Most of us have played this game in one form or another. There's a good reason why it's played so often by so many and those who play could be forgiven for thinking it's for their health. EEEEEHHHHH! Wrong! It's never been a good thing to do to your body but it does make a hell of a lot of money for some people.
A BIG CHICK IS A CASH COW
The diet industry makes 33 Billion dollars a year. They do it by trying to convince 92% of the population that they have to look like the other 8%.
IT GETS INTO YOUR HEAD SO WELL
On average, everyone is exposed to between 36 and 54 messages, through the media everyday of our lives, that is directly related to beauty and how you should look. And that's just the direct ones - shall we count the number of times a celebrity is ridiculed for putting on weight or appearing underweight. No bloody wonder that we all think we've got the wrong shaped this or that!
DIETS ARE NOT WORTH YOUR BODY
Diets damage your metabolism at the very least. Most of us know only too well that when we go off the diet - we are bound to put the weight back on plus. Dieting makes your body think it's winter and it goes into storage mode. On the more serious side of things it can cause high blood pressure and hypertension.
OSTEOPOROSIS, KIDNEY, LIVER & HEART DAMAGE
Constant crash dieting contributes dramatically to osteoporosis and puts strain on the kidneys, the liver and the heart. Most diet pills and drugs work directly on the heart muscle, damaging it for life. This is never a warning that comes with the drugs, by the way, and doctors aren't often made aware of it either. I have to say that it annoys me intensely when I hear of a big person that has died of a heart attack and people always put down it down to their obesity - not the fact that they've been dieting endlessly and taking Phen-Phen for three years!
PSYCHOLOGICAL RIPPLES
Trying to be what you are not has some pretty harmful physical effects in the slimming game but these don't compare to the psychological damage caused. The percentage of cases of depression that are directly linked to body image is horrifying. It goes without saying where eating disorders come from.
STRAIGHTENING THE GARBAGE
Here's a question for you, that needs to be taken into account. Just how fat are you really? Women on average have a tendency to believe that they are two to four sizes bigger than they are. Regardless of how wide you really are....if you feel frumpy, sore, gluggy, depressed, tired......look at your diet and any stagnancy in your life and there is where you will most likely find the true culprit.
And make no mistake, it's not about being slim - it's about being fit. If your slim, you are not automatically fit and healthy. Everybody has to work at that. You can be fit, healthy and happy regardless of how wide you are or aren't. Even the medical profession (who are among the most prejudiced on the planet!) are starting to verify that. Speaking of medical - I'd like to point out an interesting and important difference in perceptions with regards to diabetes. It's commonly thought that being fat that makes you at risk for diabetes. It's rarely explained that being fat is a possible symptom of diabetes. Big difference!
Aside from medical conditions (especially those brought about by additives and poor nutrition), true obesity is an emotional issue - that's its true source. It is a symptom of emotional dis-ease. There's an old saying - 'to swallow your sorrow'. All the feelings of fear and pain, abandonment and worthlessness that you have suffered in silence had to go somewhere - there's a mechanism to keeping something that powerful down - it's called comfort eating. So go at it from there too, if what I'm saying is ringing bells for you. Get vocal, paint, write, start a happy diary, go to counselling and break out of that pattern because it hasn't worked for you for a long, long time and it's crippling you now. Do what you need to do to release that pain and live the way you were meant to.
In the immortal words of Katy Perry.....
"BABY, YOU'RE A FIREWORK! COME ON LET YOUR COLORS BURST!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJuMBdaqIw
And make no mistake, it's not about being slim - it's about being fit. If your slim, you are not automatically fit and healthy. Everybody has to work at that. You can be fit, healthy and happy regardless of how wide you are or aren't. Even the medical profession (who are among the most prejudiced on the planet!) are starting to verify that. Speaking of medical - I'd like to point out an interesting and important difference in perceptions with regards to diabetes. It's commonly thought that being fat that makes you at risk for diabetes. It's rarely explained that being fat is a possible symptom of diabetes. Big difference!
Aside from medical conditions (especially those brought about by additives and poor nutrition), true obesity is an emotional issue - that's its true source. It is a symptom of emotional dis-ease. There's an old saying - 'to swallow your sorrow'. All the feelings of fear and pain, abandonment and worthlessness that you have suffered in silence had to go somewhere - there's a mechanism to keeping something that powerful down - it's called comfort eating. So go at it from there too, if what I'm saying is ringing bells for you. Get vocal, paint, write, start a happy diary, go to counselling and break out of that pattern because it hasn't worked for you for a long, long time and it's crippling you now. Do what you need to do to release that pain and live the way you were meant to.
In the immortal words of Katy Perry.....
"BABY, YOU'RE A FIREWORK! COME ON LET YOUR COLORS BURST!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJuMBdaqIw
