7/19/11

How NOT to be a Role Model

As someone who takes a lot of pride in being a part of this wonderful little healthy living community I also take on a certain level of responsibility for the message I put out there. People (albeit a relatively small but extraordinarily awesome group of people) read what I have to say, and on the small chance that anyone is inspired by it I need to be responsible. Real and honest but responsible.

Which brings me to my issue: Celebrities, who have a much, MUCH larger following of people who look up to them, should also take on a personal responsibility to send a positive message.

Likewise, magazines geared at women who are trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle should also feel a sense of obligation for putting healthy messages out there.

So imagine my disgust when I stumbled upon this:




1,100 calories a day? Are you freakin' kidding me! C'mon Kim, I know you want to look your best for your wedding but with your intense workout schedule (see above) this is pretty much starvation!

Not cool (or safe) seeing as you used to represent the curvy gals of the world.

Here's another example of too little food for a severly active person being touted as a good way to live




Ugh! Two hours of tennis four times a week and this singer is limiting herself to 1,300 calories a day?

Even worse she suggests that a glass of wine in the evening would make her feel guilty. One glass?? Really?

Enough with the "guilt talk" people. Women already have enough negative associations with food without reading about their favorite star suggesting that this drastic way of eating is normal. There is no reason someone should feel guilty about their food choices, especially something as measly as 120 calories of wine!!

As someone who admittedly is trying to drop some extra weight and who is using food tracking to aid in that process I will put this out there: 

 I aim for 1200-1300 calories on the days that I do no form of intentional physical activity (ie: my complete rest days).

On days that I do exercise I add back most of the calories from my workout, putting me up to 1700-2000 calories.

I also ensure that I add in 100-200 extra calories, in the form of carbs, the day before a long run. This is on top of my existing carb intake for that day.

I should also note that this is my strategy to lose the weight. Once I am in a maintanence phase I will  strive for anywhere between 1600 and 2400 calories a day on average.

1,100 and intense workouts? Umm...no thanks!

Oh and then there is this ad that keeps popping up in magazines



There is nothing obviously wrong with it but it irks the hell outta me! Who looks like that when they eat a protein bar? When I eat one its because I just did a killer workout and for the most part I am a hot mess who will snarl at anyone who tries to get me to pose awkwardly for a photo before biting into it.

But that's just me.

And I'm not even a famous role model.


Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional or nutritionist. The opinions expressed in this post are my own based on research that I am done over an extended period of time. If you need advice on calorie or food intake please consult a professional.


So tell me, how do you feel about celebrities and their "stay fit" tips?

14 comments:

  1. Ugh I can totally relate to how you feel regarding those ads and tips. I find it hard to believe that some of those stars eat that much and work out that hard. I know if I worked out on a 1,200 cal diet that consisted of salad and fish I would be passed out in no time.

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  2. Kudos! I totally agree! The image of what a woman should look like that the media portrays is damaging and downright malicious.

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  3. I have a love-hate relationship with fitness magazines. Mostly hate. Because honestly they're full of such dribble.

    In fact, I think magazines are a large part of what's wrong with the health industry!

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  4. I agree with you. If we're going to talk about healthy living, then lets ACTUALLY talk about healthy living, not the guilt talk! I do wish more people out there would be the good role model that you suggest here:)

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  5. I AM SO WITH YOU! I can't stand the so called "fitness tips". If you want to be consider as someone who lives a healthy life and is a role model..then act like one!

    Ugh!

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  6. This is why so many girls (and boys) have eating disorders!

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  7. love this post! and I agree - and what's worse is that people take the advice of taking in a small amount of calories and exercise like a crazy person to lose weight. (I did it back when I didn't know better). I wish for an article on how the body actually works, and how starvation mode kicks in when we're not taking in enough - which can make the weight stick even more!

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  8. agree 100%
    i like reading fitness magazines to get ideas on new workouts, read about ppl's experiences. but some of the things in those magazines is ridiculous.

    great post!

    aneta

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  9. Wow, can't imagine doing a tough workout on 1100 calories!

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  10. going under 1200 calories is not a good thing! I would hate to have a good workout and only eating 1100 calories...at that point your body goes into starvation mode and then will hold on to the fat it can, so its pointless!

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  11. I saw that second magazine featured (Shape, wasn't it?) and was so shocked that Sarah Evens only eats 1100 calories a day! She's super tall and 1100 calories is the rest day range for myself, but I'm super short...just doesn't seem healthy at all. And for those who know little about nutrition, this is probably causing so much damage. I'm very disappointed of what I read in Shape now when I used to think it was a pretty reputable magazine. Now I rely on blogs for my nutrition info instead of these "expert" magazine writers.

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  12. Great post, I agree with you all the way. These women are giving women everywhere an unrealistic caloric goal to strive for & in a way promoting who knows what kind of complexes, eating disorders & overall insecurities. Everytime I read things like that I get ticked off.

    Kudos to you for speaking up, love this post!

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  13. Sorry ladies, I am going to have to disagree with you a little.

    1200 calories can be enough nutrition if you have good composition. I hit the gym hard for a average of 2 hours a day, 3-4 days a week & I am an over 350 pound man. I have a goal of 12-1500 calories a day and I have learned to eat well, get the nutrition I need and be well within that range. When I make choices that result in me not hitting that caloric goal, I feel guilty. Not guilty about eating food but guilty that I didn't make choices I knew I could have. Is that wrong?

    I guess I come from a different school of thought as a dude but I get more angry when people say you can eat what you want and do a little exercise and expect results. Transparency about what it takes to look like XYZ in a magazine let's you make the choice if that is healthy or not.

    Agreed on the protein bar pic though. When I am eating one of those it's because I am starving and i get all cookie monster on that thing:)

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