A Weighty Issue

Big Fat Confidence

I applaud this young woman's enthusiastic declaration of self-acceptance. Her "rant" is both funny and sweet.

Recipe: Sweet Orange Salmon

Eight ingredients combine in a spice rub that would also be good on pork tenderloin medallions. Serve with orange wedges.

Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 6-oz salmon fillets
Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat broiler.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture over both sides of salmon fillets. Place salmon on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil for 8 minutes or until salmon flakes easily when tested with a fork.

NUTRITION (per serving):
WW Points = 8
CALORIES 303(39% from fat); FAT 13.3g (sat 3.1g,mono 5.7g,poly 3.2g); PROTEIN 36.2g; CHOLESTEROL 87mg; CALCIUM 33mg; SODIUM 235mg; FIBER 0.5g; IRON 1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 7.5g

SOURCE: Cooking Light, MAY 2005

Et Tu, Dick Cavett?

I used to think Dick Cavett was a smart, witty, and insightful man.  Now, I just consider him – well – a dick.

In his 7/25 NYT Op-Ed piece, “Is Bigger Really Better?”, Cavett promotes one of the last publically acceptable types of discrimination.  He picks on fat people. 

Cavett’s excessive whining about how watching excessively portly people in commercials promotes widespread acceptance of big butted individuals is ridiculous.  However, it opened the floodgates for many of his readers to jump on his “we hate fat people” bandwagon.  It’s like he and some of his readers took a “small-minded pill” before choosing a group they could pick on without remorse. 

The First Step: Admitting You Have a Problem

I think the straw that finally broke this hippo’s back was my friend telling me that her boyfriend referenced my weight problem during a recent conversation about HER need to trim down.  What’s up with that?!?  I’m a big ole bogeywoman??  The you-don’t-want-to-be-like-her anti-role model??

Obviously, it’s not enough for me to acknowledge a critical need to cut my size in half.  Friends now feel free to use me as an example of what NOT to be like - a “tool” to motivate themselves and others to lose weight.  EGAD…not exactly the kind of impact I want to have on people’s lives, including my own!