Thursday, November 19, 2009

I'm not losing weight, says Obama as he hits back at claims stress is causing him to shed the pounds

Barack Obama has hit back at claims he is losing weight, insisting he is eating just fine despite the stress of being president.
Earlier this month American media had claimed 'Barack n Bones' was shedding the pounds after stress was causing him to skip meals.
He was pictured looking even skinnier than usual while leaving a gym in Washington, D.C. - though an oversized jacket may have been to blame.
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The president walks alone: Mr Obama took time out from a visit to Beijing yesterday to see the Great Wall of China
However today Mr Obama said that while he is indeed going grey, reports that he is skipping meals and shedding pounds are untrue.
He claimed his weight fluctuates by about five pounds - less than half a stone - and has for the last 30 years.
He also claimed on American television that while the multitude of issues facing the country do weigh on him, being president is a privilege.
Even his grey hairs are more a sign of age than of stress, he said.
'I'm skinny but I'm tough': One of the pictures of Barack Obama leaving a Washington gym that were published earlier this month leading to fears he is losing weight
'I'm skinny but I'm tough': One of the pictures of Barack Obama leaving a Washington gym that were published earlier this month leading to fears he is losing weight
Mr Obama spoke in the wake of pictures published on the influential U.S. website The Drudge Report, which described him as 'thin as a rail'.
The right-wing website quoted an unnamed 'insider' who said the president was working so hard that 'yes he does occasionally skip meals'.

Under the headline 'Barack n Bones', the report claimed that the president's exercise regime - including basketball games - is behind the 'dramatic weight loss'.
The source quoted by the report insisted that Mr Obama was working 'non-stop' - and that he was not chain-smoking.
In the pictures, the president was wearing a oversized jacket that did dwarf his frame, which may have contributed to the impression that he is losing weight.
Last month Mr Obama cheerfully announced in Miami that though he may be skinny, 'I'm tough'.
His weight has been debated since he became the Democratic presidential nominee in 2008, with some conservative opponents jokingly asking if he was too skinny to be president.
He was even teased by Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger almost exactly one year ago for having such skinny legs.
'I'm going to make him do some squats,' the former Terminator star told a campaign rally for Mr Obama's presidential rival John McCain.
He also teased the president about his 'scrawny little arms'.

Both the president and First Lady Michelle Obama have made healthy living a focal point of their time in the White House.
Mr Obama is often pictured playing basketball or returning from the gym with aides, while Mrs Obama's infamous vegetable garden in the grounds of the White House promotes healthy eating on top of exercise.
The First Lady's gym-toned arms have also been the topic of much discussion.
The news that Mr Obama is skinny because he exercises will be welcomed by health professionals and doctors also trying to promote healthy living.

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