This time of year the magazines are heavily embellished with sensational weight loss stories. Some are uplifting, some believable, and some are nothing but hype.
Kirstie Alley has featured heavily (no pun intended - honest!) - with dramatic before-and-after pictures. She promotes the weight loss program Jenny Craig, and has been appearing in a new round of TV commercials. Apparently because she's not fat anymore - "It's Raining Men..."
The Jenny Craig Way
Jenny Craig will be grinning from ear-to-ear. Kirstie Alley has done everything they could have hoped for - as far as celebrity endorsements go. Since beginning the program in December 2004 she has lost more than 55 pounds - after an apparent starting weight of 220 pounds. So what exactly was Kirstie eating?
Sample Day (1400 Calories)
Breakfast: Apricot Crumble Bar
Snack: 1 apple and 1 kiwi
Lunch: Broccoli and Cheese Potato
Snack: Sweet Chilli and Lime Sticks
Dinner: Honey Mustard Lamb
Snack: Fruit Muesli Cookie
This eating plan was matched with an apparently consistent exercise regime (40 minutes per day) involving lots of dance.
Cost?
The Jenny Craig program doesn't come cheap. It's virtually impossible to determine the exact costs of Jenny Craig as they are not listed, and are calculated on an individual basis. The cheapest membership deals come in at $6 per week plus the cost of food (estimated at $100 per week). That means that if you and I were following Kirstie Alley's routine - the costs would be (52 weeks x $106 per week) up to $5512. That's a lot of money considering it's all processed microwave food.
Motivator or Aggravator?
Reading too many magazine weight loss stories can make you grind your teeth with jealousy - or fuel your self-motivation. We're so used to dramatic rapid transformations (particularly with "extreme makeover" stories) - that we've come to believe it's instantaneous. Transforming your physical self with diet and exercise is not an instant event - it is a long long painstaking commitment that is measured in years rather than days.
Kirstie Alley has demonstrated that change is possible, and it does take time. Kudos to her for that.
Although it makes one think - If you were a celebrity, would you seriously consider getting larger, just so you could sell your story getting thin again? This is not implying that Kirstie Alley has done such a thing... but it's an interesting idea none-the-less.
