I turned on my computer last week to the headline “MARIAH CAREY Loses 20 Pounds!”  

I was surprised at how much media attention the story received.  People seem to have an insatiable appetite for this kind of gossip, especially when it involves which celebrity is fat or thin.  While I am not particularly fascinated by Hollywood or the music industry - I am keenly interested in the health and fitness field.  So I always like to read about how women in the entertainment business keep themselves looking like someone who can sell millions of records or movie tickets.   

Mariah Carey has had to base her career on looking sexy.  Did she really need to lose 20 pounds?  I thought she always looked great, but by celebrity standards her managers probably thought she did.  She claims she was a size 8 and now is a 2.  Can you believe that?  How many of us would love to be a size 8?  She was already a single digit and now is getting closer to a 0.  She says she’s eating 5 meals a day, no more than 1500 calories, mixes proteins with carbs and can cheat when she wants to.  Who knows if that’s the case?  I do know the pressure on her must be tremendous.  She had something of a nervous breakdown a few years back and I wonder if one of the pressures could have been her weight.

In comparison, Oprah and Queen Latifah were always shapely women who looked great. Oprah’s weight battle has been very public and we’ve seen her in every size from an 18 down to an 8.  She has now settled somewhere in the middle where she seems to feel comfortable with herself.  The Queen has always talked about being comfortable in her own skin however recently she signed a contract with Jenny Craig and is now their spokesperson.  Although she hasn’t disclosed exactly how much weight she’s lost she is preaching eating less and moving more.  I like her approach.  While we probably don’t really view either Oprah or Queen Latifah as a SEX SYMBOL, I do think that both of them have an enormous amount of SEX APPEAL, stemming from their talent and self-confidence. 

Even if we’re not rich and famous we have many of the same challenges in making peace with our bodies.  I think that if we strive for better health and focus on what we like about ourselves then we’ll find the way to truly be comfortable in our skin.

Enjoy the week as spring is here and I’m feeling wonderful!

Debra

Related topics:  Mariah Carey’s Weight Loss, Oprah’s Weight Battle, Queen Latifah’s Weight Loss, Body Image, Plus Size, Women’s Health, Women’s Self Esteem, Plus Size Fitness, Starting a Fitness Program, Overweight Exercise, Larger Women Working Out, Active at Any Size