Danny lost an amazing 239 pounds (weighing in at 191) to claim the top spot tonight...more to follow!
55.58%
Danny lost an amazing 239 pounds (weighing in at 191) to claim the top spot tonight...more to follow!
55.58%
Posted at 10:34 PM in As seen on..., Television | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
Technorati Tags: biggest loser danny, biggest loser finale, biggest loser winner, who won the biggest loser
Posted at 02:16 PM in As seen on..., Body Image, Celebrities, Current Affairs, SOUND-OFF! | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Technorati Tags: Lizzie Miller, Model shows tummy, plus size model and body image
Here's a blog post Nia Vardalos wrote for AC360 on CNN. It is perhaps one of the best things I've ever read about body image and health. I think I'm in love with Nia Vardalos! She rocks--I love her confidence in herself, her sense of humor and that she doesn't think it's a big deal that she lost weight. People magazine bikini shoot--no! It was about her health, not how she felt in her skin. I suspect Ms. Vardalos felt just as sexy before as she does now. Her view of her body before is refeshing and sadly unexpected in a world where the Teenage Witch uses cruel terms to describe her post-partum fuller figure and a Ghost Whisperer yells and screams about how dare the media criticize her size 2 figure, only to drop 20 lbs and pay for do a major publicity tour about her 'new fabulous figure' and how much better she feels about her body. Nia Vardalos never apologized for her body before and she isn't trashing it now~and to me that makes her a hero of sorts! Way to go girlfriend~if I'm ever lucky enough to meet you I'm totally buying you a diet coke drink!!!
Editor’s Note: Nia Vardalos is the star and writer of the 2002 smash hit, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” Her new film, “My Life in Ruins,” is in theaters now.
Nia Vardalos
Actress/Writer/Director
It’s just weight. Just 40 pounds of fat now gone from my body, but wow, it’s pretty much all I get asked about. In the last year, I got to star in a movie, wrote and directed my next one, and adopted a three year old from American Foster Care. But guess what I’m asked…how did I lose the weight?
I am embarrassed to be in the position of answering questions about my body again. On the publicity tour of ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ I was asked over and over again, if, as the writer, I felt it was a fair depiction of real life to have someone of my er, below average looks, hook up with hottie John Corbett.
It’s been years, and I have sat through many a movie like Sideways, where nobody blinks an eye when Paul Giamatti gets together with gorgeous Virginia Madsen. And, then ‘Knocked Up’….well, the visual of Seth Rogan on top of Katherine Heigl made me put the popcorn down and reach for my purse. Not because I was grossed out but because I knew the film was about to stop and Ashton Kutcher would now jump out and go “aha, you’ve been punked, that would never happen.” I waited. But no Ashton. The film went on. And many a reviewer, who probably look like sweet Seth (yes even the women) gave it a thumbs up.
Yes, there’s a double standard for women. Whatever. Yawn, we all know it, perpetuate it – we make it worse every time we buy a magazine showing “Stars with Cellulite.” And women, we do buy those magazines. Yes, we do. No, not just at the airport – you have a subscription, admit it. So do I.
So, it’s our fault. Let’s accept it and move on. Socially, the issue of men’s weight is simply not a big deal. Let’s face it: Russell Crowe is fat and no one ever talks about it. Alec Baldwin just orders his suits a size bigger and we continue to swoon.
So, what exactly is up with my weight loss? I get hit with this awkward question daily and have answered it in press interviews, at the grocery store, at the newspaper stand. Why? Because I see their anxious, open faces needing the secret, the new pill, the cure, anything. Just please share the secret. So I hesitantly answer and am always met with the same response: the glaze-eye slack-jawed face.
Because they don’t want to hear the truth: I had a blood sugar problem so my Doctor ordered me to lose weight, it was really hard but I did it through diet, exercise and it took a year.
This is when the boredom sets in on the querying person. I might as well just shove an Ambien up their nostril. The gleam in their eye fades and they get sleepy.
No one wants to hear the facts about weight loss. It’s simple. Take that bag of Doritos and throw it as far as you can. Now chase after it. Pick it up, do it again.
Or don’t. You don’t have to lose weight, unless like me, it becomes an issue of health. I thought I was attractive when I shot ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding.’ Studio executives and movie reviewers let me know I had a confidence in my looks that was not shared by them. In other words: they labeled me with words like, overweight, unattractive, unappealing. Hey, just say fat. I love the word fat. I used it in the title. It’s actually not a naughty word. We give it a power it actually doesn’t have. So, you’re fat. Big deal.
If now, I have a sudden validity because I look different on the red carpet, check out my Before pics on my Twitter. (@NiaVardalos) I am showing what happens before Team Miracle comes over in the Hazmat suits and works on me for a few hours. Anyone can look like they make me look. That’s why most malls offer a Glamour Shots booth.
I am just telling you the truth.
Here’s another fact: A studio executive recently asked me to change a male lead in a script to female because “women don’t go to movies.” He went on to explain some studios were no longer making female-lead movies because women don’t go to them.
Wow. I pointed out ‘Sex And The City,’ ‘Mamma Mia,’ and ‘Obsessed,’ and he called them “flukes.”
He shrugged and explained he was just telling me the truth.
I wonder, is this the truth? Do we support female films? My film is out now and Sandra Bullock’s film ‘The Proposal’ opens soon. (Gasp, is she talking about a rival studio’s movie?) Yeah, I am. See it. See us both (just see us first, we’re low budget.)
So, I ask, can we tell that studio executive the truth? That women do go to the movies. Can we speak up with our wallets? Or did you doze off?
Posted at 01:39 PM in As seen on..., Body Image, Celebrities, Current Affairs, Film, Self Esteem | Permalink | Comments (30) | TrackBack (0)
Technorati Tags: Nia Vardalos body image, Nia Vardalos confidence, Nia Vardalos loses weight, Nia Vardalos loves her body now and then, Nia Vardalos self esteem, Nia Vardaolos weight
After the fiasco that was last season (the 'V' word, the mean spirit, the hate, the outrage...) I can't believe how this season has rebounded!
Less drama...more inspiration & may I say many, many more tears.
You actually like these people...you actually are rooting for these people--all of them!
Let's quickly mention just a few of the endearing things that have happened this season:
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU BIGGEST LOSER FOR BRINGING BACK MY FAITH IN THIS SHOW!!!!
Posted at 11:32 PM in As seen on..., Television | Permalink | Comments (27) | TrackBack (0)
Technorati Tags: best biggest loser ever, best seaon of the biggest loser, biggest loser aubrey, biggest loser blaine, biggest loser kathy, biggest loser mandi, biggest loser mike, biggest loser ron, biggest loser sione, biggest loser tara, bob the trainer, the biggest loser
Posted at 07:51 AM in As seen on..., Body Image, Celebrities, Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (31) | TrackBack (0)
Technorati Tags: fat ass, Jennifer Love-Hewitt, Meghan McCain, Meghan McCain: kiss my fat ass, plus-sized Meghan McCain, Tyra Banks, Vogue
In this CNN article Nutrition Specialist Dr. Malina Jampolis gives some solid advice to a mom who's concerned about her 4'6", 105 pound daughter.
If you've read my blog before you know how important this issue is to me. I was not overweight as a child, but I wasn't super-skinny either. After I stopped playing college sports I became overweight and soon obese. I struggled with my relationship with my parents when we discussed my weight. I blamed them for being cruel. Now, as a mom myself, I see how complicated that relationship is and I realize they just wanted the best for me. Their reaction to my weight was more about their own concerns and less about me (as my reaction was very much childlike and reactionary).
I worry if my own children have a weight issue how will I react. I also worry that being 'too supportive' will give a child carte blache to continue in their unhealthy lifestyle. I like Dr. J's advise to this mom. If you have a child who is struggling, check it out!
Posted at 12:40 PM in As seen on..., Body Image, CHILDHOOD OBESITY | Permalink | Comments (41) | TrackBack (0)
Technorati Tags: childhood obesity, parent-child relationship and weight
It seems the newest craze is women wanting to have arms like Michelle Obama. And why not...have you checked out those gun?! She rocks the sleveless dress! So...what excuse do the rest of us have? Here's a 44 year old, with 2 kids & tons of responsibilities as the First Lady. Time to beef up the bi-cep/ tri-cep routine!
Check out this CNN link for more information, ideas and motivation!
Posted at 08:06 PM in As seen on..., Celebrities, Clothing & Fashion, Current Affairs, Fitness Tips | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Technorati Tags: michelle obama arms, michelle obama fitness
Posted at 12:49 PM in As seen on..., Current Affairs, Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Posted at 01:37 PM in As seen on..., Body Image, Celebrities, Current Affairs, Getting Started, Health Issues, Motivation/ Inspiration, Television | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Technorati Tags: oprah, oprah acknowleges weight gain, oprah and her weight, oprah gains weight, oprah tips the scales at 200, oprah vows to get healthy, opray weights 200 pounds
In a recent AP article the Victoria's Secret's models they spill the beans...they workout at a higher level before the big televised fashion show. Big surprise. I love how the author perpetuates/insinuates the stereotype of models never exercising.
Maybe it's en vogue in the modeling industry to just have a preternaturally perfect body and never diet or exercise...but that is not the reality for 99.99% of the world. I have seen a lot of naked women in my life (do not read into that statement! anyone who belongs to a gym or played a sport in college grows accustom to changing/showering in front of other women) and have yet to see a 'perfect body' on someone who didn't watch their diet or exercise a lot. I remember a girl in college who lived on our floor...one day I commented to a mutual friend about how I wished I had her thighs, she pointed out that friend A never worked out and while the thighs looked good standing still she had little muscle definition and actually had quite a bit of cellulite/fat that surfaced when she walked.
What's my point...I guess I wish there were more models who were a size size 10, 8 or even 6 (remember the 'plus-size' model who won America's Next Top Model who was only a size 8, a size 8! PLEASE!). I wish fashion models were the picture of health: muscles, strong running legs, curves...and not just a glorified clothing hanger. I wish the fashion/modeling industry would give the boot to anorexics, smokers, and underweight models in an effort to help our teenage girls have a more realistic expectation of what a normal adult body should be.
Because here's the thing. I really believe this. When you have such an unrealistic expectation of women that we should all be a size 0, 2 or 4 to be considered 'beautiful/hot/fit, ____(insert term)' then we actually as a society fuel the 'fat acceptance industry'. Hear me out here. If the standard of beauty accepted by the modeling and fashion industry is not attainable by 90+% of girls then these girls are going to do one of three things:
Number 1 has been talked about ad nauseum, but number 3, has anyone made the connection? Sure uber-skinny bitchy bloggers hate the 'fat girl bloggers'. But has anyone wondered why as a society we are simply much chubbier? Is it because we no longer has a model of what should be normal? And when we do have a 'normal' body (ie. Jennifer Love Hewitt before the slim-down, Mariah Carey before the slim-down, Sara Rue (from 'Less Than Perfect'--she's a size 8), America Ferrera ('Ugly Betty'--they had the audacity to call her 'plus-sized'--she's maybe a size 6), Raven Simone, Lindsay Lohan before the cocaine habit (remember how great she looked in 'Mean Girls' then her crazy mother said she 'lost her baby fat'--maybe she needed get a normal mother, one that doesn't support her partying lifestyle!), Jennifer Coolidge (ie. Stiffler's mom from 'American Pie'), Tyra Banks--what does the media do? Splashed all over the tabloids FAT-FAT-FAT. Meanwhile American women are saying: WHAT-WHAT-WHAT? If she's a 6 or an 8 and fat...then what am I at a 10-12-14??? Why should I bother getting down to her size if I'm still 'fat'?
The standard is ridiculous. And I know I'll be writing about it again...because somebody with a perfectly normal/healthy body will be called fat. And our minds will again be skewed.
PLEASE--SOMEBODY: Give us a normal/healthy model. Someone who eats healthy/works out/ has a BMI in the normal (not borderline too skinny) range. PLEASE!!!!!!
Here's a Tyra Banks video where she takes on the 'fat' comments head-on--YOU GO GIRL!!!
Posted at 08:44 AM in As seen on..., Body Image, Celebrities, Current Affairs, Film | Permalink | Comments (21) | TrackBack (0)
Technorati Tags: America Ferrera fat, America Ferrera normal size, fashion industry creates unrealistic expectation, fashion industry to blame for fat girls, fat models, in shape models, Jennifer Coolidge fat, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jennifer Love Hewitt normal size, Lindsay Lohan fat, Lindsay Lohan normal size, Mariah Carey fat, Mariah Carey normal size, modeling industry creates unrealistic expectation, no normal models, Raven Simone fat, Raven Simone normal size, Sara Rue fat, Sara Rue normal size, skinny models, Tyra Banks fat, Tyra Banks normal size, Tyra Banks video, Victoria Secret models workout



Recent Comments