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Weekend Watching: Super-Skinny Me, the Race to Size Zero

FitSugar — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 02:00:00 -0800

These days, so many activities are described as extreme, and unfortunately dieting is not exempt from this categorization. Two British journalists decided to explore the realities of extreme dieting by subjecting themselves to the techniques used by celebs, and they captured the highlights of their journey (or demise) on film for the BBC documentary Super-Skinny Me: The Race to Size Zero.

To read what this fascinating documentary is all about, just read more

The hour long program is the conceptual inverse of Super Size Me, instead of eating and eating these women diet, fast, and exercise, exercise, exercise. These women work so very hard to drop enough weight to fit into UK size zero, the equivalent of a US size four, and they have six weeks to reach their super-skinny goal. They try the Master Cleanse (aka lemonade diet), protein shakes, watercress soup with nothing else, and colonics (the scene is actually quite graphic and very unglamorous). This extreme relationship to food truly disrupts their lives and relationships, and one becomes borderline bulimic; although, I do believe the supervising physician does a good job of intervening.

Even more interesting than the actual dieting is the epilogue of the show when we catch up with the journalists two weeks and five weeks after their experiment is over. The pounds return quickly for one woman, perfectly illustrating the dangers of yo-yo dieting and the other journalist is still wrestling with her food issues. It is so sad to see.

This hour-long program really hammers home how unhealthy, both mentally and physically, extreme dieting truly is. I do fear some women will still find the final super-skinny results appealing and block out the dangers of this type of dieting.

This program is fascinating and totally worth an hour of your time. It airs tonight, Dec. 2, on BBC America at 10:00 p.m. EST/PST. Watch it and let me know what you think.

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Jennifer Love Hewitt on the Shape of Things

FitSugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:30:46 -0700

Gracing October's cover of Shape magazine, Jennifer Love Hewitt looks amazingly toned and smiley in her frilly white bikini, but she has the same insecurities all women have about their bodies. She shares:

"For the most part, yeah, I'm happy with my body, but there are days when I'm like, 'Ugh! Really? Why is it so hard to fit into my jeans?' That's when I say to myself, 'I look this way because I'm supposed to. If we all looked the same, we'd be boring.'"

I think she looks fantastic, and she's shared her tips on how she keeps her body looking healthy and fit. To hear them read more.

When it comes to her diet, Jennifer grocery shops every two days. She says, "Instead of piling up food in my fridge that says 'Come eat me!' I keep enough for only a couple of days." She rarely keeps fattening treats around to avoid temptations from her late night cravings. She says, "What am I going to do? Drive out at 11 at night just to satisfy a craving? No, that's crazy." She also eats lunch. I know that sounds pretty obvious, but in her business, many women skip out in order to stay super skinny. She opts for healthy choices like a salad with every meal, and lots of fruits and veggies.

Exercise is also top on Jennifer's list. We know she plays tennis (even in heels!), and she also enjoys running, even when she's traveling. While visiting Monaco with boyfriend Jamie Kennedy, they ran 40 minutes every morning through the streets of Monte Carlo. It's a great way to explore new places and burn calories too.

Jennifer takes care of her inner self too. At night, she says five things she finds sexy about herself, and says, "I fall asleep feeling beautiful. Then in the morning, before I leave the house, I say five things I love about myself . . . That way I can go out into the world with that little bit of extra confidence."

Tell me in the comments section below one thing that you find sexy about yourself. Go ahead and share five things if you feel it!

Eve on Whipping Herself Into Shape

FitSugar — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:50:44 -0700

Are you excited for the roller derby romp Whip It? I know I sure am. Hip-hop artist Eve skates her way through the film, and she spoke recently with Women's Health about developing a dependence on Tiger Balm, her relationship with her trainer, and keeping her "booty in order."

The actors participated in a three-week skate camp to prepare for their roller derby role. About the camp Eve said, "I used a lot of Tiger Balm. I felt like an 80-year-old woman."

In addition to skate camps, Eve works with a trainer, who even checks up on her when she's on the road since working out while traveling is not her forte. Eve explained their relationship like this, "Working with trainer is intimate, [as it is with] a hairdresser."

To see if Eve loves push-ups, just read more.
For her fitness regimen, Eve is not a weight machine gal.

"We don’t do a lot of weights, but we do a lot of push-ups, crunches, and squats - exercises that let me use my own body weight. We work out in a private gym, but we’re about to start incorporating outdoor things into my routine. I can’t wait, because I love being outside."

Not hung up on unrealistic goals, the singer wants to be fit. Now that she's 30, she has become a bit more body conscious. Her reasons for working out go like this:

"I’m not trying to be super skinny. I want to keep my booty in order. When you’re 23, you can lose five pounds in a week because your metabolism is fast. I don’t want to do unhealthy things to lose weight fast for, say, a photo shoot. I do want to feel amazing in my clothes, though."

What do you think? Roller derby may be a crazy activity, but Eve sounds levelheaded to me.

Jennifer Love Hewitt Sheds Pounds and Gains Some Wisdom

FitSugar — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:30:15 -0700

No stranger to unwanted media attention on her body size, Jennifer Love Hewitt has spoken out in the past on the media's constant scrutiny of women's bodies. Photos of her with a fuller-figure in a bathing suit created quite a stir last year and the frenzy over her weight gain followed by her shedding 18 pounds made her feel "a little embarrassed. It made me a little sad. It hurt my feelings."

She told Us Weekly:

It gets silly. We're all supposed to look how we're supposed to look. We're made to be different people. Not everybody can be super tall and super skinny. You have to look inside yourself and find your own confidence. It wavers from day to day, but that's human nature.

Although her choice of footwear for a game of tennis may not be the best, her words about body image and self-confidence are wise and true.

Biggest Loser Families Recap: NYC Makeovers

FitSugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:00:00 -0800

The competition on the Biggest Loser Families should be heating up, but last night's show was surprisingly free of drama. Well, not quite. There was Vicky's moment of paralyzing fear, verging on a tantrum, during the physical challenge, but even that little episode struck me as placid. Maybe because everyone involved, blue teammates included, seemed "over" Vicky's antics.

This week all the contestants were treated to a makeover in NYC. Their trip to the Big Apple included new hair fancy and flattering styles. The highlights from the salon: Vicky dyed her hair red and Ed got some highlights himself. Then all five contestants were treated to a shopping trip at Macy's lightly supervised by season-four winner of Project Runway Christian Siriano (didn't he often comment on how he loved the super-skinny models?). This was followed by a "live" reveal on The Tyra Banks Show, complete with a reunion with a friend, spouse, sibling, or parent. The reunions, full of lots of emotion, were pretty sweet watch.

Upon returning back to the ranch, the five remaining players competed in a physical challenge with a two-week spa vacation as the prize. The contestants had to wedge themselves in bottomless boxes suspended 12 to 15 feet above a pool of water. Vicky was first to call uncle, but refused to drop into the water. Heba, Ed, and Renee eventually followed dropping easily and gleefully into the water below. Michelle won the prize and was a disappointed to have her victory celebration marred by Vicky's attention-stealing freak-out.

To see who was eliminated and how they look today read more.

Since the contestants spent much of the week away from their trainers, Bob and Jillian packed in some serious workouts in two days' time. So it wasn't a huge surprised that the amount of weight-loss in all the players was low. Renee and Vicky both lost four pounds, Michelle lost five, while Heba lost seven but her husband Ed only lost three. Ed and Renee fell below the yellow line, and there were no surprises in the voting. Teams voted on their party lines, and Renee was sent home and she looks great. She is a mom with grown kids and a tremendous amount of energy.

Watch this video to see how she looks today.

Who do you think will make it to the final three? Did you see the surprise ending twist? Viewers will get to pick the third contestant to make it to the final three. Who do you think will win the whole shebang?

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Courtney Thorne-Smith's Fit Pregnancy

FitSugar — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:30:00 -0800

From her super-skinny Ally McBeal days to now, where she has learned to accept and love her body even with the extra pregnancy weight, Courtney Thorne-Smith has come full circle and she looks fabulous. Fit Pregnancy magazine sat down with Courtney and got the scoop on her pregnancy workout and more.

Here are highlights:

FP: Have you been working out?
CTS: Well, I used to be a compulsive exerciser, but I’m over that. For the past several years, I’ve been walking 40 minutes and doing Pilates and yoga stretches at home, so that’s what I’m doing now. I used to run 8 miles a day, then go to the gym, do weights and then yoga, until I realized that I was so hungry and tired all the time. I feel so much freedom now: I don’t have to stay in a hotel with a gym and I’m never so hungry that I panic.

FP: I know you struggled with body image for years; how are you feeling about your body now?
CTS: I feel great: I wanted this so badly. One day I was with one of my friends, and I was rubbing my belly, and she asked me, "How does it feel?" I told her, "It feels really good." And she said, "Great, I hope that you keep rubbing your belly with love even after the baby is born." And that was so powerful because my belly has always been the spot I obsess over. I have come to appreciate my body so much - and I think that's why I was able to get pregnant. Now, the baby is kicking and it's all working. It's a miracle what the body can do.

Jenny McCarthy Splurges Once in a While...

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 04:00:00 -0700

Jenny McCarthy has been the spokesperson for Weight Watchers and she has definitely joined the club of hot celeb mommas. While she may appear to have melted the weight away, ultimately, Jenny's just a normal woman struggling with diet and exercise.

People.com reveals however that Jenny has dusty workout equipment and food splurges, just like the rest of us.

"I have my once-a-month nachos, but it's soy cheese and turkey chili on it, so it's somewhat safe. But it's still a big vice for me, because I have a big bowl of it."

"And when I travel," she says, "I like to take advantage of room service. I'm really into eggs Benedict in the morning."

"You're always gonna have your anorexics and you're always gonna have your bulimics," she said. "I'm hoping that young girls will look up to the girls that are the size 4, 6, and 8's, and know that super super skinny is not pretty – just ask any guy!"

So while Jenny's still doing Weight Watchers and she's still counting points, she definitely recognizes the need for a splurge every once in a while (besides it's not the end all be all to weight gain). We all have those foods we just can't give up, even when on a diet so what's yours? Vote on the poll.

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