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weight watchers

WW, formerly known as WeightWatchers, launched a diet and nutrition app marketed at children and adolescents this week and have faced immense backlash since.

Kurbo by WW is a free programme that claims to help eight-year-olds to 17-year-olds "build healthy habits", and lose weight through personalised coaching and food tracking.

The app's "traffic light" diet approach categorises foods as red, yellow and green (red being the most process, sugar-filled, yellow being lean protein and pasta and green being fruit and veg).

Kurbo by WW was developed at Stanford University, and WW have defended their programme by stating the app is backed by safe scientific studies. 

CEO of WW, Mindy Grossman, said; "To change the health trajectory of the world, we have a tremendous opportunity, but also a responsibility, to help kids, teens and families adopt healthy habits."

Many critics of the app insist that encouraging kids and teenagers to diet can perpetuate an unhealthy and dangerous mindset.

Fatphobic cultural messaging around dieting has led to a massive issue surrounding eating disorders and mental health among youth.

In an article published in Adolescent Health, Medicine and Therapeutics in 2015, researchers found that because adolescence is such an important time for body image development, 12-to-18-year-olds with a negative perception of their body or weight are more likely to develop eating disorders or dysfunctional exercise habits.

Of course, obesity can be linked to numerous health concerns but disordered eating and mental health conditions among adolescent is reportedly more likely to pose a dangerous risk than paediatric obesity.

35-to-37 percent of adolescent girls in the US alone report using unhealthy weight loss measures, according to the National Eating Disorder Association. These methods include fasting, smoking, taking laxatives and 'skinny teas', skipping meals and even vomiting.

One-in-three adolescents in the UK alone reported experiencing mental health issues, according to a troubling survey by the charity Action for Children. 

More than 12 percent of adolescents in the US are affected by depression every year. 

Many people on social media were furious about the Kurbo by WW app. Jameela Jamil, an activist and actress who runs the iWeigh campaign for body positivity, tweeted her disgust at the news.

“Are we kidding? Breeding obsession with weight and calories and food at the age of…8?" she wrote. "I was 11 when my obsession started, due to being put on a diet for being the heaviest girl in the class. I became afraid of food. It ruined my teens and twenties.”

Petitions have already been created against the app, with the hashtag #LoveNotDiets trending to urge parents to use love rather than diets to help their nutritional habits.

Childhood obesity is still an incredibly serious public health challenge of the 21st century, and the app attempts to reduce a child's sugar intake. There is nothing wrong with promoting healthy foods and exercising for physical and mental health benefits. 

However, many parents feel that instilling a diet-centered mindset among young people who are already vulnerable could be a dangerous mistake. Targeting the mental health crisis could be a more productive way forward.

Feature image: Instagram/@coachdavidflowers

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While the Kardashians might literally make thousands from a single Instagram post, Oprah Winfrey has just shown them all who's boss as she raked up a cool twelve million dollars with a single tweet about bread yesterday. 

That's just over eleven million euro to you and me. 

According to the maths brains at Market Watch, Oprah's seemingly innocuous tweet and thirty second video about how she manages to lose weight whilst eating bread turned out to be worth millions for the TV host. 

The tweet was used to promote Oprah's weight loss journey as part of Weight Watchers and when you combine this with the fact that Oprah has the single largest stake in the weight loss company, you can see how the dollahs would tend to add up. 

And as a testament to the power of social media, after Oprah released the short video, shares increased in the company to just under two euro. 

So with Oprah owning over six million of those shares, this basically means Oprah is currently sitting on eleven million euro off the back of that one tweet. 

However, the money won't go straight into her bank account right away as we don't suppose she has any intention to sell those valuable shares just yet. 

I mean, would you? 

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Jessica Simpson proved last night that she loves to party as much as the rest of us, as footage of the singer looking a little bit tipsy has just appeared online.

Jessica was filmed with her friends and her fiancé, Eric Johnson as they headed out to do some clubbing in Hollywood last night.

The 33-year-old singer who recently became a spokesperson for Weight Watchers, showed off her new slim figure in a black dress, while friends and Eric were there on hand to look after the singer.

Don’t worry Jessica, we’ve all been there!

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The beautiful Jessica Simpson has had a busy two years giving birth to not one but two adorable children, Maxwell and Ace.

However, Jessica also received quite  a lot of criticism surrounding her weight gain, particularly during her first pregnancy.

The singer has admitted that she ate without thinking during her first pregnancy and so gained much more weight than she should have.

But now, crediting the help of Weight Watchers, Jessica has reached her weight-loss goal and is one proud mama!

Posting this gorgeous photo to her Instagram account, Jessica wrote: “AND…a white t-shirt!!! #goalreached thx @weightwatchers”.

Jessica has admitted that her wedding will definitely be this year and by the looks of it she will be one fabulous bride!

jessica

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Wow, Jessica is looking hot in these new promo pictures for her clothing line, featuring a sexy white swimsuit with a retro feel that we really, really want.

Following the birth of her daughter Maxwell in 2012, Jessica signed an endorsement to work with Weight Watchers in a bid to lose the 70 pounds she had put on during the pregnancy.

Shortly after Jessica fell pregnant again and gave birth to son Ace last June. However she is now back as a spokesperson for Weight Watchers and if these pictures are anything to go by she must be doing them proud!

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