It is good to eat in moderation. Even better to avoid foods that are fatty and harmful. But at what point does it stop becoming a beneficial diet and turns into an unhealthy obsession? The results of a recent study conducted by a cheese company revealed some disturbing trends. More than one-third of the people interviewed had stopped eating dairy products altogether in order to lose weight. As a result, they were depriving their bodies of vital nutrients that can be taken from milk and milk products. Additionally, celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow are known for their extreme diets, which people often end up following blindly. This ultimately leads to diseases like osteoporosis, or in Paltrow’s case, the milder version of osteopenia. So, is our society so obsessed with the lean, thin image that people are starving their bodies in the pursuit of size zero? Post your thoughts on our Facebook page ‘Gulf News Al Nisr Publishing UAE’ or tell us at readers@gulfnews.com
17:02 Gulf News: People are depriving their bodies of vital nutrients in the pursuit of a thinner body.
17:04 Eisha Gupta: I agree with this statement. People do resort to quick-fix measures to rid themselves of excess body weight but it is not healthy at all.
17:05 Drishya Dinesh: Not really. Most of them do follow a whole and balanced diet and still stay in shape.
17:06 Aisha Samrah: I wanted to lose weight but somehow never could tolerate dieting. Even a smaller portion of rice or chapati (flat-bread) would make me feel weak, because I just can’t diet. Instead I shifted to exercising and reducing my carbohydrates and fats intake.
17:08 Unmesh Datta: An alternative is eating well and then exercising for the required time. This not only helps in the development of the physical body but also keeps ailments away.
17:10 Fatima Suhail: I do not consider size zero figures normal. It is achieved by starving yourself. I definitely do not approve of it. I am far away from the entire concept of dieting. It takes a lot of courage and I certainly lack it. I would prefer to be called ‘fat’ than stay hungry or under-fed.
17:11 Salim Mohammad: I am an obese person and have been trying to lose weight for the past five years. I think dieting should help a person balance his food intake, which doesn’t mean not eating, but rather eating healthy.
17:11 Frank Resch: It is important to understand that when it comes to weight loss and nutrition it is not a numbers game, it is a lifestyle change. I went from 130 kilograms to 100 kilograms over a few years and changed my life in stages. First, it was exercise and then I tried some dietary changes. Portion control is usually the first step.
17:13 Unmesh Datta: Even if people want to eat, they should eat substitutes of foods that do not contain fatty acids and also provide all the nutrients that they require. My mother is a supporter of the ‘size zero’ trend.
17:15 Frank Resch: The truth is you need all types of nutrients to live well and healthy. It is a choice to try and eat or drink better, mainly foods with less ‘bad fats’ and sodium.
17:15 Gulf News: A culture of celebrity worship is pushing clueless people towards fad diets.
17:16 Eisha Gupta: Yes, people ape celebrities they admire and the media encourages this trend. So no surprises there if people go for fad diets.
17:17 Salim Mohammad: Some people go for high-protein diets or take medicines which promise to give a better figure. If that were the case there wouldn’t be an obese person in the world.
17:17 Drishya Dinesh: Nowadays, most websites have ads popping up saying, “lose three kilos in a week”. It might work but it does have side effects. That is why it is always good to consult a dietician.
17:17 Aisha Samrah: Celebrities have also faced the consequence of extreme diets, so it is better to learn from such results. The most important thing is to listen to your body.
17:17 Frank Resch: Also, don’t fall into the low-fat, sugar-free trap. Quite often you need to read the label and might see that the sugar has been replaced with a fruit syrup concentrate, which can be just as bad.
17:23 Unmesh Datta: There have been attempts by famous personalities who are trying to stop the trend of size zero. In September 2010, Victoria Beckham banned size zero models from her New York Fashion Week runway show. Her creations, she said, would be modelled by healthy girls who look “realistic” to encourage a positive image.
17:23 Frank Resch: The secret to a good health and lifestyle is to do it for yourself. Don’t make it a goal to look like someone you may never be. Pick something you enjoy doing, make a promise to do it twice a week for an hour. Start trying to adopt portion size to your meals, and when eating out place an order from the kids menu, because it is usually a more generous size. If you live an active lifestyle, you need to eat more as well and dietary needs can change. The difference is in how you consume the basic requirements and at what time of the day.
17:27 Gulf News: In a world of size zero regular people feel fat.
17:28 Gautham Manoj Pillai: The world is full of relative comparison. With so much access to the media, the common man gets easily influenced by these beliefs.
17:29 Pavan Kumar: In today’s world if most of the people are size zero, then regular people will feel that they are fat of course.
17:29 Fatima Suhail: It has become a norm these days for people to seek ultra-slim model lookalikes as brides for the men in their family. This mindset should be changed.
17:30 Frank Resch: Perhaps the regular people would look at those who are size zero and consider them unhealthy, in a role reversal.
17:31 Stephanie Karl: It is fairly hard to stay at a size zero and continue eating. This is very likely the foundation not for poor role models but disordered eating. Health is about performance. What is good for one’s needs is different for another. But this message is not being delivered. People don’t cook. They are not in control of feeding themselves any more. We really got it wrong with the fat and dairy cut backs. Did it lower cardiovascular risk? No, it increased carbohydrates and glycation, the biggest ravager of health.
17:40 Gulf News: People are using a sedentary lifestyle as an excuse to not eat enough healthy foods.
17:40 Stephanie Karl: Probably the best advice is planning and consistency.
17:42 Frank Resch: What I found to be helpful was to introduce one change at a time every couple of weeks. Take exercise and make it something you enjoy, even if it is just walking and commit to that twice a week. Start cutting your meat into 100-120g portions before putting them in the freezer. This way you don’t have leftovers to tempt you. One of the toughest things I still struggle with is to stop eating within three hours of bedtime.
17:44 Salim Mohammad: A person who works for 8-9 hours in the office will not have much time. If he uses his spare time for exercising, he will lose out on sleep, which is more important than dieting.
17:45 Gautham Manoj Pillai: My father, who is a bit overweight, cannot exercise regularly because of his increasing workload. In commercial cities these experiences are very common.
17:47 Unmesh Datta: Many families have switched to the habit of eating healthy foods such as green vegetables and fruits as well. Every family should have the power to change from their sedentary lifestyle to an active one, where eating healthy and exercising should be promoted.
17:48 Fatima Suhail: I agree with Salim, our busy schedules and tedious routine leave no room for exercise. We can’t expect a person to return from the office and then go out for a jog. It is so difficult to do that and then you suffer from lack of sleep.
17:54 Frank Resch: I have my family here and work a nine-hour day. I thought I would have a hard time keeping up with my exercise regime without robbing my family of time or myself of sleep. What I have discovered over the last year is that being more structured and disciplined has opened the doors up for all this extra time that exists in the day that we are not aware of. Also, it helps relieve stress and worry.
