According to reports for Tyra Banks, what began as a game, a a three month “get fit, get healthy challenge” with seven of her friends has turned into a new lifestyle for her. As noted in the Video clip below, she felt conflicted and decided to say something about her weight loss after the media started to notice:

“The media started taking notice and showing pictures of before and after of me losing weight, and I felt kind of exposed because I wasn’t trying to proclaim to the world, ‘I got fit and I got healthy and I got in shape,’ because I felt kind of conflicted especially after the ‘Kiss my fat ass’ thing,” she says. “It’s still fat by the way.”

As part of the change, Tyra bought an elliptical machine and started exercising while watching Sex and the City. According to People.com Tyra says she:

“…got rid of one of my couches in my living room and I watched Sex and The City episodes on the treadmill or the elliptical. “o Sex and the City lasts 30 minutes – that’s how long I’m on the elliptical.

In addition the started writing down every single thing she ate making her more aware of the calories she consumed especially while eating out.

Key Points to her lifestyle changes:

• Getting off the couch, by getting rid of it
• Exercising
• Tracking calories
• Having fun doing it
• Being accountable to friends about getting healthy

Congratulations on the weight loss and for also setting a healthy example.

Sources:

Parks M. September 2009. Sex and the City Helped Tyra Banks Lose Weight. People.com
Tyra Sheds Pounds — and Furniture! September 2009. Extra TV.
SATC Helped Tyra Banks Shape Up. September 2009. FitSugar.com
Tyra Banks Shows Off Buff New Arms. US Magazine.

More:

Dyer KA. 2008. Tyra Banks Retort on “Fat” Comments. Nutrition and Wellness Blog.

• Tyra Banks Retort on “Fat” Comments
• Queen Latifah – My Weight is “Healthy”
• Truth in Advertising: No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted
• Teaching Our Children to Have a Healthy Self Image: Dove’s Onslaught Campaign

These prior posts look at many of the issues regarding our perceptions of beauty and weight as well as the impact of these images on our children.

Tyra addresses rather effectively the unflattering bathing suit photos that were plastered across every tabloid and gossip website in 2007, claiming that she had gained 40 lbs.

In calculating Tyra’s BMI, at 5′10″ and 161 lbs, she ends up right in the healthy range with a BMI of 23.1

You can read an interview with her at People Magazine online.

Calculating BMI (Body Mass Index)

BMI Formula BMI = [ Weight in Pounds / ( Height in inches ) x ( Height in inches ) ] x 703

BMI = ( kg/m² )
(weight in pounds * 703 )
height in inches²

Metric BMI Formula

BMI = [ Weight in Kilograms / ( Height in Meters ) x ( Height in Meters ) ]

BMI = ( kg/m² )
weight in kilograms
height in meters²