Happy Friday!
I've been stewing on something for about a week or so and decided to post it to see if I am the only one that feels this way.
I was overweight during the majority of my twenties. And when I say overweight, I mean obese. I ate what I wanted, how I wanted, when I wanted. I ordered pizza at 11pm, I've hit up a Waffle House at 3am. I enjoyed food and like a drug seeker, thought of new ways to find it and get my fix.
I decided to lose weight on my own, after seeing how hurt my nephew was that I wasn't able to chase after him. He loved it when I would yell out, "I'm going to get youuuuu!" And I'd run for a bit, but then get winded. Seeing that disappointment on his face was enough for me to get motivated.
It took me about 4 or so years to lose 125lbs. 4 years. This meant exercising. Changing my thought process on food and rediscovering that I eat to live not live to eat. It was a struggle because even today, I love food. If someone is addicted to drugs or alcohol, they can avoid the substances. I can't give up food. I need it. Do I need to eat to survive? Yes. Do I need to eat boxes of Thin Mints? No. This was, and still is a struggle.
Which leads me to my question.
I've been reading the news about how Jessica Simpson has had her baby girl. She has gained a very large amount of weight while pregnant and now has signed on with Weight Watchers to lose the baby weight in a year for ... drumroll.... Four Million Dollars.
What?
I get that people gain weight while they are pregnant. That is a given. Some people gain more than others. Some people gain less than others. My mom gained 11 lbs when she was pregnant with me. My mom is 5'4". Jessica Simpson is 5'3" and when she posed nude for the cover of a magazine while 8 months pregnant, she admitted to weighing 170 lbs, which according to what I've read means that she gained almost 70 lbs with her pregnancy.
How did she get to such a weight? She was eating buttered pop tarts. Macaroni and cheese for breakfast with Lawry's Seasoning Salt. Peanut Butter sandwiches with shots of salt. She ate whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. Much like I did when I was overweight.
I am rather confused on why Weight Watchers is condoning eating unhealthy, especially while pregnant, to only receive a huge payday at the end. I did it because I was tired of feeling like crap. She gained weight prior to getting pregnant because of what she ate. She is very vocal about eating Chilis and drinking beer. Much like I am about the food I love.
But, I wasn't offered a Four Million Dollar payday to lose weight. Neither are the the millions of people that are members of Weight Watchers. The everyday people like you and me who work hard, are trying to maintain some semblance of normal routines and for those that are members of Weight Watchers, are now helping pad the pockets of a celebrity that ate buttered pop tarts and had a salt lick most of her pregnancy.
I think its rather absurd that they knew of her eating habits (hell, if I know what she was eating, how could they not have researched it) and yet still chose to endorse her, put their name and their company, not to mention their money behind her losing the weight that she irresponsibly gained. I do know many, many people who ate healthy most of their pregnancies and did give into a craving every once in a while. An un-named friend posted a picture of her drinking pickle juice in the middle of her pregnancy. I can totally get that...those insatiable cravings that you need to have. But giving into EVERY craving, gaining an unhealthy amount of weight that puts yourself and your baby with the possibility of health problems, then getting a payday at the end that just seems.... frustrating to the every day people struggling with losing weight.
I know a few people that are in the same category as I am with the amount of weight lost. Personally, I don't think I'd ever use Weight Watchers program now that I see that they really don't care about what you do before but if you play by their rules, they'll pay you later.
If you are a celebrity.
You and me? Well, I'll take the smile I get on my nephews face now that he is 13 and I can keep up with him just as long as he can run.
What are your thoughts on this?
Melissa - I was 260 when you met me 5 years ago...I am 250 now..but three years prior to meeting you I was doing two drive-thrus a day and drinking like it was on close-out. When I hit 290, I finally got so sick of myself that I said "I'm going to do this!"
ReplyDeleteNow before you say "You go, boy...", know that I wasn't referring to losing the weight; I was referring to hitting the 300lb mark. For me, it was such a milestone as a "fat person" that it represented the means to an end. If I couldn't get motivated at 270, 280 or 290, why not? But (and pardon the pun) 300 seemed like such a nice round number for me to finally be able to do something about my weight. Over the next year I was able to lose 65 lbs.
My point is that both of us had a trigger that made it easier to make a change. If any of you out there are thinking about making a positive change for yourself, NOW is the time to take action. What if I never made it to 300 lbs before my heart exploded??? Take action now. If it is drinking, drugs, gambling, spiritual..you name it...if you feel it's time for a change, DO IT! And don't look back. The rewards are uncountable.
If you are thinking about losing weight, you are already on the blogsite of someone who has been there and understands your situation. Melissa is a caring and knowledgeable person who will help you meet your goals.
The best of luck to all of you.