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Kelly Osbourne: Now And A Few Years Ago

Golda Poretsky, HHC
http://www.bodylovewellness.com

*Um, don’t get too excited.

Back in 2002, I really dug the show The Osbournes.  I was sort of fascinated by Ozzy and Sharon, and I liked that their kids, Kelly and Jack were clearly unskinny.

I hadn’t thought much about those kids since watching the show, but the other night, I was flipping channels and I caught a glimpse of Kelly Osbourne, who has reportedly gone from a size 14 to a size 0/2.  I was really shocked by the dramatic change, but then I just got really annoyed.  Apparently, when asked about how she lost the weight, she said, “There is no secret. It’s the old-fashioned way of making a commitment to yourself and waking up every day and doing it.”

Really, Kelly, that’s all?

*HEADESK*

I’m all for making  commitments to yourself to do healthy things and following up on that, but that does not make a size 14 a size 0/2.  No f-ing way.  And what kind of message does that send to all the people who hear or read this crap and think that there’s something wrong with them when they are making that commitment and not losing weight.  Does that mean that “waking up every day and doing it” translates to “restrict your food intake more and more and exercise more and more”?

Oh, wait, wait, wait!  She also recommends nibbling an apple before bed and practicing pilates oh, and dancing.

Maybe that’s what we’re missing.

Or maybe it’s the fact that Osbourne has hyperthyroid disorder and has refused treatment because she’s afraid of gaining weight.

So wait.  Maybe it’s not about “making a commitment to yourself and waking up every day and doing it”?  Maybe it’s really about having a condition that causes you to lose weight and you’re so afraid of gaining that you don’t want to treat it?

So, Kelly, let me get this straight.  We should make a commitment, wake up and do it, nibble an apple before bed, practice pilates, try to get adopted by famous parents or get a reality TV gig so that we can go on Dancing With The Stars, and somehow induce hyperthyroidism and then, finally, we’ll be skinny like you?!  Well, why didn’t you say so?

By the way, I’m not ragging on Kelly Osbourne as if she’s the only famous person who has lost weight and said stupid things as a result.  And I know, too, that she’s been in the public eye from a young age and has been scrutinized and ridiculed for her weight for years.  No one deserves that, and this focus and scrutiny on women’s weight, with the expectation that anyone in the public eye should be underweight, is an absolute f-ing tragedy.  But it saddens me that she’s conformed and is now spouting diet advice.  My well-fed gut is telling me that apples and pilates and even a thyroid condition has not led her to lose this much weight.  I won’t say I told you so.

So this week, look with a critical eye at any celebrity weight loss or diet news.  What do you notice when you scratch the surface?

Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. To learn more about Golda and her work, click here.