This is a subject matter that I was never too concerned about because I’ve see-sawed my weight from gaining to losing to gaining that I didn’t wanna delve into it anymore. I’ve just contented myself to eating right to stay healthy.

Anything in excess or lack of isn’t good, period. But recently, I’ve received emails asking me to talk about slimming regimens, routines that a mom working in or out of the home may do. Fine. Lemme give my few centavos worth.

There is a distinct difference between healthy dieting and weight loss dieting; although they often converge in this world where we are made to believe slim is beautiful. Sad to say, but this is a common perception even though I know a lot of people in the male persuasion who opt to have a partner or wife or GF or what have you who are on the “meatier” side.

The famous comic of an anorexic woman looking into a mirror and seeing a hippopotamus (or variations of it) is no longer funny; it is a scarily accurate representation of women all around the world afflicted with dieting obsessions, which can easily lead to eating disorders.

Having Your Desired Body Shape Keeps You Feeling Good About Yourself

A famous Body Shop ad proclaimed that ‘There are 3 billion women who don’t look like supermodels and only eight who do’. Studies show that 45% of women who are medically underweight believe that they are fat. Hardly anybody is fully satisfied with the way she looks, and in extreme cases, it turns into body dysmorphia. Furthermore it is easy to become addicted to dieting especially if one is not careful.

Weight Lost During Diets Stay Off Easily

According to YWCA New South Wales, research has shown that three years after going on a diet, 95% of people are either the same weight or heavier than they started off with. The problem with crash dieting is that the weight that is lost comes from water and muscle weight, not fat.

Calories should be consumed in moderation, but eating less than 1,000 calories a day will severely slow down your metabolism, in order to conserve energy. If you ever return to your normal eating habits, the weight would just pile on faster because your metabolism has already adapted to digesting tiny amounts of food each time.

Diets Should Consist of Fruits and Vegetables

There is a belief that vegetarians are healthier, however this theory is still under dispute. A study published in the British Medical Journal was conducted on 6000 vegetarians and 5000 non-vegetarians; with the discovery that the former group had 40% less risk of cancer and 30% less risk of heart disease than the latter.

On the other hand, according to studies undertaken by the Northwestern University, protein from animal sources is vital to our diet because it contains all the nine essential amino acids. Following this reasoning, vegetarians are at a disadvantage because fruits, vegetables and legumes are considered incomplete proteins.

But then again there are also “slimming gadgets” that may be had. So many men and women subject themselves to Mesotherapy, Multipolar treatments, liposuction. These types of slimming are big in our country. In fact it’s huuuuge in Malaysia and Asia.

But slimming procedures that require some sort of machines, medicine invasive or non-invasive don’t come free. There’s a cost to it but well, they cost a lot and people think the more money you spend the better the results will be. Plus you surrender yourself to “experts” so that should be comforting, right? Not quite.

Sometimes the results may be drastic. I saw a SlimWorld ad which features Ziana Zain and Amy Mastura as their clients or endorsers and from a consumer point of view, if the ambassadors look “not so thin”, how does that speak for the company!? The point here is that it’s not even easy for the endorsers to lose weight. I can mention examples of endorsers who don’t “walk the talk.”

Locally, but I won’t lest I acquire their ire. Well then if you have the money, sure give it a go but DO NOT surrender yourself to their services! Do it for education so that you can learn from the experience and apply it throughout your life. Not just for the sessions that you enroll. Slimming Centers are businesses that will want you to come back for more (same goes for personal trainers).

Hence they never tell you everything you need to know, unless you ask. There are several slimming procedures that people may have done for those willing to spend. (To be continued..)