35 responses for this post

1. Chuck on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 9:08 am

   The way I read that was she was saying other people have skewed the line of obese and thin and that she thought it was fucked up.

2. freakgirl on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 9:17 am

   Obviously she doesn’t think it’s too fucked up, because she is calling herself fat and going public to tell everyone, “Hey, I know I’m a fattie! It’s okay! I won’t be, anymore!”

   I mean, I’m glad she’s being realistic and going for a size 8 and not a zero, but I don’t know. I just get really annoyed with the Jenny Craig stuff. Because it’s not real, it’s a fake way to lose weight, and it gets too much attention. I don’t want someone who eats free, prepared food to be my role model for losing weight. As stupid as it is, at least Celebrity Fit Club shows people trying to work exercise, health and diet into their daily lives.

3. Chips O'Toole on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 9:26 am

   And it seems like she refers to size 0 as normal?

   I agree completely. She is part of the problem. this must stop.

4. freakgirl on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 9:34 am

   I think Chuck is right in that she is saying other people have skewed the line of what is “normal.” But I also think that she is playing right into it.

5. Chuck on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 9:48 am

   What is Jenny Craig? I’m not inciting here, but I thought it was one the few diets that wasn’t based on some wacky fucked menu like eating only steak and popcorn all day. What makes it fake?

6. freakgirl on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 10:01 am

   With Jenny Craig, they give you prepackaged food to eat. So how does that teach you anything about nutrition and diet? And it can cost upwards of $125/week, just for food.

   I mean, it’s not a scam or anything. If it helps you lose weight and you can learn to keep it off, that’s cool. But I don’t think I should be asked to look at people like Kirstie Alley or Valerie Bertinelli or whoever as a “role model” for losing weight when they really aren’t doing the work.

7. emily on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 10:54 am

   I totally agree with FG, it teaches you nothing, and I feel like once you stopped eating the prepared meals and start cooking for yourself/going out to eat again, you’re just going to gain it all back.

   At that rate, and state of total high sodium/high preservatives-ness, you might as well save $$ and eat 3 Lean Cuisines a day for awhile, it’s the same idea. You will then be able to ingest about 3000% of the daily recommended allowance of sodium, and you’ll prob gain 10 lbs of water retention.

8. charlsa on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 11:00 am

   jesus lewis! what the hell? I am so with you FG. I’m about to come out of my seat at work! I am in recovery from bulimia and I am a counselor now so I see daily the effects these lovely celebrities have on the general population. Jenny Craig is a money making scheme that only works if you stay on it your ENTIRE life. Diets don’t work. Eating healthy portion sizes in moderation and exercising is the only way to be “healthy.” Some friggin clothes size says nothing about your health. geez. god forbid you be healthy AND a size 14. God forbid you have curves like a real woman.

   ok i’m done. :steps off soapbox:

9. freakgirl on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 11:05 am

   Sing it, charlsa.

   One thing, though…I don’t want to say that women who aren’t curvy aren’t real women. Everyone looks different and everyone’s ideal is different. Some of us are straight and narrow, some of us are curvy and hippy. It’s all good.

   Emily - I never even THOUGHT about the preservatives/sodium in the prepackaged food. Good point!

10. Amy on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 11:12 am

    At 5′2″, a size 14 is pretty big, in my opinion. I do agree with her that she is fat, however I hear what you’re saying, FG. The celebrity spokesmodels annoy me to no end and aren’t inspiring in the least. With Eddie in rehab, I’m wondering if they’re having money problems? I know they’re divorced, but I’m sure she’s still getting child support and/or alimony. I wouldn’t be surprised if she is doing this for the money only.

11. Maggie on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 11:24 am

    She’s 47. What size does she think she’s supposed to be?

    I don’t think size 14 is all that big for someone who is 5′2″. It’s all relative to the shape of her body, anyway. She could weigh the same as someone who is a 10 or a 12 and have bigger boobs and hips that need a 14.

    I have no problem with her feeling that she needs to lose some weight, but saying she’s doing it publicly so she can’t mess up is demented. Giving the public the right to judge her progress is really fucked up. I remember Kirstie Alley whining and crying about the public attention she got when she put the weight back on the first time.

12. freakgirl on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 11:45 am

    Clothing size is totally insane, anyway. I have to wear all different sizes, depending on what it is. My hips are big, so I have to wear a larger size. But my waist is small, so skirts need to be a smaller size. My boobs are big, so it all depends on the cut of the shirt; I can go from M to L to XL. So it’s kind of silly to decide whether or not I’m fat by looking at the label in my clothes.

13. Julie on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 12:09 pm

    Depending on her BMI she could be considered obese. Just a thought.

14. freakgirl on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 12:17 pm

    The point of this post was the fact that Jenny Craig is running advertising campaigns in conjunction with media like People magazine and packaging them as personal interest stories. Calling a size 14 “obese” without any other information is inaccurate and irresponsible. That was the point of my post, not for us to discuss whether or not Valerie Bertnelli is fat.

15. Chuck on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 12:30 pm

    I still fail to see how this is fake. Just because someone needs the kickstart or regimine of a pre-planned menu, doesn’t mean that they’ll go back to Big Macs immediately after - and if they do, that’s THEIR choice and mistake. And if you’re that stupid to think that going back to your previous eating habits won’t put the weight back on, then you weren’t very serious about it to begin with. Can’t you do Jenny Craig to help establish some healthier eating habits, then continue that on your own? It’s not the friggin mafia. To me, Atkins and other “eat all this and none of that” diets are the fake ones. From what I’ve seen JC is lower fat and lower calorie balanced meals. If people feel good about paying for that and get something out of that kind of structure, I say good for them. And does JC discourage excercise? I don’t know, I just think there are many ways to make losing weight work and it’s very personal. Pre-planned meals that are low calorie/low fat in smaller portions coupled with an active lifestyle sounds like a good way to do it to me. None of this has to do with Valerie Van Halennelli of course, but to each their own, I say.

16. Chuck on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 12:37 pm

    But FUCK PEOPLE MAGAZINE AND THEIR BULLSHIT ON THIS ONE.

17. freakgirl on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 12:44 pm

    I agree with you about the Atkins and all that other stuff.

    I’m having trouble making my point. Jenny Craig and NutriSystem and all these prepackaged food programs are not healthy. As was pointed out earlier, the food is full of preservatives and sodium. And the price is out of range for the majority of Americans. We need to be learning about buying fresh, organic food and about protein and fiber and exercise and strength…instead, we’re being spoon-fed yet another “diet” that consists of absolutely no work on our parts except emptying our wallets.

    Ugh, whatever. Valerie Bertinelli is obese and Jenny Craig is an awesome way to lose weight.

18. GeekBoy on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 1:05 pm

    Chuck, it seems to me that with Atkins, at least there is some burden put on the dieter to actually take control over their eating habits. You can argue whether or not the system works, but getting somebody into the habit of thinking about and controlling the exact kinds of foods they are eating is at least an active process. And it can be adjusted over time if the Atkins formula doesn’t end up working for you. Just add different rules to the same habits.

    But with Jenny Craig, it basically amounts to just eating TV dinners every meal every day. Or having your mom make all your meals for you. Which is fine if you have the money to do it for the rest of your life. But if you ever decide to stop, have you really learned anything about how to eat better? Seems like Jenny Craig is just trying to hook people into being dependent on the plan for the rest of their lives.

19. Maggie on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 1:18 pm

    I understand your point and I agree with what you say about prepackaged food programs. Especially anything that is supposedly portion-controlled. For whom are these portions designed?

    I don’t understand why people are willing to spend money on these programs but not willing to get a referral to a nutritionist from their doctor, so they can learn to plan their own program?

20. Chuck on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 1:19 pm

    I guess I’m the one having trouble making my point. Unless Jenny Craig renders you brain dead, it seems like you can still teach yourself healthy eating habits and transition into that after the structure that you may initially need to get going. Why is that so ludicrous?

    You guys make it sound like they have people waiting outside your kitchen and if you tried to start emulating the pre-packaged meals on your own (by looking at your plate while you eat), they fire laser cannons at your face.

    Ugh, whatever. Jenny Craig is run by satan and their goal is to take every penny you have and render you a non-thinking sheep, unable to decide if a Whopper is healthier than a carrot.

21. Chips O'Toole on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 1:38 pm

    I think there are some excellent points made here. That despite the bullshit, it might be possible for someone to go on jenny craig and train themselves to eat less, then go off it and have a taste for less, and eat better. Sometimes, all we fatasses need is the kickstart. It’s hard without support, but then support can quickly be a serious drain of energy.

    We all, fat or thin, know how we should be eating. I don’t think anyone really thinks that 10 cans of coke a day is healthy, but that doesn’t stop them. Maybe training like this can be a huge help. i don’t know, I have never tried it.

    But the thing that has got to stop is the pressure from the outside making these judgements based on size, or celebrity, or whatever. We can say “that’s not healthy” and want to change, but saying “fatty fatty fat fat”, even at ourselves, does nothing to help. The media saying that is harsh, and promotes bad body image and self esteem problems in everyone.

    now I’m seriously depressed.

22. Chuck on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 1:50 pm

    Me too. Let’s go to Dairy Queen!

23. GeekBoy on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 1:53 pm

    Chuck, I don’t think anybody’s saying that Jenny Craig is satan for offering portion control, or that a person who uses them is brain dead. There’s definitely something to be gained from getting into the habit of eating less. I’m just questioning whether that’s enough.

    If quantity of food is the only issue, I guess Jenny Craig is fine. But the system doesn’t seem to take quality of food or personal food education into account. For many people, the raw amount of food they eat isn’t the problem — it’s exactly what they’re eating, in what combinations, and at what times of day. Sometimes, it’s not an issue of whether you’re eating a Big Mac, but whether you’re eating a banana after 8pm. To my understanding, Jenny Craig doesn’t address this. Even if the JC meals themselves are healthy (which sounds questionable), there’s no guarantee that a person would be able to reproduce those meals on their own if they ever left the system. So it’s the whole “give a fish instead of teach to fish” metaphor.

24. Sara on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 2:03 pm

    My mom lost a lot of weight on Jenny Craig. Back then (probably 10 years or so) the way it worked was you start out eating their meals for all meals but then gradually you start incorporating your own healthy choices (or not) into your diet. Then by the time you reach your weight loss goal you are not even eating the JC food. It’s similar to Weight Watchers in that you meet once a week with a group and weigh in and then chat with your counselor.
    But, I get your overall point, Freakgirl.

25. GeekBoy on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 2:07 pm

    Sara, if that’s how it works, then I guess I could get behind it.

26. Shannon B on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 2:58 pm

    I like how they put Valerie in the sad sack shirt. Her legs don’t look too chubby, and her face isn’t very fat, so I’m thinking if they had thrown on a more flattering top she probably would look just fine.

27. Chuck on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 3:08 pm

    I think you should be your own health advocate. Don’t sign up for JC and expect a nutritionist or a teacher or a personal savior. Expect pre-packaged low fat/calorie meals and a support network to get you on the right path - just as advertised. I went to their website and they never claimed to be life instructors. I’d also bet that in those support groups, there’s plenty of talk of overall health and nutrition outside the TV dinner realm. It may not be for everyone, but weight loss struggles are EXTREMELY personal and if it helps someone lose weight and feel good about themselves, then good for them.

    Good night, and good luck.

28. GeekBoy on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 3:28 pm

    

    Hm. I think we have a new spokesmodel.

29. freakgirl on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 3:38 pm

    Hee!

30. Peter on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 5:34 pm

    The Incredable “Shrinking” Valerie Bertinelli, just the thought of pre-processed food wants you to grab some chocolates.

31. freakgirl on Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 6:05 pm

    Trust me, I eat my fair share of pre-processed food, but I don’t think I could handle eating it every day. BLAND.

32. Jennifer on Thursday, April 05, 2007 at 8:10 am

    Once I turned 21 I thought it was great that I could go out every night to drink mudslides and other Bailey’s based beverages. I gained a lot of weight and there was a Nutri System near where I worked so I figured, why not?
    I did really well on it but I also did a fair amount of cheating. It took me twice as long to reach my goal but I did it (with exercise too).
    Bland doesn’t even begin to describe some of these meals. I learned more about herbs and spices while on that diet. I would spend quite a bit of time doctoring the meals to make them taste somewhat good.
    Oh and yes, I gained it all back. But it was over a long period of time.
    I’ve always known how to lose weight but it was nice to have someone do all the planning and measuring for me.
    Now some fifteen years later (eek!)I just eat smaller portions and exercise. It’s free and it works!

33. Jennifer on Thursday, April 05, 2007 at 8:15 am

    I decided not to do my usual rant about these pre-packaged diets because the post was long enough. But I am back to say, Yes, they are far too expensive. And while they do hand out little booklets about healthy eating nobody actually discusses it with you or helps you plan for that when you have reached your goal.

    Ok…I’m done. No, really!

34. Laurie Carr on Friday, April 06, 2007 at 7:10 pm

    Leave her alone…she’s been through enough. If joining JC makes her feel better, so what. Valerie deserves some happiness even if it just temporary. At least she has a goal of her own and something to focus on.

35. Elle on Friday, April 06, 2007 at 8:42 pm

    People have the wrong idea about Jenny Craig and people that are on it. Jenny Craig is a weight loss/ weight management solution. They teach you the right foods and portions to eat. They are based on the 2005 dietary guidlines that have been set for americans. The food is all prepacked but that does not mean that it is bad for you. It is 50-60 % carbs; 20-30% protein and 20-30% fat. They are very low in sodium and going to be 1/3 to half the sodium content of lean cusine or other frozen meals. The meals cost anywhere from .99 cents to 5.99$. Or about 11- 15 dollars a day. If you go out to lunch just one time a day it will typically cost 10-15 dollars. A salad now costs typically 10$ alone. Obesity is based on Body Mass Index. Depending upon how tall you are a size 6 or 8 can be obese and the majority of people that are a 14 are obese. A person who is 66 inches tall should weight 111 - 136lbs. Jenny Craig requires you to start making your own meals as you progress on their program to ensure that you can lose weight on your own without the conveince of prepackaged meals. Once you reach your goal weight they have you come in for free consultations without buying any food to be sure you have the tools needed to make the weight loss a life long change.

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