Oprah Opens Up About Thyroid Condition

Everything Oprah touches, it turns to gold right? Well, not the cookies at least. As it turns out, O is claiming that it's not her fault for her recent weight gain of about 20 pounds. In the most recent issue of her magazine, she writes that she is dealing with hypothyroidism. No offense of anything, obviously Oprah has a really slow metabolism. Right?

"My body was turning on me," she wrote. "First hyperthyroidism, which sped up my metabolism and left me unable to sleep for days. (Most people lose weight. I didn't.) Then hypothyroidism, which slowed down my metabolism and made me want to sleep all the time."

Problems involving you thyroid have a direct effect on your metabolism if you are not familiar with it. Often time people who have problems involving their thyroid do not know it or it diagnosed very late in life. However, it is very easy to check for thyroid problems through simple blood tests. If you are getting your cholesterol checked, your doctor can use the same blood sample, just ask to be tested.

Now for my diva input. I feel for Oprah, really I do. My mother has a hypoactive thyroid, and when she should be losing weight with regular exercise and diet, it's much harder for her than someone like myself. However, I'm also 30 years younger. I think Oprah places so much emphasis on her diet and exercise that the public constantly looks to see how she is doing. It's her own personal life long battle. She will forever be a Yo-Yo dieter. She has so much money, and since she cannot keep off the pounds with personal trainers, chef's, all the plastic surgery she could ever want, etc... it seems kinda important for her to give us an explanation.
"If Oprah can't lose weight, what chance do I have?" some people may ask themselves. Well, Oprah has a thyroid problem, that's why. I think it's a silly excuse for her recent weight gain (which I did not, and still DO not notice). Is she trying to bring herself down to a level that her viewers can relate to because they can't relate to her on any other level?

Eating disorders, drug problems, rehab, medical conditions... celebrities seem to know how to garner publicity, and I'm sorry but I think this is just one of those for Oprah. Call me out, if you think I'm being too harsh, but let's face the fact: A lot of overweight people have thyroid problems. Oprah is not the first or the only one, so why is the media treating it like it's some epidemic.

Lastly, I would like to give a shout out to two of my friends in college who have hyperactive thyroids. If you don't have a friend with one, don't go looking for them. Cher and Caitlin are two of my favorite people in the entire world, however they can eat everything and anything they want, have WAY too much energy all the time and are a blast to hang out with. Cher used to bring extra large M&M bags to class and eat them through the lecture. After we'd go to starbucks and she would get a frappaccino and some cookie brownie thing. She one day decided to cut out pizza from her diet. She dropped pounds in 5 days. Caitlin, would only eat bagels, pizza, chicken wings, and Joey Bags (A buffalo chicken cheese steak sub from Freddy's on Main Street) our senior year. She lost weight. Sounds awesome right? Not so much. One has to take an extremely expensive prescription every day. One has mini heart attacks in which her heart beats way too fast. There are many other issues that go along with their hyperactive thyroids that I am not familiar enough with to tell you all about, but thyroid problems, if detected, can be managed like most medical conditions.

By the way, Cher and Caitlin are both extremely skinny if you couldn't tell.

October 19, 2008

Summer Means More Celebrity Weight Loss Headlines

If Janet Jackson only knew her celebrity weight loss woes could be cured with a single Diet.com blog... This week is pretty busy regarding celebrity weight loss tips in Magazine Rack Land. To be honest, it's the season for weight loss and diet headlines. Take a look at any magazine and you will find at least one headline promising to help you shed pounds. People.com this week brings us "The Fit 5: Tips to Feel (and Look) Like a Star!" and it's too bad Janet is not a Diet.com user. US Weekly takes a look at Christina Aguilera's baby weight loss regime and breast cup size!

Apparently her "tip" is to resist your temptations. Apparently Janet "always craves pancakes." says her nutritionist. How embarrassing is that!? I'll add embarrassing revelations and exaggerations to my list of why you don't want to be famous asap. Instead, Ms. Jackson snacks on a mix of fresh blueberries and strawberries, which in my opinion is equivalent to having a stick of chewing gum when you really want the mint chocolate chip ice cream (cough cough Biggest Loser). Nice try People Magazine... If Janet was a member of Diet.com, she would not have to give up her beloved pancakes because I featured this super awesome recipe a few weeks ago for protein packed oatmeal pancakes. Here's the recipe for the Fit and Fabulous Pancakes.

On the cover of US Weekly, you can find out how Christina Aguilera lost her baby weight! Do you care because I don't? The dirrty singer claims she lost 40 lbs of baby weight and is currently wearing a size E bra! How many baby pounds do the stars gain? They all lose it faster than the average mom but do they gain the average amount?
Aguilera - 40 lbs lost
Tori Spelling - 40 lbs lost (with the help of Nutrisystem)
Kate Hudson- Gained a rumored 60 lbs! (lost in 3 months plus 2-3 hours daily exercise)
Nicole Richie- 20 lbs lost 20 days (breast fed and rumored to only eat chicken broth)
Milla Jovovich - Gained 70 lbs!
Heidi Klum - 48 lbs lost
Kate Winslet - gained 55 lbs
JENNY MCCARTHY - 80 lbs!
Denise Richards - gained 30 lbs
LEAH REMINI - gained 80 lbs!

OK conclusion - there is no way Tori Spelling only gained 40 lbs... she is 5'6 and looked like a tank!

May 22, 2008

Kim Kardashian, Rihanna & Jennifer More Life You!

Just when you thought celebrities were from Venus and you were from Mars, exciting news that makes them seem a little bit "Just Like Us." Winter weight gain, childhood sports, and a weight we can relate to. Sure this article applies to the Diet Diva, but I'm sure ya'll can find something to take away that will boost your own self-esteem.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Don't be so hard on yourself. Winter doesn't just pack on pounds around your midsection but it apparently has also packed the pounds on the largest lady humps Hollywood has to offer, Kim Kardashian's backside! I know, that was a little harsh, but who doesn't have a little bit of animosity towards this quasi-celebrity? What is she seriously famous for? Her BUTT! If you are famous for your ability to be a good singer, you should be praised for your angelic voice and chart topping achievement. If you're famous for having a large booty, shouldn't we be able to talk about its large success? Here is a recent picture of Kim's famous can.

Let me clearly state, I am not trying to be mean, or say she is the "F" word. I am simply saying, even Kim Kardashian gains a little in the winter.

3 RIHANNA REVELATIONS: Singing sensation Rihanna talked about her figure in a recent interview with Fabulous Mag, a British publication. We've read many articles on Rihanna and her workout routine so we won’t bore you with the old details but here are a few things that we relate to Rihanna with:
1. "I work out every day but I need a trainer to motivate me – I
don’t find it much fun working out on my own," said the 20 year old. We don't find working out fun at all, so at least she isn't lying and pretending that she loves to exercise.
2. Her least favorite body part is her legs! "I’m insecure about them. Everyone wants to have slim, perfectly-toned legs and I’m the same. I do weights but I don’t want my legs to bulk up so I do a lot of cardio," she admits. I couldn't agree with a sister more.
3. When asked if size mattered she replied NO. Rihanna claims that sometimes she is a size 2, and sometimes a size 4. In my opinion, she doesn't look this skinny but I guess the camera adds 10 lbs??? She tells the magazine that, "Being slim makes me feel better about myself. It boosts my self-esteem, and having a toned body helps with my job because I wear a lot of skimpy costumes. My weight fluctuates, but I don’t weigh myself every day. “I’m 5ft 8in and weigh around 9 stone, 7 pounds (133 lbs.)" That sounds pretty skinny, and doesn't look that accurate, but who am I to say she is lying? She sounds like she has a normal relationship with food and her body so I'm going to conclude that I like her.


THE COVERED DISH: If you thought Addison Shepard was the cover model this month for Shape magazine, you're not alone. I totally thought it was Kate
Walsh, but I was wrong! It's Jennifer Esposito from "Samantha Who?"
She looks so happy. After reading the article I realized I have a lot in common with this fabulous actress. Sounds like me and my background. While growing up she was a gymnast, figure skater and used to play every sport there was growing up. Although my gymnastic career was short-lived, I did used to compete is figure skating competitions and prance around in a glitzy leotard with makeup and my hair done, all before the age of 10. As a result, Jennifer dabbles in a variety of workouts. She loves to do Pilates and yoga, as well as regular cardio and strength workouts. "Pilates really strengthens my core, which I need, but I feel like it also makes my legs look longer and leaner than weight workouts do," She says. This quote is like my motto but I get yelled at by all the trainers I work with when I say this, unless they teach yoga or Pilates... Anyway, this is the first celebrity that seems to do what I do for exercise, and I would like to rejoice because she looks fabulous! She must be doing something right, so it helps me believe I am too!

March 10, 2008