I have no intention of turning weekends at Big Girl into a fitness and weight loss zone, but while I was watching television last night, I kept seeing a commercial for a new over-the-counter weight loss supplement called Alli. It’s approved by the FDA, and the commercial seemed to encourage a healthy lifestyle in general rather than focusing on making everyone a size 2. It looked as though the idea was to get people choosing a rounded, healthy diet combined with moderate exercise and only adding the drug for a small boost to the improvements possible through these sound ideas. It certainly sounded on the surface as though it might be a better choice for those looking to lose some weight than so many of the fad diets that drop pounds more quickly, but wind up encouraging dangerous yo-yo dieting.

So I decided to check out their website. Not so much because I was planning to use it myself, but for the sake of general information.

How does it work? The website tells us that the active ingredient attaches itself to some of the natural enzymes in the digestive system, blocking absorption of about 25% of the fats you eat. This is combined with a strict meal plan that limits your intake of fats to no more than fifteen grams per meal and a sensible exercise program. One pill is taken with each meal, and the pounds melt away half again the rate they do without the pills.

Now for the downside. I worry about something that simply removes a large proportion of the fats consumed, because it seems to make no distinction between the sorts of fat you eat. Ice cream, cheeseburgers, olive oil, and salmon; the fats in each of these foods appear to be treated the same way by this pill. So while unhealthy saturated fats and transfats are whisked away, so are mono and polyunsaturated fats and omega3 fatty acids, all of which contribute to good health. These are the fats that raise HDL (good) cholesterol and allow our bodies to absorb fat-soluble vitamins like A, D and E. In fact, the Alli website recommends using a multivitamin to counteract the effects on these essential vitamins.

Call me wacky, but I’m not wild about spending $60 a month on pills and then having to add multivitamins on top of that because the first set of pills isn’t allowing my body to absorb important nutrients naturally.

And since the company doesn’t set the specific extreme low-fat diet to go with the pills, they encourage you to pick from among the diet plans being marketed…the very ones I was concerned about because so many of them tend to encourage relying on pre-packaged foods so you don’t learn to create healthy, balanced meals for yourself and wind up buying the diet again as you ride a roller coaster of weight loss and gain which is ultimately far worse for your system than a few steady extra pounds.

But worse than this is the set of side effects euphemistically called ‘treatment effects.’

As hard as they tapdance around the subject, essentially they’re talking about diarrhea, flatulence and general…rear end leakage. In fact, they go so far as to say:

Until you have a sense of any treatment effects, it’s probably a smart idea to wear dark pants, and bring a change of clothes with you to work

As far as I’m concerned, any diet plan that actually recommends bringing a change of clothing to work because I’m likely to soil myself in the middle of the day is a diet plan to avoid.

Also, according to the Mayo Clinic web site, the expected results don’t sound worth the public humiliation of having to change clothes during the day at the office. They approximate a weight loss of some three extra pounds a year via this method as opposed to diet and exercise alone.

I think I’ll keep the extra three pounds and the $60 and the price of the multivitamins and the Jenny Craig food – not to mention the dry cleaning bills.

Besides, there’s a sale on at IGIGI. With that kind of money in my pocket, I can put together a superfantastic wardrobe for the body I already have. The small boost to self-esteem gained by looking fabulous already will encourage me to treat my body well and keep healthy, whether that results in weight loss or not.

Greetings all.

Twistie here. As of today, I’ll be taking on the task of filling your weekends with super-sized superfantasticness. It is my fond hope that I’ll be able to keep up with the fabulous Francesca and the delectable Plumcake in serving the needs of the larger fashionista.

I’m short. I’m fat. My feet are shaped like cubes. I am concentrated. There’s a lot of me packed into 5’2”. I have opinions and find them to be very true. I’m curious. I’m interested in the world around me. I’m comfortable in my own skin at long last in my mid forties. The child in me has never completely grown up, and I’d hate to think she ever would. I will do my best to share with you good advice, interesting facts and trivia, my quirky humor, and the beauty that is waiting to be seen in your own mirror.

Wherever you stand on the path to superfantasticness, I hope you will find my thoughts of help to you in your journey…or at least worth a good think.

And so, with no further ado, let’s get on with the show!

If there is one fashion perennial I truly hate, it is the ‘little black dress.’ Don’t get me wrong; a really great black dress on a woman who looks superfantastic in it is a thing of beauty and a joy forever. I have every confidence that when Plumcake speaks of her ‘little black dresses,’ they are indeed fabulous and flattering pieces of clothing worn with all the awesomeness she carries into everything she says and does. What I object to so is the concept of the black dress that is ‘never inappropriate’ and is ‘slimming’ to the wearer.

Contrary to popular myth, not every woman looks her best in black. There are women who look like they should have been buried a week ago if they try to wear black. Even among those of us who look good in black, there are only a few who look exceptionally great in it. The vast majority of us actually look a great deal better in some other color.

As for slimming, cut and fit are a lot more important in minimizing what needs minimizing and making the most of what deserves to be maximized. While bright or pale colors make objects look larger than dark colors do, the right seam hitting the correct line will do a better job of drawing the eye away from a problematic figure feature. If the dress doesn’t fit properly or is cut for the wrong body type, it won’t make you look slimmer, no matter what color it is. A black sack of potatoes is no more aesthetically pleasing than a pink sack of potatoes.

And while black doesn’t make your waist look much smaller, on the wrong woman it can cause a condition that is the antithesis of superfantasticness: invisibility.

Why aim for ‘not inappropriate’ when you can reach for ‘exquisite?’ Why become invisible when you can shine? Don’t reach for black because it’s safe. Be brave and find the colors that make your skin glow and your eyes sparkle. There’s a whole rainbow out there. Try it on and see what colors make you honestly look your best.

Leave the black for funerals, goth clubs and stage hands. Those are the only reasons to wear black unless it’s the color that makes you superfantastic.

‘Tis the season when various venues are searching for Plus Size Models! You know you’ve always wanted to do it . . . go for it!

Information at the following locations:

According to Thick Misses, Seventeen magazine is looking for unsigned plus-size models ages 15-22 in the New York City area. Francesca could not find confirmation of this, but it is worth a try.

If you live near Orlando, FL or Redondo Beach, CA, you can go to upcoming events where Torrid.com will choose their 2007 models.

According to Plus Size Clothing Scoop, Size Appeal is looking for models who are at least 16, live in traveling distance of City of Commerce, CA, and wear size 12-20. Francesca was not able to confirm this on the Size Appeal site, but Plus Size Clothing Scoop seems to know what they are talking about!

Igigi picks a new model every month! Apply here!