Is losing weight to look good worth it?

You look at a photo taken with your friends and think – gosh, I look fat!

It is natural to want to look good. But before you go on a diet, think again. There is a big difference between losing some weight to be healthier, and risking your life by over-doing it. 

Dieting dangerously

Some people take the short cut by crash dieting. They eat very little, exercise too much, and pop diet pills. This can be really dangerous.

What often follows is the “yo-yo” effect. Crash dieters lose weight quickly, and then gain it all back. Eventually this could lead to health problems like anaemia, liver and kidney damage, heart failure and osteoporosis.

When someone has low self-esteem and keeps viewing himself or herself as fat (even when he or she is not), the desire to be thin could also push him or her into eating disorders.

Such people may develop anorexia nervosa. They would starve themselves and end up severely underweight and malnourished. Some end up bulimic so they binge eat and then take laxatives or force themselves to vomit.

Achieving healthy weight

In reality, crash dieting and other extreme behaviours are unnecessary health risks. All you need is a healthy lifestyle of a balanced diet and regular exercise.

You can try these out:

1. Eat healthily

• No over-eating or snacking at odd-hours. Just eat regular portions at regular meal times.
• Who says healthy food has to taste bad? Try these simple and delicious recipes with your friends!

2. Maintain a balanced diet

• Don’t be picky! Your body needs carbohydrates, proteins, fibre and even fats to function well! Just follow the proper servings in the Healthy Diet Pyramid and you won’t go wrong. You can easily stay in the pink of health.

3. Exercise regularly

• Space out your exercise routines into regular intervals to prevent muscle injuries.
• Burn those extra fats with cardiovascular exercise.
• Make it fun! Try roller-blading, playing basketball, or even dancing.

4. Seek help

• If you really need to lose weight, talk to a doctor. He or she will guide you on a safe and healthy diet.

You are not what you weigh

Remember that beauty is always subjective, and good-looking people come in many shapes and sizes. You can be thin, or curvy! Magazines may have you believe that skinny is the only way to be, but the truth is, they are usually airbrushed to inhuman perfection! Even beauty pageants are now focusing on healthy looks as one of their winning criteria, rather than favouring only the skinny contestants.

The weighing scale only gives you a number for your weight. It cannot give you a value for your personality, or tell you what a great person you are.

So eat healthy, exercise regularly and be yourself!

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