Reality show turns a killer topic - obesity - into compelling entertainment
I'M NOT A big fan of reality TV, but I must admit I love "Celebrity Fit Club," which clearly illustrates what I have always believed: When it comes to weight loss, the playing field is level. Nature's law is the same for all of us.
This series offers a compelling example of what it takes to get fit and on the road to health and happiness. Its cast of second-tier celebrities all have one thing in common: They're overweight or obese.
Weighing in for the fourth season, now airing on VH1, are rapper Bone Crusher, R&B singer Angie Stone, former Playboy model Erika Eleniak, singer Carnie Wilson, and actors Nick Turturro ("NYPD Blues"), Vincent Pastore ("The Sopranos"), Ted Lange ("The Love Boat") and Tina Yothers ("Family Ties").
The celebs are put into two competing teams. Each week, they are weighed, challenged physically with exercise and given a weight-loss goal for the next week.
Wilson is the poster child for gastric bypass surgery who bravely kicked off the new season. You may recall that Carnie received tons of publicity before, during and after her gastric bypass surgery. In fact, the surgery itself could be viewed publicly online.
Once tipping the scales at 300-plus pounds, Wilson shed half her weight with the surgery back in 2001, plunging from a size 26 to a 6.
But like other weight-loss surgery patients, Wilson soon discovered that it is no magic bullet. One Swiss study showed that only 7 percent of gastric bypass patients keep all the weight off, 70 percent keep some weight off and 25 percent gain it all back.
Not very good odds, if you ask me.
You can't get away from the need to diet, exercise and modify your eating behavior. Thus, over the last couple of years, Wilson's weight has risen, at times dangerously approaching 200 pounds.
Nevertheless, I do applaud her for bravely tackling her weight issues once again.
Angst over Angie
On the other hand, I am very concerned about R&B songstress Stone. For me, she represents so many black women whom I know and love. It's painful to watch her every week give poor excuses for not meeting her goals.
In each episode, Stone's "woe is me" attitude takes over. In spite of her many health conditions, she refuses to heed the advice of her team and the panel of experts the show provides.
Like many sisters I know, Angie, who's 5-foot-3 and tips the scales at well over 200 pounds, has congestive heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure - none of which seems to concern her when she's chowing down on a pastrami sandwich, followed by a slice of cheesecake and a cigarette.
Clearly, Stone does not know "what time it is."
Time to take heart
The singer frequently refers to her children, but the most important thing she could do for them is to take care of her health so she can be there for them.
Like Stone, many women of color needlessly - and silently - suffer from health problems related to weight, fitness and lifestyle. Here's what sisters need to know:
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among African-American women age 20 and older.
African-American women have 75 percent more heart attacks than white women and are more likely to die from a heart attack.
According to the National Stroke Association, half of all African-American women will die from stroke or heart disease.
African-Americans have more strokes than any other group.
A smoker's risk of developing heart disease is two to four times that of a nonsmoker's. Close to 18 percent of African-American women smoke.
African-American women have twice the hypertension rate white women do.
Roughly 3 million African Americans have diabetes. Many don't know it.
Some studies indicate as many as 80 percent of African-American women over 20 are overweight or obese.
Health problems are devastating the African-American community, but they can be reversed and even prevented if we each take personal responsibility for our health. African-American women need not die prematurely from diseases that are both reversible and preventable.
Angie Stone, it's time to put down the pastrami, the carrot cake and the cigarettes. Start taking care of your most significant asset - you! We need you, and you're worth it.
You're invited
Please join me at the American Heart Association's Silent No More Conference to raise awareness about heart disease among African-American and Latina women. I'll deliver the keynote address.
The conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Annenberg Center for Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut St. The conference is free, but registration is required. 610-940-9656 or www.silentnomore@heart.org.*
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