Today’s post was intended to be Super Bowl-centric. After all, the big game is Sunday and I want you all nutritionally armed. The truth though, for me, is without the Giants or the Saints the game isn’t a major event and there’s something I’d rather talk about. If you’re disappointed please check out two Super Bowl articles I wrote that will provide you with potential food fumbles and also MVP choices. This post appeared on the Daily Green and this one on Blisstree.
I read the article in the Daily Mail and had a different reaction. Kim talked about having to watch what she eats because she has a large appetite. She talked about growing up with a healthy relationship with food and mentioned that it’s harder to maintain her weight as she ages. I applaud Kim for her honesty. This is a nice break from “I eat a ton” and all the nice-try-we-know-you’re-full-of-it comments we get from celebrities when it comes to weight. Is it so bad to admit that you work at it?
Maybe it was the word diet that put Land Animal and others off. If Kim had said, “I watch what I eat” would it have been the same? And would the reaction have been the same if Kim (hard to imagine) were somehow male? I read, in the seriously scholarly OK magazine (I was getting a manicure), the beefy Bachelor Brad say, "I eat very clean and watch everything including sodium." This, along with his 2-hour workouts, sounds far more obsessive than Kim’s comments.
I thought about myself and my eating. I watch what I eat and make an effort to eat lots of produce, work out most days of the week and from time to time keep a food journal, is this a “diet”? If it is I’m ok with it. Maybe my children who I encourage to try new foods and eat 2 fruits and vegetables are on their own form of a diet too. Ultimately, I think there’s a big difference between having a system that works for you and being overly restrictive, fasting or testing out the Twinkie Diet. Now that would be sad.
What do you think of Kim Cattrall’s comments? Sad or honest or both? And what will you be eating on Sunday? I hope it’s not a food fumble.
** congratulations to Aidan who won our Energy Kitchen giveaway. For today Food Should Taste Good, our #1 Superbowl snack, is giving away a goody bag with different flavors chips, chip clips, coupons and a fun FSTG tote bag. Comment for a chance to win.
** congratulations to Aidan who won our Energy Kitchen giveaway. For today Food Should Taste Good, our #1 Superbowl snack, is giving away a goody bag with different flavors chips, chip clips, coupons and a fun FSTG tote bag. Comment for a chance to win.
I too applaud her honesty. I don't think watching what you eat and dieting are equivalent. We are so trained to define dieting as restricting, so I rarely use the word. But do I watch my daily "diet"? Absolutely -- every morsel that enters my lips! Am I really hungry? Is this a good choice? Am I full yet? Will this apple give me enough fuel for my workout, or do I need to add some peanut butter? It can sound obsessive, but I don't believe it's a diet. I'm not restricting, I'm trying to be mindful about what I eat, learning to listen to my body after years of doing what everyone else told me to do. I like this way better. :)
ReplyDeleteShe still looks so sexy....I have been trying hard not to eat too much junk food..kinda hard..sighs..
ReplyDeleteI think her choice of words was poor, I hate the word diet. I think the only time it should be used is in a clinical setting - liquid diet, low purine diet and so on.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad, but I think celebrities need to be role models for society and should focus on words like healthy, nutritious and portion control.
If "diet" really = "mindful eating", then we should aim towards that. But I think that Kim means that she's had to deprive herself because her job is unforgiving about an extra ounce. That is sad and not a way to live.
ReplyDeleteI think the word diet is like budget. Last year I got my act together (thanks to foodtrainers) with my diet. I don't feel restricted at all, in fact I feel better then ever and have discovered some great new foods. This year is the year of the budget. I approached it the same way I did food...be mindful of what you spend and think twice before impulse buying or eating. I am close to being out of debt and have started saving for a ski share...nothing negative about that! Love Kim Cattrall also!
ReplyDeleteSo thrilled to be the winner of the EK certificate! This is a great post and has me thinking. I do think there is something a bit sad (maybe that is not the exact right word) about someone having to watch what they eat their entire life. I guess I think we should allow ourselves moments when we let go and indulge and don't calculate every calorie. I do not think this surrender should happen every day, but some.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess at the crux of this is the word "diet" which some people don't like. Aidan, I also think that "watching what you eat" can feel restrictive or organized depending on the your vantage point.
ReplyDeletei say on special days like superbowl for Americans eat what you want but just me wish i liked American football
ReplyDeleteI so appreciate you for calling out many of the very thin celebrities that claim to have stopped at the McDonald's drive through on the way to the red carpet. Thank you for highlighting Kim's honesty -- that she is a real person making the real effort one needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle (and to steer clear of the football shaped cookies on Sunday).
ReplyDeleteGreat post as always, Lauren.
ReplyDeleteI was going to respond to this on Twitter, but was distracted. Suffice to say, I always find myself choosing my words wisely especially when talking those I coach about their intake. I don't like to use the word "diet" because it suggests something temporary. Now, when I refer to my "diet" I don't mean anything temporary but people still see it that way, especially considering I am a person who has gone from being obese to being athletic.
I now use the word "lifestyle" to talk about my food choices. Kim's words are not sad because I don't vibe from them that she has been yo-yo'ing her entire life - she's just been smart and aware of her body - something we *all* benefit from.
Making sure I get the right amount of calories (and the right balance of nutrients) for days I'm training/days I'm resting is necessary for my health. If people wanna call it a diet, so be it. My body has never loved me more (or done more for me!) than it does now.
I think it is GREAT that she said she diets. A HUGE part of her job requires that she do just that! I don't believe it for a second when actresses over 25 say that they can eat anything and not work out. Good for her for saying what is true.
ReplyDeleteI just posted a comment, but had to post again after reading some of the other comments. I guess the word "diet" offends people because it seems binding and torturous. I think the reason why I think its great that she used that word is because it is true. Let's face it, the woman is menopausal. What menopausal women do you know who have 6 pack abs--AND she DOES have six pack abs. I find her words quite liberating actually. Her words give me; a normal midwestern woman, a choice. It is real. If I want to look like Kim Cattrell, she makes no bones about it, I have to (gasp!) DIET. What's wrong with being realistic? If you want to look abnormally fit and beautiful you have to sacrifice some fun and joy in other areas.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's sad. This is just another reason why our country is so fat. People want to sugarcoat the fact that maintaining your weight takes effort. You can't eat whatever you want and expect to stay slim. People will make any excuse for themselves to justify their weight - "Oh, it's age." Yes, you may gain weight as you age, but you don't have to let it all escape you.
ReplyDeleteI do think Hollywood women have it harder in that they work to maintain weights that are probably too low for them. Most seem to follow VLC diets to stay slim and in the long run that would be exhausting. If they were maintaining weights that were more "natural" it wouldn't be such a chore, I'm sure.
Carrie, can I offer an amen, I think you said what I was trying to say. I don't want to think that there's something wrong with me b/c I spend time working on myself. I love knowing that's the deal, you need to exercise a lot of no 6 pack (not that I have a 6 pack). I recall Debbie (the ex View Host) saying, when asked, "I eat very little" and while that may be sad it is preferred as it is honest.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, it is great for a celebrity to admit that it takes work! This actually makes me feel like it's possible for me to look that good too (errr... ok... maybe not quite THAT good, but you know what I mean).
ReplyDeleteI firmly believe that it is OK to work to maintain health. It's all about choices. More often than not (though certainly not 100% of the time) I make the choice to maintain health while not eating as much or exactly what I might want to.
Such an interesting post. I think she just should have used a different word. Even I am starting to get sick of hearing the word "diet" all the time. I mean, if dieting means "watching what you eat, and making sure to eat healthy and be intuitive" than I am dieting too! And, I'm skinny, so some people may think that's crazy, but why can't a skinny girl be a healthy girl who tries to listen to her body??! And then when Brad says he works out two hours a day, people are just amazed and applaud him. It's just not right.
ReplyDeleteGreat thought-provoking post! For me this is a case of the word "diet" being too loaded. It is one thing to say that you eat consciously and stay in shape for your health, it is another thing to deprive yourself of dessert for the rest of your life. You know what I mean?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link.
Check out the definition of "diet" (I focused on the nouns) - only 1 out of 6 really has a negative connotation:
ReplyDeletehttp://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diet
So maybe the issue is how the word has evolved to be equated with deprivation, or something negative, vs overall change in behavior (because technically, we should not go on "diets" we should make changes to the way we consume food and the choices we make regarding food).
Just food for thought :)
Oh, you've hit on a topic that is such a pet peeve of mine: when celebs lie about eating whatever they want. It irks me even more when they lose a dramatic amount of weight and claim that it was solely for health reasons. What's so wrong with admitting they wanted to look and feel better in their clothes and your own skin?! We all do!
ReplyDeleteAs far as Kim's comment, I applaud her honesty as well and I do agree it wouldn't be looked at twice if she were a man. It's such a Catch 22 for us women because we're put under pressure to look good all the time (especially celebrity women) yet aren't allowed to be openly conscious about our bodies and the foods we eat. I also find it interesting that society seems to view any eating plan that includes eating well and taking care of our bodies as a "diet" and eating whatever you want and not being conscious of what you're putting in your body is lauded as being comfortable with yourself and having a positive relationship with food. We've really got to get our priorities in order.
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ReplyDelete