For longer than we care to remember, we’ve seen countless celebrities flaunt in numerous newspapers and magazines wearing the trendiest clothing, our only wish is to look somewhere as amazing as they do. High street fashion outlets have gone to great lengths to keep the latest trends close at hand, hiring insanely skinny celebrities and models to make a quick buck off of our desire to look and feel a million dollars.
In workplaces around the world, starving glams talk about the latest diet like it’s the holy grail, flocking to popular diets while following the latest fad. Born out of the same necessity as the next designer dress, many modern diets have appeared with promises that defy the laws of the human body. Some work, some don’t, but are they as good as they sound, or are they as dangerous to your health as designer clothes are to your bank account?
Even the perception of the term diet has changed so much in recent times that it no longer reflects food consumption in the intended sense. Unfortunately, for many, dieting represents a period of time during which certain foods are restricted or encouraged to achieve weight loss, this is in stark contrast to what dieting should mean; our ‘day-to-day’ eating habits.
Some diets are rooted in sound medical science and have become a quick fix for people looking to achieve a desirable appearance in a very short time, but this does not mean they are healthy. In recent years, diets have replaced the need for people to eat nutritionally balanced meals every day. People have started using diets the same way they use medicine to cure a headache. As long as diets exist to cure the aesthetic symptoms of being overweight when necessary, the cause of being overweight in the first place will be perceived as irrelevant. In addition to this, the health benefits of maintaining the ideal weight are never realized.
Most modern diets encourage the body to get energy from lean tissue and fat, our bodies rely on lean tissue to burn calories consumed over the course of the day; a great contributor to metabolism. Also, when dieting, the body’s metabolic rate may naturally slow down to ensure that the major organs receive enough energy. This normally happens when calorie intake is substantially reduced. The problem with this is that slow metabolism results in a higher chance of rapid weight gain after dieting, this is especially true if the root causes of weight gain are not addressed. The causes are many and unfortunately by nature we resist change, especially in the long term.
The UK is currently following a western trend in rising levels of obesity, a report commissioned by the UK Government (Foresight – Tackling Obesities: Future Choices, 2007) predicts that by 2050, 50% of women, 60% of men and 25% of children in the UK could be classified as obese.
Activity levels in the UK are well below the mark needed to sustain our current lifestyle. Fast food is available at the click of a mouse and we cannot drive for more than 2 minutes without passing a convenience store that sells high calorie foods. Our working lives mean that we have little time to prepare fresh food and do very little at work to burn off the calories we consume. It’s no wonder people are gaining weight at an alarming rate.
Even our free time fails to produce enough activity to support our lifestyle. Passive entertainment seems to be the primary option for most of us, and sadly, the thought of a 15-minute walk to work is enough to make most people reach for their car keys.
The UK statement shows that negotiating modern life with a normally functioning body is not enough, least of all when you have spent the last 3 months slowing down your metabolism. Through repeated use of modern diets and substantial reduction in calorie intake, the risk of future weight problems can be greatly increased. The answer to glamorous looks cannot be realized in short bursts when you feel less than satisfied with your body, it is very rare that significant change can be achieved with such minimal effort; weight loss is no different.
To maintain a great-looking body and good health, it’s important to live a sustainable lifestyle that’s in line with your goals. Long-term strategies for maintaining a healthy weight that apply principles of sound nutrition and activity, while difficult at first, are the only way to achieve and maintain the look you want.
Also, by engaging in long-term constructive lifestyle changes, rather than short-term destructive changes, you significantly reduce your chances of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, obesity, colon cancer , breast cancer, anxiety and depression.
So the next time you’re considering changing your look, give your solution a serious thought. Integrating activity into your life and eating sensibly means you’re much more likely to be happy with the way you look and feel, and will lead to a longer, more fulfilling life.
