Let me start out by saying, I highly respect the skill of Gwyneth Paltrow as an actress (usually).  However, I cannot take anymore of this nonsense she is spreading.  She is giving such an inappropriate message with her constant disordered eating behavior and irrational body talk.

It seems as though hanging out with her buddy Madonna has really rubbed off on her.  Madonna is clearly trapped in a compulsive overexercise disorder — this was even reported to be one of the issues in her marriage.  So now Gwyneth is all over the place with her fancy trainer and her crazy cleanses.

Let me begin by saying, detox cleanses are not only not helpful, they are potentially harmful.  You may remember Gwyneth being hospitalized from one of her many attempts to detoxify herself.  Does that sound healthy?

Cleanses do not actually ‘clean’ the body.  The liver and kidneys do that.  They don’t need help (though there are many people out there trying to sell the idea they do).  A cleanse is basically starving and taking laxatives.  Oh, that sounds a little like anorexia and bulimia.  Newsflash:  it is. 

People love to say that weight loss from cleanses happens because your system is working so much better.  Weight loss is, however, a pretty natural result of starvation and dehydration.  Yes, even if you drink a lot of water.  Drinking excessive water without electrolytes can create a dangerous situation (think frat boys and dying of water intoxication).

What do you suppose happens after the detox cleanse?  You guessed it, all the weight comes right back (and usually more from binging).  You get rehydrated and plow into some real food, and voila!, you are right back where you started.  Maybe the benefits of electrolyte imbalance and protein malnutrition last a little longer, but that doesn’t seem healthy.

So when Gwyneth Paltrow glances down at her toothpick body and decides she’d like to drop a few, call it what it is.  She is engaging in eating disorder behavior.  Her actions have really been exacerbated since having children and being in her 30′s — both scenarios are common triggers for eating disorders. 

I am not saying this because I’m worried about her or I am speculating on her life — she can take care of her self (supposedly).  I am saying this because I don’t want you to think what she is doing sounds like a good idea.  She is being extremely unhealthy, physically and mentally.  This is not the way to control weight.  This is not the way to be healthy.  This is certainly not the way to live life.

I previously worked as the nutritionist for a gastric bypass surgeon.  I can certainly see the merits of this surgery.  I saw it affect the lives of hundreds of patients while I was there. 

I know that the hope of losing weight with diet and exercise is pretty slim.  In fact, I disagree with the fundamentals of the diet and exercise mantra of the health industry.  I realize, in some cases, drastic measures are necessary.

The problem I see with bariatric surgery is the notion of it being a total solution.  The problem people have is an abnormal relationship with food.  Until this is addressed, the problem has not been solved.

People use food for reasons other than hunger.  Most people eat emotionally without realizing it.  Emotional eating is not the typical scenario of crying over a pint of haagen dazs.  People don’t feel an emotion — there is just a sudden urge to eat.

When you take away a person’s ability to regulate their emotions with food, what do they have left?  Oftentimes you see people who have had the surgery switch addictions to drinking or even drugs.  I have seen several cases myself where people have developed anorexia or bulimia after bypass surgery.

The key to success with weight loss surgery is to give people the tools to handle what they were not handling before the surgery.  People need to do the hard psychological work in order to really see a change in their lives.  Working with a nutritionist who understands binge eating or compulsive overeating is key as well.

Gastric bypass surgery is a tool.  It should be one tool of many to be used in regulation of weight, not the only tool.  It should also be clear that weight loss surgery, and the resulting weight loss, will not solve all of the individual’s issues.  It is easy to get sucked into the culturally propagated idea that if you lose weight, your life will be perfect.

If you are thinking of having bariatric surgery, do so responsibly.  There is a palpable fear among the patients I’ve worked with, and that is the fear it won’t work for them.  This is definitely a possibility if it is not done correctly.  I’ve seen people stretch to the point of being able to overeat again.  I’ve seen people graze throughout the day in order to keep themselves numb.  The reason this continues to be a problem for these people is they allow themselves to be blind to reality.  The reality is the issue is far deeper than food.