It's January and many of us are feeling the copious amounts of chocolate we ate over the holiday period. Determined to get back into shape, most of us have resolved to eat well and exercise often.
But not all of us are losing our stomach bulges in a sensible and health conscious manner...
Kim Kardashian came under fire on Thursday after taking to Instagram to promote Flat Tummy Co., a company that makes meal replacement shakes and promises to reduce bloating and flatten customers' stomachs.
Posting a picture of herself posing with a Flat Tummy Co. shake, the reality TV star praised the program in her caption, claiming it was giving her a "kick in the right direction".
"I've just restarted them (it's Day 2 today) and I’m already feeling so good," she wrote. "We had a huuuuge Christmas this year and between that, New Years and everything inbetween… I felt like it was impossible to fit in my regular work outs and eat healthy."
The 38-year-old continued: "But this program is giving me a kick in the right direction that I need. These meal replacement shakes are so good and they're helping me get my tummy back to flat. I’m already feeling amazing and I’m so excited for the next few weeks. Because they’re all about getting women back on track… they’ve got a 20% off sale going on right now, so if you want to start 2019 off right… trust me, you’re going to want to check them out."
However, Kim's followers on Instagram didn't take kindly to the post, with many of them left outraged that she was making money by promoting a meal replacement product.
In the comment section, an Instagrammer going by the name of @snackaholic_bookworm called the mother-of-three "a joke", writing: "What a shame that you can’t use your game for something good. Getting paid to promote something that you most likely don’t even drink is wrong in many ways!! Sadly, many people will fall for this and buy it just because you are promoting it! What a shame that you can’t put your fame to better use. Role model? ? What a joke!"
She was joined by another user, @shannonkelly._, who claimed the shakes weren't as glamorous as they looked, and Kim was simply encouraging young women to spend money on a product that would give them diarrhoea.
"The reason these shakes give you a flat tummy(for about 10 hours until you eat again) is because they give you diarrhea that’s just about it lol," she commented.
Another Instagrammer named @hiyakiyah shamed the 38-year-old for being a bad role model, putting: "When future generations talk about their eating disorders in relation to looking up to women like you, I hope you eventually see the impact of your actions".
It's not the first time Kim has been called out for using her platform to promote Flat Tummy Co. Back in May, she was accused of promoting eating disorders after sharing an advertisement for an "appetite suppressant lollipop" on Instagram.
In July she was slammed yet again after a video went viral in which half-sister Kendall told her she thought she was not eating. Kim replied saying "What? What? Oh my God, thank you!" before later explaining she weighed 119 pounds.
We all hoped 2019 would be the year Kim learned her lesson - it looks like we could be wrong.
