Showing posts with label dieting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dieting. Show all posts

Thursday, February 18, 2010

New Fad Diet That's Even Faddier than Other Fad Diets!!

Are you sick of diets that only work for a month, before your weight bounces back up to where it was?




Tired of YO-YO Dieting?


Are you dying for a way to lose weight that's easy, but lasts slightly longer than other easy diets?


Stop playing GAMES with your body! 

You should stop Yo-Yo Dieting... and start... HOPSCOTCH DIETING!!


Hopscotch Dieting?? What's that??!?!??!?!?!?!?!?


It's a new, easy and effective weight loss program!


How DOES IT WORK?


It's simple--just like the game hopscotch.


Your first step is throwing your stone to create a marker (setting a weight loss goal). And then when you have your goal in mind, you hop onto the first square. There, you will enter diet phase one, where your diet will consist of cabbage, boiled water and salt (to be eaten separately).  THEN, after two and a half weeks, you can hop onto squares two and three. Step two is the one where you will eat carrots, cabbage, lemon and evaporated water (to be inhaled through a straw). Step three involves the exercise portion of your weight loss routine. Do 1000 jumping jacks a day, every day for 20 days.


Can't do them? Well, you're hopeless and should give up and go grab a double-cheeseburger meal and get to work on your next heart attack.





What's the next square?!?!

We can't tell you the other steps because we want your money! But we can tell you they're equally restrictive and even more arbitrary.



I Don't Understand....


Yeah, you get it! Now I bet you want to know how to order.


I didn't say that...


You didn't have to! Just dial 1-888-FAD-DIET for more information, or send a blank, authorized cheque to 123 Fake Street, Providence, Rhode Island.

Start HOPPING your way to weight loss today!!!!!


Disclaimer: The rules of this diet have been chosen arbitrarily. There is no clinical or theoretical reasons for doing any of these steps, other than a decrease in caloric intake and increase in physical activity. The Hopscotch Diet is not nearly as effective as a healthy diet combined with exercise.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Lululemon and the Fat Acceptance Movement Part 1

Disclaimer: I know there are few things people who have problems with weight hate more than someone who does not (ie. me) talking about weight in such a way that casts blame on the person who is overweight. I know this is also largely the reason for the Fat Acceptance Movement. It is not my intention to insult or patronize anyone, especially not those who are already sensitive about themselves. Apologies if this blog creeps into that territory.

I've been thinking about doing a blog on the fat acceptance movement for a while now, as I find the whole thing quite interesting--the idea that people are persecuted and discriminated against for their weight. I've been quite interested in discrimination in the past few years (speciesism is a favourite as of late, but sexism and racism are also high on my list). But what really clenched it was this article that Tracy pointed out to me about Lululemon. Basically, there's some reason to believe the company may be getting rid of sizes 12 and 14 (and incorporating a size 0). It was one instance where I really thought, "maybe the fat power folk are onto something."

While the actual details in the Lululemon case are in the allegation phase right now, one can definitely understand their motivation for doing so:
a) They want their product to appeal to other potential buyers (...and maybe size 14 folks aren't good advertising for lulu)
b) They promote a healthy lifestyle (...and most of would us probably assume size 14 folks aren't part of that lifestyle)

But one could also argue that not providing these sizes is a form of discrimination or prejudice. It would be tough to find another group that could be actively excluded without it raising some serious flags. It also makes a company that already seems a little elitist (with their high price tags and fancy storefronts) seem even more so (since people who are poor are far more likely to be overweight).

And you can't claim they are just avoiding unusual sizes because the size 0 is far more rare than size 14, let alone size 12. In fact, overweight people actually make up the majority in Canada and the U.S. (and, I'm sure, other countries).

But then, there always stands the argument that by accommodating for people who are overweight or obese, you're simply allowing them to go with their unhealthy lifestyle without trying to make real, healthful change (of course, that assumes that overweight/obese people are always unfit, something I'll get into in Part 2).

This leads me to the real issue I want to examine about obesity, its perception in society and whether the Fat Acceptance Movement is a worthwhile idea, or something we should be at least somewhat skeptical of.

To be continued...