People seem to be finding it hard to strike a healthy, slim balance with their weight and steering clear of being both, anorexic or obese.
Kate Moss’ famous quote — Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels — was replicated on children’s T-shirts recently and the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK quickly pounced on the manufacturers and made them take the adverts out as they felt the slogan was pro-anorexia.
If Kate is one extreme, Donna Simpson, a 42-year-old mother from New Jersey is another. Her aim is to be the world’s fattest lady. Her dress size is XXXXXXXL and she chomps down 12,000 calories of food every day when all a woman needs is 2,000 calories per day.
Few people would want to eat themselves to death like Donna, but obesity is a major issue for many. So is the size zero fixation where girls feel compelled to starve or vomit every meal out. Nobody realises that both ends of the spectrum are ugly. Being fat or scarily thin does nothing for your looks.
For a Kate Moss to think being skinny is the ultimate thing makes sense as her bread, butter and jam come from flaunting a thin frame, but you can be gorgeous without starving too. Actors like Aishwarya Rai, Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif look stunning and wear whatever they like without resembling a human toothpick. Yes, they must be careful about what they eat but the girls don’t look starved.
So, how do you tell people that good looks lie in being healthy and treating the body right? Nutrition and diet expert Sheela Krishnamurthy says, “You need to realise that there is no perfect figure.” You can’t look like Kate Moss just be starving because each one’s frame and bone structure is different. “As long as you are healthy and your body is in proportion,” you will look good.
Mindlessly starving or overeating will do you no good.
Writer Shobhaa De’s youngest daughter Anandita, who believes in healthy living, says, “You should never compromise on basic nutrition. Also, any form of basic exercise like swimming, jogging or running is very good. And listen to the body when it is hungry.” Anandita, who has recently lost oodles of weight, says she keeps the extra pounds at bay by going easy with carbs at night.
To make heads turn with admiration just learn to embrace a healthy attitude to your diet regime.