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.

According to The Buzz Log, “Self magazine admits it did airbrush the singer, but no more than they do every other cover model.”

You can compare her cover picture with the video clip of her photo shoot with Self Magazine.

I am wondering what they did to her face. Her face is more circle-shaped in the video clip and oval in the final cover.

You do have to wonder what kind of message this is sending to our women and girls. Here is some one who reports to be comfortable with her size, but the magazine opted to make her face and her weight more visually appealing, which means showing less of her.

I asked my 9-year-old and 7-year-old what was going on with the pictures. The 7-year-old immediately picked up on the fact that the cover picture was ’skinner’ than the other pictures. After I asked my 9-year-old what she though about them changing the cover, she said it was bad because they were lying about her weight.

Sources:
Zap C. 2009. The Buzz Log: Kelly Clarkson Cover Controversy Rocks The Web. Stop The Presses! Blog. Yahoo Music.
Mock J. 2009. Kelly Clarkson Photo Retouched to Make Her ‘Look Her Best’. People Magazine.

More on Truth in Advertising Weight Issues:

Dyer KA. 2008. Tyra Banks Retort on “Fat” Comments
Nutrition & Wellness Blog.
Dyer KA. 2008. Truth in Advertising: No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted. Nutrition & Wellness Blog.

Calories In = Calories Out

If you eat more than you burn up for the day, you will gain weight.

If you eat less than you burn up for the day, you will loose weight.

Or in more technical terms, the conclusions of the published study:

Reduced-calorie diets result in clinically meaningful weight loss regardless of which macronutrients they emphasize.

The Study

In the study 811 overweight adults were randomly assigned to one of four diets with varying percentages of energy derived from fat, protein and carbs. Each of the diets consisted of similar foods and all met guidelines for cardiovascular health.

Participants were followed for a period of 2 years. They were also offered group and individual instruction sessions during this time.

The main outcome measured at the end of 2 years was the change in body weight. Among the 80% of participants who completed the study, the average weight loss was 4 kg (8.8 lbs.). A smaller percentage 14 – 15% experienced a reduction of at least 10% of their initial body weight. This study also found that attendance at group sessions was strongly associated with weight loss.

Resources:

Sacks FM, Bray GA. Feburary 26, 2009. Comparison of Weight-Loss Diets with Different Compositions of Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrates. New England Journal of Medicine. 360:859-873

Parker-Pope T. February 25, 2009. Study Zeroes In on Calories, Not Diet, for Loss: Fewer Calories (Carbs, Protein or Fat ) Are Called Weight Loss Key. New York Times.

Image: Modified Microsoft Clipart.

• 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.

I’ve lost 20 pounds and my cholesterol is down 20 points.

I joined Jenny Craig to learn hot to make healthier choices and I’ve never felt better.

According to Jenny Craig’s vice president of marketing Scott Parker “Queen Latifah joins forces with Jenny Craig to communicate the importance of how small lifestyle changes, in the areas of diet and exercise, can have positive effects on overall health.” These are the messages that need to be getting across to people.

In a separate section of the Jenny Craig site, Queen Latifah, her friends and family talk about what is working for them on their journey to an “ideal size.”

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