods that bloat, flours that turns to goop in your body....replace those foods with real food...whole foods...alkaline wholegrains like millet and quinoa and let the transformation begin.

christie 10-21-2007 @ 8:02AM

Ephedra is legal again since october 2006. Just do a search for ephedra diet pills and the choices are endless

Rebecca 10-21-2007 @ 8:14AM

I was given "black beauties" by a doctor from the age of 10. Not only did I develop an eating disorder, but I also destryoed my developing metabolism and now have an auto-immunie thyroid disease AND poly cystic ovarian syndrome. I was a chubby kid, by no means obese, and now I eat healthy and have to live my life as a chubby (size12) adult.

Caitlin 10-21-2007 @ 8:25AM

Everyone out there needs to just start LISTENING to your body. It will tell you exactly what's wrong if you just pay attention. Dairy and Wheat are the 2 LARGEST food allergen offenders that can cause a multitude of chronic diseases and symptoms, but nobody ever actually thinks about that. Acne, depression, inability to lose (or sometimes gain) weight, IBS and other digestive issues, are so often times linked to food triggers, and people need to start really thinking about the fact that what goes into their body finds a way to come out. Read the signs. I highly recommend anybody out there who can't lose weight, and thinks they eat pretty well and have a decent exercise program to research wheat and/or gluten intolerance and also yeast overgrowth in the digestive tract. A combination of these things can be the hidden source of so many chronic problems that people take a medicine cabinet full of drugs for. www.yeastconnection.com is a great place to start. People need to experiment. Write down what you crave and when, see if you can make any connections. Write down how you feel after certain meals, and be your own detective. If anybody in the NYC is interested, I give free consultations. www.graterhealth.com. Your health is in YOUR hands.

george 10-21-2007 @ 8:30AM

Good old stem fast diet

jdwilly45 10-21-2007 @ 8:30AM

The whole problem starts with the Govm. recommeded weigh for people,,it is set at a standard that is 10% to low..I am 6 ft. tall and my weight according to the Govm. standard should be 170 lbs. at that weight I would look like the walking dead,I look great at 190 lbs. nice and lean,muscular and feel great.........Willy

Janis 10-21-2007 @ 8:40AM

Fast food places need to stop loading their food with grease and hidden calories. Meal portions need to be cut down and not supersized.

Doctors know nothing about nutrition today, they just know about expensive prescription meds and they wont prescribe diet medications. But they will sure give you an antidepressant or cholestral medications. Does that sound like the medical doctors want to help the obesity problem? Prozac and Lipitor is there answer to obesity! Been there and done that. Had to find a special doctor that only dealed in weight loss to finally get the help I needed but general physicians wouldn't do what he does in telling you what to avoid and giving phentermine.

carolee 10-21-2007 @ 9:16PM

I am 73 years old, and I have never smoked, have a drink a few times a year and I am now looking to lose some weight the smart way. Eat a little less of everything you eat, do a little substituting with your white carbs, eat smaller amounts of good healthy food more often during the day and I personally have found "Sugar Busters" a book for me to be guided by. What I am doing is the "Carolee" plan, after reading every book on the market on weight loss. My plan is working for me and what you need to do is find the best plan for you individually.

Losing weight should only be for healthy reasons, so by taking drugs, medicines, pills is not healthy but will destroy you. Let's be good to our bodies. Do not lose for cosmetic reasons, lose to stay healthy and be happy with yourself the way you are.

Please be good to your body and take care of it. It's the only body you have been given on earth to take care of. Get some exercise also - doesn't need to be much - just more than you are doing now.

I am losing healthfully. If I can do it, you can too.

Carolee

Carol 10-21-2007 @ 8:53AM

Why would anyone feel it's up to 'celebrities' to set an example for young women? What about their parents? What happened to responsibility for one's actions? Step away from the Cheetos for God's sake! Get off the couch and move... most people can't afford a trainer, but it costs less than $40 a month to join the gym! Stop blaming people you don't know and have never met for your own self-worth... You won't lose weight by cutting down on the amount of food you eat. You need to burn more calories than you take in. People tend to only see the results. They have no clue what goes into making it from point A to point B.

Michelle 10-21-2007 @ 9:24AM

#12 is an idiot. IT IS NOT LEGAL THEREFORE LOOKING IT UP ONLINE WOULD GIVE YOU FAKE EPHEDRA PEOPLE ARE MORONS

In recent years, the safety of ephedra-containing dietary supplements has been questioned by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and the medical community as a result of a high rate of serious side effects and ephedra-related deaths.[4][5][6][7][8] In response to accumulating evidence of adverse effects and deaths related to ephedra, the FDA banned the sale of ephedra-containing supplements on April 12, 2004.[9] A suit by an ephedra manufacturer was upheld by a Federal District Court judge in Utah on April 14, 2005. [10] The FDA appealed this ruling, and on August 17, 2006 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld the FDA's ban of ephedra.[11] As of June 2007, the sale of ephedra-containing dietary supplements remains illegal in the United States due to their health risks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephedra