Strollerderby : dieting

Controversy: Weight, For Beauty Queens And New Moms

Amy S.F. Lutz — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:01:00 GMT

In this corner, Brooke Burke, gorgeous celebrity mom who still looks fab in a bikini after four babies! In this corner, Chloe Marshall, first "overweight" contestant to compete for the title of Miss England!

Okay, ladies, we want a fair fight here, so no eye-gouging, no hair-pulling, no raising false expectations, hawking useless products, or encouraging young girls to eat themselves into a diabetic coma.

Let's get ready to RUMBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Given how preoccupied we as a society are with weight (especially women's weight), it's hardly news that two of the most popular posts this week questioned what it means to be healthy. And I have to say it was nice to read so many comments on both Jen's and Kelly's posts defending Kelly's claim that "a diversity of shapes and sizes are lovely," including Katrina's note, "A young woman who eats well, exercises regularly, and has a body type that is larger than the average super model is exactly who I want my daughter to recognize, respect, and relate to!"

There also seemed to be a general consensus that body shape is a product more of nature than nurture, and that it's unrealistic for most women to think they can diet into a size 0 - except for Treespeed, who accused Jen of being "bitter" and "catty," in her post on Brooke Burke, stating, "Just because you can't make it happen doesn't mean it can't be done."

I hate to engage in any reductive, feminist rhetoric, but did anyone else think Treespeed's point of view made a lot more sense once he revealed that he is a man?

What I'm wondering is how deep this embrace of Chloe Marshall goes. That is, we may be all rooting for her on principle, but how many of us, despite Katrina's comment, really want our daughters to be the overweight contestant at the beauty pageant? My daughters are beautiful and smart, but Brooke Burke's genes don't inform even one branch of the family tree. And I have to admit, although I don't let them know it, I'm monitoring their weight very carefully. It has nothing to do with health, because, as Kelly notes, recent research suggests that being somewhat overweight isn't as much of a health problem as it's been made out to be by the press. It's all about the social angle. I don't want any of my kids to be the "fat kid" in the class. Kids are cruel enough without giving them obvious targets.

Does that make me a hypocrite? I'm just trying to protect my kids and boost them as much as I can. After all, their last name is Lutz - as in, rhymes with "klutz" and "sluts." They're going to need all the help they can get.

It's Never Too Early To Make Your Kid Feel Fat

Kelly Mills — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:31:00 GMT

You know, sometimes I think kids don't get enough messages about the fundamental importance of being thin. Sure, they are bombarded with waifish models and diet ads, and girls as young as six are talking about dieting, and even boys are getting caught up in the body image drama. And yes, eating disorders can have dire health consequences, and many of us have personally struggled with unrealistic expectations of beauty for much of our lives. But I feel like we haven't done enough to target babies. Babies, I hear, are often content with how they look, even to the point of eating fatty milk whenever they want. Gross!

Well, thank goodness someone is finally addressing this and working to send messages about physical insecurity to our sweet little infants. The 5 Resolutions blog alerted us to the fact that Tesco has this shirt for 3-6 month olds, and it reads, "Does my bum look big in this?" Ha. Ha. Ha. Hey, those diapers are not the most ass-flattering of garments. I guess it might be slightly more amusing if our kids didn't already get so much crap about the importance of size.

Maybe we could also get onesies that say "I hate my legs" and "I know I ought to get to the gym if I'm ever going to lose this gut"? Please?

Teen Girls Smoke Themselves Thin

Madeline Holler — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:23:00 GMT

Smoking and eating: a classic combination. Weird how more of one makes you do less of the other. Teen girls seem to have caught on to this link too (not teen boys though, more on that in a second).

Florida researchers, who wanted to see whether the desire to lose weight played a role in tobacco use among teens, have found an association between dieting and regular smoking. Teen girls in the study who started dieting during the study wound up being regular smokers at almost two times the rate as the girls in the study who didn’t diet at all.

Boys, on the other hand, who began dieting and then stopped, were 1.7 times more likely to start smoking regularly compared to boys who didn’t diet at all.

Cigarettes in the home also increased the likelihood that both girls and boys would stick with smoking too.

What does all this mean? If your daughter mentions dieting, get her to stop, but if your boy mentions dieting, encourage him to skip dessert? Parenting by science sure gets confusing.

Oh, and kudos to the researchers for finding teen girls who weren’t already dieting when the study began.

Skinny B*tch: Why Victoria Beckham Bothers Normal Babes

Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 11:56:00 GMT

Stupid Posh Spice. This time I'm not just saying it because she was in the Spice Girls. I'm also not saying it just because she has a better haircut than I do and she gets to have sex with David Beckham. This time I'm pissed off because she bought a diet book. I know that normally shouldn't matter. I've purchased several diet books, but I am not a size zero. Nor do I have a 23 inch waist.

Here's the thing. The Daily Mail has an article that reports that the paparazzi took a picture of Victoria Beckham buying a book called Skinny Bitch. Beckham, who has previously admitted that she has an eating disorder doesn't look to me like she needs to be dieting.

After the photo was published on the web, the vegan diet book's sales went through the roof. Now, I have no problem with vegans (unless they expect me to try to cook something for them) but I do have a problem with a diet book that berates the reader, who is obviously already feeling bad about herself.

What was I saying? Oh yeah, Posh Spice? Dieting? She has the waist of a seven year old! She is the mother of three! How are her children ever going to learn how to eat healthy. How is my daughter ever going to learn how to feel good about herself at a healthy weight if the people the media obsesses over continue to obsess over their own weight?

Is Breast Milk the Next Diet Fad?

MetroDad — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 22:24:00 GMT

In their infinite wisdom, the folks over at Fox News has published an article discussing how Japanese researchers have discovered that lactoferrin, a protein found in body fluids may cut visceral fat by as much as 40 percent and could help prevent the risks of heart disease and type-2 diabetes. The richest source of lactoferrin? Human breast millk (or colostrum.) Could this be a huge breakthrough in dieting news?

Well, don't start sucking on those lactating breasts so quickly, my friends. What the brainiacs over at Fox News failed to realize was that the only news source publishing the research was a sleazy Japanese adult magazine Asahi Geino! The article about the breat milk diet was probably situated next to a report about used panty vending machines.

Kudos to Fox News for their amazing due diligence! This reminds me of the time when I was at Berkeley and got into a debate with a buddy about the Persian Gulf War and he started spouting some surprising statistics. When I asked him where he had found that illuminating information, he cheerfully replied, "Hustler magazine, dude!"

Families that Eat Healthily Together, Stay Together?

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 18:04:00 GMT

About two weeks ago, my husband and I embarked on the South Beach Diet, the veggie-filled moderated version of the Atkins Diet. Phase 1 involves cutting out all carbohydrates, sugar, and alcohol (aka: Parenting Survival Kit). We've nearly completed this portion and while we both see pasta everywhere, there is some hope that the reduced glycemic index is starting to generate more energy and less nutrition-related exhaustion.

Family meals, usually comprised of some combination of cereal, oatmeal, or scrambled eggs, now include salmon, salad, and (occasionally) a Splenda filled dessert. It isn't easy. Not by a long shot. But we're impressed with how much more energy we have for parenting: the chasing, cleaning, cooking, laundering, and fight-breaking-up that makes up our average day.

The key is how to market these changes to our girls. We don't want them worrying about weight issues, so we explain that we're eating more healthily so they can grow big and strong. Good nutrition for our family has always seemed like a pipe dream. But this little blue book makes us think that if we can do it, anyone can.

My Daughter Says She's Fat: My Daughter is 5

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 17:54:00 GMT

The news is filled with studies reporting that younger and younger girls are worried about being thin. Nevertheless, I was taken aback this morning when my sweet lovely daughter asked me if I thought she was "fat" to which I replied (once I recovered my composure) "Fat isn't a bad thing, honey, it just means you're growing big and strong."

When I heard I was having twin girls 'lo those many moons ago I figured one of my biggest challenges would be to teach them not to be obsessed with cultural messages about their worth measured by their looks. I knew I wanted them to be in sports, and remain free of as many main stream anti-women messages as I could muster. Girls in sports are less likely to drop out of school, more confident about their bodies, and more likely to experience business success.

But there are many elements of their lives I cannot control. They go to their Dad's house every other weekend and their older half sister is 10 going on 20. I wouldn't be surprised if she's already dieting. They head off to Kindergarten next year where they'll be around other kids with varying backgrounds. In other words, it's really only a matter of time before they are inundated with messages about weight and beauty. In the end, the most powerful message I can send my daughters is by being healthy and strong myself and by not participating in the usual self-reproach and diet discussions common around neighborhood kitchen tables everywhere.