Today has been a whirlwind of many things. Not only was it my first official day at Marin Magazine as the new Digital Content Editor, but after my first day, I drove on down to Central San Rafael to pick up my three-day Signature Juice Cleanse from Urban Remedy.
What does this juice cleanse consist of? Well, I have to drink 6 drinks per day every two hours. I’m not allowed to consume any processed foods. If I get hungry, I’m only allowed to eat raw vegetables, as well as raw almonds. Oh, I forgot to mention that I CANNOT have coffee… I frankly don’t know what I’m going to do without coffee for three days. I must have one cup per day. We’ll see how I’ll do. I can have green tea with stevia, and drink tons and tons of water with lemon.
Over the next three days, I’ll be documenting the process here on Much Ado About All Things. I’m such a foodie, so I’m hoping I can last the full three days. Just as long as Max (the boyfriend) doesn’t consume goodies in front of my face, I think I’ll be okay.
How thin is too thin? This is a question that is brought up time and time again in the media. I’m a fan of NBC’s The Biggest Loser and have watched it since Season 1. The latest winner is Rachel Frederickson. Rachel is 24 — that’s my age. She went through a major transformation. Rachel went from being 260 pounds down to 105 pounds. In a matter of a few months, losing 155 pounds is amazing! It takes a lot of courage and strength and mental stability to be able to handle all the changes that come with being on The Biggest Loser and, not to mention, all the challenges.
For those who didn’t follow Rachel’s story, she was a swimmer, constantly exercising and staying fit, until she stopped swimming and decided to go to Europe with her boyfriend. Her relationship ended and that’s when she gained weight. Her confidence was gone and she turned to food. Then, opportunity knocked for Rachel and she was able to be a contestant and changed her life.
Ever since the finale two nights ago, everyone has been sharing their opinions of her weight loss on social media. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I wholeheartedly agree that everyone should express their opinions, but should do so in a way that won’t come off as bullying or imposing beliefs on others who may think differently.
On Twitter, the topic of Rachel’s weight loss was trending extensively. Comments ranged from Rachel looking anorexic, to The Biggest Loser should be ashamed, to Rachel isn’t healthy but underweight (and that’s something to be sad about). And here is where my opinion on this subject matter comes in.
Who are we to say if someone is too fat or too thin? We are not all doctors. And even if one of you readers out there is a doctor, do you know that person’s medical history? Most likely not (unless, by some great chance they are your patient). Unfortunately, we all judge. Our first instincts as human beings is to size someone up by their looks. But when someone has the courage to display their physical, emotional, and mental weight loss transformation on one of the biggest networks in the U.S., the judgement scale skyrockets and when the contestant loses “too much” weight, it becomes a huge controversy.
I don’t know if anyone has seen Rachel’s interview on Access Hollywood (see YouTube clip below), but they addressed this specific controversy. Rachel says in her response that the confident girl that was gone is now back and she’s happy and feels healthy. She also states that she has learned what she needed to in order to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. This doesn’t mean she’s anorexic, or starved herself to get to this point, or that The Biggest Loser should be even slightly ashamed.
None of us have the right to judge Rachel’s weight. The Biggest Loser gave us all a slight inside look into the transformations of all these people/contestants. When someone sheds so much weight in such a short amount of time, of course they will look completely different! It’s inevitable.
I am reiterating the fact that I said people are entitled to their own opinion. Just remember that even though people like Rachel have found their confidence and strength again, they are still human beings and have feelings. There is no doubt in my mind that all this talk of her weight is bringing Rachel down a bit.
No one, and I mean no one has the right to say that Rachel is too thin, anorexic, or starving herself. If she is healthy and her doctors say so, then where is the problem?
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