Hot or Not - Losing 100lbs+
Her before picture was always black and white, always grainy and subjective to the eye. Kind of remind you of someone else huh? :)
I was posting at LCF and the topic of Susan Powter came up. I remember her way back from the old days, when she would compare the caloric content of a slice of cheese to a thousand baked potatos. She was also well known for her platinum blonde shaved head, bare midriff, and delicate collar bones. Everyone wanted to look like her, and you know what? Some people still do. I can't blame them.
So what's my friggin problem with her? Well, besides the fact that she promotes an extremely high carbohydrate/low fat diet I ended up gaining weight on, her success story is much like Heidi Diaz's - it's safe to assume it's based on a lie. Her brother came forward with photos that were splashed across the tabloids for a few weeks proving she had never been 260lbs. She's Heidi Diaz's polar opposite. Heidi Diaz faked after pictures, Susan Powter faked before pictures. Heidi Diaz restricted calories that even a child from a third world country would laugh at, Susan Powter encouraged people to stuff their faces full of calories (nevermind that those calories would spike blood sugar and insulin levels leading to weight gain). Heidi Diaz helped people lose weight, Susan Powter helped them gain weight. Heidi Diaz had fake hair at the height of her diet, and when Susan Powter got rid of her hair her popularity exploded.
The eerie similarities could go on and on but I digress. The point of my post is the problem with Susan Powter's "after" results - she has a Barbie doll's body. Remember, bare, toned midriff and delicate collar bones? Ok the collar bones I can understand but the midriff bothers me. If she was supposedly 260+lbs before she went on her diet, how in the world could she have the body of a beauty queen? Nobody that's morbidly obese just loses a hundred pounds and gets "hot" without surgery. That's physically impossible.
She explained in her book "Stop The Insanity!" that the only surgery she ever had was to remove the "skin around her bellybutton that was wrinkled up like a little old woman's." In reality, after losing a hundred pounds it's more likely someone would need a full abdominoplasty plus other extensive surgery to get the athletic look she still has today.
Ditto for the rest of her body. I know people who have had weight loss surgery and have lost over a hundred pounds. Skin sags everywhere. Sometimes it's bad, sometimes not. But it does sag. I must stress that it's not the person's fault and it's a natural byproduct of excess weight loss. You don't pick and choose where it will sag, it just does where it wants to, especially in problem areas you have had your whole life. Where did Susan's skin sag? Nowhere. And that's the problem with weight loss gurus - they perpetuate the myth that losing a ton of weight will make you look like a rock star. It doesn't!
Yes, improving your physical attractiveness while losing weight is a great feeling when you are losing weight. In fact, vanity may be a great motivation for some people to lose weight and get healthy. That's perfectly fine. It's natural to feel pride in your success and body after losing weight. But it's a fairy tale that one will be a supple, svelt sex kitten (or tom cat, for that matter) after losing over a hundred pounds.
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