Queen Latifah’s Weight Loss Says More Than You Think
Now this one might…rub you a little. Let me preface this post by saying, whatever you want to be, you can be, and I don’t care. If you want to be 500 lbs and fork lift your way to the grocery store, seriously, it’s none of my business. I almost look at someone’s size the same I consider their sexual orientation…what you do in bed at night is your business, not mine. ;)
If any of you have seen those Jenny Craig commercials you might have caught Queen Latifah’s new one where she has now lost 20 lbs.
I have a feeling for her that it’s the just the beginning and “Lean Latifah” may be a new nickname, but that’s just a hunch. I think overall she looks great and will continue to care about her health and well being.
Now it should be known as a little one I was quite a big fan of the Queen. We won’t talk about my pale ass dancing to U.N.I.T.Y when I was a ghetto young one…that might have been too much to share…let’s just say that be it “Just another day” or “Last Holiday,” I have always been a Latifah fan.
The only thing I was never a fan of, and in general I am not a fan of, is the notion of being proud of obesity as if there was something noble to it. The Queen had a little bit of that going on, and SHE has noted it and said it was wrong, that she was “uninformed.”
I’m a fan of moderation; just as I see that there is nothing noble in deprivation, I don’t see anything noble in excess. This isn’t about peer pressure or conforming to Hollywood, this is about understanding what 50 extra pounds of fat CAN do to the body.
I come to deliver you a message of truth. IF you are proud of being obese and think that there is nobility or some sort of “freedom” in it, then you are uneducated, period. I will add too that, if you are proud of being underweight or bulimic/anorexic that is just as ridiculous. See? I am a equal-stupidity hater.
This message is NOT to those who are trying to better their lives and are stumbling or just having a hard time. I applaud you, you are who I am doing this for.
No, this is not for you.
Instead, this post is for people like this http://the-f-word.org/blog/ who seem to think that striving for a healthier, lean physique is an unhealthy thing. If you read that blog you will find just utter… well, “uneducated thought” is the nicest way I can put it.
I am all about loving oneself and being proud of who you are. However, you “pro fattys” aren’t getting the science behind things and are merely looking for a place to blame and throw your anger and denial. If you want to be obese, fine, go right ahead! But don’t tell me I am wrong for wanting to help others and myself maintain a healthier lifestyle.
I have met and worked with roughly every fat loss problem that has existed. I have taken a recovering cancer patient with NO thyroid and graves disease down to 100 pounds AND in a pretty fast amount of time with the aid of proper medication for their illness and the right training program.
There are no excuses; if you want to be overweight that is your choice. However, I don’t celebrate it, I will watch WALL-E (and laugh), and will continue to use research and trial as my guide (not fear and emotional distress). And in doing so, I will support the facts best I can.
This isn’t about anti-fat/pro-thin. This is about anti-uneducated/pro-informed.
If any of you F-Word people end up here>>>> go get informed
Sinead
I totally agree with you! I was shocked once when I had a dr review my blood work and tell me that I was healthy–even at 100 pounds overweight! Sure, my cholesterol might be fine and my blood pressure is perfect, but there’s no way in hell I’m “healthy”!! Needless to say, I found a new dr. I don’t want someone to pander to me and tell me what he thinks I want to hear–I need the cold hard truth so that I can work towards fixing the problems. Thanks for speaking the truth!
August 11th, 2008 at 7:31 pmRachel
..who seem to think that striving for a healthier and lean physique is an unhealthy thing.
Actually, that’s not what I’m saying at all and I’m rather surprised that a woman with your impressive education and credentials would get it so very wrong. I was not criticizing Dara Torres or people who feel inspired by Dara Torres nor was I encouraging people to sit on the couch and shove Twinkies down their throats. Far from it and if you had read even an iota of my blog, you’d know that I also strongly encourage healthy eating and good fitness and that this “pro fatty” is a recovering anorexia and bulimic. What I am criticizing is the unrealistic expectation that women ought look like a Olympic athlete extraordinaire. Most women, even those who are very fit and athletic, will never look like Dara Torres and to suggest that they ought to only raises an impossibly high bar even higher. If every woman could look like Dara Torres, the international Olympic Games would not be the elite and prestigious event it is.
I understand that you have a vested financial interest in making women feel like they can look like Dara Torres, but the reality is that imposing unrealistic expectations like this on women only serves to hurt them, not help them.
August 11th, 2008 at 9:34 pmLeigh Peele
Joy-
If you re-read my post you will see that some on your statements are wrong.
Also it should be noted that you can lose fat and maintain healthy activity and body with a bum knee. Being someone who has trained people with 1 leg…well let’s just that the laws of energy in the body knows no excuse.
Lastly you have created the standard in your own mind of what you expect that the world expects of you. If you feel pressured by “hollywood” that is your battle. I am just here to tell you that if it is a thinner and hotter body you want, you can get it. You just have to work for it and blame isn’t going to get you anywhere.
August 11th, 2008 at 10:43 pmLeigh Peele
Rachel-
First welcome, I open intelligent debate here (as I feel you have presented).
I have a few problems with your argument and view point in general. I hope by the end of this I make myself clear and welcome your return commentary.
My first problem is you obviously have a skewed understanding of how the body works and have issues with food and performance with your body based on some of the things I have read in your blog (self admitting not much but enough to see that you don’t get certain things that are important).
One such thing is that a body can defy the laws of energy. Maybe your energy did not work well due to years of starving/undereating and it took actually eating food for you to feel healthy again. However, you don’t seem to understand the gauging of activity or that caloric burn is ever changing. You make this clear with this statement…
“Women who want to lose weight still need between 1,500 and 1,800 calories a day to maintain good milk production, especially since nursing alone can burn up to 500 calories a day.”
A statement like that shows that you rate women under a “blanket” caloric intake. Sorry doesn’t work like that and that statement is just one that shows your misunderstanding of individual caloric intake based on calories.
My main problem and concern though is your statements that there are these bodies that are “unrealistic” for the average women/person. I find the fact that as a self-proclaimed feminist that you say this to be even more shocking. Sorry but I come from the mind of you can be whoever you want to be. Bikini Kill wouldn’t approve.
You also make statements that it is so easy for her with all the help of here riches. This just shows a judgment of people who “have it easy” and that isn’t a character trait of a strong person, that is a character trait of a finger pointer. Angry about the “noddle salad” people. It’s weak.
I have personally bare witness of a woman go from 200lbs with 54% body fat to 135 and 16% body fat without the aid of any help, any trainers, nothing but EDUCATION. She was guided by nothing but a few questions to me at the gym every so often about some exercises and nutrition, followed my blog, and she “got it”.
If you don’t get it or don’t want it, fine. However, the problem with people like you is that you claim it doesn’t work or it can’t be had and THAT is where you anger someone like myself.
See if you don’t want what I have to give, if you don’t want a body like that well no problem that is 100% your choice.
If you are angry that you feel the world thinks you should have it, yeah okay, 100% no problem that is your choice.
However, to say women can’t get it, that women can’t get strong lean bodies and in a healthy manner, is uneducated and wrong.
August 11th, 2008 at 11:07 pmLeah
The subject of pressure on women by the media to look a certain way is an interesting one. I personally feel that pressure exists - but we certainly play a role by buying into it. I mean, if reading about celebs in US magazine depresses you and makes you feel like crap, don’t read it! Make an effort to seek out material that celebrates the minds and spirits of women, rather than physical appearance. What you want for yourself and your life really should have nothing to do with Heidi Klum or Dara Torres or anyone else but you.
August 12th, 2008 at 7:56 amBytsi
Thanks Leigh - this was a great column. I’ve been on both sides of this “debate” - when I was overweight (aka FAT), I gave up and tried to embrace being a “big girl” with curves. I railed against society’s standards and the pressure to achieve a “normal” weight - something I considered impossible. Then I woke up one morning SICK TO DEATH of being the biggest girl in the room, unable to be active and keep up with my kids, and over the next year I lost 50#.
The bottom line is that being overweight places undue stress on your body. Your heart, lungs, kidneys, joints - every part of your body has to work harder and fight against the fat and effects of the weight.
It IS possible to achieve a healthier weight. It is possible to be unhealthy even at a lighter weight, but in general, fat just makes everything worse and harder.
There’s a wide range of weights that can be considered healthy. I don’t see you telling anyone ever that they should meet the kind of Hollywood-thin standards. Underweight is just as bad (unhealthy) as overweight, even though there is a lot less pressure and judgement from others when you’re too thin.
Thanks for a great column, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
August 12th, 2008 at 9:12 amJessica
Did anyone see this MSNBC article “Being Skinny is No Guarantee of a Healthy Heart”? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26143255/ Just goes to show you skinny people can be at a health risk and fat people can be otherwise healthy.
Jessica
August 12th, 2008 at 12:16 pmJenny Craig Online Community Manager
Susan
Great thread Leigh. What’s wrong I say with wanting to reach your body’s full potential? What’s wrong with being the best you can be both inside and outside? We have all been gifted with amazing minds and extraordinary physical bodies — let’s figure out how to take good care of them and maximize the potential of both. Focusing on what’s right with me and asking what am I doing to make it better seems to be more productive than focusing on what’s wrong with the World, Hollywood or whatever. Everyone has limitations and our only benchmark should really be ourselves.
August 12th, 2008 at 12:43 pmSheila
Queen Latifah?? Did someone say “Jungle Fever??
This is quite a can of worms. I think Bytsi sums it up pretty well. Its not about Hollywood standards or conformity, its about health and wellness. We all have the power to achieve health, its just a matter of using that power. I think that is my new mantra.
Its easy to say I am embracing being heavy, which is good if that truly means you are saying “I love myself just the way I am”, because that is how we should feel. But how do you truly feel when you are alone and you strip down the tough girl armor, do you really feel happy and healthy? Really? If you do, then fantastic, but if there is a little voice inside of you that says I don’t feel healthy, but I feel powerless over my body and my situation, and I don’t know what to do to help myself, then that is where someone like Leigh can come in and help give the tools and the knowledge to take control and help you start striving for a better life.
I also agree that its not about the perfect weight or the perfect body, because there is no such thing. Its about being able to run around and play games with your kids, its about walking up a flight of stairs without fainting, its about realizing that we have a choice and that it is possible for any one of us to be healthy. When you break it all down, it is not about looks, for some yes it may be, but really… what we all strive for is to feel good and for our body to operate as it was meant to. You can’t argue that. Now, granted, it is not going to be an easy trek to get there, if losing 50 lbs is part of your wellness goals, but once you get there, it will be oh so worth the sacrifices.
Good post and great debate!
PS For the record, nothing that Leigh says in her books can be found in Shape Magazine.
Sheila
August 12th, 2008 at 12:48 pmhttp://www.livewell360.com
Missy
Im with Leigh. This is not about Hollywood and their skewed ideals. This is about what is healthy and that obesity KILLS. I work in a hospital. I see it every day. If some of these people took the time to educate themselves it would change their quality of life. Believe me, I know about the pressure in magazines. Heck, I won’t wear shorts due to my insecurities about all my cellulite (thanks Enquirer!) If it werent for them, I may not care about the cellulite as much but right now? No way will I wear shorts in direct sunlight. I am also on the anorexic/bulimic bandwagon and I hate the fixation in the media with the perfect body; however, this is a completely different topic (IMO). This is about health and education and FACTS!!!
August 12th, 2008 at 3:52 pmLeigh Peele
Thank you everyone for you thought provoking information and words. Also great to see some of you from JP here!
To Jessica,
I tried to address your concern (if it even was one) in my next post.
August 12th, 2008 at 8:46 pmisrael
well said.i cant stand when pro fat folks start blaming the world for their misery. if you like being fat, then be fat, but dont go around acting liek everyone is against you and there is some conspiracy theory.
August 14th, 2008 at 9:38 amunfatblog
The fat acceptance movement has no interest in debating the topic of weight loss. They are totally delusional, and have constructed an alternate reality through the use of false dichotomies , rhetoric, and crazy conspiracy theories. In their world there is no middle ground between intuitive eating (eating what your body “wants”), and anorexia. Just try to post a comment on one of their blogs and you will find out quickly how “open” they are to debate.
They hide behind the banner of “acceptance” and “feminism”, but close examination of their blogs will reveal that they are not about “acceptance” of obesity but instead advocate a GLORIFICATION of obesity. Additionally they are not feminists at all, and in fact harbor some deep animosity toward women who are able to overcome life’s obstacles to be fit role models.
FA is primarily an internet based movement with little real world activism. The primary membership seems to be comprised of 20 to early 30 yo females, in the orbit of academia and the liberal arts. Often they will brag about have no ill effects from being obese..eh hem…yet.
There have been some notable public confessions/break downs of some leading Fat Acceptance bloggers, where after years of claiming they “eat their veggies” and exercise, they admitted that they were McDonalds loving binge eaters and were in fact suffering from bad health. These bloggers where quickly show the door by Fat Acceptance, their confessional posts were taken down, quietly.
The Fat Acceptance movement, thankfully, is withering on the vine as the media is no longer as enamored by it as it once was, and with the additional counter fat acceptance pressure, like this blog.
October 29th, 2008 at 4:54 pmMary45
I fully agree with Unfatblog. On the surface and when dealing with outsiders the FA pictures itself as promoting non-discrimination and self-acceptance, but scratch the surface and a more sinister side emerges. Try posting a politely worded comment, where you point out that being obese might have some negative health-consequences, on one of the most popular blogs and see what happens (or rather, don’t do it if you aren’t very thick-skinned). If you are lucky your post will never appear, but be prepared to be labelled troll-of-the-day and a biased fat-hater.
I love your work, Leigh, and have read your articles on a popular fitness forum for women with great interest. I grew up in Scandinavia in an era when women weren’t supposed to have any visible muscles, and gyms and strength-training were off-limits. Women weren’t allowed to participate in endurance events, and female athletes were mostly considered gross and unfeminine. It’s wonderful to see strong and athletic women like Dara Torres presented as beautiful, it’s a huge step in the right direction.
I just cannot understand the concept of fat feminism and the slogan “fat is a feminist issue”. The idea that women can’t be expected to handle more than a brisk walk at most, and will get all sorts of disorders when confronted with thin models on magazine covers is very un-feminist to me. The FA - idea of the female physique would take us right back to the Victorian era.
October 30th, 2008 at 2:01 am