Sarah – I just made a Blogroll page with a note at the bottom that explains why I’ve made the change. I was just going to get rid of the blogroll completely, but it’s probably a good idea to keep the list of links around if other people do the same thing you do. – PQ

I really don’t know. I just believe that she’s entitled to her privacy about weight loss just like the rest of us.

It’s a topic a lot of people feel vulnerable about. I think that’s why a lot of people try not to talk about it too much. It’s so easy to be criticized about weight loss no matter what you do.

PQ, I admire your tolerance because I can’t stand Starr Jones (fat or thin — she’s just grating) and I’m also aware that WLS is the best option for some people. Still… it just bugs me when I see someone not even try any other means to that end. I don’t know what SJ did or did not do, and I agree that she has as much right to privacy as anybody else. I DO know a former colleague (I switched jobs about two months ago) who was preparing to undergo surgery when I left the old job. As you’d expect, she was a big girl — I’d guess around 300 lbs or so — and she was pretty open about what she’d have to do – a month of liquid diet before, then after, etc. The thing that bugged me about it was that I never once heard her mention exercise, or saw her eat anything that was considered remotely healthy — it was all McDonald’s and fried chinese food and chocolate. And while all of that is her decision, it makes me kind of sad that she just underwent invasive surgery that could potentially kill her, rather than make an effort to change in other ways.

So, I recently checked in with another former colleague, who reported that our friend has had the surgery, and “has the appetite of a bird”. But guess what filled her up? “She ate two chicken mcnuggets and three french fries and was full, like thanksgiving full”. I can’t help it, but I feel like the availability of this procedure puts some people in a really dangerous position, where they think it’s a quick fix and that they can be the same old way, just eating a little less. I’m seriously concerned for my friend, because of the possibility that she won’t get the right nutrients and will eventually get seriously ill, if a lot thinner. And that’s why I’m not down with people like SJ walking around in their crop tops and looking all skinny, because everyone might start thinking that’s the best way for them.

I know that it’s judgmental as hell and that the existence of the procedure really is a lifesaving miracle for a lot of people, but I can’t help feeling it.

I wanted to tell you how ADORABLE you look in the BlogHer pictures I’ve seen on other’s websites. You are so cute! Love the look without your glasses. And congrats on another 3 pounds down in July. That’s awesome.

That being said, I loooove your blog. Keep up the good work. Wanna link?

I find her endlessly annoying. I really do… everyone *knew* she had wls – no one loses weight that fast without some sort of surgery and/or liquid diet, and we all saw what happened with Oprah when she did the liquid diet and got super skinny… it doesn’t last this long.

I would love to give SJR the benefit of the doubt… but part of me, call it the highly cynical part, believes she enjoyed all the “how’d she do it?” press and publicity… because let’s face it, you called it right – the woman is a media whore, and by the time she had WLS, Carnie Wilson and Al Roker had made it old news. She’d not have gotten nearly the level of attention if she’d have just said what she did… and yet, she refused and I believe on several occasions, even denied having surgery.

Now, in her real life, she might be a very pleasant, lovely woman… but she’s chosen her path, as far as her fame goes, and I think when you choose to be loud and in-your-face, you have to expect this. I find celebs who say, oh, I thought I could keep this private so insincere. There are celebrities who live very private lives… I mean, Nicole Kidman has been through hell with Tom Cruise suddenly leaving her, and her new man in rehab four months after the wedding, and yet… in general, despite her mega fame, she keeps a very low profile (unlike her ex). Now, maybe in Australia, she’s more like some other celebs here… but she’s not the only example. When was the last time you saw Marcia Gay Harden in the tabloids?

Celebrities make choices… often not the best ones. And some are certainly more targeted by others, and I do feel a certain sense of sadness for what they give up, what they sacrifice. I especially feel for their children… but, you can’t run around with a big mouth about everything and anyone and then expect the world to be satisfied when you say “no comment” on something that the media is as obsessed with as weight, either. It’s not realistic… and Star Jones is a lot of things, but stupid is not one of them. Which is why I can’t help but believe this is a publicity stunt, and has been all along. The book is probably next.

I think the timing is DEFINITELY on purpose. She’s got a new show coming out soon and this story brings her name into the news cycle again. I agree with you that she probably had self-centered reasons for keeping the secret and getting the praise, but I believe she felt vulnerable too. It was probably a mix of the two. – PQ