Thursday, June 24, 2010

Blog URL for Biggest Loser contestant expose

For those who asked, the blog where I first read about The Biggest Loser contestant is

http://www.bodylovewellness.com

Eat what you want

I've had it up to here (picture me holding my hand above my head, please) with people writing about "eat whatever you want and lose weight." Then they list the easy to follow steps like "stop when you've had enough." Holy shit. If I could stop when I had enough fried chicken or ice cream, all would still not be well. Truth is, when something tastes really good, I don't want to stop. I CAN stop but I don't want to. Tastes too good. If something tastes like crap or just not great, I can stop after one bite and walk away.
Plus, even if I stopped when I'd had "enough" (whatever "enough" is) fried chicken, that wouldn't work. You cannot eat whatever you want. Can all these thin people stop telling me that I can eat whatever I want or that the secret to weight loss is to just stop when I've had enough. I want so badly to "believe" in mindfulness and intuitive eating as a way to lose and maintain my weight but I have been unable to STOP when something tastes good. I don't eat until I'm ready to explode (don't like discomfort) and I surely know when I "should" stop because I know I'm not hungry any more. Not hungry for food but still hungry for the flavor and texture of the food (if it's fried chicken, for example). It's all in my head....I suppose.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Nothing is ever as it seems

I've been reading the blog posts of an interview with one of the former contestants from The Biggest Loser. The contestant is blowing the whistle on what goes on at "The Ranch". I'm not shocked or surprised by what the contestants do to win. I am shocked that the professionals are either helping them achieve thru means less than healthy and/or are aware of the shenanigans and turn a blind eye.
A relative of mine is a script supervisor for a very popular reality show. Script supervisor? It's a reality show. Yes, there is a script or a story line. And, yes, editing is often very creative. But I wanted to believe that The Biggest Loser, because there are MDs, dietitians, personal trainers all associated with the show....I wanted to believe that even though the exercise regimen was way too intense for unfit obese people and the diet seemed a bit restrictive....I wanted to believe that they were training the contestants to lead a healthy life. According to the recent writings, that's not the case.
I mentioned in a previous post that one of the finalists in this last season frightened me because he was so intense. I was worried that he would do anything, including starving and dehydrating, prior to the finale to win. And not because I thought he wanted to win the money but because he just wanted to win!
Not sure if The Biggest Loser will send out a response to what's been publicized about the tactics the producers/trainers use on the show. And would I believe it? I interviewed a former winner (Ali Vincent) and found her to be quite "normal", very fit looking and excited about the opportunities that the show gave her.
I don't know. I'm going to have to think about this for a while. The show was beginning to get pretty boring and annoying this last season: too many product placements; too many repeated segments. And too much of Jillian overstepping her bounds--she's a trainer for goodness sakes but she was acting as though she had several degrees in psychology (yes, I know her mother is a shrink but the knowledge isn't passed from mother to daughter thru the placenta).
Disillusioned. Disappointed. Dissatisfied.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Back to fried chicken

Happy Birthday to me. Now pass the fried chicken.
Recent articles have called into question the validity of using the BMI to determine fatness. Hah! Vindicated. I called it on that one a long time ago. Waist measurement is a way better quickie method.
Back to fried chicken for a minute. A dietitian wrote in earlier today to one of the list servs that she has the opportunity, for an unmentioned sum of money, to have her name and possibly likeness put on a food product label. I'm sure it's a food product that is "healthy". I wondered what food product I could possibly endorse.....besides fried chicken, I mean. Potato chips. For sure. Pepsi. Ice cream. Hmmm. Better not.
But back to fried chicken for a minute. Haven't had any. In fact, been eating pretty well lately. Because I'm not thinking about dietiting. That's why. Thinking about dieting makes me hungry. Eating whatever whenever keeps me satisfied. Sometimes it doesn't work but it is working right now.
A few weeks ago, I baked nutella cupcakes (don't even ask...they're amazing) for an event. Saved a few and put them in freezer. They're still there. Untouched. Knowing they're there. Knowing I can have them whenever seems to make them less tempting.
But back to fried chicken. It's my birthday. I could tell myself that the best gift I could give myself would be the gift of a healthy meal. But instead....back to fried chicken.

Friday, June 4, 2010

When worlds collide

Standing on (in?) line at supermarket and reading the cover of women's magazine: "Lose weight for life". Cover photo? A big heaping plate of luscious fried chicken. Side by side. No kidding. Did editorial staff make a blunder? Did anyone notice the juxtaposition of gloriously caloric fried chicken and touting diet article? Should have bought magazine. A classic.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Bikini body

Women's magazines. They all tell me that it's the time of year when I should be getting back into shape (the presumption is that I sat on my fat ass all winter, drinking hot chocolate and bemoaning my lack of opportunity to exercise as though the gym was closed due to cold) so that I can be ready to hit the beach in my string bikini. As though a person who did sit on her fat ass all winter could indeed be beach ready in a few short weeks doing some push ups and ball tosses.
What about those of us who will never have bikini bodies? Where are the articles for us? Oh, yes. There's always something on the best bathing suit for your body. If you're pear shaped, wear this. If you're apple shaped, wear this. What if you're just plain fat? What should we wear? Big arms, no waist, ample chest, protruding belly, big butt. Is there a bathing suit for us? Will a well developed calf muscle take the viewer's eye away from the the purple veins that line an otherwise almost albino white leg?
In Body Pump class last week the teacher said to work hard so that we could have "sun dress ready arms". My arms will never be ready for a sun dress. No matter how hard I work out. No matter how much weight I lift. Do the other women in the class believe that their arms will be sun dress ready just because they swing a few weights around? Do they see what I see when they look in the mirror? Do they see what I see when I look at them?
So, alas, the magazines don't tempt me to buy them with their cover stories. The articles do not appeal to me. I have a never to be bikini ready body and arms better kept secret from the world.