When first lady Michelle Obama spoke to Ellen DeGeneresrecently, she appeared to have lost weight. In fact, she seems to have gotten steadily thinner since the first inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2008. Did she heed the advice of Dr. Keith Albow who in 2014 famously suggested she shed a few pounds? He claimed the first lady's "Let's Move" and healthy school lunches initiative would seem less hypocritical if she wasn't overweight. Mrs. Obama, who advocates cleaning up kids' diets, has shared some rather shockingweight lossideas of her own.
First lady overweight?
Dr. Keith Albow made heads explode when, on "Outnumbered," he called Mrs.Obama a hypocrite, her school lunch ideas "draconian" and told her to lose weight. It was funny to hear the good doc dispense weight loss advice as his own belly sagged well over his belt. But that was his point--that Obama shouldn't tell others how to eat if she has a weight problem. But does she? Even Sarah Palin, for relentless vitriol-throwing at everything "Obama" probably wouldn't call the first lady fat. Point taken that skinny people can have obesity-related problems. But would it render healthy living advocacy "hypocrisy" if Obama herself was overweight? Perhaps FLOTUS is preaching to herself first.
FLOTUS loses weight?
Dr. Albow was faulted for shaming Obama on his own political agenda. He said everyone needs to shed a few pounds and Mrs. Obama wouldn't deny her battles with weight but folks were still mad. But was Mrs. Obama? She seems to have taken him at his word. In her White House exit interview on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" Lady O looks even more willowy, if that were possible.
Michelle Obama unconventional wisdom on kids' weight loss
Ditch the scale and focus on health to trump obesity. That's the message from the White House. Mrs. Obama never discusses weight with Sasha or Malia Obama. She doesn't weigh them, teach them to weigh themselves, make them diet or micromanage calories. And that would seem to be the hypocritical part if anything, in Obama's message.
To fight childhood obesity, you have to know what the scale says, right? No, continually discussing weight depresses and discourages kids. FLOTUS is concerned over behaviors of Celebrities like Khloe Kardashian who famously never weighed herself but has taken babysitting the scale over weight gain fears. It's not physically or emotionally healthy to rigidly diet or restrict calories, particularly with adolescents who may soon outgrow their baby fat. They may develop dangerous eating disorders as singer Ke$ha did. Mrs. O says the goal is getting kids to exercise and eat nutritious foods, not fuss over a number on the scale.
