Vegan does NOT = skinny
After I browsed through the April issue of Glamour, I noticed this little gem on the bottom corner:
Please! Let me know the “shocking” way celebs lose 20 pounds! What could it be?!?!
Well, you may have guessed by my title, it’s by following a VEGAN diet!
Now, to be fair, the article was more of an introduction to what a vegan diet is, but it did have plenty of celebrity references mentioning how slim celebrities became by following this lifestyle.
This annoys me for two reasons:
- Magazine cover titles are SO misleading. Really – when you read that blurb, what did you think you would read? Something about a magic cleanse? A grapefruit only diet? I mean really, what else would make you “lose 20 pounds fast”? I know magazines do this to get people to buy the issue, but it’s so annoying. And the actual article title ended up being “Why Is Everyone Going Vegan?”
- Vegan ≠ skinny. Oreos are vegan. Some pop tarts are. A lot of cookies are. Some french fries are. If you overeat junk on a vegan diet, you will not lose weight, just because you are not eating any animal products. Case in point:
That’s me at Christmas. Looking pretty heavy! And I have been vegan since June of 2009! But I didn’t follow a very healthy diet for the end of 2010.
So, while I appreciate the exposure Glamour is providing on veganism, I don’t appreciate the misconception. Going vegan does not guarantee you will lose weight. You certainly could, but it does not guarantee it.
It feels weird to be writing about weight loss. That is a topic I try to avoid! But I had to say something.
Do you notice all the weird misleading article titles on magazine covers?
Themocracy
Ugh – I swear I read an article with the SAME title, but it was about a ‘cleanse’ or something of that sort.
I’m neither vegan nor vegetarian, but I would be soooooo annoyed to read an article that promoted being vegan/vegetarian solely for weight loss. Mark Bittman talks about eating less meat, but obviously he is looking at a wide range of issues. Most people I know who are vegan or vegetarian follow that lifestyle (rather than diet) for a wide variety of reasons, few being “I want to lose weight!”.
I also like the article titled “Kate on loving her curves…”. Hello? I don’t really see many curves there!
Okay, I’ll stop bashing. Enough said.
And I read the Kate article… I am not sure if she even mentions her “curves.”
I do think if you are eating a heavily meat diet that cutting back could help you lose weight, but… I don’t know. Yeah. What you said – it shouldn’t be promoted just for weight loss because that may not work!
I’m sorry but that has to be airbrushed. If my sweet Kate Winslet is that thin now, I’m going to be so disappointed. I always liked her for her curves and that she was not the stereotypical Hollywood “skinny.” Please say it ain’t so.
I was thinking about this at the grocery store the other week! Standing in line, looking at the magazines on the rack and wondering who buys them based on the articles mentioned on the cover. A lot of women’s magazines turn me off … sad since I write for and edit magazines for a living. I’m just so sick of the ones that either blast female celebrities for having cellulite (gasp!) or are giving you yet another diet to try. Oh, or the ones who want to give you tips on how to catch a man and keep him happy. Is that all editors think women are or should be interested in? Puh-lease.
Totally dig this post. I was vegan for a couple of years during graduate school (and also dated a vegan during that time as well), and I can attest to the fact that vegan does not equate to skinny. Thank you Thai stirfry!
I do get frustrated with those types of articles – or any article that supports/encourages people to do drastic things to “lose weight fast!” (not that veganism is drastic but its definately not supposed to be uses as a fad-like weight loss tool) As someone that leads an active lifestyle, but also struggles with her weight, I stand by the fact that nothing works better or safer than good old portion control, working out and healthy living. It may not be “fast” but it is the most effective.
Thanks 🙂
I agree with you – portion control, exercise and patience. People are looking for a fast fix. There isn’t really a healthy or sane one out there!
I’m currently reading “the China Study” which is a book about how a plant-based diet (as few animal products as possible) is good for health, disease prevention & management. It’s interesting to remember that oreo’s are also vegan, but probably don’t help to protect us against diseases like heart disease.
Unfortunately what’s more important (according to Glamour) is losing weight fast.
I agree with you. I’ve been vegan for a year and I’m not skinny. I’m glad I’m not “skinny” though. Who wants to look like a stick anyway?
Things like that annoy me. Of course becoming a vegan wont make you skinny, and if thats why someone is doing it, just dont. A friend of mine became “vegetarian” for a month just because she wanted to lose weight. She gained ten pounds. Its not about weight loss, and I just wish that the world would stop focusing so much on the weight aspect.
I became vegetarian in high school and worked with a girl who wanted to lose weight. She was CONSTANTLY asking me how much weight I lost eating that way. I didn’t know what to tell her! I didn’t pay attention to that sort of thing and that wasn’t why I stopped eating meat.
I’m always sad when magazines (I only read Runner’s World, and for some reason, in a moment of insanity, I subscribed to SELF.) highlight something on the cover, like “Your best 5K plan ever!” or “Great foods that you should be eating!” as if it’s a major component of the issue. Then you flip inside and it’s a tiny blurb on one of the regular feature pages. I always feel cheated…
I usually want to take a torch to the magazine rack at the grocery store. Who CARES about what dress some celebrity wore? Who CARES about which movie star is dating which other celebrity? And don’t you just love how magazines tout “ways to loose weight” and then put a giant chocolate cake on the cover?
BTW – I was in walgreens the other day and saw those Haribo gummy cheeries I mentioned a few posts back. I thought of you, checked the ingrediants, and sadly, not vegan 🙁
Aww, thanks for checking for me! 🙂
I actually don’t read any of those magazines for exactly that reason. I honestly believe they are junk!
Additionally, I could care less who wears what to where and etc!