-- Women at Center of Obesity Epidemic and Intervention. Women Make More than 90% of Food Buying Decisions --
New York, NY – With obesity rates soaring, The Wedding Gown Challenge is announced today to celebrate like-minded women who have chosen to be fit for life rather than just one day. The driving concept behind The Wedding Gown challenge is for women to stop thinking of their wedding day as the “big day” when one starves her self into a state of unhealthy and unrealistic expectations, only to outgrow her gown on the honeymoon. Instead it's about having the expectation of being fit before, during and after the “big day.”
Today, there is little expectation that women will hover near their wedding day size. However, the facts according to Yale New Haven Hospital, and others, is that women need only blame five to 10 pounds on pregnancy. Additionally, gaining a modest 10-20 pounds after age 18 materially compromises one's health. According to the New England Journal of Medicine and reported by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), gaining merely 10-20 pounds after age 18 increases your chance of premature death by 15%.
“This very day happens to be my wedding anniversary—I can fit into my gown today and plan to for a long time to come. Why? Because contributing to the obesity epidemic is unacceptable, unhealthy and a ridiculous role model for the next generation of wives and mothers,” said MeMe Roth, Wedding Gown Challenge host and organizer. “Forget buff bride boot camps that promise weight loss just in time for your wedding. Commit to being healthy for your life. Come celebrate August 5th with the many women who’ve chosen to be fit for every day, not just one.”
Wedding Gown Challenge: Take It! August 5, 2005, New York
Pull it out of the closet, storage, your mom’s house…wherever it is…and PROVE to the world that you can still fit into your wedding gown. Your big day may have been last week or the last Millennium; either way, it wasn’t your final destination, nor the end of your being who you are. You’ve still got it going on, and this summer in New York City is your chance to show your stuff.
August 5, 2005
Central Park, New York City
Procession to Bethesda Fountain
Bouquet Toss Symbolizing a New Legacy
Fast Facts:
-Women are at the center of the obesity epidemic. More than 90% of food buying decisions are made by women. Women have the opportunity to intervene now.
-65% of U.S. adults are overweight or obese.
-A child of overweight parents is 15 times more likely to become overweight.
-Today’s generation of children is the first to be given a lesser life expectancy than their parents. This due to obesity related health complications: cancer, diabetes, heart disease, etc.
-The Wedding Gown Challenge encourages women to focus on being fit for life—maintaining a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI)—before, during and after their wedding day.
MeMe Roth Speaks Out:
“Somewhere between the wedding reception and delivery room, many women abandon their brains, body and libido.”
“It’s wrong to be fat. It’s easy, but it’s wrong.”
“We know who buys the food. We can let junk food swallow our children’s health or we can intervene.”
“Dump your friends who plan to grow fatter with every year. Surround yourself with those who aspire to greater things.”
“Stop scape-goating your pregnancies.”
“As your metabolism slows, you're supposed to adjust your eating and exercising, not just submit.”
“Refuse to excuse.”
“We should all, with a little help from SPANX, be able to squeeze into our wedding gown, regardless if it's several husbands or babies later.”
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posted by MeMe Roth at 8:02 AM
36 Comments:
Meme,
Just caught you on Neil Cavuto and you are quite an amazing woman. First you are quite lovely, but more importantly you are putting forth the truth. I am a man in my 30's and in great shape. Luckily I do not have to struggle to maintain by weight but everyday I see people who are grossly obese that need to work on their diet. Most peoples idea of breakfast is a danish washed down with Diet Mountain Dew. Please keep working hard and good luck. I have no doubt you will stay fit for life despite what Neil asked.
I am a married over 40 male and you just inspired me to evaluate myself. You are right. Getting fat is the easy way for both men and woman. Take a look back at the fifties and the stars of the fifties, they were slim. It takes work but the hard cold truth is do you want to be here for your grandchildren? I am now fighting high blood sugar for the choices I made in the past.
Neal gave you a hard time I feel but the truth hurts. You are speaking the truth. The fact is the truth will set you free. Thanks!
i also just saw you on neil cavuto think you are useless to women. my best friend tried for years to be what the media and fools like you say regarding weight. she put a gun in her mouth and blew her brains out cause she could not control her binging and other eating disorders.
show me a women who is beautiful, and have the best body in the world and i will show you a man who is tired of her.
Brue willis
I caught you on Cavuto also. FINALLY someone is telling it how it is!!!!!! I'd go to the Wedding Gown Challenge but I'll be right smack in the middle of a military move overseas. I work out for at least an hour, 6 days a week, and proudly weigh what I did on my wedding day 15 years ago, which is 128. If I didn't work out I would be huge like the majority. It's so much easier to commit to being fit for life! Being fat is almost always a result of the daily decision to eat poorly and not exercise. I choose health. I love Neil, but YOU were the voice of truth in that segment.
Meme, You are on the right track...just don't forget to acknowledge the beauty that comes from within as well as on the outside. I was a size 3 when I married in 1993 and I am now a size 0 so I certainly concur with your ideas!
I wish more women would listen to your refreshing message. Unfortunately those who need it most are the ones who seem to be angered by your "challenge".
When I married my wife she was a beautiful 125 lbs. Ten years and 3 kids later, she is a disgusting 350 lbs and blames her gargantuan size on the 3 pregnancies.
Husbands like me should be able to sue for "false advertising"!
You know what? You really shouldn't be using the problem of obesity to further your own shallowness.
Yes, obesity is a problem. Nobody would say it isn't.
But to say that being able to fit into your wedding gown for the rest of your life is a sign of how wonderful you are, that's just crap.
BTW, you might want to speak with a physician about the fact that it is actually very normal to gain SOME weight as you age. I guess you don't understand nature.
It is so sad that you are not reading the real research which clearly indicates that women who do not gain some weight as they get older will die earlier. Even those of us who are not "fat" know enough to read the studies and see for ourselves how women are being duped into wasting their time worrying about body size instead of worrying about healthy eating and exercise. And no, the two do not always go hand in hand. The healthiest women are those who gain a small amount of weight as they age WHILE eating healthy and exercising. It's disturbing that you believe that you can judge somebody's lifestyle based on their body shape. It must be nice to have such superpowers, but the existance of those superpowers are not supported by the epidemiological evidence.
BTW, you may want to read what women who have failed w/ flying colors to fit into THEIR wedding gowns and are PROUD OF IT have to say: http://www.bigfatblog.com/archives/001592.php
Meme: While the morons and "fat acceptance" militants over at BigFatBlog.com (has there ever been a more apporpriate name?) will rant and rave around your stand on obesity and lifestyle, I and many others understand your message. It has nothing to do with "personal worth" etc. etc. It's all about lifestyle and personal choice, at least 90% of it. You should ignore the ignorami on BigFatBlog.com and go ahead with your plans. They just cannot stand someone who stands up and in an "non-PC" way - says "fat ain't right!"
Good luck!
What a sad,shallow woman you are Meme.
It's women like you (and men too) that have allowed it to be OK to discriminate against fat people.
What do you really know about being fat?
Did your mom put you on a diet at age 11 because your boobs were coming in and it was a threat?
Did you spent most of your life on every yo yo diet known to man only to screw up your metabolism and gain it all back, with interest?
And let me reassure you, most of my life was spent in Europe, so I'm not a fast-food eating person and I don't eat SaraLee cheesecakes.
But at age 51 my cholesterol, blood pressure, lipid profile and blood sugar are all within normal range.
Do your homework, lady and stop judging the book by its cover.
Get a real life and persue something worth pursuing, instead of a thin waist. Thin people die too.
We 'ignorami' at BigFatBlog are backed up by some pretty hefty names in research. See: Paul Campos, Paul Ernsberger, Steven Blair, Glenn Gaesser...
I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Google one of these guys and see if you can pry your head out of your ass. I dare you.
Anonymous said...
"We 'ignorami' at BigFatBlog are backed up by some pretty hefty names in research. See: Paul Campos, Paul Ernsberger, Steven Blair, Glenn Gaesser..."
I did a search on the names you posted. Paul Campos is a Law professor. What are his credentials? His writings are junk science.
Please, don't tell me this is what you are basing your argument on.
I read some of your threads on BFB, they are mostly superficial. When someone doesn't agree with your viewpoints, you bully them and call them names.
You people (not all) are hypocrites.
Have you people visited bigfatblog.com? They are ripping you guys apart over there.
They want people to embrace there there way of life. However when someone disagree with there point of view...... here are some of the things that they saying about Meme Roth, and I quote:
"what a f%&king moron", "someone needs to smack some sense into her head" & "what a sad sad woman".
I think the group at BFB are sad. They compare ther plight to the civil rights movement. That is a slap in the face of many African Americans who suffered humiliating injustices because of something they had no control over, the color of there skin.
So I would not take what they say over at BFB too seriously.
"We 'ignorami' at BigFatBlog are backed up by some pretty hefty names in research. See: Paul Campos, Paul Ernsberger, Steven Blair, Glenn Gaesser..."
Five minutes at your site tells me you're backed up by self-loathing, poor self-esteem, a lack of resolve when it comes to energy expenditure and food intake, and most of all, transparent envy of people who are thin. Why create a militant "support group" - if you can even call it that - otherwise? If fat people have it knocked, why are there no groups made up of thin or normal-weight people whining about how the world won't accept them as they are instead of 100 pounds heavier and going out of their way to find examples of discrimination?
I did do a Google, and guess what, Paul Campos is obviously a professional potstirrer, Glenn Gaesser recently wrote a book on how to lose weight, Steven Blair is full of anecdotal BS, and Paul Ernsberger is a fat physician whose colleagues disagree with him. Any profession has its share of wackos willing to shill for this or that cause and medicine is no different. Any questions?
I spent about 10 minutes scanning some of the topics on BFB.
Gosh, for a prejudice that is nothing at all like racism, sexism, or heterosexism, fatphobia sure relies on the same freaking rhetoric!
I have nothing against fat people and I personally do not care to categorize people, but the people over at BFB are truly contemptible.
Another despicable thing on BFB is the constant comparison of "discrimination" against fat people to that against gay people/ black people...
I haven't yet seen a fat person being beaten to death and tortured a la Mathew Shepard...And comparing the pin-pricks you suffer to the suffering of an entire race that was subjected to SLAVERY-that is just abominable.
The sad thing is, if *all* fat people thought like that, they really *would* be despicable as a group. These are the very "pigs" of stereotype fame, not because of how they look but based on how they act. Organizing protests? If you have that much extra time and energy try walking around the block a few times.
As it is 9.5 out of 10 heavy people I know readily admit that they haven't tried to do what they know would be best for their health (I'm sure the nuts at Big Fat Blog would call them "brainwashed") but that they hope to, and they don't blame anyone else for their chubbiness. The flakes screaming bloody hell about prejudice and an evil media live on another planet. That is their problem but it is sad to see.
I agree with the last poster regarding that the majority of fat people are fat because they bring it upon themselves.
I several have friends that are obese (I don't look at them as being fat, but as my friends) and everyone them has mentioned to me the reason they are so fat is because they eat too much and don’t exercise.
Here is an example: A friend and I went to an Italian buffet last month. I had a medium size salad and a plate of pasta and grilled chicken. However my friend who weighs about 400 hundred pounds walk to the buffet and proceeded to grab a entire large size "the works" pizza that was meant to be shared by at least 5 people. Then he went back to take a half of a tray of buffalo wings and a soup bowl of ranch dressing.
I'm trying to prove a point; sure there is small percentage of case where obesity is caused by a medical condition. But, the most are caused by people who eat too much and don't exercise.
Well, Mr I-Have-A-Gargantuan-Wife, it's clear you have broken your vow to "love and cherish" her, so she should be suing for false advertising as well. Honestly, if you are so devoid of affection and common decency that you can publicly call her 'disgusting', she should be asking for a divorce.
Some (idiot) wrote: " Paul Campos, Paul Ernsberger, Steven Blair, Glenn Gaesser..."
Reply: Quacks, charlatans and hucksters, each and every one. And Steven Blair, the least of these, at least says something reasonable: i.e. fat people should at the very least get off their asses and exercise. If they "must" ("It's not my fault!!") be fat, they can at least try to achieve some degree of cardiopulmonary fitness.
If you want to use "experts" as named people supporting your "I'm fat and I'm proud blog" at least use names of people who haven't made money catering to the fat-and-proud trolls.
Go MeMe! Challenge these dolts to get off their sofas and break a sweat!
I'm glad to see that this entry is filled with critical thinking. After all, if you know one fat person who overeats, they must ALL overeat. And if you know one fat person who doesn't exercise, NONE of them do!
It matters not why people are fat. Fat people are the target of hatred - the Challenge and the comments from these people only prove it. Fat hatred needs to stop. Ignorance needs to be countered with education. Fat discrimination must stop.
An anonymous person said: "I haven't yet seen a fat person being beaten to death and tortured a la Mathew Shepard..."
Fuck you. Why does it take a HUMAN LIFE to "legitimize" something in your mind? That's ridiculous.
How about an 11-year-old fat girl who killed herself because people were teasing her? How about a young boy taken from his parents' custody because he was fat? If you need examples, fine. But claiming people at BFB are "nuts" (as others have) before seeing something as legitimate is just insane.
Speaking of insane, the idea of making women feel even worse about their bodies by "challenging" them to fit into their wedding gowns... THAT is INSANE.
"Speaking of insane, the idea of making women feel even worse about their bodies by "challenging" them to fit into their wedding gowns... THAT is INSANE."
Right, because for fat people, losing weight JUST ISN'T AN OPTION. This follows from the fact that it is PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE to control the amount of food passing betwixt your lips. Unless, that is, you count all of those pesky data points like me, a formerly heavy person with a shitty lifestyle who finally got off his ass, changed his diet and now feels 150% better from dawn until nightfall. Not easy...but simple.
At least the members of the angry mob are using "BFB" and "insane" in the same sentence - this is progress of a sort. It's clear at a glance that fat is a drop in the bucket compared to the host of mental problems the average contributor over there demonstrates. I feel that much closer to the asylum from having surfed on in.
"Right, because for fat people, losing weight JUST ISN'T AN OPTION. This follows from the fact that it is PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE to control the amount of food passing betwixt your lips."
Why do people have to lose weight to be justified to you? You're ignoring the point: fat people are discriminated against. Fat people are a target of hatred. It needs to stop.
And again, you're yet another person confusing one's *anecdotal* evidence with the facts. You lost weight? Great. You enjoy that. But telling other people they need to lose weight and "stop eating" - because, again, you're thinking that fat people ALL overeat, which is WRONG - is incredibly ignorant and shortsighted.
"It's clear at a glance that fat is a drop in the bucket compared to the host of mental problems the average contributor over there demonstrates. I feel that much closer to the asylum from having surfed on in."
I love how instead of actually engaging someone else, you simply use names. That's always the sign that one side of an argument is totally shut down, and meaningful discussion can't continue.
---
LOVE your body. Size doesn't matter. Be healthy. Be happy. Love your life. Don't buy in to the misconception that you have to be thin to be happy. Don't buy in to the misconception that you have to be thin to be healthy. Don't buy in to the perpetuated stereotypes of fat people. Fat people are PEOPLE first and foremost, and they want equality and respect just like everyone else.
This thread is filled with incorrect, false information from people who are quick to paint fat people with a single brush. They are lazy and don't consider the actual facts. They dismiss esteemed authors as "quacks" because their information hurts them personally, and hurts their message that fat is bad. They dismiss a support group of fat rights activists (and people coming in to fat acceptance) as "insane" or "nuts" because they don't understand.
Understand this: the hatred and discrimination MUST STOP NOW.
For those who argue that there isn't a fat craze:
I've dieted since I was 8. I'm 16 right now, meaning I spent half of my life dieting. At 13 I developed an eating disorder. At my lowest weight, while everyone told me I was too skinny, I saw myself as chubby and my mother always encouraged to lose even more weight. She was the cause of my weight obsession, calling me fat since I was little. She still does. My BMI is 21 now (I'm recovered) so even your dear experts agree I'm at a healthy weight. Sometimes I still feel insecure and disgusted about myself. None of this would have happened if women weren't expected to be rail thin. if you bunch of nutheads weren't so cruel towards those whol don't look like Kate Moss. Even I realise this national obsession is sick, and shows a ill society, an anorexic nation. and this is coming from a girl who used to base her worth on the number on the scale. wise up.
"Why do people have to lose weight to be justified to you?"
I don't recall saying anyone "needs" to do anything.
"fat people are discriminated against. Fat people are a target of hatred. It needs to stop."
Right, just like U.S. Christians are persecuted because they don't get to whisk away laws they don't like. Fat people are not discriminated against. Pull your head of your ass. In a country in which 2/3 of people are lardballs, how would this situation even be tenable?
"And again, you're yet another person confusing one's *anecdotal* evidence with the facts."
Uh-huh. And what facts are those? The ones you invent and post on that wreck of a blog? How many thousands of anecdotes of fat people losing weight, IN A HEALTHY MANNER, do you want?
"You lost weight? Great. You enjoy that."
No, I what I enjoy is not being fat. Big difference. The losing process was difficult (which is why far more people choose to remain fat and sedentary) but of course I don't regret it. I am not short of breath climbing stairs, I don't have to wedge myself into booths, and I can find my genitals. Maybe BFB-ers can pretend those things don't matter. It has nothing to do with "looks" although I know I look 200% better, no point denying that to coddle the likes of you.
"But telling other people they need to lose weight and "stop eating" - because, again, you're thinking that fat people ALL overeat, which is WRONG - is incredibly ignorant and shortsighted."
Then take it somewhere else - once again I never told anyone to do anything. You're obviously one of those zealots with a single ranting reply stored in memory, one you deploy in every fat-related discussion regardless of what it is you're actually trying to reply to. Makes your accusations of "ignorant" and "shortsighted" all the more humorous, especially in light of the "not all fat people overeat" boneheadedness (by definition ALL fat people overeat in relation to theie needs).
"I love how instead of actually engaging someone else, you simply use names. That's always the sign that one side of an argument is totally shut down, and meaningful discussion can't continue."
Meaningful discussion like that not allowed on BFB, period? Oh how you do slay me.
Fat people are not discriminated against.
Bullshit. Fat women get paid 30% less than other women. Fat people get discriminated against in the medical realm. Fat people can be legally denied employment due to their sizes. Fat people can be forced to pay more in healthcare, even if they're healthy.
Why do you insist that fat people overeat? I'm now really wondering about it.
In a country in which 2/3 of people are lardballs, how would this situation even be tenable?
"Lardballs" - classy.
It's quite tenable because the facts are out there. You just haven't looked for them and are quick to dismiss. Like for instance this.
And what facts are those? The ones you invent and post on that wreck of a blog?
I'm just a lurker at Big Fat Blog, I will admit. I read it just about every day and take it to heart. "Wreck" of a blog is a statement only someone who doesn't understand could make.
How many thousands of anecdotes of fat people losing weight, IN A HEALTHY MANNER, do you want?
You give me thousands and I'll consider them. But I know that 95% of all diets fail. Show me people who lose weight for the sake of losing weight, and I'll show you people who have bought into the weight loss industry's continued lies. Listen, I'm eating better. I want all people to eat better and exercise more. But it's clear to anyone with eyes that that DOESN'T MEAN SOMEONE WILL LOSE WEIGHT. PERIOD. You might, you might not, either way.
Then take it somewhere else
No. This silly sham of a blog is going to be the place where we discuss this. I want to turn this negative shit into something positive, and I want to confront you on this. I haven't resorted to namecalling - why have you?
Meaningful discussion like that not allowed on BFB, period?
Big Fat Blog has registration for a reason - to keep the tone in the fat acceptance realm. My god man, look at anyplace else on the web where there's an "open" discussion of fat. It doesn't happen without a slew of trolls coming in and saying, "IT'S BAD I HATE FAT PEOPLE ARGH" every two seconds.
And if you don't think BFB has meaningful discussion, that's your loss. Fat people need a support system, and a platform to organize and rise up. THAT is what BFB is doing, instead of pandering to your petty statements and requests.
But I want to talk with you about your statements, here, really. For instance, this entire paragraph shows just how prejudiced you really are:
No, I what I enjoy is not being fat. Big difference. The losing process was difficult (which is why far more people choose to remain fat and sedentary) but of course I don't regret it.
As I said before, good for you. But why are you claiming fat people are sedentary? Moreover why aren't you going after THIN people who are sedentary, too?
I am not short of breath climbing stairs,
Me either.
I don't have to wedge myself into booths,
Me either. (But I do think that the seating needs to be more accessible for fat people in general.)
and I can find my genitals.
It's telling that you're willing to stoop to this level to promote your "argument," which is only getting weaker through these statements.
Maybe BFB-ers can pretend those things don't matter. It has nothing to do with "looks" although I know I look 200% better, no point denying that to coddle the likes of you.
That's funny. You think it has nothing to do with looks, and yet the very next thing you claim is that you look so much better. To me that only shows how much value you put on appearance. It's no surprise, everyone does. But turning that into a hatred of fat people indicates that there's something else going on.
Are you threatened by the idea of fat people? Are you threatened by the idea of a fat rights movement? What about making things more accessible to fat people?
Also I have to ask because I'm curious: are you male or female?
I think your posts just go to show that you're truly scared and quick to cast off anything that fat people say without actually considering them. As an anonymous person said before me, you've shut down your side of the argument and are quick to throw insults ("see my genitals") instead of engage.
I'm willing to engage. Let's go.
The silence is deafening.
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It's just a little hilarious and very telling that most of 'pro' challengers commenting here are MALE... but mostly it's disgusting and indicative of our false pop-culture...
To all you forty year old moms out that that want to be eighteen again: YOU CAN'T DO IT - EVEN IF YOU STILL CAN FIT INTO YOUR WEDDING DRESS!!!
It's interesting to read all the people who claim that women (and men) who want to control their weight through exercise are shallow. It makes me wonder whether eating fatty foods and not exercising automatically makes one deep...To all of you out there who are overweight and outraged by MeMe's challenges-what objective reason is there to think that a person who's fit is necessarily shallow? Does wisdom come with weight? Do you seriously think that a thin fit person cannot possibly be sensitive, intelligent, caring etc. (add your favorite values)?
Let's be honest here for a second. I don't think that MeMe has it out for you personally. She's concerned about a health issue. Some of her statements may seem harsh--but what would you rather, be spoken down to and comforted--or be spoken to honestly and truthfully, even if it hurts? Is it kinder to give an alcoholic a drink when he asks for one--or to urge him to seek help?
Am I comparing obesity to alcoholism? Yes. And not because I have it out for obese people. I can definitely sympathize with the anger you feel when someone else seems to suggest you're inadequate. It's natural and human to lash out at the "agressor". But what if the "agressor" is actually your friend? What if instead of judging you, he's trying to help you? Why not stand up to the challenge and show them, instead? :)
You are, quite simply, a bigot. What gall you have! You are among the most disgustingly self-righteous human beings that has drawn breath and lived. What in the hell do you care about Jordin Sparks? You are a shameless publicity hound . . . and you care nothing for the children. I am so tired of you people using that now exhausted tag-line! "It's for the children!" Bullshit . . . you are simply a self-obsessed, self-worshipper. Get over it. You are not as attractive as you think. Seig Heil!
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