French Women Do Get Fat

An interesting comparison of two books: French Women Don't Get Fat and the exercise in one-upmanship, Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat. A lot of the principles are sound, such as eating more slowly, eating until you're only 80% full, enjoying food instead of eating fast food, etc. And the article also has some interesting statistics. But I was perhaps most intrigued by the story of an upcoming film starring an overweight French actress, Marilou Berry.

"Unlike Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones's Diary, Berry did not have to put on any weight to act in the film in which she plays an obese girl who struggles with her self-esteem. In a portrayal that will ring true to anyone who has struggled with their own weight, her size makes her almost invisible to most of her fellow citizens. Those who do notice her pity her."

Finally they hired an overweight actress to play the role of an overweight girl! It's very exciting.

And speaking of exciting, Happy New Year from Big Fat Deal! Hope it's a joyful and healthy one for all of us.

Survival Of The Fattest

The top ten fattest people "in new york and the nation" (odd wording there) could win gastric bypass surgery as a prize. Anyone over 300 pounds can enter. Winning an "I'm the fattest" contest wouldn't exactly make you feel great about yourself, but if you win, presumably you won't be fat anymore after surgery.

The person I feel sorry for is the 11th fattest person. "You're fat, but not fat enough! You lose!"

Oh My God, I'm Not Skinny!?

What kind of asshole just calls someone fat on the street? I think it happens to all the overweight people of the world, doesn't it? Once somebody yelled "Wilson Phillips" at me (this was pre-Carnie Wilson's surgery, of course). I also got "Jenny Craig" once. My strategy was always to pretend I hadn't heard it, but then I always wished I had some snappy comeback at the ready. I don't know how to make anyone non-fat feel that bad, though. Any ideas?

What Size Was Eva Peron?

I don't understand the tone of this article at all, but the facts are pretty interesting. In Argentina, the government is going around and fining boutiques if they don't carry clothing up to size sixteen.

"Says Argentine model Ines Pujol, quoted in the Wall Street Journal: retailers 'are not going to sell all of that large-sized clothing.' Argentines have a svelte look and no piece of legislation is going to interfere with that."

Can you imagine the government mandating that Versace has to make a size sixteen? Argentina's crazy!

Two Days Late

With this Christmas-themed article about the profession of Santa Claus being the only one that doesn't discriminate against the overweight.

"75% of more than 1,000 executives surveyed said being overweight impedes careers."

"...employers who offered health insurance paid their obese workers less per hour and gave them lower raises than comparable employees who weren't obese."

"93% of the respondents said they'd prefer a 'normal weight' job candidate over one who's obese, everything else being equal."

Ho ho ho.

Being The Fat Friend

A short piece about what it's like to have skinny friends when you're overweight yourself.

"I have a sorority sister who is a size 22, but grew with friends that were no higher than a 12. So, her mindset is slightly less accepting of her plus size than mine is. It is something we both talked about. She says that while her friends never cared about her weight, it was hard going from shop to shop that only have clothes for smaller sizes."

How about you? Do your friends ever make you feel self-conscious about your size, or are you the only one who actually notices?

Weight Loss Magical Secret Revealed

Basically validating the logic behind the Weight Watchers Core Plan, a study has confirmed that you don't need to count calories to lose weight; just fill up on veggies and fruit.

"Dieters who were told to eat foods that fill you up with water and fiber, such as vegetables and fruits, lost weight without counting calories and without gimmicks, a team at Pennsylvania State University found... And a second study looking at what people normally eat found that those who eat more fruits and vegetables tend to weigh less."

It's true,veggies and fruit are definitely the way to go. It's all about calorie density. But of course that's just one piece of a very complex puzzle. I remember one weight-loss-blog comment along the lines of "when you want a cookie, eat a grapefruit." If you follow that advice, you'll be skinny in no time!

I'm Betting On Tom Cruise

An article about prenuptial agreements to the stars. Salient quote:

"Attorneys say some recent celebrity prenups include [l]imiting the wife's weight to 120 pounds."

Charming!

Do Not Get Me This For Christmas

An article about a guy spending the holiday on Weight Watchers at The Morning News, sent in by reader Nicole. Thanks, Nicole!

"A lifetime member of Weight Watchers, [my mother] already has the freezer stuffed with Lean Cuisines. Taped to the fridge door is my exercise schedule, personally created by her. In case that isn’t motivation enough, inside the fridge is a small plastic pig that grunts when the door opens."

Oh my god, I can't even calculate how much this would make me eat.

Pudgy Penguins!

I have this thing for penguins, and in case you were wondering, it's not because I saw March of the Penguins. I really wanted to see it at first, until I realized that I was crying uncontrollably whenever I saw the trailer. I even cried when I looked at the companion book at Barnes and Noble!

If I see penguins marching in the cold, or huddling together, or little baby penguins, I get all misty eyed. And I heard about the penguinsicle, and I know that image would haunt me forever. So no, I can't see that movie.

However, this article about the fat penguins on a diet made my day. Thank you for the link, La Wade!

"In order to withstand the cold, the penguins have a habit of standing very still during winter months."

Sniff!

That's Because We're Jolly

Fat people less likely to commit suicide, says study.

"But scientists behind the study have warned those who suffer from depression not to intentionally increase their weight to combat it."

Don't worry, we all know people would rather be dead than fat!

Hooray For Commenters

There's an interesting discussion going on in the comments here that has nothing to do with George Clooney, but is about people deciding not to have children because they might pass on the obesity gene.

And over at The Fatslayer Chronicles, they're talking about a similar issue in the comments:

"There was an article in Newsweek magazine a number of years ago where they polled parents: which diseases their potential child might have would cause them to terminate a pregnancy. Obesity beat out all kinds of diseases including life-long management diseases like diabetes."

And the post itself is heartbreakingly depressing. "'So it’s OK to be nasty to people if they’re fat?'... 'Yes, silly, because if they’re fat and smelly it’s their own fault.'"

Found Poetry

The list of ads in the sidebar today is perplexing. It makes me wonder if somehow Google is trying to communicate some arcane wisdom to us. Or maybe Google has the ability to predict the future in cryptic fashion, like Nostradamus!

Ashley Olsen
Chubby Fat Man
Civil Ceremony
Sand Ceremony

So if Ashley Olsen marries, like, Drew Carey, in a completely secular manner, on a beach somewhere... you heard it here first.

Perceptive He Ain't

Bruce Kirkland describes George Clooney's appearance in his latest film, Syriana:

"He plays an angry, depressed CIA agent who is also repulsively fat and sweaty. Clooney larded on 30 pounds in 30 days. Sexy he ain’t."

"Repulsively fat"? "Larded on"? What an eloquent way to describe the addition of a few pounds. That Kirkland is such a charmer.

The kicker is that from what I can see in the picture accompanying the article, Clooney still looks pretty hot. Then again, I had a crush on Russell Crowe in The Insider so maybe I have a thing for repulsive, fat, sweady, lardy men.

Comment of the Week

Rosemary just left an awesome comment below about Tom Cruise, but I wanted to point you to a comment you might not otherwise see, on an older post about the infamous Twix commercial.

"The woman in the twix commercial is my sister. She is not fat! You people are sooooooo judgemental. She auditioned for that spot and was chosen over hundreds of women, why? Because she is confidant, beautiful and articulate. She was in no way perpetuating stereotypes aimed at plus sized women... I hope that you all lighten up in the new year and learn not to take people at face value. My sister...is smart, a college graduate, an amazing singer/ songwriter, a daughter, a friend, a business woman and very proud of her ASSets!"

In looking through the comments, though, it seems that a lot of people were very positive about this commenter's sister. Was anyone really calling her fat? I don't think that was the problem, it was the stereotyping that some people found offensive. Correct me if I'm wrong. But as for your sister:

"The woman wearing the pants has a beautiful...figure...As a black woman with a similar shape, I saw nothing wrong with it."

"I think I would be a bit peaved if the they used a woman who was 400 pounds and not that modest vixen they went with."

"This woman was voluptuous and beautiful."

"i'd have no problem bending her over a table and going to work on that ass if you know what i mean."

Tom Cruise Is Creepy

Only very loosely related to the subject of weight, but here:

"The couple have postponed their marriage ceremony until late next year, to leave the actress time to lose weight following the birth of their first child together. When asked if he plans to wait until their big day to see Holmes' bridal gown, Cruise is adamant he wants to approve the dress before the ceremony. He says, 'I want to see the dress.'"

God forbid Tom Cruise doesn't micromanage every little detail of this wedding. I'm sure he'll be yelling instructions at her every day. "You must be thinner on our wedding day, woman! Thinner! Put down that baby and get on that treadmill! Run! Run away from the Thetans! RUN!"

Also, you can now rate this site on blogrankings.com, but I'm not quite sure what that means!

Miracle Diet Number XXVXIIII

A new diet plan idea that involves stocking your pantry with Ding Dongs and Tollhouse cookie dough. Or whatever. Hypothetically.

"Hawks calls his plan 'intuitive eating' and thinks the rest of the country would be better off if people stopped counting calories, started paying attention to hunger pangs and ate whatever they wanted. As part of intuitive eating, Hawks surrounds himself with unhealthy foods he especially craves. He says having an overabundance of what's taboo helps him lose his desire to gorge."

The trick is stopping eating when you're full, something that the Weight Watchers Core Plan also attempts to teach you. I call it dieting without the training wheels.

Thanks to Shannon for the heads up, and for pointing out that this new miracle diet has a sample size of two.

Giving The People What They Want, Again

Your Google searches lead you here; I lead you to the light.

"dresses to flatter fat girls" = Well, it depends on what your body shape is. But Torrid's dress selection is pretty awesome, and I also have friends who look extraordinarily hot in dresses by Igigi. Both of those companies, as you'll notice, have actual plus-sized women as their plus-sized models. (I'm looking at you, Lane Bryant Catalog.)

"weight watchers cheesecake factory" = Well, there's some information at Dotti's. Every time I look at the numbers for that White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake, I want to cry. I could share that thing with six people and it would still do some damage.

"you are my candy girl" = If you're looking for lyrics, they are here. If you're just trying to win me over with compliments, thank you!

"did star jones have surgery" = Previously asked Star Jones questions are answered here and sort of here. And some Star Jones gossip is here. She's denying that she had gastric bypass surgery. On the other hand, she's also denying her husband is gay to which I, with my finger on the pulse of celebrity gossip, say, "Girl, please."

"i ate a donut and now i feel guilty" = Well, a donut contains about 250 calories. Here are a bunch of ways you could burn off 250 calories. Then you won't feel guilty anymore!

"ann coulter invocation" = Whatever you do, do not invoke Ann Coulter. Ever.

Help La Rhonda

La Rhonda left this comment on a post here.

"My name is La Rhonda and I am a plus size woman and I have tried every diet in the world. What else is their to do. I am so insecure and need a word of wisdon. I cried threw the whole show on Mo'niques fat chance because they were so beautiful and I wished I had it in me to feel that way.Thank you."

I'm sure we can all relate to this; I know I sure can. How do we stop feeling insecure and start loving ourselves a little more? What advice do we have for La Rhonda? I'll start us off in the comments.

Here And There

I love finding great sites in my referrer logs. I'm not recommending Scale and Perspective because Ms. Foley had the good taste to link Big Fat Deal, but because it's got a ton of interesting and well researched information about obesity, in addition to a compelling personal story.

"Most of us even know, at least on a basic level, what it takes to lose weight: eat less, move more. Simple, right? Well, in the words of an old friend of mine, it's simple...not easy.

As someone who was overweight herself, I knew what it was like to pick up the latest weight loss book or magazine article only to find the same old trite advice. I tried to provide content for our members that addressed some of the deeper issues."

Comment of the Week

We are lucky enough to have La Wade, a real live scientist, saying smartypants things in the comments.

"You're right that being fat doesn't cause diabetes, but a lot of the physiological changes associated with being fat do. Fat tissue secretes a number of hormones that are important for regulation of glucose homeostasis, especially PPAR-gamma and leptin. The more fat tissue you have, the harder it is for your body to correctly regulate levels of these hormones. In addition, many overweight and obese people become so through poor diet, overeating, and lack of exercise, all of which can contribute to diabetes. You are not guaranteed to become diabetic if you're obese, but it dramatically increases your risk."

To read the rest of the comment, look here.