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Howard Stern Attacks “Precious” Star’s Weight

Mar 11, 2010, 10:30 am.

Filed under: Celebs & Entertainment

That’s Fit writer Pooja Mottl weighs in on Howard Sterns recent comments regarding actress Gabourey Sibide’s weight.

Howard Stern was blazingly cruel in his recent tirade against “Precious” star and Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe. “There’s the most enormous, fat black chick I’ve ever seen,” said Stern. “She is enormous. Everyone’s pretending she’s a part of show business and she’s never going to be in another movie.”

Sidibe is, without a doubt, a wildly gifted talent. And to anyone who saw her working it on the red carpet Sunday night, clearly comfortable in her own skin. But in calling Gabourey out on her size — however scathing — Stern may have actually done something positive.

The young actress is clearly carrying an unhealthy amount of weight, and by making her the target of his tirade, Stern opened up the floodgates to a subject that desperately needs to be addressed more openly in America. We can no longer afford to be politically correct or afraid of hurt feelings when it comes to talking about obesity. Our country is in the midst of a grave obesity epidemic that is compromising our lives. Americans are fatter than ever, with approximately 127 million overweight and 69 million obese adults in the country. Being obese raises the risk of cancer (with over 75 percent of cases reported to be directly attributed to obesity), c ardiovascular disease, heart disorders, stroke, infertility and hypertension.

The fat crisis isn’t only hurting us physically, it’s hurting us financially. Obesity related health care is costing us $117 billion each year.

Stern made a point during his critique of Sibide when he said, “You just want to say to her, listen, honey, now that you’ve got a little money in the bank go get yourself thin, because you’re going to die in three years.” Stern is implying that money buys good health, since people who have the means to purchase more nutritious and fresh food, educate themselves on fitness, nutrition and health, and have safe places to exercise, will undoubtedly find it easier to combat overweight and obesity. But these options are not available to every American. Where Stern is wrong, however, is that she shouldn’t feel the need to buy herself a thin frame. Sibide, along with millions of men and women, needs to get back years of her life that are being robbed by obesity.

Researchers have been studying overweight and obesity as it relates to factors such as education, income level, location and ethnicity, and have found all of these factors weigh on an individuals risk for obesity.

And while economic and genetic factors do play a role, at the end of the day it’s individual lifestyle choices that have the biggest impact on the scale. Making a concerted effort to eat healthier, whole foods, prioritizing exercise and incorporating cooking in your daily life are imperative. After all, only you have control over what and how much goes in your mouth and how often you want your body to be active each day. Often obese individuals have other factors at play, including hormone imbalances and sometimes depression, but by understanding the underlying factors and addressing them, most people can gain their health back even with limited means.

Even though Howard Stern was by no means thoughtful or kind when he spoke of Sidibe, she is indeed dangerously overweight. Stern’s radio show might not have been the polite venue to bring up such a sensitive topic, but we can only hope that those close to her are also concerned about her health and have spoken out in a more private setting.

Now that Stern’s cruel comments have hit the airwaves, we will have to wait and see if she will embrace her stardom as a chance to get her weight in check. I’m also hoping that with her new found fame, she can also address some of these complex issues surrounding why so many people and minorities in particular are battling overweight and obesity and perhaps become a role model for much needed change in America today.

As rude and insensitive as it is to point out someone’s weight in public, many That’s Fit Success Stories say that comments about their weight was the turning point to get healthy.

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Woman Loses 154 Pounds to Save Her Knees

Mar 03, 2010, 3:30 pm.

Filed under: Motivation

Because of crippling knee pain, Janet Paton needed surgery in order to be able to walk normally, but doctors told her she couldn’t undergo surgery because she was too heavy. That left the 38-year-old mother from Yorkshire, England with only one alternative — slim down or live the rest of her life in pain. Guess which option she chose?

If you guessed the first one, you’re absolutely right. Paton realized that life in agony was no life at all and made the decision to lose weight. At her heaviest, she weighed 290 pounds, but now clocks in at 154 pounds — almost half her size. She did it by taking control of her eating habits.

“I’ve never been able to resist chocolate, and I’d polish off a big family bar every day … that’s the way I lived for years and years, putting away lots of burgers, pizzas, chocolate and chips,” she told the UK’s Daily Mail. Her diet of potato chips, chocolate and fries was quickly replaced with a calorie-controlled healthy eating plan. In addition to her poor diet, she also traded in her sedentary lifestyle for an active one — she now walks three miles a day with the family dog.

And while the truth hurt at the time, hearing that she was too obese for surgery was a monumental turning point for Janet. “I felt really insulted and offended at the time,” she told the Daily Mail, “but I’m grateful when I look in the mirror now because what she said changed my life, and gave me a chance to look at things afresh.”

But the best part of Janet’s amazing transformation? Now that she lightened the load on her joints, she no longer needs knee surgery.

“As for my knees, they’re perfect — and I can’t imagine I’ll ever need to think about getting some new ones,” she said. “[Prior to the weight loss,] My knees were really sore, and you could hear them grinding when I went down the road. It was agony wherever I went, and I really thought surgery was the only answer.”

In the UK, where knee operations are paid for by the government, she’s saved the taxpayers over $30,000 in estimated medical expenses. But more importantly, she may have saved years of her own life.

Janet lost the weight by walking — you can, too, in as little as four weeks!

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Can Exercise Protect Against Yo-Yo Dieting?

Mar 03, 2010, 1:00 pm.

Filed under: Diet & Weight Loss

Losing weight is an amazing feat, but the reality is that the majority of people who’ve lost it will re-gain it at some point — and with the weight comes increased risk for a problematic condition called Metabolic Syndrome. But new research shows that regular exercise can help improve and maintain an individual’s metabolic health, even as they pack on extra pounds.

Professor Tom R. Thomas and his team of researchers from the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at the University of Missouri monitored 102 people during a weight-loss program. All participants saw their metabolic health improve after losing weight. The study then tracked 77 participants through a programmed weight-regain over four to six months.

Participants were random assigned to two groups — non-exercisers or exercisers in a five-days-a-week fitness program. As they re-gained the weight, their metabolic health — indicated by variables like VO2 max, blood pressure, blood sugar control, cholesterol and inflammation — were monitored.

During the trials, they found that non-exercisers experienced “rapid deterioration” in all of these factors, while the exercisers managed to more-or-less maintain their metabolic health as they gained weight. “The findings of this study indicate that regaining weight is very detrimental; however, exercise can counter those negative effects,” Thomas said in a statement.

So, what’s the message here — that it’s okay to eat whatever you want and gain a bunch of weight long as you make an effort to work out while you do it? Not quite. Overall, “it is much better to maintain the weight loss,” Thomas told That’s Fit. “Exercise did counter almost all the ill effects of weight regain except it did not protect against adding abdominal fat.” Abdominal fat, in case you’re wondering, is the most dangerous kind fat, and it can lead to all sorts of cardiovascular problems.

It seems the prevailing message should be this: Exercise is crucial for your health, regardless of whether you’re losing weight, gaining it or doing your best to stick to the status quo. Thomas recommends cardiovascular activities for maintaining metabolic health. “We have studied [both aerobic exercise] and weight training,” he said, “and found 45-50 minutes of aerobic exercise to be most effective.”

Need inspiration to slim down? Read about real people who’ve lost weight and kept it off in our Success Stories.

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