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Weight and watch

Trying to match a body flaunted by ramp-walkers, girls are turning to fad diets or crash diets to lose weight, finds out Harjeet Kaur Allagh

There is no denying the fact that a vast section of people are slipping into the segment of those suffering from overweight, thanks to their sedentary lifestyle and the comforts of handy gadgets. The TV is to be blamed to a large extent.

It is creating a young generation of couch potatoes glued to the Idiot Box for hours on end and dipping into junk food while watching their favourite programmes.

The problem does not end there. The visual media highlights models and actresses and even high-society dames flaunting their pencil-thin figures that leave an adverse impact on the psyche of the youth. Flip through any fashion magazine and you are bombarded with images of ultra thin women who look as if they live on air.

But do these results help or hurt in the long run is the question. The only way to effectively lose weight is by exercising right and not by starving or gulping in diet pills. Without depriving the body of necessary nutrients, one can lose weight and get that perfect figure.

Calorie-watching teens

More than anything else, it is fashionable to say that you are on a diet. Be it among the calorie-counting teenagers or figure-conscious women. The conversation between them invariably revolves around this topic.

People here arefast catching up with the metros what with the slimming centres, obesity clinics, aerobics classes, state-of-the-art gyms and even the humble yoga centres coming up in every nook and cranny of the city.The results for some may show instantaneously. But in the long run, it has its own harms.

Teenagers turning anorexic or suffering from bulimia, both extreme cases of dieting and a medical problem too, is commonplace. Models like Kate Moss, who live on one lettuce leaf a day, lead the youth astray with their reed thin figures.

Diet mania

The General Motors (GM) diet and the Atkins diet are the most popular ones. The GM diet was launched in 1985 by the company as a wellness and fitness program for their employees and families but it soon caught on and spread all over the world.

The weeklong diet helps a person lose up to 4 to 5 kg if followed correctly. Nalini, a housewife, prefers this mode of dieting as it does not demand starving. "I don't feel hungry or lethargic as the various foods and the 10 glasses of water keep my body nourished and cleanses the system," she says.

The Atkins diet was launched in 1972 and stresses on a high protein and low carbohydrate diet. Sahiba, a young housewife, likes non-veg. "This diet allows me to indulge in my favourite food. One can have an unlimited amount of meat, cheese and eggs," she says happily.

People like Sunita Vani, a die-hard figure-conscious woman, have switched to vegetarian. "I eat only sprouts and dosas made from green gram. It has helped me to reduce weight. I also do yoga and go for walking and gym sessions," she says. Many girls don't mind starving to be able to sport the low-waist jeans or short tight skirts. A keen weight-watcher at 18, Pratiksha says: "I ensure an intake of fresh fruit juices, soups, salads and fruit helpings at regular intervals."

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