Golda Poretsky's Blog, page 11
January 21, 2013
Envision Your Diet-Free Life
One of the many things that I dislike about diets is that they’re so all-consuming.
Personally, I think that dieters need to think and talk about their diets all the time because it’s really not a natural thing to be on a diet. I know that when I stopped dieting 5 years ago, I started noticing that my mind felt less cluttered. It took some time, but it was lovely to have a meal and not think about how many points or calories I was eating. It’s a wonderfully freeing feeling.
In honor of my upcoming talk at The Lose the Diet, Gain Yourself Telesummit, I’m sharing the excerpt below from my book Stop Dieting Now: 25 Reasons To Stop, 25 Ways To Heal. I hope you find it helpful!
So here’s Reason #16: Diets Don’t Let You Think About Anything Other Than Diets.
Diets cause dieters (who are often women) to build their lives around food rather than other things that may really matter to them (relationships, careers, social issues.)
When you’re on a diet, how much time do you spend thinking and talking about dieting? Do you talk to you friends about points, calories, carbs and fat grams? Do you find yourself working out complicated math equations in your head just to decide what to eat?
Now, imagine a world where you talked to your friends about their lives, their dreams, and their desires. Take a moment to think about how much time per day you think about dieting, how much time you take to weigh or measure your food, how much time you spend thinking about fat grams, carbs, calories, points, etc. Add that to how much time you spend worrying about what you ate or what you will eat and whether you’ve gone off your diet or not. How much time per day is that? If you’re like most dieters, you probably spend at least an hour a day, if not more, thinking about, talking about and feeling guilty about your diet.
Click to tweet: “Imagine what you could do with all the time that is taken up by dieting.”
Tip #16: Envision Your Diet-Free Life
If you’re a dieter, imagine what you could do with all the time that is taken up by dieting. You might use it to meditate, to get your work done more efficiently, to spend time enjoying your friends, or to think about causes and concerns that are really meaningful. In other words, imagine spending that time envisioning and creating a better life for yourself—one that doesn’t revolve around diets. Keep envisioning your world without dieting until your reality and your vision become one.
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Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. To learn more about Golda and her work, click here.
(Listen to this post here, or subscribe on itunes.)
Envision Your Diet-Free Life originally appeared on Body Love Wellness (http://www.bodylovewellness.com) on January 21, 2013.
January 14, 2013
This Is Thin Privilege: Why Melissa McCarthy Makes “This Is 40″ Worth Watching
Melissa McCarthy steals the show in “This Is 40″
Those of you who read this blog often know that I’m kind of a comedy nerd. Even though I often find Judd Apatow movies somewhat sexist, I still watch them to see some of my favorite comedic actors doing their thing. And also, I’ve had a thing for Paul Rudd since Clueless, as my pinterest boards can attest.
I had also heard that Melissa McCarthy (whom I adore) had a small, extremely funny role in it, which made me want to see it all the more.
Even though I had heard not such great things about This Is 40, I went to see it this weekend and liked it much more than I expected. But the real standout for me was, not surprisingly, a scene with Melissa McCarthy. I’m putting a MILD SPOILER ALERT here, but only a tiny part of the movie will be spoiled by this discussion.
So, as you probably know, the movie focuses on the lives of Debbie (Leslie Mann) and Pete (Paul Rudd). They have two daughters, 13-year-old Sadie (Maude Apatow) and 8-year-old Charlotte (Iris Apatow). At one point in the movie, Debbie and Pete take away Sadie’s electronics, and they read her iChats or facebook feed or both (I think that’s a minor inconsistency in the movie) and see an argument between Sadie and Joseph (Ryan Lee). Later on, Debbie confronts Joseph at school, saying pretty bizarre and awful stuff and actually making the kid cry. Then Joseph’s mom, Catherine (played by Melissa McCarthy), gets into an argument with Pete at school because she’s angry that Debbie yelled at her kid.
Here’s where things get interesting. Debbie, Pete, and Catherine all get a called into the principal’s office to talk about what happened. In this principal’s office scene, Catherine/Melissa McCarthy starts out telling the absolute truth about what Debbie said to her son. Pete and Debbie admit to nothing, acting calmer than they act in the entire movie, and denying everything that Catherine is saying. The principal (Joanne Baron) seems to take Pete and Debbie’s side right away, even chiding Catherine for her use of offensive language when she’s repeating what Pete and Debbie had said to her and her kid.
This whole scenario makes Catherine angrier and angrier, which vaults her into a hilarious ad hominem attack on Pete and Debbie. She says, “Maybe if I looked more like this fake bullshit couple — it looks like they’re in a bank commercial.” Turning to Debbie and Pete, she says, “That’s what you look like. Like you’re a bullshit bank commercial couple.”
You can see the scene below.
Of course, this is a comedy, and this scene is just a tiny scene. It’s meant to be funny. And, as a viewer, I know I’m supposed to side with Pete and Debbie. They are the protagonists, the characters we’ve been watching all along. I’m supposed to enjoy this as evidence that despite their own relationship issues, they’re banding together against a common enemy, and coming out on top. Yay for Pete and Debbie!
Instead, however, I completely sided with Catherine. I felt her anger. I felt the way she was getting labeled as the unhinged, aggressive mom because she was fat and angry and dealing with an attractive “bullshit bank commercial couple” who were able to act calm because they knew going into it that the principal would probably side with them. It’s essentially a perfect scene about how thin privilege works, and it made me think about a recent study about how fat female defendants are viewed as more likely to be guilty than thin, female defendants.
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Critics have noted that it’s hard to feel bad for Pete and Debbie. Despite the very real financial struggles that get talked about (his record label is going down the tubes, her store is barely breaking even), it doesn’t stop them from having big catered birthday parties, weekend getaways at expensive looking hotels, etc. Similarly, their relationship problems seem mostly self-imposed — if they would stop trying to cut out cupcakes and the occasional cigarette and give each other a break about it, things would be much improved. (We could also talk about how the “fear of fat” part of fat stigma is probably why Debbie is so fixated on Pete’s “cupcake addiction”, but perhaps that’s fodder for another post.)
So, have you seen this movie? Do you intend to? Can you think of another movie where thin privilege is highlighted in this way? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below!
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Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. To learn more about Golda and her work, click here.
(Listen to this post here, or subscribe on itunes.)
This Is Thin Privilege: Why Melissa McCarthy Makes “This Is 40″ Worth Watching originally appeared on Body Love Wellness (http://www.bodylovewellness.com) on January 14, 2013.
January 7, 2013
Ending The War With Your Body
It started even before New Year’s.
The onslaught of ads and messaging telling you that the fun was over. Eating for pleasure, partying, etc. You had done too much. You passed the limit. And now, it’s time to make amends, say your mea culpas, and get your ass to WeightWatchers/JennyCraig/ LucilleRoberts/NutriSystem.
It’s time to stop focusing on fun and pleasure and connection, and start focusing on fighting with yourself. Or is it?
Ending The War Within
I’m going to get to the “War On Obesity” in a moment, but for now I want to chat with you about the war that so many of you are fighting with your bodies every day.
I think it’s time that you and your body get on the same side.
Here’s the thing– there’s a lot of pressure to change your body, to use your will, your mind, to constrain your body, change it, and package it differently.
But the problem is that your body is not on board with all of this change. Your body has its own signals, indicators, processes etc. that have very little to do with what your mind or society wants. And it has no intention of changing.
Why It’s Time To End The War–The Personal
It’s time to end the war with your body because the war does not serve you.
There may have been times in your life where you felt like you were winning the war. You may have lost weight, you may have felt better about your body.
But if victory felt temporary, that’s because it was.
The real victory is peace. The real victory happens when you realize that you and your body are, in every sense of the word, one entity. It’s then that you can start noticing what makes it feel good and really be its ally.
I use the word peace because that’s what this is really about. When you feel more peaceful about your body, you have less stress, you feel happier, you feel better. You’re able to treat your body (yourself) with kindness and compassion. You release shame. You release blame. You feel freer.
Click to tweet:
“It’s time to end the war with your body.”
Why It’s Time To End The War–The Political
Politics are very important to me too, so I understand if you’re looking for a reason outside of yourself to make this change.
It may sound trite to say it, but divided you fall, united you stand.
I say you because if you’re not at peace with your body, it’s very hard to fight the bigger fight. It’s hard to fight the “obesity specialists,” and Biggest Loser supporters, and even the well-meaning folks who think that obesity is the scourge of society.
When you’re good with you, when you’re at peace with the physical form that you’re embodying on this planet, it’s much easier to fight the good fight. And it’s much easier to model another, peaceful way of existing in the world.
Next Steps
Declare a truce, right now, with your body. You may want to do this formally (and with a touch of legalese), feel free to cut and paste the language below, and change it to suit your needs. How do you promise to treat your body, to speak to your body, to engage with your body? Comment below and let me know if you’ve tried it!
This Peace Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made as of the ____ day of ________ 2013, by and between ________________________________________________ (“I”) and my body (“you”).
The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that they have made peace with each other, in accordance with the terms, covenants and conditions hereinafter set forth.
I hereby agree to commit to the following. I will:
(1) Take care of you as best I can;
(2) Love, accept, and appreciate you just as you are;
(3) Never use self-deprecating or mean language to describe you to others or myself;
(4) Adorn you with beautiful, comfortable clothes and shoes;
(5) Make time for laughter, play, and rest;
(6) Move you in pleasurable ways that are appropriate for you; and
(7) Do my best to listen to your messages and signals.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I, the party to be charged, have executed this Agreement as of the date set forth above.
________________________________________________
(Sign here)
(Download this as an image here.)
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Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. To learn more about Golda and her work, click here.
(Listen to this post here, or subscribe on itunes.)
Ending The War With Your Body originally appeared on Body Love Wellness (http://www.bodylovewellness.com) on January 7, 2013.
January 1, 2013
This Week In Awesome: Michael Moore’s HAES® Post, #NotThisYear, And More!
I will be back next week with my usual bloggy-ness, but today I want to let you know about three cool things!
Awesomeness #1: Angela Meadows’s #NotThisYear Project
The wonderful Angela Meadows of Never Diet Again UK (and the HAES® Master Class) has a wonderfully fun and powerful interactive event happening this January. Instead of the typical New Year’s weight loss resolution, she’s asking people to do something creative (or just destructive) with their diet books. I highly recommend trashing your diet books — it’s incredibly freeing!
To learn about the project and see how you can contribute your own video and connect with other folks who refuse to diet this year, check out Angela’s blog post here.
Awesomeness #2: Michael Moore Is Very HAES® Positive!
Last night, Michael Moore posted a rather long Facebook status that included the following:
“My advice: Quit trying to be something you’re not, be happy with the life you’ve been given, and just go for a pleasant walk outside. With me. Wherever you are. Get off the treadmill, stop drinking diet Coke, throw out all the rules. It’s all a scam and it conspires to keep you miserable. If it says “low-fat” or “sugar-free” or “just 100 calories!” throw it out.”
Um, yes. I think it’s awesome that someone with his fan base has come out and said such a thing! You can check out his full status here.
Awesomeness #3: My Free Gift Is Going To Be Available Through Friday!
Get it here. Gifts are awesome!
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Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. To learn more about Golda and her work, click here.
This Week In Awesome: Michael Moore’s HAES® Post, #NotThisYear, And More! originally appeared on Body Love Wellness (http://www.bodylovewellness.com) on January 1, 2013.
December 26, 2012
Free 2012-2013 Transition & Manifestation Book Is Now Available!
The older I get, the more I feel like time is just flying by. Sometimes I feel like there are so many good moments to enjoy and so many difficult ones to learn from and grow from, and yet, I can’t seem to slow down enough to really take stock.
That’s why, over the last few years, I’ve developed a very special New Year’s ritual, that grounds me in acceptance of what is and gives me clarity on what I want going forward.
Because I’m so committed to you getting the benefits of this ritual too, I developed a free, easy-to-follow workbook so that you can do the ritual too. (This is an updated version of the one I shared last year, so feel free to get it again!) This workbook will only be available for free through midnight Eastern on January 2nd, so get yours now!
Here are the basics:
First, I make a gratitude list of all the things I’m grateful for that happened in 2012. It’s my way of digesting the year and remembering the good (and tough situations) that have come my way.
Next, I make desire lists of all the things I want in the coming year. I break this down into specific categories that I share with you in the workbook. This is my way of getting real clarity on my true desires, so that I can enjoy the process of manifesting them.
Then, last but not least, I list my intentions for 2013. These are the things that I’m committed to doing, changing and experiencing in 2013. These are different than the desire lists, and I explain that in the workbook.
This is an extremely powerful process for getting clarity about what you truly want in life and starting the process of manifesting it. So I encourage you to download the workbook now and get started!
I would like a copy of your FREE New Year’s Manifestation Ritual Workbook.
Send me the details at my email address below.
Name:
Email:
Please note, upon registration, you will also receive a complimentary subscription to the Body Love Wellness Newsletter. We will not share, rent or sell your information to any other organization.
Please check your spam folder if you don’t receive a confirmation email.
Feel free to post your comments and let me know what you enjoyed about this process, what you’re grateful for, desiring or intending!
Golda Poretsky, HHC is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight.
Free 2012-2013 Transition & Manifestation Book Is Now Available! originally appeared on Body Love Wellness (http://www.bodylovewellness.com) on December 26, 2012.
December 19, 2012
Chatting With Virgie Tovar, Editor Of Hot & Heavy!
Virgie Tovar is a fierce fatty to be reckoned with. And her new book, Hot & Heavy: Fierce Fat Girls On Life, Love & Fashion, is truly wonderful. If you want to read something that will literally make you laugh, cry, and change your life, get your hands on this one.
I got on the phone with Virgie to talk about getting the book published, public response, and of course, what it was like to be on the Tracy Turnblad Ricki Lake show. Check it out here!
If you liked this interview and/or the dulcet tones of my voice, subscribe to my weekly podcast over at itunes.
Get great body love tips and more when you subscribe:
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Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. To learn more about Golda and her work, click here.
Chatting With Virgie Tovar, Editor Of Hot & Heavy! originally appeared on Body Love Wellness (http://www.bodylovewellness.com) on December 19, 2012.
December 17, 2012
Best Of Body Love 2012
We covered a lot of ground here at the Body Love Wellness blog this year. Just in case you missed some of the best posts on things like fat politics, and body love tips, and dealing with the holidays, I’ve put together this quick recap!
Pop Culture & Fat
This year, we talked fat and formerly fat celebrities, Lady Gaga’s tweets about not eating, and why a media diet is so much better than other diets.
We also started the #stopbiggestloser campaign which so many of you have joined!
Health At Every Size®
I shared some tips on how to get started with HAES®, and pissed off many people by writing that weight loss is not an achievement.
On the intuitive eating front, we talked about 5 steps that help you break up with dieting for good, permission and cravings, why portion control doesn’t work, and we dealt with a frequent problem among former dieters — avoiding food shopping. We also took some pressure off ourselves when it comes to HAES® and body positive advocacy.
And of course, back in September, we held the first HAES® Master Class, which you can still get access to here.
Click here to tweet about
the Best Of Body Love 2012!
Self Love & Acceptance
We talked a lot about self love this year, including posts on embracing your “mistakes”, letting go of “fixing” certain health issues, and letting go of blaming your weight for physical problems and other problems.
We explored why you should let go of weight loss prerequisites when you’re looking to date more, let go of the dream of being thin so that you can enjoy your life right now, and why examining your fears around loving your body is so helpful.
I also shared some tips on how to deal with tough situations like negative comments about your body, compliments that make you feel uncomfortable, comparing yourself to others, feeling judged, feeling uncomfortable about your body during the summer, and dealing with being a non-dieter during the holidays.
Fat Politics
Back in January, we talked about how understanding body diversity meant being on the right side of history and why fat pride is really for everyone. And while women were being kept out of the debate around birth control and healthcare, we noted that women and fat people in general have been kept out of discussions around “obesity.”
We also talked about why we fat people need to stop seeing ourselves as “temporarily embarrassed thin people” if we want to create real fat identity and power. We also broke down why things like soda bans are a bad idea, why healthy is not the new skinny, and why the concept that weight loss is about health is really just a result of marketing and crappy journalism.
Supporting Fat Kids
Early last year, we talked about how you can best support the fat kids in your life (hint: dieting is not the answer)! I also gave some special advice to fat teens. And, of course, there’s our #stopbiggestloser campaign that I mentioned above.
Embracing The Divine Feminine
Last but not least, this year I let you in on some of the specific ways that I combine divine feminine concepts with HAES®, including how to amplify your intuition, eat like a goddess, and why sometimes things that seem “frivolous” are important forms of self care. We also reframed beauty as abundant rather than scarce and still worthwhile of consideration.
Next week, I’m bringing back a favorite holiday gift for you folks… but until then, I hope you’ll enjoy checking out and revisiting these posts!
Get great body love tips and more when you subscribe:
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Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. To learn more about Golda and her work, click here.
(Listen to this post here, or subscribe on itunes.)
Best Of Body Love 2012 originally appeared on Body Love Wellness (http://www.bodylovewellness.com) on December 17, 2012.
December 12, 2012
5 Body Positive Gift Ideas!
A few weeks ago I gave you 5 tips for surviving the holidays as a non-dieting, body positive person.
So this week I’d like to suggest some body positive/ fat positive gifts for the rad fatty in your life!
Body Positive Books– There are so many out there right now, I couldn’t pick just one. Here are a few I think you’ll love:
Fat Ladies In Spaaaaace: A Body Positive Coloring Book — This body positive coloring book is a fabulous gift for kids or adults!
Hot & Heavy: Fierce Fat Girls on Life, Love & Fashion — Features 27 stories from rad fatties. It’s a fun, emotional, juicy ride!
Fat!So?: Because You Don’t Have To Apologize For Size — The gold standard in body positive books, this is a great read for folks who are new to body positivity as well as more seasoned “professional” fatties.
Permission To Curve: Inspiring Poses For Curvy Yogis And Their Teachers – This is a beautiful book for body positive yoga lovers. One version includes video podcasts with the author. Not to be missed!
Stop Dieting Now: 25 Reasons To Stop, 25 Ways To Heal — This is the perfect antidote to the New Year’s weight loss resolutions and a wonderful book for anyone looking to get off the dieting roller coaster. (I know, it may be uncool, I couldn’t leave out my book.)
Yay! Scale — I love these things. It’s really empowering to step on a scale and see that you’re hot, gorgeous, beautiful etc. at any size!
Certain Clothing Store Gift Cards — One of the worst gifts you can give someone is a gift card to a store that doesn’t carry their size. Stores like Kiyonna, Igigi, SWAK Designs and Torrid go up to 5x, which will work for most plus-sized folks, but if you think your giftee may not be in this size range, choose a different gift.
Body Glitter — I love body glitter. It’s may seem completely frivolous, but I believe that body glitter is one of those things that crowds out body hate. Here are two (1 and 2) that I like.
Earrings — One of the most lovely things about loving your body is having fun with adornment. Unlike bracelets, rings and necklaces, earrings are really one size fits all (unless your giftee has gauged or unpierced earlobes). Of course, you can go lots of different ways with earrings, but I’ve been eyeing these on pinterest for a few days now.
I hope you have fun checking out these gifts. Happy Holidays!
Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. To learn more about Golda and her work, click here.
5 Body Positive Gift Ideas! originally appeared on Body Love Wellness (http://www.bodylovewellness.com) on December 12, 2012.
December 10, 2012
The Biggest Loser Is Coming For Your Kids #stopbiggestloser
Original image from Chris Haston/NBC
Why should adults have all the fun of enforced starvation, dehydration, and emotional abuse on national TV?
Finally, The Biggest Loser, NBC’s heinous, fat-hate juggernaut, is adding kids into this mix. Specifically, two 13-year-olds and a 16-year-old who are competing, sort of, in Season 14 of Yelling At Fat People The Biggest Loser.
But don’t worry, The Biggest Loser producers have the kids’ best interest at heart. The kids aren’t really competing. They’re just going to be “mentored.” It sounds like they’re just going to endure the dangerous aspects of the show without weigh-ins or any hope of winning money from it. I guess having the kids compete for money would send the wrong message. You wouldn’t want the kids to think that life is a competition where winning money is the important thing. They should definitely get the message that being thin is the only important thing. Way to go, NBC. Nice work.
Why The Biggest Loser Should Be Stopped
I could probably write a treatise on why The Biggest Loser should be taken off the air. But I’ll share my top 3 reasons why right here.
The Biggest Loser Is Physically And Emotionally Dangerous For the Contestants. Just from watching The Biggest Loser you can glean some things about the way the contestants are treated. (In this one clip alone from Australia Biggest Loser, you can see the emotional and physical duress the contestants are under, and the fact that cannot even open a door to get fresh air.) About two and half years ago, I interviewed Season 3 finalist Kai Hibbard about her experiences on the “ranch.” She talked about how contestants were encouraged and, I would say, brainwashed, into intense dehydration, overexercising (sometimes while injured), and eating disordered behavior.
The Biggest Loser Reinforces The Idea That Thinness, At Any Cost, Is Healthy. Diets don’t work, and that includes extreme diets. You won’t hear about it in the media, because facts don’t sell diets and weight loss drugs. And you also won’t hear about Biggest Loser contestants who gain the weight back, not because it doesn’t happen, but because they sign a huge contract without the benefit of counsel when they sign up for the show, and that contract includes a gag order with million dollar penalties. Even so, a few contestants have admitted to gaining all of the weight back, including Erik Chopin and Ryan C. Benson.
The Biggest Loser Bolsters Fat Hatred And Stigma. More and more evidence is suggesting that the real danger of obesity has nothing to do with fat, and everything to do with the stigma of being fat. For 14 seasons in the US (and multiple seasons in over 20 countries around the world) The Biggest Loser has been reinforcing the stereotype that fat people are lazy and unhealthy and deserve to be berated, forced to exercise in pain and with injuries, and malnourished all for the sake of weight loss and entertainment. Millions of people watch this show every week and internalize this message. The show, in essence, makes “bullying for health” a viable and particularly dangerous concept, especially given the fact that fat kids are the most likely to get bullied.
Why Biggest Loser Is Particularly Terrible For Young People
Despite what you’ve heard about the epic dangers of the childhood obesity epidemic, there is no epidemic (obesity rates have leveled out over the last 10 years). There is no evidence to the claim that children will no longer outlive their parents. In fact, life expectancy continues to increase.
Original image from Chris Haston/NBC
Just like with adults, every attempt to make fat kids thin has failed in the long run. All that dieting does is set these kids up for a lifetime of weight cycling, poor self esteem, and potential negative impacts to their cardiovascular and metabolic health. And it teaches them the sad reality that acceptance from adults means changing their bodies by drastic and dangerous means.
Plus, as I mentioned above, the show legitimates fat bullying, and now it’s looking to further legitimate fat kid bullying.
What fat kids really need is unconditional love, respect, appreciation, safe places to play and nutritious food. Just like thin kids. Just like all kids.
What You Can Do To Stop Biggest Loser
I’ve thought about the various ways to go about this, including creating email campaigns and petitions. I like both of those ideas, and if you’re reading this and want to start one up, please email me and I’ll be glad to promote it.
But I really like the quick and dirty aspect of a twitter campaign. So I’m starting the #stopbiggestloser campaign on twitter.
To make things really easy, you can just click on your favorite tweet below, and it will open in twitter and post to twitter once you approve it. You’re also welcome, of course, to tweet whatever you want. Just be sure to use the #stopbiggestloser hashtag, and it doesn’t hurt to direct your tweets to @NBC and/or @biggestlosernbc.
Click to tweet: “@NBC @biggestlosernbc
Stop profiting from stigma and starvation. #stopbiggestloser”
Click to tweet: “@NBC @biggestlosernbc
Starvation and shaming is not health. #stopbiggestloser”
Click to tweet: “@NBC @biggestlosernbc
Stop starving kids
for profit. #stopbiggestloser”
Click to tweet:
“@NBC @biggestlosernbc
Abuse ≠ entertainment. #stopbiggestloser”
Feel free to comment below and let us know what you tweeted!
Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. To learn more about Golda and her work, click here.
The Biggest Loser Is Coming For Your Kids #stopbiggestloser originally appeared on Body Love Wellness (http://www.bodylovewellness.com) on December 10, 2012.
December 9, 2012
The Biggest Loser Is Coming For Your Kids #stopbiggestloser
by Golda Poretsky, H.H.C.
www.bodylovewellness.com
Why should adults have all the fun of enforced starvation, dehydration, and emotional abuse on national TV?
Finally, The Biggest Loser, NBC’s heinous, fat-hate juggernaut, is adding kids into this mix. Specifically, two 13-year-olds and a 16-year-old who are competing, sort of, in Season 14 of Yelling At Fat People The Biggest Loser.
But don’t worry, The Biggest Loser producers have the kids’ best interest at heart. The kids aren’t really competing. They’re just going to be “mentored.” It sounds like they’re just going to endure the dangerous aspects of the show without weigh-ins or any hope of winning money from it. I guess having the kids compete for money would send the wrong message. You wouldn’t want the kids to think that life is a competition where winning money is the important thing. They should definitely get the message that being thin is the only important thing. Way to go, NBC. Nice work.
Why The Biggest Loser Should Be Stopped
I could probably write a treatise on why The Biggest Loser should be taken off the air. But I’ll share my top 3 reasons why right here.
Why Biggest Loser Is Particularly Terrible For Young People
Despite what you’ve heard about the epic dangers of the childhood obesity epidemic, there is no epidemic (obesity rates have leveled out over the last 10 years). There is no evidence to the claim that children will no longer outlive their parents. In fact, life expectancy continues to increase.
Just like with adults, every attempt to make fat kids thin has failed in the long run. All that dieting does is set these kids up for a lifetime of weight cycling, poor self esteem, and potential negative impacts to their cardiovascular and metabolic health. And it teaches them the sad reality that acceptance from adults means changing their bodies by drastic and dangerous means.
Plus, as I mentioned above, the show legitimates fat bullying, and now it’s looking to further legitimate fat kid bullying.
What fat kids really need is unconditional love, respect, appreciation, safe places to play and nutritious food. Just like thin kids. Just like all kids.
What You Can Do To Stop Biggest Loser
I’ve thought about the various ways to go about this, including creating email campaigns and petitions. I like both of those ideas, and if you’re reading this and want to start one up, please email me and I’ll be glad to promote it.
But I really like the quick and dirty aspect of a twitter campaign. So I’m starting the #stopbiggestloser campaign on twitter.
To make things really easy, you can just click on your favorite tweet below, and it will open in twitter and post to twitter once you approve it. You’re also welcome, of course, to tweet whatever you want. Just be sure to use the #stopbiggestloser hashtag, and it doesn’t hurt to direct your tweets to @NBC and/or @biggestlosernbc.
Stop profiting from stigma and starvation. #stopbiggestloser” Click to tweet: “@NBC @biggestlosernbc
Starvation and shaming is not health. #stopbiggestloser” Click to tweet: “@NBC @biggestlosernbc
Stop starving kids
for profit. #stopbiggestloser” Click to tweet:
“@NBC @biggestlosernbc
Abuse ≠ entertainment. #stopbiggestloser”
Feel free to comment below and let us know what you tweeted!
UPDATE: Ragen Chastain & Jeanette DePatie have started a petition! Please go here and sign it: https://www.change.org/petitions/keep....
Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. To learn more about Golda and her work, click here.
Follow Me! Hi From Golda! Search Search“I scheduled a session with Golda because I thought she could really help me explore my body issues and learn to love myself how I am. I anticipated spending some time talking about my current body image and some past experiences that have affected it, as well as my goals for the future. Golda helped me map out what my ideas were for how I would like to see myself and treat my body. It was nice using her methods to imagine my future self-image and get some ideas on how to take small steps toward my goals. Anyone who has dreams of having a positive body image, a healthy relationship with food an…”
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