Dangerous dieting

Have you taken slimming too far?

tape md

Feeling the pinch
So Christmas is over and you’ve eaten your weight in turkey…and chocolate…and mince pies…and pudding!

It was fun while it lasted, but now your jeans feel a bit tighter and your mates are talking diets.

“Perfect!” you think – that way you can all start a health kick together and keep each other motivated.

Well unfortunately, this kind of dieting ‘support’ could be dangerous to your health.

Competitive dieting
It’s in our nature to be competitive, so when a friend decides to go on a diet or do lots more exercise, it motivates us to try and compete. Girls, especially, will compete to be more attractive, following strict diets and exercise routines in a bid to lose weight and be the ‘thin’ one of the group.

But unless you’re all the same size, height and build, it’s unrealistic to try and achieve the same goals as each other.

Skinny celebs don’t help
Unfortunately, it’s not just our friends who drive us to compete; celebrities are one of the main culprits. Photos of skinny celebs and their new fad diets are splashed across the cover of every magazine and force us all to compare ourselves with this supposedly ‘perfect’ image.

The problem is that these photos aren’t real. They are airbrushed and edited to erase any imperfections. So trying to look like one of these stars would be like trying to model yourself on Barbie – impossible!

So if anyone tries to encourage you to skip meals or alter your eating or exercise routine in an extreme way, just don’t listen to them. It’s far safer to eat healthily and exercise within reason.

Why not check out our hints and tips page for more information.

 


 

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