Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

The most recent Life & Style Magazine has an article about Nutrition53. The founder said that his weight loss shakes are used by Angelina Jolie, Sarah Palin and Britney Spears, taking credit for their latest losses. I find that hard to believe considering what Britney said to Fox News not too long ago:

• FOXNews.com – Britney Spears Gives Up Sugar … Including Frappuccinos

“My diet has a lot to do with my getting into shape. I have no sugar. I don’t eat fruit or even fruit juice because of the sugar. I eat chicken and salmon and rice. I eat avocados. I’ll have egg whites for breakfast and sometimes turkey burgers for lunch. I try to do just 1,200 calories a day. It may sound like it’s not much, but it’s actually a lot of food if you eat the right things,” she tells the magazine.

Angelina Jolie? According to sources her diet is organic and surprisingly shake free:

• Angelina Jolie’s Organic Diet: TreeHugger

Angelina’s menu includes “organic salmon with tomatoes, brown bread and herbs for breakfast, while mackerel or grilled fresh tuna with watercress, spinach tomatoes is typical for lunch or dinner.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, not even Sarah Palin drinks his shakes:

• Gov. Sarah Palin: Midnight runs and caribou dinners – WSJ.com

“My family and I eat a healthy diet heavy in wild Alaskan seafood, moose, caribou and fresh fruit,” she says. “I guess my biggest pitfall is breakfast. I know it’s the most important meal of the day but I still haven’t bought into it. I hate to admit it, but a skinny white-chocolate mocha is my staple in the morning.”

Skinny white-chocolate mocha ISN’T one of the shake flavors for Nutrition53. In fact, the entire Life & Style article looks like a paid advertisement to me. I had to check the top and bottom of the pages to make sure it wasn’t.

Next time you’re waiting in line at the checkout counters and the magazines promise you that weight loss is easy with a miracle product, just pass them by.

1984 was one of those strange times when being too skinny was still a problem. Now, too skinny means anorexic in the fashion industry and even though they pretend to think that’s bad, they would NEVER advertise a product to rectify that “problem.”

So, this ad for Wate-On is a strange thing to see now. The ad reads:

TOO SKINNY? NOW HAVE THE BODY YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED

Skinny because you don’t eat right? Let WATE-ON help fill out, shape your entire body. WATE-ON has extra calories under weights need plus vitamins, minerals and energy nutrients. Users report gains of 5-10-15 pounds and more. Try WATE-ON or extra strength Super WATE-ON in liquid, tablets or tonic or shake forms. At drug stores everywhere. For a free guide to successful weight-gaining, write.

Here are some other ads for Wate-On:

• TGLOB: WATE-ON, Regular or Super
• Wate-On! on Flickr – Photo Sharing!
• Too Skinny? Try Wate-On | YepYep
• PCL LinkDump: Wate-On!
• Donna Lethal » It’s Diet Time
• dustysevens: sorry for laughing

Until recently it was actually still available:

• ZUCKERMAN PHARMACY: Super Wate-On Liquid Strawberry – 16 Oz
• Med Shop Express: Wate-On Liquid Regular Strawberry – 16 OZ

Based on its ingredients, it looks like an expensive version of Ensure.

Active Ingredients: Per 2 Tablespoons (30 mL): Total Fat (Saturated Fat 2.5g) 15g; Sodium 10 mg; Total Carbohydrate (Sugar 2g) 5g; Vitamin A 2000 IU; Vitamin C 20 mg; Vitamin D 200 IU; Vitamin E 15 IU; Thiamin 0.75 mg; Riboflavin 0.51 mg; Niacin 10 mg; Vitamin B6 1 mg; Vitamin B12 3 mcg; Biotin 0.015 mg; Pantothenic Acid 5 mg; Iron 9 mg; Zinc 7 mg; Copper 1 mg.
Inactive Ingredients: Hydrogenated Stabilized Soybean Oil; Water; Sugar; Propylene Glycol; Polyoxyethylene 20 Sorbitan Monolaurate; Sorbitan Monostearate; Xanthan Gum; Methyl Paraben; Sorbic Acid; Artificial Flavoring; Propyl Paraben; Ferric Citrate; Niacinamide; Panthenol; Pyridoxine Hydrochloride; Riboflavin 5 Phosphate; Thiamin Hydrochloride; Calciferol; Vitamin A Palmitate; Ascorbic Acid; dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate; Biotin FFC; Copper Sulfate; Zinc Oxide; Artificial Color; Butylated Hydroxytoluene; Cyanocobalamin.

The common thread to all of the advertisements are women with big breasts. I wonder if being “too skinny” is just a euphemism for being flat-chested. There are companies out there trying to take your money to make you thinner and others waiting to take your money when you get too skinny. Don’t let yourself be tempted by their promises.

While I was perusing the old Seventeen Magazines at the library, I found this advertisement:

It reads:

It Feels Good To Be Thin Only $2

SPECIAL TEEN DIET

Designed for you – the young and lovable teen. Lose up to 8 pounds a week, usually without hunger. No pills or special devices. Simple program includes teen diet, menus, exercises, vitamin and progress charts. Don’t delay! 30 day MONEY BACK GUARANTEE if not satisfied. You have nothing to lose but ugly pounds! Enclose $2 today.

The address on the ad is merely a house in Van Nuys, California, and I’m sure that house was there back in 1984.

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What happened to 20th Century Int’l, Inc.? Was it just some guy in a house sending out diets to desperate teens all over the country? Heck, I’M just some girl in a house writing about health and fitness.

I just can’t stop thinking about this “special teen diet” because I looked at the ad SO MANY TIMES when I was a desperate teenager. I obsessed over the picture of that girl every month. I resisted the temptation to send my two dollars. Back then, minimum wage was $3.35, so two bucks was almost an hour’s worth of work. I wanted to look like her so much, but I had no hope that some tiny ad in the back of Seventeen Magazine would make me skinny.

Even now, I’m wondering where that girl is. What does she look like now? If she was fifteen in 1983, she would be forty years old now. Is she still the epitome of the “young and lovable teen”? Where is the “It Feels Good To Be Thin” Girl now?

Did any of you ever send away for this diet? Was it as much of a rip-off as my teenaged-mind said it was?

I am coming down off a Seventeen Magazine binge. I went to the library and scanned a bunch of things that have become one with my mind. One of them is Dr. Scholls Sandals. This is the advertisement I found:

The ad reads:

Dr. Scholl’s Exercise Sandals. The more you wear them, the more your legs say “look”.

The one and only Dr. Scholl’s Exercise Sandals can make legs go from all right to dynamite. They’re smooth real wood – with the toe grip that makes toes grab on. And the more they grab on, the more your leg muscles flex up… shape up – lean and beautiful. So slip into the comfort of contoured wood. Soft, cushioned leather. It’s the comfortable way to walk your legs pretty.

Dr. Scholl’s Fitness Begins With Healthier Feet

My grandma wore Dr. Scholl’s sandals for YEARS thinking that they would give her great gams. They never did. In fact, they turned out to be mostly uncomfortable shoes. She faithfully wore them without any effect on the appearance of her legs or increase in fitness.

I’m sure you’re nodding your head and agreeing with me. Silly people from the 70’s and 80’s believed anything. Unfortunately, these sorts of things STILL go on. The latest are Yoga Sandals. Here are the claims from their website:

“Spread your toes” is a favorite yoga teacher mantra for a reason. Separating your toes improves your balance, flexibility and alignment. Worn around the house or on errands, our EVA microfiber sandals retrain your feet to do just that while also helping to relieve painful foot conditions.

The four thongs insure the sandal will not slide around on the foot or be accidentally kicked off with sudden movement, and the support of the heel protects your arch while the slope provides ambulatory stability. With each toe gently separated, there is a natural alignment of the foot bones and muscles, aiding posture and balance. In yoga training, there is an emphasis on separating the toes in the standing postures to improve the sense of grounding and balance, and these sandals re-train the toes to do just that, while exercising the foot muscles.

Will you get a yoga workout by walking around in these sandals? No. In fact, the only thing they seem good for is getting a pedicure.

And then there are the Fit Flops.

They claimed:

Every step you take in the FitFlop helps tone and trim your legs. The FitFlop’s uniquely built multi-density midsole activates muscles midstep to help tone your thighs, your calves and your glutes. In fact, FitFlops are biomechanically engineered to absorb shock, lessen joint strain, and recreate the gait of barefoot walking – but with a powerful new built-in micro-wobbleboard workout-enhancing effect.

For years, shoe manufacturers have been promising that their shoes can make your legs look better. Promises that can only be achieved with healthy diet and exercise. If you go for a walk every day in a pair of shoes, it’s the WALKING that makes you fit, not the shoes. Don’t be fooled by their promises.

You know we live in a strange world when a plastic surgeon gets headline news in the New York Times by discouraging cosmetic surgery.

• A Plastic Surgeon Who Sometimes Discourages Cosmetic Surgery – NYTimes.com

“Some people think liposuction and tummy tucks are alternatives to diet and exercise,” Dr. Pitman said. “They are not.”

Why is it so surprising that a doctor might suggest that plastic surgery might not be the answer? We have been lied to for so long that when a doctor FINALLY does tell the truth, it makes headline news.

Don’t let the prevailing thoughts guide you. Surgery, whether it’s cosmetic or bariatric, is not the answer.

Here is what the doctor suggests instead:

• Resistance exercises: “You will look better because your posture is better.”
• Aerobic exercise: “When you do aerobic exercise, you release endorphins,” Dr. Pitman said. “You feel better, so you look better.”
• Get More Sleep: “If you have dark circles and bags under your eyes, maybe you are not getting enough sleep.” His prescription: eight hours a night.
• Get A Makeover: Update your hairstyle, makeup or wardrobe.
• Avoid Sun Exposure: Stay out of the sun to protect the skin.

It’s all very simple advice to take. Don’t be tempted to go under the knife.

Via: Forget Cosmetic Surgery: Change Your Lifestyle Instead

I saw this t-shirt online. It reads:

Love is 100% Fat Free

I thought it was a great sentiment. I can indulge in all the love I want from friends and family and it won’t put a pound on my body. I can have all the love I want without gaining any weight.

When I clicked on the link to the site that was promoting this shirt, however, it was a pro-ana site. Pro-ana sites are websites that promote anorexia. The whole meaning of the t-shirt changed for me. It suddenly meant that I could only be loved if I were 100% fat free. It made me instantly sad.

What do you think this shirt means? Does it mean that you can indulge in as much loving affection without impacting your waistline? Does it mean that you are unworthy of love until you are fat free? I can’t think of this shirt without thinking about the latter meaning, now. They’ve ruined it for me.

This postcard from PostSecret reminded me of one of my biggest worries:

It reads:

I feel alone and lonely. I run marathons with my name on my arm so I can hear the people say my name and cheer me on. How sad is that?

The truth is, I always think that if I were thin and physically fit, that I would never be lonely again. People would automatically be drawn to me just because I’m skinny instead of fat. This postcard makes me think that I might not be correct in that assumption.

PostSecret‘s beneficiary is the National Hopeline Network. It is a 24-hour hotline (1 (800) SUICIDE) for anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who is considering it.

This postcard from PostSecret says EVERYTHING about someone who says they love you one minute and tells you you’re fat the next:

It reads:

My whole life, you told me I was fat. I had surgery to become thin.

Now I’m skinny. And you’re still an asshole.

This exact same thing happened to me (except the surgery part, I lost the weight on my own). The first time I tried Weight Watchers, I lost almost 75 pounds. I wasn’t to goal yet, but I looked world’s better than before.

I’ve made no secret that my grandparents starved me every summer in Billings. On one particularly dark night, I was feeling down. I felt like my grandpa never was proud of me. Mike told me that it wasn’t true and told me to call him and talk to him.

In tears, I called him and asked, “Are you proud of me? Are you proud of anything I’ve done?”

He answered, “Well, you really need to get your weight under control.”

No mention of the college degree. No mention of the prestigious job. No mention of the recent weight loss.

He died last year and right up to the end he was that kind of person. My mistake was ever trying to please him in the first place. Don’t get me wrong. That doesn’t mean I don’t love him. Whenever I tried to get any positive reinforcement from him, however, I always came away feeling worse than before.

In the end, I need to eat healthy and exercise for ME. Not for anyone else.

PostSecret‘s beneficiary is the National Hopeline Network. It is a 24-hour hotline (1 (800) SUICIDE) for anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who is considering it.

A child in Great Britain has been taken away from her parents because she is too fat:

• Obese girl taken into care because of her weight – Times Online

An eight-year-old girl has been taken from her parents and put into care because she is seriously overweight.

The girl, who is 5ft (1.52m) tall, is a size 16 — six sizes bigger than the average for her age. She has suffered several health problems associated with her weight. But her parents, from West Cumbria, say that they are devastated, and that her size is due to a medical problem or genetics, not a poor diet.

Tam Fry, a member of the National Obesity Forum’s board in Great Britain says that all obese children should be removed from their homes:

• Take obese children into care, says health expert – Telegraph

My point will be that we regard malnourished children as being abused and so with those children who are so overweight, either consciously or by neglect because their parents allow it, there should be a case for them being removed from their parents to a paediatric ward and put under weight management by doctors.

It is drastic but it’s a long-term therapy. For the sake of the children it does need to be done because we have got children who are horrendously fat. In many cases it will mean thinking the unthinkable.

With the “unthinkable” being ordering gastric bypass surgery for children who are overweight, forcing them to subsist on tiny portions of pureed food.

Is an overweight child a symptom of neglect? I don’t know. All I know is that I was one of those children forced into a dieting plan at a very young age. Everything that they did to me made things worse and started a bingeing problem that has lasted with me until this day. I struggle every day to eat wisely and what I was put through as a child made matters FAR worse than if I had been left alone.

Children learn to eat by watching their parents and siblings eat. If you have a child who is overweight and want to help them get healthy, the only way that you can positively affect them is by concentrating on yourself. Make sure you set a good example by eating small portions of healthy food. Never starve your child in an effort to get them slim. In the end, they’ll end up fatter than before. I sure did.

Via: Rudd Sound Bites: “Frisked for Chocolate and Fizzy Drinks”

I want to have a conversation with the writer of this postcard from PostSecret.

It reads:

I eat all the ice cream so my kids don’t end up fat like me.

I don’t know how well that method might work. I DO know that my dad used to have binges. He would eat all the food in the house in the evening and come morning, we’d be hard pressed to find anything for breakfast. I learned to eat as much as I could when we had food just so I would get my share of it.

Is that the lesson that you were trying to teach your kids by eating all the ice cream?

PostSecret‘s beneficiary is the National Hopeline Network. It is a 24-hour hotline (1 (800) SUICIDE) for anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who is considering it.