The Dark Side Of Dieting
The Dieters
From Atkins, to carbs only, the Beyonce diet to the master cleanse, every year you have a new diet that hits the world as the new ‘cure’ for weight loss. Most people try to follow these diets in a desperate attempt to get into shape but there are also those who would like to make sure their Instagram accounts show that the food they eat is in vogue.
For many, the word carbohydrate immediately rings alarm bells in their heads and for some others, the word could also be fats. There are also some people who are on a perpetual self-imposed restraining order at the dining table, However, the one sentence that binds all together is – ‘I am on a diet.’
Some diets demand that the patrons be on bare minimum calorie intake. Also, most of them eliminate either one or more of the essential food groups and pretty much all of them are impossible for the body to sustain every day.
The Way We Are
We are a unique generation with a desperate urge for instant gratification and if it is not met, we take seconds to find an alternative. Quite often when people start one a diet they expect to lose their body weight in hours, days or almost in a few weeks. The same pounds which took several months of inactivity and a lot of greasy meals are expected to be lost in a jiffy! With such high and unrealistic expectations one ends up constantly moving from one to another, finding the next best diet. Everyone is only interested In the kilos lost, but there Is very little that is understood about the stress the body may go through.
Our bodies are an advanced mobile biochemical lab, bound together by a very delicate and calibrated balance.
If a diet promises rapid results, it probabLy also going to cause rapid damage. There have also been several cases where diets have lead its patrons to the emergency room. There are also cases of severe malnutrition, or hyperproteinemia. Therefore, too much or too less of anything is equal to crisis.
A Need For Change
A well known cardiologist from New York City had started a controversial trend which emphasised on fats and proteins to be the only source of energy. After his death it was learnt that the doctor himself had suffered from heart disease and attacks. Such is the hypocrisy that often exists in these trends. A few years ago, a study conducted on serial dieters highlighted the tact that the participants tended to have stronger belief and higher chances to follow a diet if it was more radical.
An interesting conclusion from the study suggested that some people followed harsh regimes as a form of inflicting punishment on oneself for having overindulged – kind of repenting for one’s sins of gluttony. This goes to show that the human body and the psyche are both extremely interlinked and have strong effects on one another.
The best way to know what is good for you is by just communicating with your body. Every cell talks to you; all you have to do is give it a good listen. An ideal diet would ensure that all food groups are included but in moderation. It will include fresh ingredients and will not necessarily come packaged in a bar.
The ideal diet would always come with a happy mind and an active day. It would come with a promise of ensuring your well-being while making sure you are satisfied when you go to bed. So, if the next time you torce yourself into a meal plan where all you can think about is your next cheat day, you know it’s time for you to step out into the light and leave the diet behind.