Why Jennifer Lopez's #BeTheGirl weight loss challenge is disappointing.

April 29, 2015

There’s a lot I admire about Jennifer Lopez. She’s a talented actress, singer, mother, jealousy-inducingly good dancer and now, apparently, she’s a weight loss guru.

While there’s no denying her talent in other areas, her latest venture, the #BeTheGirl weight loss challenge launched by her lifestyle brand BodyLab, has left us feeling a little confused and disappointed.

On the surface, it seems innocent enough. “Participants will commit to a 10-week program with Jennifer Lopez as their inspiration and motivator along with a team of experts,” the press release says.

“They will receive healthy and easy-to-make recipes, personalised fitness plans and expert nutritional advice from Jennifer Lopez and a team of hand-picked experts.”

“I’m asking the women of America to join me this Spring in the #BeTheGirl challenge so together we can work, motivate, and empower each other to be the best version of ourselves,” says Lopez in the statement.

It sounds reasonable enough (aside from the obvious exclusion of us Aussies – hello from down here!) . Fitness and nutritional experts have obviously been consulted, and who doesn’t want to look as good as J-Lo does?

But then there’s this.

“When I eat, you eat. When I sweat, you sweat. When I run, you run. Let’s kick-start a healthy lifestyle together with the BodyLab line of products, free App and online tools,” writes Lopez.

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I’m assuming she’s just trying to create a “we’re all part of a big, sparkly J-Lo team” kind of vibe, but it almost sounds like we have to physically wait around for a personal notification from Lopez giving us permission to eat. Which would be hard enough as is without considering the time difference. Again – hello, from Australia!

Look – I’m sorry J-Lo. You can tell me when to “Get On the Floor” and to “Dance Again”, but you will not tell me when to eat. Or sweat. Or run. (Post continues after gallery.)

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Lena Dunham.Girls star Lena Dunham says exercise is vital to her mental health.

Margot Robbie.

Miranda Kerr.Miranda Kerr weights for nobody. (Instagram)

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

Anna Kendrick.

Gisele Bundchen.

Bar Rafaeli.

Kendall Jenner.

Lea Michele.

Karlie Kloss.

Paris Hilton

Julianne Hough.

Beyonce.

Let me be clear: I think encouraging anyone to make “today the day to start a new journey” and be the best they can be is a good thing. But I have a little problem with the ways the challenge thinks I should achieve this.

Yes, exercise is important in staying healthy, as is a good, balanced diet. But urging women that “loving yourself more than anything on the menu”is what health is about? That makes it sound like food is my mortal enemy.

Food is more than fuel – it’s a social activity, a bonding opportunity and a chance to try new things. Being healthy isn’t about giving up everything you love.

As long as I’m happy and healthy, “my best me” isn’t necessarily the one that has abs to wear with my bikini.

Saying I should “start losing the extra pounds that will have nowhere to hide this summer” suggests that my body is something I should be looking to hide if it doesn’t look like Lopez’s.

That I should be in some way shamed into action for fear of a summer spent in oversized coverups and not looking like a model.

Rachel Hollis's positive body image "bikiniphoto" went viral this year. Image via Instagram (@msrachelhollis)

There are some concerns over the actual content of the challenge too.It consists of three stages:

1. Repair and Reboot: "Which kickstarts the challenge with a detox and cleanse plus a fat burner contained in the 7-Day Ultra Fast Slim Kit."

2. Burn and Build: Which "stimulates fat burning and metabolism boosting with the Thermodynamic Total Burn, Thermodynamic Pre-Workout Extender and BodyLab TastyShake Complete Whey Protein Complex."

3. Endurance: "Helps participants to maintain their stamina through the Endurance Boosting Deep Tissue Oxygenator, which has been clinically shown to improve VO2 max (the established measure of fitness) and Advanced Joint Formula for Active Women "

"A concern for me is the amount of supplements," says fitness expert and founder of Wellbeing Worldwide, Emma Esslemont.

"We don't need them. Fat burners and pre-workout shakes all sound fancy, but what happened to eating a healthy, nutritious diet? People who look for answers with a bunch of supplements are looking for a quick fix," she says.

"The whole VO2 max thing is also a little strange - that's a measure of how much oxygen your body can use during exercise. It's popular testing elite athletes and team sports, but personally not so relevant for someone who wants to make some positive health and fitness changes in their life," she says. (Post continues after gallery.)

10 foods you never knew were healthy

BreadKATIE THOMSITT, Dieticians Australia spokesperson says: "Lots of people shy away from bread to achieve weight loss. But bread is such an important source of fibre, and plays such a helpful role in weight loss and preventing bowel cancer. A couple of slices of a dark, seedy bread per day is absolutely fine."

CheeseKATIE SAYS: "Cheese is definitely a higher fat source of dairy, but still a good dairy fat. Choose low-fat options if you have it regularly, otherwise consume it in moderation. One serve of dairy is 30g, so a couple of slices is absolutely fine."

ChocolateKARA LANDAU, The Travelling Dietician says: "Studies have been able to show that dark chocolate can improve insulin sensitivity, reduce blood pressure in healthy individuals, protect against heart disease, and improve HDL good cholesterol (not a bad start for such a tasty food!). Dark chocolate also contains polyphenols, whilst white chocolate does not. These polyphenolic compounds are able to relax blood vessels allowing for better blood circulation, and thereby assisting with the maintenance of healthy blood pressure levels."

CoffeeKATIE SAYS: "Coffee is a really good snack, in particular if its milk-based to get the dairy in - for example, a skim latte. As long as its in moderation - daily guidelines say a maximum of three per day! And you want lots of water on top of that."

EggsKARA SAYS: "Yes, even the yolks are good for you! Healthy fat soluble vitamins, as well as half the protein found in an egg, are all found in the yolk!"

Avocado KATIE SAYS: "Avocado is a healthy fat. Lots of people think its high-fat and not good for you, but its rich in mono unsaturated fats, which give you protection against heart disease. It also helps with controlling lower cholesterol levels."

nutsKATIE SAYS: "Nuts fall into the same category as avocado - they have lots of healthy oils and fibre."

dairyKARA SAYS: "Often milk and yoghurts are fortified with Vitamin D (a fat soluble vitamin) which requires a small amount of fat to be present in order for the body to absorb it, therefore having the full fat variety can be of value to enhance the nutritional benefits from the products' consumption. The fat in the dairy also aids with satiety, which could prevent unhealthy snacking at a later point in the day."

PotatoKATIE SAYS: "Potato always gets a bad rap as a starchy vegetable, but it's an excellent source of fibre. Sweet potato in particular is great for weight management and sugar level control. Potatoes are also really rich in potassium."

Red meatKARA SAYS: People tend to restrict red meat unnecessarily, thinking that its high in saturated fat. "But lean red meat is high in protein, CLA (which has been found to be associated with lower body fat percentages), B12, iron and zinc. These are all nutrients we want to get into our body!"

While a 10-week fitness challenge, in a nutshell, sounds great, Esslemont believes the particulars of J-Lo's fitness challenge are probably not best suited to everyone.

"As far as I understand, the program is based on doing exactly 'what J-Lo does', which is all well and good if you are used to living an active lifestyle," she says.

"For those who don't regularly exercise this could easily be a case of too much too soon. The most successful weight loss and fitness programs are tailored to the individual."

While the allure of a body like J-Lo's is tempting to many, Esslemont says to remain wary.

"Secretly we may all want to look a little like Jennifer Lopez, but I think people need to be careful about feeding their bodies a whole bunch of fancy supplements just because she says to do so," she explains.

"If you're serious about making some positive changes and living a more healthy lifestyle you need to pick sustainable methods that will stick and that you will actually enjoy. Women need to think about whether this will really bring out the best version of themselves - weight loss and health shouldn't be a competition," she says.

As we've said before, you know what makes a bikini body? A bikini plus a body. Any body.

The advice we'd give our younger selves.

alex body advice

What do you think of the fitness challenge? Would you try it?

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