At the Obesity Policy Coalition, our role models are the people who have pushed back against the status quo to make choices that support a healthier lifestyle and who have lost weight (and maintained it).
Or those who have not put on weight in the first place.
These are not people whose faces fill glossy women's magazines, or whose latest act of excellence on the sports field or in the pool is lauded.
These celebrities, both local and international, not only have their sporting or acting achievements celebrated, sometimes it's their weight loss achievements too.
Olympic swimmers such as Geoff Huegill, Ian Thorpe and Libby Trickett have all spoken about their weight loss after getting back into training, post-retirement, for a huge event like the Olympic trials.
Some of their achievements are quite amazing, like Huegill's 45kg drop in weight, or Thorpe's loss of 20 per cent of his body weight.
While we congratulate them for their amazing weight loss, these people have had a great deal of help.
As elite athletes they are able to do hours of training. Then there are the dietitians, personal trainers, coaches and managers encouraging them every step of the way.
How realistic is that for the average person?
GM Diet
It seems, looking at these swimmers, that when their tough training regimens end, the reality of life catches up with them (and causes weight gain).
Negative Calorie
It's something we can see repeated on TV. How many contestants on The Biggest Loser regain their weight after the show, when the reality of life catches up with them?
No more personal trainers. No more competing for prizemoney.
Just the challenge of being time-poor, making the food budget stretch and dealing with requests from kids for sugary cereal, or the latest movie character toy in the fast-food meal deal.
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For related articles and more information, please visit OCA's Food Safety page and our Millions Against Monsanto page.
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HOUSTON—Describing his second heart failure in the span of two years as “a real wake up call,” obese 6-year-old Nicholas Bleyer announced Tuesday that he was finally trying to turn his life around.
Obesity rates rise in county schools
By the time students in Forsyth County reach high school, more than 40 percent of them are overweight or obese, according to a BMI study released by Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.
