I have to admit to being curious, but I don't think I really view their stories any differently than anyone else's. I'm as curious and interested when the "loser" is my friend, family member or aquaintance. I don't think that celebrities have it easier or more difficult, and I don't think they're more likely to have "the answers." As a result, I'm not likely to try "celebrity diets," or any one else's because "so and so lost ____ in ___ weeks."
I don't normally care what a celebrity looks like, but I read an excerpt from an interview with Melissa Joan Hart, and her "story" interests me more than most. She actually lost the weight with a sensible diet and exercise. Shocking, I know! It was refreshing to hear a celebrity saying how hard they struggled to lose it, instead of "I eat whatever I want and drink this mix of lemon and pepper and water and syrup and the pounds just melt away and I have never exercised in my life!"
I read the article that you linked and I found it true. I mean, this culture *does* send the message that heavy/overweight people are lazy, gluttonous, non-motivated, etc. And it saddens me to read this sentiment here nearly every day; women (because it's mostly women) come in and say how disgusted they are with their bodies, how they hate themselves for "being weak", how they feel so worthless. It's very sad, because that's a message that this culture has force-fed us for years. I'm not saying that we should all be into the fat-acceptance movement by default, but that hating oneself is not a good place to be in, no matter what one weighs! Mistakes, struggling with weight, or falling off plan are not events that should trigger self-disgust or self-hatred because that's not motivating. So it bothers me when anyone, whether celebrity or normal chicks like us, start talking about how "disgusting" their bodies are. It's sad, because that kind of self-hate usually perpetuates the problems that allowed us to gain weight in the first place.
I toyed with Jenny Craig after Valarie Bertinelli...but I thought it would send a bad message to my kids (eating special food to lose weight while they ate something different) plus the cost is too high for me.
I picked up the People too. I thought there would be more specific details but not really. A lot of these folks can afford a private chef and personal trainer too which makes things very easy.
Hi all!
I don't think that self-loathing is ever productive. But by the same token, I think that the vast majority of overweight people overestimate their activity levels and underestimate the calories that they are consuming. This doesn't imply a judgment on people like me who struggle with weight issues -- I don't call myself lazy or gluttenous, but by the same reality token, I sure wasn't moving as much as I should have nor was I eating appropriately. And the evidence of this was and is firmly on my butt, thighs, and waist. And if you notice in the article, each celebrity was filled with self-loathing and called themselves names. It wasn't "society" calling names, it was the individuals themselves.
Perhaps people project their own self-loathing onto "society" in general instead of recognizing that it originates within the individual. After all, 66% of the US population is either overweight or obese (http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs...ournalCode=obe), so if the MAJORITY of the population, or society if you will, is in this situation and "society is judgemental and not accepting of obesity", it sounds alot like the majority of people are full of self-loathing which they project onto each other...
I think if one removes the emotion from a weight issue and looks at it dispassionately, as in "the number on the scale is what it is" and makes a choice to become more mindful of caloric intake and output WITHOUT JUDGEMENT, one stands a good chance of success when tackling a weight issue. And the judgement issue is key. We all feel bad about ourselves at some point. But we don't have to beat ourselves up about it all the time, especially as it serves absolutely no positive function in our lives.
I also think that the public's fascination with celebrity weight is for a couple of simple reasons: you can't really hide your weight and for a number of celebrities, publically discussing it returns him/her to the spotlight from which they may not have been in favorably for a number of years.
And secondly, as much as we idolize celebrities, the general public enjoys it when a celebrity struggles, because it shows that they are people no better off than we are, despite the homes in Malibu and Aspen and the 8 cars and the private jet. And some of us may feel "superior" to such people. Which is a shame. But it becomes tabloid fodder because that is what the public buys -- if noone bought those magazines, those tabloids would have to publish something else -- why publish something not profitable?
So, the public has an appetite for such stories, the tabloids will publish them to sell magazines, and celebrities who want greater exposure will sell their stories to the tabloids and to weight-loss companies. The thing feeds on itself...
Society teaches us how to think about ourselves. No one is born knowing that fat is "disgusting," as in some cultures fatter is prettier. But the way we're taught is so subtle, that we don't even realize where we learned it, we just know that we're disgusting because we're fat. We're lazy, undisciplined, stupid, or crazy. So yes, it is self-driven as much or more so, than external - but we learned how to treat ourselves by watching how others, especially those close to us, but also people we see on tv and in our daily lives, treat themselves and treat us.
I think one of the reasons that weight loss is often so difficult is that we do pile so many emotions onto it. It's not just about health, it's about beauty and worth and morality. The "what's the use, I made a mistake so I might as well really mess things up," is really only seen in behaviors we as a culture/society (both on an individual and group level) have labeled immoral. You don't say, "oops I mispelled a word, I might as well intentionally spell all the rest wrong." However, it's common in "bad" behavior that a person decides to be "really bad" because they already messed up. Behaviors like substance abuse, criminal activities, gambling, sexual behavior, overspending and eating. Eating really has been my only vice, but as a probation officer I saw the others quite frequently, and I was shocked at how close the similarities are.
A key step in my learning to make this permanent has been unlearning fat = bad. Since fat is not bad, there's no reason to make a small mistake a big one. I remind myself that weight loss is like climbing a staircase - you don't throw yourself to the bottom because you trip on a step - you just right yourself as quickly as possible and keep going.
As for celebrities and wealthy people having the resources to hire personal chefs and trainers, making it easy. I'm not sure that it really does. I know that money or fame probably would not solve any of my food issues - because with wealth also comes the power to have almost any whim or craving almost instantly gratified. How difficult would it be to resist temptation when you know that everything is available to you. I think it really depends on your personality, as to whether wealth would be an advantage or disadvantage.
I had several reactions to Kirstie Ally's People story.
1. OMG...she gained all her weight back? That means I could gain mine back too (a thought I had not entertained in quite a long while...yikes!)
2. Good for her! She sounds like she is motivated, and will lose the weight again (and again, and again).
3. What about her health? Never once did she mention wanting to lose the weight for health reasons. It was all about how she looks at 148 lbs, 128lbs, etc., and how she wants to look 40 yrs old when she's 60, etc. All "looks" based.
When I started my journey from 253 pounds to now, 164 (and losing), I had yo-yo'd for 30 years. I have lost hundreds of pounds over the years, but everytime I would reach a weight that I thought was ok, I would immediately fall off the wagon and start the quick climb up the scale. Never once in all of those 30 years had I EVER maintained a weight loss.
That was because my motivation was ALWAYS ENTIRELY ABOUT LOOKS. This time, I put my focus on improving my health, and with that as my motivation, it has been so much easier to change my lifestyle, and therefore, my weight. My health and vitality have improved dramatically. I started in April of '07 with a bicycle and walking. I eliminated the 3 F's...Fast food, Fried food, and Fatty food...minimized the 3 B's...Bread, Butter, and Beer...made other changes like incorporating whole foods, and viola, the weight has been very easy to lose and maintain.
I promised myself that I wasn't going to even start if I couldn't commit to improving my health, and I wasn't going to spend any money in the effort either. Nothing chaps my hide more than the constant robbing of the overweight through schemes and ploys, that prey on the desperation many feel about their weight. It's a multi-billion dollars industry, and I REFUSE to participate in it anymore.
So, ultimately, I feel sorry for Kirstie, and I hope she changes her motivation, so that she can make the permanant changes necessary to lose weight. Otherwise, we'll be seeing her on the cover again in 2 years, super-skinny, then another few years, overweight again. I don't blame her for trying again, I question her motivations thought.
I toyed with Jenny Craig after Valarie Bertinelli...but I thought it would send a bad message to my kids (eating special food to lose weight while they ate something different) plus the cost is too high for me.
I picked up the People too. I thought there would be more specific details but not really. A lot of these folks can afford a private chef and personal trainer too which makes things very easy.
I don't agree that it is easier if we have a personal chef and a personal trianer, we still have to do the work. Oprah has all the advantages and still regains over and over again.
True - I forgot about Oprah. It just seems like there are many more stories out there of stars, their trainers and personal cooks (not to mention plastic surgery - the tummy tucks after delivery scare me).
I have to say the only one I really pay attention to at all is Oprah. My mother gets O magazine and they did an article recently about how much she gained back and she talked about how easy it was when she stopped putting her health first and since she controlled the magazine she made sure there were no full body shots of her etc. Accountability and lack of motivation. But you know when she realized what happen she had full body pictures put up of herself on the front cover side by side to her smallest and primarily in the article talked about missing good nutrition and the energy to get things done.
Of course I find my coworker's weightloss much more interesting becuase I literally get to see it day to day. I see the ones who hit the gym, who have a veggie heavy lunch etc and the ones who have fast food delivered and then declare they're too tired to go walking tonight. I see the results and I know which group I want to be in and that's the kind of motivation I need. (Note: I make sure not to let them know I'm watching what they eat. God knows I spent years eating junk I just didn't eat junk and then complain because I wasn't losing weight.)
I love how the cover of that magazine shows Melissa at 155 and "the HORRIFYING photo (above)". 155 is slightly over my goal weight.
I think Oprah is the only one I follow also. I don't watch her show because I'm not a big tv person, but I get her magazine from time to time.
Does anyone believe some people's body is just meant to be a certain weight? It sounds like something a defeatist would say, but seriously, Oprah has all the money in the world, she sure as heck has the will power, is hardworking, and how many years has she been through this battle? 30? Her body always seems to settle back to more or less the same place. Just makes me wonder.
This is such an interesting point. There have been alot of theories about this, including the "set point" theory, where your body will stay naturally at certain weight points during a weight loss journey. Which, the theory says, is why people plateau. Your body "remembers" the weight, was happy there, and fights to hang on to the calories. If you continue the journey, after a number of weeks, you "win" and lose weight, down to another "set point", which results in another plateau, which you fight and if you persist, you "win", and so on.
As for Oprah, it just might be that the weight she creeps up to is one that is at her personal OMG level. For me, it WAS 200 lbs. Anything above it was OMG. Anything below it, was "not so bad" so I didn't act. As long as I was less than 200 lbs, everything was OK. I hovered around 200lbs (i.e. 198.5 lbs, as if the 1.5 lbs really made a visual difference!) for YEARS, pretty much from 1993 until 1998. I then bumped up to 212 lbs, worked hard and got down to 158 lbs for a very brief 4 months. Then, for a number of reasons, I went right up to 244lbs. And stayed there from 1999 until 18 months ago.
But I know that under 200 lbs, the sense of "urgency" and "unacceptablility" of my weight goes.
This sense of personal urgency might be why people bounce up and settle at a certain weight. And for each of us, this number is different.
My NEW number is going to be 140 lbs. I have to erase the "200lbs is OK" mentality and replace it. And this WILL be hard, but it is part of my plan...
Plateaus seem nasty. I wonder how many people just "give up" and resign themselves to acceptance. They, like Oprah, say they're not going to focus on losing weight anymore and just focus on being healthy and active. Which, don't get me wrong, is great, but part of me feels like they're half happy, half unhappy but too tired to care anymore.
On the other hand, I forgot where I saw this, but I read on some forum, blog, or website, someone said "Plateaus are actually a good sign. Think of it as reaching the next step on a stair case going down."
I think all of us Yo-Yo for years. We lose some weight and then lose the diet. It doesn't happen all in one day, but over a period of months. Once I know I have really put on weight, then subconsciously, I tell myself "what's one more pizza? what's one more bag of cc cookies?" I literally give up and resign myself to being fat. In order to diet and lose weight I have to find the right mental attitude. For me this time it was a trip to the doctor's office and finding my weight had hit 200. OMG, I couldn't believe I passed the 200 mark.
I have been more successful on this diet than anything else I have ever tried. I eat every 4 hours and have about 1500 calories/day. My meals include many fresh fruits and vegetables. I even have 1/2 a sandwich on high fiber bread for lunch with a few Pringles (14). So far I have lost 24 pounds in 2 months.
I am really concerned about my life after the diet. So, when I get to my final 20 pounds, I have am going to up my calorie intake by 150 calories/day for each 5 pounds lost. By the time I am at goal weight, I will be eating 2100 calories/day. I am then going to add 100 calories/day for about 7-10 days and see what the scale reads. I want to find exactly how many calories I need to maintain my ideal weight.
Them (Kirstie Alley, Melissa Joan Hart +) v. Us
