Madge freaking rocks

Madonna is turning 50, y'all!

Not until August 16, mind you, but I just read an interview in which she was asked about her age and her responses really inspired me - talk about a positive attitude about aging! PMA! (Positive Mental Attitue, courtesy of my sophomore year math teacher)

Here's a bit of it, shamelessly pulled from Perez Hilton - I know, embarrassing:

"It's not a bad word, you can say it," she said when one reporter whispered "5-0."

And when asked her about reaching "a landmark for a lady," she made the journalist clarify that to it's "a landmark for everybody."

One reporter asked if she sees turning 50 as a milestone.

"No, but everybody else keeps mentioning it," she said. "I see it as another excuse to have a birthday party."

"I feel stronger now than, maybe, 20 years ago — but I think your physicality is connected to your consciousness so if your mind is strong, your body will be strong."

Love her. Yes, she has the mental, physical, and financial resources to achieve those rockin' shoulders, quarter-bouncin'-quads and a whole team devoted to helping her looks good. But she has the attitude to match. Plus, I just wanted to spend 30 minutes searching online for pictures of her.

Hope you had a fun Holiday and really Get Into the Groove this weekend!

Why all the ED posts lately?

Good question. I never formally announced it but many of you may already know that this past week has been National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. The campaign's theme this year is Embrace Your Genes and in keeping with that message, the NEDA has partnered with TrueJeans.com, an online jeans boutique that lets you download a "measuring tape" so you can submit your measurements - the company then matches you to designer jeans that fit your unique body shape. From now until March 31, you can save 20% on jeans at TrueJeans.com (which will come in handy, because that stuff is muy expensivo). Just enteri discount code "MYGENES" during check out

Also, check out the wonderfully-named and surely in-demand Little in the Middle clothing company. These jeans, designed by a woman, are one size smaller in the waist than the hips, which is appropriate given the company's tagline, "Clothes for Normal Women."

I got yer burrito right here

I love Chipotle as much as the next gut-busting, Tex-Mex fan. But when I stumbled across this tool for calculating the nutritional content of my favorite burrito, I just about lost my guac.

According to the site (and I can't personally vouch for the science used, but it seems about right. Sadly.), just the tortilla alone is the nutritional equivalent of a candy bar. 340 caloreis and 9 g of fat. After adding in my fixings (veggies, chicken, guac, salsa, and rice - altho I do ask for 'easy rice'), I came up with the grand total of 1194 calories and 54 g of fat. Looking at it with a margarita-is-half-full viewpoint, at least I'm getting 144% of my Vitamin C and 28% of my calcium!

But I'll still go - on occasion - because it's just so freaking yummy.

How does your burrito compare?

Excuse me, but there's a transvestite* in my locker room

* Leslie's note: I incorrectly used the word 'transvestite' when the actual correct term is 'transsexual' or 'transgender.' So sorry for the error or if I've offended anyone.

Um...so I just got back from trying out a new gym (I'm not switching - it's too meat-market-y and the amenities stink compared the gym I've grown accustomed to/been wildly spoiled by.)

Anyway.

While I was working out, I noticed a woman on the Elliptical. She was extremely large and strong, taller than me (maybe 6'2"?) with huge breast implants and visible triceps/biceps. Her face was very masculine with a strong jawline, prominent forehead and wide nose, but it had clearly been surgically altered. I noticed she had very large hands and a tiny tush and made the spilt decision that she had, at some point, been a he (I know it sounds like I was staring for eons but really this all took place in about two seconds.)

After showering, I made my way through the way-too-crowded locker room and was dialing my combination (22-12-02...but you'll never catch me! Ha!) when I heard a man's voice and thought "Huh? Is there a guy in here?"

Well, kind of.

It was her. She was wearing a sportsbra and tight pants, chatting with a trainer. No one seemed to notice or mind that there was a male-to-female transexual (my assumption - I have no idea if she'd had genital surgery) in the room and you know what? I realized that I didn't care either. This is a person who simply by living in American society with the many prejudices and biases that exist has faced struggles and spent her whole life trying to gain acceptance or just feel normal in her own skin. She may have been born with a penis, but her demeanor and appearance indicated that was not the right body for her. It wasn't like some musclehead with a ripped tank and a copy of Hustler was fighting me for mirror space. So I went ahead and changed. Besides, she had much bigger boobs than I do so it's not like I needed to worry about being stared at. And, well, I think we all know I'll drop trou in front of pretty much anyone.

I'm interested---what would your reaction be? You're about to change in your locker room when a very masculine transvestite walks in and her locker is next to yours. Do you balk or keep your cool?

Vaginas are the new black

Are your ears perked? Good. That's because this is the title of a new blog I've got featured on Huffington Post, all about the baffling infiltration of vaginas in advertising, on TV, everywhere. Check it out and you're welcome. :-)

Body mapping

Just like the world around us, filled with trees and cars and volcanic eruptions and Olympic decathalons, our bodies are rich with diverse experiences that leave indelible imprints on our skin and soul. That's why it makes sense that therapists have used "body mapping" as a tool with patients suffering from chronic illnesses and, as I learned at the Menninger Clinic's 2008 Eating Disorders Conference in Houston, with men and women struggling with eating disorders.

I've done a very elementary body map of myself before, which only took my physical shape into account (as opposed to emotions, experiences, etc.) On a giant piece of paper, I was told to draw an outline of what I believed to be my figure. Head, arms, breasts, hips, legs, the whole thing. Then, I laid over the image and someone traced the real outline around me. Of course, my imagined body was much, much different than my actual. (See an example here.)

It was very useful in that it puts your distortion right there in front of you. According to the Rader Eating Disorder Programs website, one study found that women overestimate the size of their hips by 16% and their waists by 25% - yet the same women were able to correctly estimate the width of a box. Body distortion is rampant. We are smart, just deluded when it comes to our physiques.

After returning from my talk in Houston, I received an email from a woman in recovery named Amelia who had heard me speak. Amelia spent six months at the Menninger Clinic in 2005, where she made a body map with the help of a therapist.

"It still lives with me because it was so pivotal in my treatment," she wrote. "I knew going into this tracing that I would come out smaller than what I drew; that that was 'the trick' of it. I wasn't surprised, per se. But to really decide to work with the body map as a tool to get better, and have people who would run with that made the difference. To really decide that I would put as much on paper as I could, take things that were significant in the ED [in my case, pictures where my weight was significant to me] and associate them to the two different images, challenge the places where my perception did not reflect truth. To get up in front of that damn mirror as many times as it took. To let [clinic staff] take a picture on a bad body-image day, and see that it looked no different from the pic of me having a good body-image day. To be aware that body image was one of the hardest things to change, or at least one of the longer processes in recovery, and to be diligent about pursuing that change instead of just waiting for it to happen. To talk about body image and the map over and over and over, until that blue line lost its power."

I say more power to Amelia for taking back the power from that blue line. If any of you out there are struggling, perhaps this is an exercise you could try with your therapist. To find a good therapist, visit ANAD.

And check out Amelia's map, below. Thanks for sharing, A!

Craving some peanut butter and beef? You are not alone.

Will post more about the conference but on a lighter note, I found this article about crazy food cravings on msnbc.com and it got me thinking: Are people freaking insane???

Sure, some wackie-dackies dip their potato chips in ketchup. My dad likes to live on the edge and mix sweet pickles into his tuna salad (it's a Boston thing, he's assured me.) But strawberries + whipped cream + bacon? Cheese curls and canned pears? Um, excuse me while I retch.

I mean, I totally get the whole sweet-and-salty combo. I'm as big a chocolate-covered-peanut-butter-filled-pretzel-chunk as the next premenstrual gal. But these (below) are taking it a wee bit too far. I'm surprised so many people left their full names.

As for myself, the only slightly weird combo I can think of comes from an unfortunate ham-and-mayo phase I went through when Dan and I first began dating. We would literally get busy, finish up and I'd sprint to the fridge for Healthy Choice pre-packed ham and a jar of fat-free mayo and bring them into the bed with us, rolling up each slice and dipping it in one of the grossest condiments ever while we engaged in pillow talk. Juicy mango and naughty chocolate sauce? Oh, no. This sexy lady went for processed pork. I chalk it up to fluctuating hormone levels.

Let's see what these folks below have to say:

"Sometimes I put creamy peanut butter on top of a hot hamburger and then top it off with slices of white onion. The peanut butter melts into the meat.....mmmmmm."
—Bonnie Scott, Mount Pleasant, Mich.

"I crave raw spaghetti noodles soaked in pickle juice!! It is fantastic when they get almost soggy, but not quite."
—Emily Elzner, Terrell, Texas

"Green banana and bacon sandwich with mayonnaise."
—Dianne Ryan, Acworth, Ga.

"During one pregnancy I craved bacon fat. I would fry up the bacon and then just dip bread in the bacon fat and eat it. During another pregnancy I would dip sour cream potato chips into vanilla ice cream and eat it."
— Kasi, Hiawassee, Ga.

"I Love Cheese Curls and Del Monte pears in the can. Salty and sweet. I feel like a dying cockroach, feet and hands in the air, like going to heaven."
—Fred Dennis, Inglewood, Calif.

"I have been craving olives and jalapenos placed on top of carmel swirl ice cream. Noo, I am not pregnant. (Hysterectomy in 1995) No clue why. I just have to have it."
—Thea Yonge, Lake Jackson, Texas

"Potato chip sandwiches. They must be on very fresh bread spread with real butter. I feel comforted (like when I was a kid) after eating one and delightfully naughty."
—Linda Lenox, Portsmouth, Va.

"Strawberries and whipped cream and bacon."—Neil Noon, Ocala, Fla.

"My husband craves often a peanut butter and mustard sandwich on cheap white bread. YUCK."
—Toni, W. Des Moines, Iowa

Can you top that?

Body checking ain't just for hockey players

I'm back from Texas and let me first just say it was a blast! At first, I was a bit nervous about speaking in front of so many health care professionals: psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers - oh my! But let me just tell you, at the risk of breaking my arm patting myself on the back, the presentation went exceedingly well, and I received not only a warm welcome but wonderfully positive feedback. They liked me, they really liked me!

I arrived on Thursday and was brought to the Menninger Clinic, where I met with staff members and a few patients. For reasons of privacy, I'm not going to expand on my time there, but let me just say, I have been on an in-patient ED unit once or twice before, and it never gets any easier.

After dinner with representatives of the many wonderful groups which helped organize the conference - including Mental Health America of Greater Houston, the Houston Psychological Association, the Houston Association of Marriage and Family Therapy and The Healthy Weigh, as well as an amazing mental health advocate named Joan Alexander, whose philanthropic foundation underwrote the event - I hit the sack in preparation for the big day.

Friday morning, my wake-up call came bright and early at 5:30am. Very lovely. I groggily made my way to the 8th floor of the Hilton to get a quick workout in and who did I see? The Margo Maine, PhD, author of The Body Myth and researcher extraordinaire. She was on the Stairmaster. I lovelovelove the fact that I got to sweat it out with this pioneer in the field - we shot the breeze about the kinds of things you would breathlessly chat about with any friend while working out...what books we were reading, who we were voting for, travelling, and more. Then, one quick shower and a wardrobe change later, we were off to the Power Center for the conference. Did I mention the Power Center is a renovated KMart? Because it is and that made me smile.

Dr. Maine was the first presenter - her talk, "What's Age Got to Do With IT?", focused on the growing numbers of older women with eating disorders and body image issues. I'll blog on that later. I was then interviewed by Houston CBS affiliate KHOU-TV about eating disorders developing in younger and younger girls - a sad but true trend. Then I signed books (Locker Room Diaries was given to every attendee!!) and made my way into a presentation by Menninger staff members Theresa Fassihi, PhD and Deborah Henderson, MS. One of the topics they covered was "body checking," an activity which many of you (and I, admittedly) likely take part in without even knowing it.

Body checking is essentially the over-evaluation of one's shape and weight via any number of methods...let's see if any of these ring a bell for you:

Looking at yourself in the mirror (to obsess over a body part - not simple grooming)
Hopping on the scale numerous times a day to track your weight
Trying on a pair of jeans or other item of clothing to see if you "still fit" into it
Pinching fat on your body
Trying to fit your hands around your waist
Worrying that your thighs are jiggling when you run
Comparing yourself with other women, whether celebrities or the woman standing in front on you at the GAP.

So...sound familiar?

I'll own up and say yes, I have done these things. Notice I say "have done," not "do," because as the years have progressed, I've made a conscious effort to stop them once I realized how emotionally draining and damaging they can be. That whole "hands around the waist" thing? I did that when I had an ED as a way of reassuring myself I was not getting fat. I was 5'11" and weighed 124 pounds. Clearly, not healthy at all.

Now, my husband and I do not keep a scale in the house. I do not try on skinny jeans following a big deep dish meal to torment myself. I do not...well, OK, I confess, when I go running, I have been known to notice the way my butt feels as each leg pounds the pavement. But then I mentally slap myself and focus on the Beastie Boys or whoever is jamming on my iPod.

I first heard the phrase "body checking" rather recently, while interviewing an ED specialist for a three-part series I'm writing for Babytalk Magazine on post-baby body image. Maria Rago, PhD, told me that many new moms will do things like stare at a sagging stomach or milk-inflated breasts in the mirror and feel sad. As she told me more about it, I realized I have done this kind if crap before. For as long as I can remember, I have stood in front of a bathroom mirror - any bathroom mirror - craning my neck to catch a glimpse of my butt. Bathing suit season, vacation time, headed to workout, drawing a bath, whatever - I always used to do this. Guess what? I was body checking. And like jealousy and deep fried macaroni balls, there is no good that can come of it.

After that interview about four months ago, I made a conscious choice to NOT look at my nakesters butt in the mirror. I had to catch myself a few times but it has worked pretty well and hasn't been nearly as hard as I thought. In fact, it's made life infinitely more pleasurable. maybe it's the whole ignorance-is-bliss mentality but ya know what? If I don't see the cellulite, I don't have to think about it. Boom - instantly better body image.

How about all of you? Any body checkers out there? It's nothing to be ashamed of, because we've all been there in some way or another. I mean, who hasn't compared themselves to a woman on the street? But I still think it's important to hold ourselves accountable in some way so go ahead - even if you remain anonymous - and divulge your body checking habits (past or present) here. Maybe that will help you to let go of them.

xo and thanks for sticking with me through such a long post,
Leslie

Off to Houston

Hi all,
I'm catching a plane to Houston where I have been invited to speak at the prestigious Menninger Clinic's 2008 Eating Disorders Conference of Houston: Perspectives on Treatment and Prevention. You can check it out here - I'm the luncheon keynote speaker! Wish me luck and I'll bring back some good nuggets of info for y'all.
xo,
Leslie

Bounce with me, bounce with me

When research relating to boobs hits the headlines, my ears instinctively perk up like one of Pavlov’s dogs salivating over some tasty grub. So when research out of England recently showed that when women run, our breasts bounce in a figure-8 pattern – travelling up to eight inches to and fro in some cases - I was all over that like Jessica Simpson on her Proactiv deal.

Well if, like me, you thought that was exciting, then you must check this out - if not for informational purposes (and it truly is helpful for anyone shopping for the perfect sports bra), than for pure, unbridled entertainment.

Basically, you click on a bra – any bra. Champion, Donna Karan, Moving Comfort. Just pick one. A woman (well, her 34D torso, at least) will appear on the screen, clad in the garment you picked. Then she (the torso) will start jogging in place. And you get to see exactly her boobs bounce. Which, you may then infer, is how your boobs will bounce in that same high-impact sports bra. As the website suggests, "Stop, rewind, and see the video again to help you make an informed decision."

As someone who can go jogging in a shelf bra tank top, I must admit me and my 34Bs are likely not HerRoom's target audience (although the Champion Shape Underwire Tank 6848 looks like it could be perfect for me). But if you have a more ample bosom and have ever resorted to tying on three sports bras or accidentally given yourself a black eye while jump-roping, this is the site for you.

Dr. Joanna Scurr, the woman behind the figure-8 research, was involved with a webcast on the site yesterday in which she recommended an encapsulation sports bra as the best type. I have no personal experience with this, but the Natori Sports Bra 34439 (gray) looks pretty darn sturdy.

OK, I promise to now refrain from posting breast-related video recommendations for at least one week.

PS I'm proud to alert you that Huffington Post has crosslinked to this blog.

Reason #15,913 I love my husband

Shape Magazine arrived in the mail a few days ago and, upon spying Ali Larter on the cover in a bikini, he pointed to the impossibly long vertical line bisecting her chest and torso and said, “She is SO airbrushed! How can people think that’s real?”

God, I adore him.

Oh, why the hell not?

Let's discuss.

You are beautiful

Back in November, I wrote about the unexpectedly spirit-lifting experience I had of opening a mailbox and being greeted with a little silver sticker that said "You Are Beautiful." Weighting Game reader Kate informed me that no, the U.S. Postal System was not communicating with me on the down low, but that I had, in fact, been on the receiving end of a Chicago-based public art campaign called You Are Beautiful.

I was intrigued, so I visited their website and learned about a grassroots group dedicated to spreading this positive message worldwide. Indeed, the stickers have been plastered on airport signs, in public transportation and on electric poles as far away as Italy, China, Switzerland and more. The creators of the site are anonymous (which makes me love them even more than I possible thought I could ) but they've devoted their time and efforts to putting smiles on people's faces and in their hearts.

The web site had an address where I was encouraged to send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope. In exchange, they would send me stickers so I could set out like a body-positive graffiti artists, "tagging" my tush off with these shiny stickers.

They arrived yesterday.

Let me just tell you, you would have thought I was carrying a gargantuan check around in my wallet or a diamond ring or a really embarrassing sex toy - that's how stealth and guarded I was walking around the city, deciding where to place my first sticker. I had planned on planting it on the humongo scale in our locker room but it was crazy-busy today (apparently people get President's Day off?) and I wanted to be covert. So I opened the locker next to me, in a very wel-travelled part of the locker room, and smacked that puppy on the inside door.

After a quick workout, I returned to the scene of the crime and noticed the door was open, sticker gleaming, and pink children's clothes were spilling out. Two feet away, a gaggle of kids (ages 7-8, maybe?) were standing nakesters, post-swim, blow-drying their hair and trading secrets.

Oh, the joy!

I'm serious - I felt elated. One of those girls had opened the locker door and scene that sticker. As did everyone who walked by. I caught a young woman in her 30s strolling by, mopping sweat off her face, as she noticed the sticker. She smiled. Like, a big smile.

This stuff works, people!!

I'm spending the day on Michigan Avenue tomorrow and though I'll mostly be writing, I'm going to dedicate some time to leaving my YAB (You Are Beautiful) mark. Maybe the street light at the corner of State and Grand will get stamped? Perhaps a dressing room at the GAP has some empty space begging to be filled? Hey, I might even go straight to the diet shake section of the grocery store and stick one right there. I almost feel like I need to hoard them - 25 will be gone far too soon.

To receive your stickers (25 silver rectangles plus a long list of the YAB phrase in a slew of different languages, so you can tell someone they're beautiful in Japanese or Hebrew), send a SASE to:

You Are Beautiful
PO Box # 220175
Chicago, IL 60622
USA

It may take between two and eight weeks for your stickers to arrive (I think mine took about a month) - that will give you plenty of time to plot where you'll leave your mark! Have fun and do it! PS They take donations, too :-)

Body image bombshell

Earlier this month, actress Eva Mendes entered rehab for, among other things, help with her poor body image. She checked in on the same day Calvin Klein announced she would be the face of their new perfume.

Eva was on the August 2007 cover of Jane Magazine - its "Naked" issue - wearing nothing but two blooming flowers over her breasts.

She is constantly hailed for her luscious, curvy figure; for not bowing to Hollywood's pressure to conform to a rail-thin ideal. An incredible sex symbol, she literally stopped people in their tracks with her recent PETA ad, in which she (again) was featured naked.

Is this the face of poor body image?

Apparently so...and her feelings should only highlight the fact that seemingly no woman is immune from self-loathing, from wishing a certain body part were smaller or stronger or more "perfect." It's not just skinny celebs and that girl in your locker room who has a huge gape between her thighs whom we need to look out for - eating disorders and poor body image come in all shapes and sizes. I feel like Eva slipped through the cracks with this problem because everyone alwasy assumed, "She's flaunting a gorgeous figure...she's every man's fantasy...she must be secure in the way she looks."

Quotes like these fueled the fire:

“I’m very healthy-looking. I’ve never fallen under that skinny mold. I have a very healthy self-image. My mother gave me that.”

"For some reason, tacos from Jack in the Box really do it for me. The combination of tacos and French fries, it’s heavenly. Throw an Oreo shake in there, and you’ve got a party."

"I’m thankful that I’m healthy and that I have my limbs and a nice physique. Of course, there are things anybody wishes they didn’t have or wishes there were more of, but why even bring that up? I think it comes off as bratty."

"Once you start doing the red carpet thing, you can become very critical of yourself - it’s very easy. I decided, I’m not falling into that. It’s just not healthy. I recently visited this Korean spa and there were all these beautiful Korean women bathing, being totally comfortable, no matter what type of body they had. I thought, 'This is what it must have been like back in the Roman-bath days.' And you feel like you’re all in it together, in a weird way.”

Eva is a woman whom, to us outsiders, seemed happy and yes, proud of her body. How on earth could she have body image issues?

Looks like no one is immune. I'm sending good wishes to her, and to all women struggling like this.

Panties in a bunch?

I stopped by in Victoria's Secret the other day to receive my free Very Sexy panty (black thong, thankyouverymuch.) I know I rally against the insane level of airbrushing VS uses, but I must admit, I like a free pair of undies as much as the next gal and also, their Pink collection is so freaking soft, I want to pull down the hanging tee shirts and capri sweats and roll around in them. (Oh, and I lovelovelove this bathrobe - I wear it as often as possible, except when working out).

Anyhow, lingerie shopping isn't always the most uplifting experience, what with those "I can't see! I can't see!" insanely bright dressing room lights and pictures of glamazonian genetic mutants with 36-24-24 measurements staring down. Which is why I'm loving this new concept from British company Knicker Picker. You go to the site and select one of three models with varying body types - very slim/straight-up-and-down; a tad curvy; and a tad fuller-figured. The woman then waltzes across the screen in a very unintimidating, "I'm proud of my body" way and you can pick different bra/panty combos to try on her. Rotate her front and back to see how someone with your body shape might look in those cute little boy shorts, that barely-there thong or even a cropped silk kimono! And for some reason, I get a total kick out of watching them model the panties-only options - they just kinda cup their boobs and strut on out, not a care in the world.

Not that I've been spending hours on end staring at them or anything.

In a slightly related vein, I absolutely MUST call your attention to the following (Warning: This may be slightly inappropriate, but I think it is so amazing). In honor of Valentine's Day:

This is the FIRST EVER photograph of wild gorillas engaging in face-to-face intercourse (as opposed to, well, you know. Their nicknames are George and Leah and yes, that's their daughter daughter Nancy off to the side. Apparently, face-to-face loving is common in gorillas in captivity, but pretty much never happens in the wild. I think it is so romantic!!

Love to you all!!

DESPERATE for some celeb Q/A?

If you're like me, you went through a phase where Desperate Housewives was the end-all, be-all of "It" TV shows. It was addictive, like something Amy Winehouse would want to smoke. Curled up on the couch every Sunday night, anyone who dared call and interrupt a scene featuring a thong-clad Gabrielle fooling around with her hot lawn boy, or Bree's soon-to-be-husband Rex disposing of his wife's body, was automatically dead to me. D-E-A-D.

So (wait for the shadiest transition you've ever read), it's quite a coincidence that I had the chance to e-interview Brenda Strong, the actress who narrates the show as deceased Mary Alice Young. Get it - DEAD to me...deceased narrator...OK, I give up. But Brenda is trying to make a difference in the lives of women everywhere by raising awareness about women's heart health (the month of February is nationally recognized as heart health month). She has partnered with Metamucil and a program callled the Metamucil 30 Day Difference. You can learn more about it here, but basically, it's a plan which encourages you to get off your keister and start exercising, eating right and upping your fiber intake via the Big M. Bonus: it comes in capsules now. Take a gulp and read on...

Why is Heart Health Month so important to you personally?

My mother lived through a debilitating stroke and two heart attacks and my uncle underwent a triple bypass. I personally got passed high cholesterol via my genetics. Just like myself before my mother's stroke, it's amazing how many women aren't aware of their cholesterol levels.

What efforts do you make to take care of your heart? (ie exercise, food, stress management, hobbies...)

I am very active. I hike several times weekly and practice yoga and just recently added pilates. Yoga and meditation aid in stress reduction and I avoid high fat foods, particularly animal product based. I eat a diet high in fiber and add supplements of Omega fish oils, red rice bran, niacin and psyllium fiber, like the kind found in Metamucil. It's 100% natural and proven to help lower cholesterol. Recently, I got involved in a program for Heart Health Month called the Metamucil 30 Day Difference to encourage people to live heart healthy lifestyles. Take a look here: www.BeautifyYourHeart.com.

Metamucil has a sort of "older person" reputation - is it really something young women need?

Absolutely! Heart disease amongst younger women is growing and Metamucil is a very effective tool in managing cholesterol and getting the fiber you need. I'm amazed at the other benefits like sustained energy levels, blood sugar regulation and a sense of fullness so that I make better food choices. Women of all ages can benefit from a diet high in fiber.

Have any of your Desperate Housewives co-stars gotten involved in the cause along with you? Are they supportive?

They are always supportive. I find we all are committed to women's health awareness and have our own causes within that arena that we support.

How do you keep your voice healthy and strong? (remember, she narrates the show)

This winter it's been a challenge. I've lost my voice twice with different sinus infections and colds. It seems like laryngitis has been going around a lot! We are experiencing the coldest winter I remember in California in the last 20 years that I've lived here. I guess in some ways my body is aware that there is a writers strike, so it knows it can take a break! Staying hydrated helps, along with slippery elm tea and thieves lozenges.

Any favorite yoga poses? (Brenda is a certified yoga instructor in L.A.)

Savasana! (final resting pose) Just kidding. That means the practice is over and you get to rest. Actually, hip openers are my favorite because my hips tend to be tight and I really can feel them working deep muscles that need to let go. I love Sun Salutations because of the flow and the connection to my breath. It gives me so much joy to feel that continuous relationship to the source of life.

Don't Hassle the Hoff's Plus-Sized Daughter

Who knew?

David Hasslehoff, he of "slow-motion-run-on-the-beach-with-Pam-Anderson" fame, has a daughter with body image issues (shocker). Or should I say "had" - His teenage daughter, Haley, is a plus-sized model. Ahem...she's not really plus-sized, and she admits it here, in this video on Access Hollywood, done in alliance with something called Access Hollywood Body Image Month, which I find endlessly amusing and oxymoronic. But at least they're trying.

In an interview from late last year, Nancy O'Dell asked the lil Hoff, “Did you feel the pressures of Hollywood where everybody has got to be stick thin?”

Haley: “No I have always been up and down in my weight. It has always gone — I have been on diets. I have probably tried every diet since I was like 10. So, I mean, I am not going to be a size 2 and I finally really looked at my body and I am comfortable with who I am.”

“Good for you,” O’Dell commended. (I wonder if she's being unintentionally condescending or secretly wishing being comfortable with who she is as is is something SHE wishes she had?)

Continued Haley, “I think that’s what plus-size models should be — you know, that is what they represent. They represent girls who are voluptuous and have beautiful bodies and who actually are confident."

Thoughts on not-plus plus-sized models? Think of some of the Torrid models, or Queen Latifah's recent signing-on to Jenny Craig.

My new TV show!!

Ladies and gentlemen, I have just begun my foray into TV!

It's a Chicago show called Fit Today, and the premier was Saturday morning at 11am. The show will air on Tribune-owned CLTV at 11am Saturdays (re-running on Sundays at 8am) and for now, only IL residents can watch, but I have a feeling you'll be able to purchase bootlegged DVDs on the black market in no time.

So, what is Fit Today? It's the brainchild of Andrea Metcalf, NBC5 Fitness Team correspondent, personal trainer and a TODAY Show Contributor. You may recall my blogging about meeting her a few months ago for coffee and from there, this relationship blossomed. She asked me to be a co-host and of course, I accepted!

Joining me as cohosts are Dave Mellish, a trainer and inspirational coach and the winner of the American Heart Association’s 2007 Lifestyle Change Award and Joanne Rusch, the NBC5 “Food Cop” and publisher of Chicago Wellness Magazine.

We all have our own roles...mine center around food and nutrition, so I've been interviewing leading area RDs, nutritionists, chefs and more. Dave is all about lifestyle Inspiration, a perfect fit for him because he lost 150 lbs (!!!) and is now a trainer. Joanne does a bit of food, a bit of lifestyle...and Andrea pulls everything together with general health and medicine.

For the past month or so, we've been filming on location at various Chicagoland area locations, such as Crunch Fitness, local hospitals and restaurants and even McDonalds, which is cosponsoring the show (a huge deal!) in an effort to promote their heathier offerings like the Asian Chicken Salad, Apple Dippers, Dasani bottled water and, my favorite (and I'm NOT just saying this because you know I've mentioned these before) the Fruit & Yogurt Parfait. In fact, starting at the end of this month, a photo of Andrea, Dave amd myself, dressed in workout gear, will appear on tray liners at more than 500 McDonald’s across Chicago and Northwest Indiana for two months! People will literally be eating off of me :-)

It's very exciting and I'll keep ya'll posted on what happens. Tomorrow I'm working at the Chicago Auto Show - it's Ladies' Day and Fit Today is partnering with Bridgestone Tires on a fitness campaign called "Lose Your Spare Tire." All I know is I'm going to be doing fitness demos every half hour throughout the day so I will be a sore, um, "loser" by 7pm.

Now, I know what you're thinking - Leslie is totally going to become a diva now, demanding that she be greeted at every venue with a case of room temperature water, a vase of 24 long-stemmed white roses; a bag of M&Ms, divided by color; a veggie tray with light ranch dressing; and three magnums of Cristal (not that I know what a magnum is, but I want it.) Only time shall tell but I'm pretty sure my head won't swell to It Girl proportions. Yet.

Have a great week, everyone!
Leslie

PS Please, help us out and sign up for the Fit Today weekly e-letter and you'll be entered for a bunch of fun raffle items. I know how you all love raffles!

Dude looks like...a lady?

Hey everyone! Have you heard?

Skinny male models are the new skinny female models.

At NYC's Fashion Week, apparently the prevalence of rail-thin male models caught the attention of more than a few audience members. Labels like Prada and Dior Homme are consistently hiring skinnier and skinner boys, to the point where they look like the endangered lady models being banned from catwalks in Spain.

For example, in today's NY Times article on the phenomenon, I learned about one of Marc by Marc Jacobs' models, Stas Svetlichnyy, from Russia. At 6'0", his top weight is about 145 pounds.The guy sports a 28-inch waist. Which is smaller than my own.

Some other examples: These guys. Or this one. Or (yikes) this man.

Check this quote from George Brown, a booking agent at Red Model Management: “When I get that random phone call from a boy who says, ‘I’m 6-foot-1 and I’m calling from Kansas,’ I immediately ask, ‘What do you weigh?’ If they say 188 or 190, I know we can’t use him. Our guys are 155 pounds at that height.”

I'm assuming this trend has to do with designers wanting the clothing to hang on the male models as smoothly and cleanly as possible - this is one of the main reasons extreme-thin female models are so sought after. It's like the clothing is is literally on a hanger, with no unsightly fat to cause lumps or bumps. And I'll assume that, as with women, a proportion of the very thin models are like that naturally, while the others need to severely restrict their calorie intake to maintain the chest and waist circumference of a prepubescent boy. And, sadly, I'll assume that this may correlate with an increase in eating disorders among the XY contingent, although probably not as large as the effect it's had on women.

Sigh.

No shoes, no shirt, no skinny, no service

This blog comes to you courtesy of Mississippi State Rep. John Read (R). Without his recently proposed and highly misguided bill, suggesting obese people be banned from restaurants, I wouldn't have been able to write this.

Most of you have likely heard about this by now. Read (who is also a pharmacist) and his fellow authors penned the proposed legislation as a reaction to the growing numbers of overweight and obese individuals (his state of Miss. is the first state to have 30% of adults be recognized as obese). He claims he never expected the measure to actually become law, but wanted to raise awareness. "I was trying to shed a little light on the Number One problem in Mississippi," Read has said.

Interesting. So by "shed a little light," does he mean embarrass the shit out of anyone carrying extra weight? As if overweight members of our society don't already have to face a mountain of other issues, including discrimination in almost every area of their lives, health problems, personal struggles and more?

I'm not encouraging everyone to go out and gorge on fast food in an effort to balloon up. Of course it's not healthy to be obese. But to actually suggest the idea that these people - our family members, our friends, or even us - be deinied FOOD in a public place? It's total and utter insanity. This isn't like going to Great America where you have to be "this tall" to ride a certain roller coaster for safety and liability reasons. This is talking about stripping people of their basic rights - to eat, to be seen in public, to have the freedom to go where they choose.

Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, told the Associated Press, "This brings bias against obese individuals to a new and appalling level, and at a time when significant progress is being made in the effort to stop blaming obesity on the people who have it and to address the social and political conditions that drive it."

This whole debacle reminds me of the recent scandale in Louisiana, where a man claimed a waitress at an all-u-can-eat restaurant charged him double because, "Y'all fat and y'all eat too much.". Perhaps that got the Miss. Representative's panties in a bunch.

I like the following quote from an owner of a Jackson, Miss. restaurant owner named Al Stamps who, yes, serves up the burgers and fries at his joint, Cool Al's, but still acknowledged the ass-backwardness of the suggested law: "There is a better way to deal with health issues than to impose those kind of regulations. I'm sorry - you can't do it by treating adults like children and telling them what they can and cannot eat."

Amen. Adults who are overweight know they are overweight. They don't need to be publicly shamed or refused food because of it. Steps like swapping out soda for skim milk in schools and including apples and carrot sticks in Happy Meals and encouraging our kids to be physically active are a few progressive steps towards helping the younger generations stride away from obesity. But ultimately, as adults, the decision to lose weight in a healthy way will lie in our own hands.

I am watching the worst show ever. And I can't make myself stop.

Last night, I happened upon a new reality show called "Battle of the Bods." The sight of five scantily-clad women and a series of numbers on the screen caught my attention and before I knew it, it was slowly sapping me of every. last. brain. cell.

And yet...I kept watching it. Knowing the content was making me dumber...and angrier...by the minute.

The premise: Five women ("Hotties") stand before a trio of "stunt men" who are seated behind a one-way mirror. So they can see the ladies; the girls see only themselves. Like in a police interrogation room. Then, the British host with her lovely accent instructs the women (one is Brazilian, one Black, one is Thai, and two are tall blondes) to arrange themselves in order, from hottest to nottest. But they should do this with the men's opinions in mind--how do they think the men would rank them, One to Five? And, as if that weren't enough of a mind-fu@k, Sexy British Hostess Woman throws some money into the mix: Something like a thousand dollars if the girls rank themselves properly. So even if the Brazilian thinks she's the hottest, if she wants to win her share of the dough, she needs to swallow her pride and listen the other women, who are adamant that she is NOT the prettiest...she's actually just about #4

They stand on little white circles, teetering in high heels and bikinis, and await the boys' judgement. Sad faces all around as they realize they ranked themselves improperly (the guys DID think Brazilian babe Lorena was the hottest) and thus, lost the money.

But wait! All hope is not lost. The women have agreed on a certain body part (as opposed to the whole package) to compete against each other with - their butts. They disrobe privately and change into a swimsuit or lingerie ensemble which they believe best showcases their asses. Then they reconvene, checking out each other's bootays and debating between who truly has the best bottom and who they think they guys will think has the best bottom (got that?) In a wonderful nod to the current Black History Month and all that women everywhere have achieved, the three men point out how Mahogany, the only African-American contestant, has dissappointed them all, "being a sister" and all. Puke, barf, gag.

OK, so I came back later because the Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency was on (can you tell I'm a sucker for horrible TV?) and in this episode, JD took her models to eat at a South Beach hotspot called Santo. Models...eating? Yes!

No. It turns out Santo has a special "Model Menu" in which every dish is just 300 calories! Thank the model gods! So they all ate and likely got very drunk because when you just have a tomato slice and a mushroom in your flat belly, the booze is gonna getchya!

One last thing...I noticed, while watching all of the woman-centered TV, that the ads were so ridiculously and stereotypically catered to what the female gender is supposed to be like, it was insulting. There was an ad for chocolate (indulge yourself...but only eat dinners with 300 calories!) A vacuum that zooms around the room so you have more time to control your kids. And, my personal favorite, a pH-balanced vaginal something or other called “RepHresh.” Suffering from feminine odor, irritation, and itching? This stuff will make you smile. Then the voice-over says, "After your period? RepHresh! After intercourse? RepHresh! After douching? RepHresh!" I thought this last part was especially inane because (a) douching is not recommended, (b) it implies that even after doing something to make yourself "clean" down there, like squirting vinegar inside your vagina, you're still not perfect enough and need to refresh yourself even more, and (c) the woman was smiling. And nobody smiles like that after douching.

All right. Enough of my ranting. Feel free to continue for me.

If you're a vegetarian and eat at Panera...

Here's an FYI: Their signature Broccoli Cheddar soup is made with chicken stock. IE not vegetarian. I overheard a customer ordering yesterday and the cashier, who apparently knew her and her no-meat habits, said, "You know it's not vegetarian, right?" And the customer freaked out. Because that means everythime che's ordered this cheesy deliciousness, she's been putting animal products in her body.

Ultimately, the onus is on the customer but I suppose many people would assume Brocco Cheddar or French Onion are meat-free (French Onion actually has a beef-base). If this is important to you, make sure you ask. Oh, and a Panera tip: If the soup IS vegetarian, it will say so on the menu board.

PS Ingredients from Panera's CB Soup: Water, whole milk, broccoli, cheddar cheese (milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, water, sodium phopshate, milkfat, cellulose powder, salt, APO-carotenal-color), heavy cream, onion, carrot, chicken base (chicken meat including natural chicken juices, hydrolyzed soy and corn protein, potato flour, natural flavorings, autolyzed yeast extract, carrot powder, turmeric), modified food starch, unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, vitamin C (ascorbic acid added as dough conditioner), enzyme added to improve baking, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), butter (sweet cream, annatto), canola oil, salt, dijon mustard (water, black mustard seed, vinegar, salt, spices, citric acid, potassium bisulfite), spices, Tabasco (vinegar, red pepper, salt

Super Tuesday

For many of us, today is a big day - time to cast your vote for the candidate you most look up to/trust/have a crush on. But seeing as how this is not a political blog (though I must admit, I think Obama is darn handsome), let's turn it into our own kind of Super Tuesday. I know, I know, I've done this kind of "What I love about me" exercise before but we can never remind ourselves too much about the fabulous, amazing, SUPER things we do/say/are. So, even if you're tired of it...even if you've already written letters to your bodies or voted for your favorite physical asset...just do this. Tell me what is super about you (I know, the word "super," in this context, seems very fifth grade.) Is it your infectious smile? Your graceful dancing ability? Your Master level Sudoku certificate? Your junk in your trunk? Just take a minute and write it for all to see. Especially if you're not a frequent commenter - this is easy (and if it's not,all the more reason to spend some time on it), it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and you'll make me giggle with glee when I check back in a few hours and see, like, 30 gazillion responses.

If you can shlep out in the rain to cast your vote, you can click on "Post" and spread the joy.

PS What is so super about me? Why, I'm glad you asked!

My wit
My inner strength
My long legs, boobs and back
My hardworking nature
My undying dedication to tedious and expensive therapy
My fingernails, French manicured myself (the cuticles are lookng rough, though. See "therapy," above)

What’s your darkest diet secret?

Nobody’s perfect.

We’ve all done messed-up things in some misguided effort to lose weight/gain muscle/tone up/make the number on the scale go down. Besides some seriously ill-advised calorie restriction in college, I’ll admit, I’m not the Patron Saint of Eating Perfectly, even though I talk a big game. I’ve skipped Saturday night dinner before so I could drink on an empty stomach. I once (only once, though) used the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur as an excuse to fast. (Oy vey...now I can't even make it a few hours without needing a nosh.) I even secretly hoped I’d lose a few pounds when a Chicago Tribune assignment sent me to a holistic cleanser for a colonic (PS I didn’t lose anything except my pride and I quickly realized no amount of quick-fix weight shedding is worth having a tube stuck up your butt.)

I recently saw a collection of like-minded anecdotes from real women (just like you and me!) in Fitness Magazine, in a splashy story called “Your Deep, Dark Diet Secret – Revealed!” A few worth noting:

“I gave up carbs one Lent. My diet: Veggies and vodka.” – Alexis, 27

“I’ll eat fattening fried food for two weeks and then nonfat salads for the next couple pf weeks.” – Deena, 31

“Sometimes I’ll only eat one meal a day if I feel fat.” – Anita, 35

“The morning Mount St. Helens erupted, not too far from where I lived, I went out and did my usual 13-mile Sunday run – with a bandana over my mouth to filter the debris.” – Sandy, 60

“I started taking diet pills, and they almost gave me a stroke. My heart would race and eventually I lost feeling in my left arm. It took six months to gain control of my hand and be able to write again.” – Ginger, 32

Sounds a bit off-the-wall, no? But we who live in glass computers shouldn't throw keyboards. It's time to come clean. Share your most ludicrous, nonsensical, silliest stories here. Use a fake name if you want. Or don't. Just write down something plain old irrational you've done in an effort to lose weight...no one here can judge anyone else because we all fall into traps sometimes and make the wrong decision.

But I'm not trying to embarrass anyone or make you feel dumb. After all, I once tried contouring my cankles with self-tanning lotion in an effort to look better in a pair of Mary Janes so really, who the hell am I to judge? What I hope is that by putting finger to keyboard and spellling out your "secret," you will be able to take a step back and see, "Oh my gosh, was I CRAZY?" And then you will never do it again. You will never eat only chicken breast and celery again. You will never take shady diet pills again. You will never swallow a laxative or throw-up unless your are constipated or have the flu/are pregnant (respectively). Hindsight is 20/20. Putting our actions in plain sight may help guarantee a happier, less chaotic tomorrow.

xo,
Leslie

A little white turtleneck...and a smile

The current issue of Esquire Magazine, on stands now, touts the upcoming 75th anniversary of the publication. In celebration of "Women We Love," it features a posse of Victoria’s Secret models, all dressed in creamy white turtlenecks, matching stilettos, and nothing else. The iconic pose is one Esquire has used before – remember Britney in her heyday, pre- faux British accent? She graced the cover in the same outfit in 2003 (Actually, do a sweater and heels constitute an “outfit?” It’s more like football Sunday loungewear for me, but I digress.) What I didn’t know was that the woman who inspired these two latter covers was Angie Dickinson, who set more than few hearts aflutter when a photo of her from the sixties,baring all on the bottom for the magazine, appeared on the front of the August 1993 “Sixty Years of Women We Love” issue.

As I paged back and forth between the three cover shots (we get Esquire at our home. I read it for the articles, I swear!), I was pretty startled by the stark contrast between the smooth, new car shininess of the VS models – their mile-long legs are completely blemish-, vein-, and dimple-free. Sinewy muscle in the thighs suggest hours on the treadmill combined with a genetic jackpot. They look like they were painted on the page.

But screen siren Angie Dickinson’s figure appears much more..well, much more REAL. Her butt is not airbrush-sleek. Her sweater is a bit loose around the waist. Her left leg, extended back slightly in a coy position, shows an indentation in her butt muscles whereas the same area on Britney is rounded and reflects light...and in the Victoria’s Secret layout, the area is actually defined with a curve of muscle on model Selita Ebanks.

I wonder, Are these changes a result of fitness levels increasing and skin-smoothing serums proliferating over the past few decades? Or do we all look pretty much the same naked when Photoshop is the great equalizer? Clearly, the Angie D. photo has not been retouched…at least nowhere near the amount it would be today. And she still somehow managed to turn the heads of, ohhh, Frank Sinatra, Burt Bacharach and about a zillion other fellas. I feel like if that picture were to run today, it would be splashed across some tabloid or “pro-skinny” website with the headline, “Angie’s ANGRY over cellulite!”

Take a look below - what do you think? Who looks the sexiest? The most natural/relatable? Any readers out there who are old enough to remember when Angie Dickinson was a hot Playboy Playmate? How is it different now that women are encouraged – nay, rewarded – when their bodies resemble those of blow-up dolls?

PS Happy National Love Your Body Month! More to come throughout February…

Have a wonderful weekend,
XoX,
Leslie