CS-Why?

A blogger named Cecily writes a thought-provoking response to an episode of CSI where a "chubby chaser" is smothered to death after having sex with a fat woman:

"So, the guy who died was basically into fat women and was there to pick up and fuck as many as he could. But the more 'enlightened' fat chicks at the convention knew him for what he was--a man who would fuck a fat woman but not hold her hand in public, so they avoided him."

I can't speak to this; I didn't see the episode. But those of you who did might be interested in Cecily's point of view.

Phat Actress

I find it very sad that I don't have Showtime, because the more I read about it, the more desperate I am to watch "Fat Actress." Anyway, the premiere was last week. The one thing that caught my eye the most from this article was this:

"Show co-creator Brenda Hampton admitted that she loads up the on-set craft service table with brownies, homemade cookies and corn dogs. But Alley now steers clear of these hi-cal temptations."

Homemade cookies at craft services? Man, that is just mean.

Mmm. Cookies.

A fun story about a chic Hollywood cookie chef (and plus-size model, of course):

"This month, Dineen is busy cooking dozens of baked goods that will be given away in a pre-Oscars hospitality suite, sponsored by plus-size clothier Lane Bryant, at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Her sugar cookies for this occasion are shaped like a full-figured woman wearing an evening gown. She had to make the cookie cutter herself because in Hollywood, obviously, no such mold exists."

I love how the first celebrity on her list of celebrity cookie clients is Kirstie Alley. Poor Kirstie.

Nobody's Slump-Buster

An article about slump-busters and double standards.

"Consider this gender differentiation: A gorgeous, fit guy who sleeps with an overweight, unattractive woman is 'throwing himself on a grenade' for the team. A gorgeous, fit girl who sleeps with an overweight, unattractive man is lucky to have found romance in 'Sideways' and 'Hitch.'"

On the other hand, I did like the quote that said a woman could be fat or ugly or both. It's always nice to have that razor-thin line drawn that separates "fat" from "ugly."

A Question Of Lunch

More on trying to eat according to the new nutrition guidelines and a bunch of different approaches to the experiment.

"He found it impossible to eat healthily while eating out, but saved money by avoiding 'frou frou restaurant meals.' Lunch was a daily dilemma, and he was forced to 'hit the same vegetable-heavy places repeatedly, rather than the variety I usually revel in.'"

It's a daily dilemma for me as well. There are a lot of food options near where I work but unless I want to eat a salad bar or a Subway sub every single day, I'm stuck. Lately I've been having a lot of Caesar salads. But I don't think they fill me up enough and I feel like they too are "bad." Lean Cuisines are processed, full of sodium, and don't fill me up either. What to do?

Straight Shooting

"[M]ost people overeat because food tastes good, and they fail to exercise because working out isn't fun.... I am not 'blaming the victim' or suggesting people who fail to discipline themselves are somehow weak. I am calling for people to empower themselves by realizing this is one aspect of their lives they can control."

Sometimes you just need to hear some simple truth, I think.

Pass The Gatorade Chocolate Milk

"As for regular hot chocolate and its potential as a health food, consider this: Researchers at the University of Indiana have discovered that chocolate milk is the perfect post-workout beverage... athletes recovered as well after drinking chocolate milk as after drinking Gatorade, apparently because chocolate milk contains the optimum ratio of 1 gram of protein (supplied by the milk) to 3 grams of carbohydrates (supplied by the chocolate)."

Awesome.

Turning Japanese

This may be the weirdest thing I've read today: a Japanese study finds that overweight people brush their teeth less frequently than the non-overweight do.

"The results do not mean that brushing in itself constitutes a fat-burning exercise, the authors say. 'It's a sign that these people are careful about their health -- they want to maintain the appearance of their teeth and prevent bad breath.'"

My first thought is that brushing your teeth is actually a fine way to combat cravings; I brush my teeth in the evenings sometimes for that reason. So maybe this is a good trick. My second thought is, I hope they're not trying to say that fat people have bad breath. Because that's an unfortunate association right there.

Plastic Surgery For Everyone

This columnist takes the pragmatic view that if plastic surgery is going to make us feel better about ourselves, we should all just go ahead and have it.

"There is little point in bemoaning the cult of glamour when we are naturally drawn towards physically attractive people, and inclined to praise and admire friends when they lose weight, get fit, get a flattering haircut or a glowing tan. For women particularly, neglect of looks and appearance is often an indicator of depression."

I've already made an appointment for the Botox clinic, myself.

Maybe The Pilot Will Suck

Really, anything could happen to a script in development. Still, I wonder about this show, just given a green light:

"...the untitled Paula Pell project, written by Pell, centers on a formerly fat woman who struggles as she grows into her new skin while surrounded by her still-overweight family and friends."

It's a comedy, written by an SNL staff writer. It seems sort of high-concept, but there is a definite danger of the Fat Monica thing happening here. And the premise confuses me a little bit-- they're not saying that every single one of her family and friends is fat, right? Does she live in a town called Fatville?

Pap Goes The Erazzi

Discussing candid shots of celebrities. It showed up in my news filter because Kirstie Alley is mentioned as probably the only celebrity who has turned paparazzi fixation on the size of her ass into a career comback.

"Our policy is that we don't run intrusive photos that we think the celebrity would be unhappy to have out there," Wilson says. "So we don't run celebrities without their make-up on, or with their G-strings out, or standing on their balconies scratching their private parts."

Well what fun is that?