Body image and celebrity magazines...

The other day, I was reading my magazine and came across an article regarding a well-known actress who is now apparently 9 stone and a size 10... yet the photos shown of her were easily a size 12/14 and she looked like she weighed 2 stone more than me, not less. It got me thinking, do magazines always tell the truth about weight?

We're often told about celebrities who have 'ballooned' up to 10 stone. I would love to shrink down to 10 stone. They moan about being unhealthy at a size 12 and yearn for the day that they were 8 stone again. Now, maybe I'm a medical marvel but, I find it very hard to believe that anybody could be enormous when they weigh 10 stone. Unless, of course, they were 4 feet tall.

Kerry Katona, at least, is one of the few honest celebrities [about weight] out there. Many magazines reported that, at her heaviest, she was 10.5 stone. She spoke out and said that her true weight was nearer to 14 and has since slimmed down to a toned size 8-10.

(Kerry at 14 stone and a size 12/14)

(Kerry now, a size 8-10)

Refreshing, I'm sure you'll agree.

So why do magazines continue to tell us, impressionable women, that 10 stone is enormous and a size 12 is obese. It's not. Marilyn Monroe, one of the sexiest film stars ever, was a size 12 (not a 16, sorry ladies - that's all hearsay) 

(Marilyn Monroe was a sex goddess, at a UK size 12)

So, why is it that we celebrate Marilyn as a goddess, but yet we see a size 12 as obese now?

I would like to think that I'm not that impressionable and have a mind of my own. Yet, this blog says otherwise. I see myself, as a size 10-12, as large.

Nevertheless, I'm still dieting. I'm a woman, I probably always will. I don't want to be a size 8 anymore, I don't think it's possible without me making myself ill. But, a nice, small size 10 will make me the happiest girl in the world. Or will it? By the time I reach a perfect 10, more magazines will probably highlight how that's enormous. It's just the way we work, it's what sells magazines. 

I am a little bit in love with Frankie Sandford from the Saturdays. I even had the same haircut. I thought she was the most beautiful girl with an amazing figure. Yet, my boyfriend disagrees. He'd much rather have some alone time with Holly Willoughby (who, ironically is a 'proud size 12')

Looking at these photos, I'd be inclined to agree. Sorry, Fankie.

 (Frankie Sandford is an idol to many women and young girls)

(Is Holly Willoughby our modern-day answer to Marilyn Monroe?)

Feel free to comment - how much do celebrity magazines influence you? Do you believe the weights that are reported?

Week 2 weigh-in

-2lb.

Not exactly ground-breaking, but we're heading in the right direction.

Back in action...

Ok so I've slacked with the blogging. Sorry about that.


As it stands, I'm still 4lb lighter than when I first started - but I've been up and down ever since. I've been diagnosed with a hormone imbalance that's causing problems with my moods (ok, technically it's depression... but I don't really want to go into that right now.) so it's time to well and truly kick myself up the bottom.

I'm off to see Claire again today, with just over 7 weeks until my holiday to go. I'd love to aim for 1.5 stone, but that's near impossible at the moment - so let's say 2lb a week, that would be nice.

I'd lost 6lb up until this weekend, and then a fairly boozy weekend and fish and chips at the seaside didn't help. 2lb on. Woops.

Luckilly, I know now that the diet I am on is right. It does work. Protein is key, carb is the enemy etc.

To quote my favourite, The Only Way Is Essex; "No carbs before Marbs." - except by Marbs, I mean Egypt.

We fly on the 7th of June, which is also my 18th birthday. Or similar. Let's stick with 18. By that time I'd like very much to weigh *cough* stone and 5lbs. So, a stone, maybe a tad more.

I have the house to myself for a couple of weeks, which will hopefully mean that I stick to it - as there will be no other temptation. Besides Easter. Oh no.

Mind you, I've not had chocolate in ages - so why start now??

So, my new rules are:

* No carbohydrates. Not even croutons on my salad. None, nada, zilch.

* Take 2x Hoodia tablets with every meal. Hoodia has saved my life - if you haven't tried it, you should. It's a natural appetite suppressant that Arabs use when crossing the desert. It comes from a cactus or something and it swells in your stomach to conquer hunger pangs. Mind you, it's not cheap - a month's supply is about £50. That's cheaper than a month's supply of crappy snacks though, eh?

* NO MORE WINE. Or sugary drinks. Or beer. Vodka and diet coke or g&t only from now on.

* No more cheese. Except the 15g on my salads - nothing. None.

* I now must weigh my protein. No more than 60g of chicken on my salad. And then my 15g of feta cheese. That's all. No sneaking in a chunk of chicken whilst making a salad.

* NO takeaways. No matter how drunk I get or how convinced I am that the kebab won't even exist the next day - NO. There are more calories in the average kebab than I allow my daily intake.

* Diet coke = win. It's my new snack.

* I will exercise. Since I was diagnosed with depression, I've decided it's the only way out. I've turned down the tablets for a bit, just to see if exercise works. Hopefully I'll be referred onto an exercise scheme as well.

So - there we have it.

I've also made myself a chart that I will fill in each week on the 7th day, tracking my weight. I'll try not to weigh myself in between times but you know what it's like!

Fingers crossed, wish me luck. Please keep pushing me - you lot have helped me so much.

Victoria xx