Does this yoplait commercial encourage a bad attitude towards food?

So if you guys watch TV, then I'm sure you have seen this commercial.  I have seen it a ton of times.  At first I didn't think anything of it, until I saw a few articles on how it promotes a distorted view of food and can encourage eating disorders. 

I have always struggled with my weight since I was about 12 or so.  I've never really been skinny, but I've always been a huge eater.  Even when I was younger and lighter, I ate 5x as much and didn't work out hardly at all.  My metabolism must have been amazing back then. 

I've never considered myself skinny, and I have always been in the normal BMI range.  Granted, I was at the high end of normal, but never technically overweight.  Like most women, I still feel like I'd like to lose a little weight to feel good about myself and just become more fit overall.  This whole issue is a constant struggle that I always am dealing with, and I know many other people are as well.  My weight is something that I will always be working on because I do tend to gain and lose.

I don't think that this commercial will give someone an eating disorder, but it does send the message that you can't or shouldn't splurge on food.  I am a big believer that everything is ok in moderation as long as you have portion control.  The fact that it is encourging people to jog in place as you eat a piece of cake or to eat 8 celery sticks to make up for it is obviously meant for humor, but I do know that a lot of people make mental negotiations with themselves about food.  "Ok, I'll have dessert tonight because I have a long run tomorrow."  I have definitely been guilty of thinking in this tit for tat way of thinking. 

Yumm...I bet it tastes like real red velvet..if you eat it with red velvet cake on your fork too...

Yesterday, it was announced that Yoplait is taking the commercial down after the National Eating Disorder Foundation claimed "it had the potential to trigger harmful thoughts and behavior in people suffering from eating disorders."  I saw this commercial on the air just last night, so it will be interesting when it will actually be pulled off the air. 

I think that Yoplait had no malicious intent when making this commercial.  They were simply trying to state that they have delicious yogurt that is light and can be enjoyed in place of dessert.  Did they hit a little too close to home for some people?  Maybe.  I have never suffered from an eating disorder, but I can definitely relate to the actresses inner monologue of bargaining with herself to justify eating certain things. 

In general, the media is loaded with things that can promote unhealthy thoughts towards food and exercise.  Did anyone see the interview with Heidi Montag (you know that girl who spent $100,000 on plastic surgery last year) where she said she spends over 14 hours a day working out.  14 hours!  That is insane.  Young impressionable girls who look up to her and want to be thin and pretty might hurt themselves by trying to overwork their bodies in order to be skinny.  

Don't even get me started on this commercial...

Or this product by abercrombie kids geared towards 7 year old girls...

Since when do little girls need push up bikinis and butt shaping sneakers?  

What do you guys think of these types of commercials and advertising?  Are they just trying to be funny and sell products or are they causing serious damage to people, especially young girls?  

Please weigh in I'd love to hear what you guys think.

Lent

So anyone out there who is Catholic knows what this day is...it's Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.  I don't give something up every year, but this year I decided to give up sweets.  I am doing it along side the boyfriend in hopes that we both won't tempt each other.  Sweets is a popular sacrifice this year, and fellow bloggers Gabriela and Julie are giving them up to.  

I'm basically considering sweets to be the same things they are.  Cake, cookies, brownies, ice cream, chocolate, candy, etc.  If you can find it on the dessert menu or the candy bar, it's a no go. 

I am going to give myself exceptions:

- If I choose to give myself the "Sunday off" I will, but it's not going to be a give in.  I don't want to feel deprived, which may lead to falling off the wagon. 

- My birthday

It's been a while since I've seriously given something up, but I have high hopes for this year's Lenten promise. 

I'm also going to try and make an effort in the no meat days of Lent.  Sometimes in the past, I would forget and eat meat for lunch, then try and redeem myself with a meatless dinner.

Today is one of the non-meat days of Lent, and I got a little creative with Lunch.

Thomas' Arnold's Multi Grain Sandwich thin, goat cheese, tomatoes, one hard boiled egg and an orange.

The goat cheese made it really flavorful.

Side Orange :-)

On another note.  I'm starting to feel a little fitter.  It's been a while since I've talked about weight on here, but here it goes.  My overall goal is to be healthy and happy.  My BMI falls in the middle of the normal weight range, and I know that I am fine just the way I am.  This does not mean that I am not allowed to want to trim down a little or tone up a bit.  My goals are more fitness inclined, such as run 8 miles in one shot this month (still have to tackle that one) or work out on average 5x/week.  If I work toward these goals I will start to see more results with my shape.  I have stopped making weight loss goals because they are hard to reach, and I was getting upset when I wasn't reaching them.  

So as for weight, I have also given up the scale except for on the 1st and the 15th of the month.  Ben does life style.  I feel that by weighing myself like this, I can see broad changes and not everyday fluctuations.  It is a really hard habit to break, but after doing this for the past 2 months, I really like it.  It allows me to enjoy food, because I don't have to worry about facing the scale the next day.  At the same time, I also don't pig out for 2 weeks straight because I know that the scale day is approaching.  I can indulge in something then work it off.  

Now.  Pool, gym, skype, mass, dinner.  Here is a photo shoot of me in my sporty spice pool wear.  Top picture - Eagles cover up.  Bottom picture - Phillies bikini.

Don't mind the string to hang it with...

Happy Hump Day to those not on Spring Break!

Cleaning up a storm: part 1

Today was a cleaning frenzy at my parent's house.  My room there was being used for pure storage for basically the past four years.  There were just laundry baskets everywhere.  The baskets are filled with old stuff from the dorms as well as clothes.  Some of which didn't even fit.  

Here is the after picture:  (note that the TV in the middle of the floor is my brothers since he got a new one, and I guess my room is a little bit of a storage area for everyone since I'm not usually there to use it.)

Bad iphone pic - gotta love a stack of empty and clutter free baskets!

I stayed for dinner to chill with my mom and brother.  Also because I have no produce and needed to get some vitamins in this bod.  

Pre-cleaning afternoon snack: Tribe garlic hummus and celery and a peanut butter sandwich on Arnold's multi-grain sandwich thins.

Dinner was perogies sauteed in light butter and onions, green bean casserole with 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup and reduced fat Sargento shredded cheese, and corn (unpictured) 

After dinner I did 3 slowish miles on the treadmill in 37 minutes (pace 12:20).  Then I did some ab work and upper body strength training.  I feel like I haven't strength trained in a while so I wanted to get a little bit of that in.  

So let's talk about weight loss shows.  I love them.  I think that they're inspirational, and seeing someone else put the time and effort in to lose weight the right way really motivates me to keep living a healthy lifestyle.  Of course Biggest Loser is probably the most famous weight loss show (new season began last night and I already love it).  There was a new show that I saw for the first time recently and LOVE.  It's on MTV and called "I Used to be Fat".  It follows high school seniors about to graduate in the approximately 100 days before they start college and they lose a TON of weight in this time through some serious changes and hard work.  These kids get the opportunity to go off to college as new people and not carry with them their previous overweight image.  So anyone out there who thinks that you can't lose weight, pop in a weight loss show rerun and get some motivation!  I know it's hard, but you can definitely do it!

90 pounds in 111 days.  You go girl!

My favorite weight loss shows are:

Biggest Loser

Too fat for 15

Thintervention with Jackie Warner (extra awesome show)

Losing it with Jillian Michaels

What do you guys think about weight loss shows?  Which are your favorites?

The Biggest Losers run a marathon

If the biggest losers can run a marathon with 28 days of at home training, I sure as hell can with a year of training!  Even though my ultimate goal is to be at the level where I can start running marathons, I have been wondering lately if I will ever get to the point where I can run 26.2 miles.  Tonight's episode really was inspiring to a new(ish) runner.  26.2 miles all at once seems like such a daunting task.  I am hoping that with my consistent training and races that I currently have planned (5Ks, 10 milers, and half marathons) I can make this dream a reality within the next year or so. 

Ada was a beast and set a new record for the biggest loser marathon!

These guys were awesome and motivated each other almost the entire way

I definitely am excited to see what the next year brings me.  I already have a hefty list of New Years Resolutions that I can't wait to share with everyone.  Failure is not an option.  I don't have to be the fastest girl in the world, but I want to finish what I set out to do.