I’ve been wanting to write about Pinterest for awhile, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say. Well, what I want to say is STOP PINNING THIS TERRIBLE STUFF. If you’ve spent any time at all on Pinterest, you know what I’m talking about: those “thinspiration” (or sometimes “fitspo”) images of very thin, scantily clad women, with either “inspirational” quotes superimposed over them, or a promise that you can achieve the exact same results by doing a specific workout (sometimes just by doing something “simple,” “easy,” or “painless”).
I’m all for motivation. Gilda’s Gang motivates me. Previous contestants from The Biggest Loser who have embraced health and fitness as a way of life motivate me. The athletes I am honored to watch at Special Olympics events motivate me. Fitness models in their underwear don’t.
I mentioned on the BFD Facebook page that unless you already happen to look like these women, there is very little chance that you ever will, despite your best dieting and exercise efforts. I’m not sure, then, why posting photos of something unattainable inspires women. I’m not sure why quotes that body- and fat-shame, that reinforce the stereotype that if you are fat you simply aren’t trying hard enough and surely aren’t good enough, are inspiring.
I’m especially not sure why someone thinks that if they “do this routine before every shower” that they are going to magically transform their body into something that would be showcased at at a lingerie shop.
Recently, I discovered something else rather interesting about a lot of these pins, especially the ones that show amazing transformations and promise “this really works!” They almost all lead back to the same website. (Insert ominous music here.)
It’s called The Fat Loss Factor, and it’s the brain child of one Dr. Charles Livingston. If you visit his site, you’ll have to sit through a video. You can’t skip it. Heck, you can barely navigate away from the page. The part of it I watched was just propaganda and promises, with no real substance. So I decided to check out some online reviews to see what this program is really about.
The first two weeks involve “detox.” Even better, if you’re looking for super rapid weight loss, you can kick off your detox with… The Master Cleanse. Yep, that notorious concoction of lemons, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. That’s warning bell number one.
Warning bell number two is that the program promises you will lose two inches from your belly in the first week, and 26 pounds in the first seven weeks. That’s a really big promise. In fact, it’s a money-back guarantee! (Although from what I’ve found online, it’s not very easy to actually get your money back.)
Now, from what I can tell, aside from the detox part, the program is pretty smart, advocating clean and healthy eating along with exercise that includes both cardio and strength. Nothing to complain about there. But do you need this guy to tell you that? Do you need to pay him for that information? It costs $47, in case you were wondering.
One of the most interesting things I discovered about Dr. Charles Livingston and The Fat Loss Factor is that most “reviews” of his program are actually PR messages, that clearly (well, actually, poorly) seem to be written by the company itself, or by someone the company paid.
I’d love to know how many staff members Dr. Livingston has churning out these images that women pin over and over again. I’d also love to know how many of these pinners actually make it to the end of the video and buy his program. I hope not many.
The next time you see a half-naked thin woman and an “inspirational” quote about how your boyfriend will be able to pick you up, or your friends will gasp at how thin you’ve become, or you will be a better woman if you have a gap between your thighs, please don’t pin it. The same goes for any workout or transformation photos that lead back Dr. Livingston’s site. You don’t need these photos, and you don’t need The Fat Loss Factor.
Find something truly inspirational to motivate you toward better health instead.
