Weight Loss News and Current Events - Did you see the brouhaha over Jessica Simpson's "weight gain?"

I heard about it and expected to see a blob in the photos...then was surprised to see that she looks great! I wish I looked as "bad" as she does. We really have a problem with weight in our culture.

Oh I know, it's ridiculous. I mean, the outfit was hideous, but she's completely normal sized. Her face did look a bit puffier than usual I guess, but yeah, come on.

~CGH~

I don't think she's really gained anything. I just think that she wore a horrible outfit and that made her look like she gained wait. I mean, how many people can actually pull off those high-waisted jeans? Not to mention, they are totally ugly.

Even if I were thin I wouldn't wear them! :)

It's so ridiculous the amount of attention that is put on celeb's weight.. the fact that this headline made actual (fox, cnn, etc) news is sickening! People need to pay attention to their CAREERS if anything.. and that goes for the too skinny as well as the "gained weight" crowd (ie... Lindsay Lohan!). In my opinion though, she MAYBE gained a few pounds but is really a victim of a bad outfit!!

I actually cried because of how sad I am about weightism, and how this country's obession for being stick thin and trying to mask those things by saying it is "healthy" is really damaging. The worst part about it, is that I read a lot of things posted by other countries, especially Europe, criticizing America for obesity. As a true American patriot, there are no words to describe how angry this makes me. Even in our so called "bad" economy most Americans have the money/resources to eat as much as they want, and other countries would have more obesity if they were as wealthy. On a scientific note: America is the only country that is vastly racially mixed. It is a little known fact that foods from one's native land are best for their figure/health; being that most people in this country somewhere down the line originated somewhere else their diet as not as ideal for their body as it would be for say an Italian in Italy. This whole thing really just isn't fair!

~I'm sorry that was so long winded, but I really needed to get some of that anger off my chest.

Mescelestus, not planning to defend Europe - and not adding more comfort to the excuse about the necessity to stick to genetically/geographically determined meals, either - but we have it much worse over here - weightism, and in Eastern Europe in particular - lookism and sexism. Standards for women are impossible to attain even in one's prime, to say nothing if you are past 40 (which, btw, is also considered a prime age, or am I being on the defensive myself as I am 45...). It makes me mad, day in, day out but we can only fight as much, in our immediate surrounding. It hurts to be treated as if you are a second-rate person because of your weight, and it is even more ridiculous to see perfectly normal girls, weighing barely over 100 pounds to be considered "fat", disgustingly so.
Pet peeve - an undersized model selling slimming stuff on TV commercials!
:?:

IMO, it's really necessary to go on "ignore" mode when the yadda yadda yadda about the relative weight of various people, countries, societies, etc., starts to get bandied about.

The only thing that matters is if we as individuals are at a healthy and happy weight that we personally like and choose to be at.

The rest is just a lot of noise.

Fractal-That is partially what I meant, that other countries have even more harsh, and limited ideas about body image, and we are sometimes looked down on because even though it seems to me that Americans are extremely concened with body image and age...we actually may be a little less concerened than other places.

It is a little known fact that foods from one's native land are best for their figure/health; being that most people in this country somewhere down the line originated somewhere else their diet as not as ideal for their body as it would be for say an Italian in Italy.

So how do you know what diet is best for you if you're 25% Swedish, ~30% each English and German, and a smattering of Irish, Scottish, French and Dutch? Maybe a bit of Spanish :)

That puzzles me too...even though i'm the one who said it...I'm 50% Italian, 25% Irish, and the other 25% is a mixture of German and Polish. I would guess Mediterainian would be best for me???? But in a lot of places there is less mixed race than there is here.

Race means practically nothing, and country of origin almost as little, because there's been far more moving around and intermarrying (and therefore interbreeding) than is commonly assumed. Foods from one's country of origins mean almost as little, because foods common to many cultures aren't necessarily what was common even several decades ago. Say tomatoes and you think Italy, and potatoes, Ireland, but both came from the America's, and weren't common in the European diet until a couple hundred years or more after Columbus' return.

Nutritional anthropology and the genetic research shows that there was actually quite a lot of cross-cultural genetic swapping between parts of Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas for thousands of years, so the idea that there can be a regionally determined "best diet" is controversial at best (not so much a little known fact, as a little known theory).

I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to sound know-it-all-ish, I am just facinated by that kind of stuff, and while it may be just a theory I tend to believe it is at least half true.

mescelestus, it's an interesting idea, though.

Race means practically nothing, and country of origin almost as little, because there's been far more moving around and intermarrying (and therefore interbreeding) than is commonly assumed. Foods from one's country of origins mean almost as little, because foods common to many cultures aren't necessarily what was common even several decades ago. Say tomatoes and you think Italy, and potatoes, Ireland, but both came from the America's, and weren't common in the European diet until a couple hundred years or more after Columbus' return.

Nutritional anthropology and the genetic research shows that there was actually quite a lot of cross-cultural genetic swapping between parts of Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas for thousands of years, so the idea that there can be a regionally determined "best diet" is controversial at best (not so much a little known fact, as a little known theory).


kaplods, you are 100% right. Race and ethnicity really mean very little. It is true that certain ethnic groups tend to be more susceptible to different diseases and such, but this is more of a regional variation than having anything to do with skin color. For example, African Americans are more likely to develop sickle cell anemia than other groups. Sickle cell is a crippling disease, and one might wonder, "Why would they develop this tendency? What protection does it offer?" Well, having the sickle cell gene as a recessive trait makes the possessor extremely well-defended against malaria. Having the gene as a dominant trait makes the possessor get sickle cell and (most likely) not able to pass on their genes. Anthropology degree for the win!

Also, as someone else asked, what would be the best diet for me, then? I am *clears throat* Mohawk Indian, Hungarian, Dutch, Irish, Welsh, German, French Canadian, and Cornish. Probably a lot of potatoes, eh? (And I'm really not trying to be snarky... I would love an excuse to eat a lot of potatoes [from Peru!] and stews and things.)

and to get back on topic, those pants and belt were horrendous. who let her on stage like that??

Also, as someone else asked, what would be the best diet for me, then? I am *clears throat* Mohawk Indian, Hungarian, Dutch, Irish, Welsh, German, French Canadian, and Cornish. Probably a lot of potatoes, eh? (And I'm really not trying to be snarky... I would love an excuse to eat a lot of potatoes [from Peru!] and stews and things.)

Hehe, I thought I was being obviously facetious :)

heh, i know, i just feel like i always come off as snarky. :)

I think it is ridiculous! She looks great! (although I agree the outfit was not good. Not good at all!)

Already there are new photos of her since her weight loss! Geez.

Remember Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Tyra? Both were so horribly obese according to the tabloids, but I would be happy with either of their 'fat' bodies!

Ok, so to rehash the "genetic issue" for a final time (I can't help myself), there ARE correlations between diet and ethnicity. This doesn't mean that one diet is better suited for one's ancestry necessarily, BUT one has to consider some facts. For example, consider the issue of Native Hawaiians -- the link between traditional Hawaiian diet, preparation, and serving size and a reduction in diabetes and cancer has been made by the APIA at their last health forum. IF there was no link, the program emphasizing their traditional foods would not be as successful. Of course, there are cultural factors, but the statistics show that Hawaiians have the second highest rate of diabetes in the US, and their rates are 4 times higher than white residents of the same area who eat the same non-traditional Hawaiian diet and are of the same age. Something has to be at work here....
Kira

Oh boy, did I ever. Okay, so she seems a little bit bigger, and her choice of outfit was.. interesting, to say the least, it's disgusting how this has spawned a series of sardonic jokes about how she's now "obese".

I think the outifit was just not a good choice but she looked normal. I think it's crazy that a size 8, 10, 12, 14 are considered plus-sized. size 0-2 isn't normal and it's sad to see people starving themselves to get to those sizes..

Just to jump into the ethnicty thing my mom is 50% native american, 25% white, 25% black and my father is dominican which they are a mix of african, spanish, french and the indignious indians so I'm a mix of all those things so I wouldn't have no idea what diet I should eat and IMO race isn't a factor in obesity. I do agree your culture influences the foods that you eat and you eating habits. My ethnicity didn't make me gain weight it was my eating habits.