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UPDATE: We are organizing a chat on twitter this FRIDAY, January 27th from 9-10pm EST to discuss the implications of these ads to children. We will also be discussing the obesity epidemic and effective ways of communicating change. Click here to join us!

I can’t even begin to tell you how incredibly offensive this ad is to me. I was that overweight kid years ago. I lived everyday of my life with shame about my own body.

The Huffington Post reported on these ads earlier this month. Where was I? Today I happened upon this post. It looks like the State of Georgia thought these ads were a great idea and has plastered the state with them. This is NOT one of those times where “I have no words”…I’ve got words. And I’m going to share them with you. Why? Because I WAS this girl. And I’m speaking to you as someone who struggled most of their life with being overweight, later morbidly obese & having an eating disorder, and today healthier YET NO DIFFERENT INSIDE MY HEART.

This is a public health communication campaign that has gone very wrong. Since when it is okay to shame children? I’ll tell you when. When people with fancy degrees sit in their ivory towers and decide that the people in Georgia need to “wake Up and smell the obesity in their state” (my own quote, btw.)

They should be ashamed of themselves. Not only has The Strong4 Life Campaign succeeded in shaming children all over the State of Georgia, but they are missing the point. Here you see a child who is overweight, but what you don’t see is how that child got to be that way. It makes the child look like the problem. Guess what? The child is NOT the problem. The lifestyle of the entire family is the problem. To solve this issue, everyone in that household will have to change. Everyone. More activity and better nutrition. Pointing the finger at this poor child only succeeds in making her feel worse. In fact, I would go even further to say that THIS AD CREATES EATING DISORDERS IN CHILDREN. They are made to feel more shame about who they are.

Quote from Marsha Davis, an obesity prevention researcher, “We need to fight obesity, not obese people.”

I was that child years ago. Every time someone drew attention to my weight, I spent my time eating more. Why? Because food was how I made myself feel better. If you were going to make me feel bad about myself, I was going to run to food again. Does that make sense? No. But since when does having an eating disorder make any sense?

Btw, I assure you this child knows she is overweight. It’s not like drawing attention to it is going to make her have some kind of an epiphany. Like “Wow, I never knew that…are you serious? You mean this roll in my belly isn’t just water?”

And guess what? I’m right. These type of tactics don’t work when it comes to weight. They are counterproductive. I would say abusive.

I think these ads should be pulled. They are harmful to children.

If you would like to voice your opinion you can do it directly AT The Strong 4Life Campaign. They just so happen to be on twitter and Facebook.

Twitter: @Strong_4_Life

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/S4LGA

I live all the way in California, so it’s not like I can show up on their doorstep, but some of you sure as hell can.

I’m summing this up with what has the world come to when we make children the problem? Children are never the problem. Sometimes people with fancy degrees are part of the problem. (And btw, I’m one of those people with a fancy degree…but at least I have the sense to know what is harmful and what is not.)

UPDATE: I’d like to add some links to additional posts that have covered this issue

Diets in Review
Curvy Girl Guide
Skinny Emmie
Mrs. Fatass
Lisa Johnson
Skimbaco Lifestyle
Mommyality
ShePosts
GanzWorld
5 Minutes for Mom

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Okay so January is here. It’s that time of year when us fitness peeps become important because ya’ll start paying attention. Why? Well, after the holidays are over you either step on the scale or try on your skinny jeans and realize they don’t fit very well anymore. You indulged. A lot. And now you are feeling guilty and want to fix it. We’ve all been there…myself included.

January/February is the craziest time of year for people to try and wade through the health/fitness marketing and flashy programs that promise you will “lose 20 lbs. in two seconds”…etc.  For the average person, it’s very easy to get duped. Yes, even IF you are highly intelligent. And sometimes it’s easiest to dupe the highly intelligent cause they are so busy thinking and creating, they don’t exercise enough to know the difference. They, i.e. the evil marketing people, know this and so they focus on your emotions rather than your intellect to sell you things. They have the upper hand…especially at 3am when you are just desperate for a change after finishing off that 1/2 gallon of double fudge chocolate ice cream.

Here are my top 5 things to watch out for when purchasing anything health related in the New Year:

1. Shock and Awe. If it includes something that vibrates OR shocks you with electricity…pass. I know it sounds crazy, but you can’t get 6 pack abs by shocking your abdominals into submission. You have to lose overall body fat. I know. Sad, but true. No 6-pack abs will be attained while Facebooking or watching TV. Sorry.

2. Pills and shakes. Okay, this is hotly debated by some who want to believe they work or sell them to you, but they don’t. There is no magic pill and shake that speeds up your metabolism enough for you to actually lose real weight. Trust me if there was, I’d tell you. Although if you remember Fen-Phen from years ago, that actually DID help people lose weight, but remember they pulled it off the market because people were dropping dead of heart attacks. So it’s possible that some “natural” products are still out there that can speed up your metabolism temporarily, but they are dangerous. So just remember, IF your heart starts racing in your chest…THROW IT AWAY!!!

3. Funny looking fitness contractions. Purchase this “thingie ma jiggy” and it will help you lose 5,000 lbs. in one month OR get you looking like Jessica Alba in no time. Okay, that’s nice and all, but I promise you when you finally get it in the mail, you’ll use it about 3-4 times and then forget about it. Why do I know this? Because I have a mountain of them in my house. It’s the shrine to my “get skinny quick” phase of life.

4. Space suits that promise to burn the fat right off you, i.e. sweat suits. If they tell you that you can sweat weight off you, it’s kinda true, BUT it’s very temporary. Your body is comprised of mostly water, so when you sweat you weigh less, BUT the second you drink water again you will put it back on. This is something that CAN work for a special event to make you appear slimmer, but don’t eat or drink anything until you take pictures. Yeah, it’s like that. Celebrities do this, but it’s not a real weight loss tool. So don’t be tool and buy it.

5. Belts OR funny contractions that promise to make your waistline trimmer. As for the belts, I’ve never worn them but from what I hear, they don’t work. They bleed dark ink on your clothing, fall apart easily, and after you measure yourself…nothing has happened. By that time you feel like an ass, have stained your clothes, and are not telling anyone you actually purchased it. The ab contractions are a scam. If you want your waistline to get smaller you have to lose overall body fat. That’s the trick. Once you get trimmer, you can start focusing on v-ups and crunches.

Let’s all do ourselves a favor and stay away from all these things. If you decide to purchase them anyways, make sure to stop by later so we can all have a good laugh.

And of course, how can we forget this from years ago. Yes, I bought it too.