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A recent news article that read about psychiatrists calling for an urgent ban on the much hyped issue of size zero models and eating disorders, is something to think about.
Experts are raising voice against the promotion of unhealthy and airbrushed images of underweight models in magazines and other media, fearing the harmful effects these images can have on children and teenagers.
These frequently appearing, apparently 'glammed-up' discussions and controversies, and photographs of skinny models can have a lasting impact on the impressionable minds of youngsters who are often striving to 'fit in' the society, peers etc., whilst struggling with their own distorted image of self.
Media, often talking about a particular actress or model's weight loss, or by displaying pictures of a stick-thin celebrity, thus 'glamourising' unhealthy body image, can contribute to the spread of the ' weight loss mania' to a large extent.
Talking about eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia and unhealthy body image is important and there isn't a doubt that the awareness brought by media plays a huge role in letting the 'susceptible-age group' know of the hazardous effects of the obsession.
However, the images of pretty faces with picture perfect bodies and tabloid bits reading about some celebrity's quick weight loss or fad-diet can draw their devout fans toward the unhealthy lifestyle, more than anything else.
India’s very own quick-weight-loss-queen and style diva, Kareena Kapoor, has always denied the numerous rumours surrounding her size zero – orange juice diet, Atkin’s diet, skipped meals, excessive workout sessions at the gym – she rubbished all of it.
Then came out the secret – Yoga; Kareena contributed all her fitness and well-toned body to regular yoga practice, as did many before her... Rekha, Hema Malini, Shilpa Shetty, all have been ardent yoga fans, with results for all to see. It is a well-known fact that apart from her great body, yoga sessions also helped Jennifer Aniston get over her post-divorce depression.
Yoga not only strengthens your body, but also your soul, by increasing stamina, muscle tone, flexibility and much more. The best part is that yoga gives an excellent muscle tone without depending on the regular weight-training, but by using your own body weight for the exercises.
The regularised, systematic breathing exercises cleanse the body and help cure several health problems including depression, insomnia, menstrual problems, backache etc. Studies have also shown that yoga can also be a great anti-ageing therapy!
Regular yoga coupled with a disciplined lifestyle and balanced diet can definitely be your easier, quicker and healthier key to the most-sought-after body!
Tags: Kareena Kapoor, Size zero, Atkins diet, yoga, Shilpa Shetty, Jennifer Aniston, Rekha, Hema Malini, breathing exercises, disciplined lifestyle, balanced diet
Alright, so here's what you 'weight-obsessed-size-zero-seeking-freaks' need to know – a well-toned, fit look is 'in'; skin-and-bone size zero trend is passé...at least in our country!
Inspired by Jane Fonda, Cindy Crawford, Carmen Electra et al, our very own Shilpa Shetty came up with a video our very own form of workout – yoga. Whilst her yoga DVD was gaining popularity everywhere, Bipasha Basu revealed her 'hot-bod' secret to the world with her workout video! Kareena too, while being in the limelight for a skinny frame, promoted yoga and balanced meals and credited her weight loss only to that and nothing more.
What we really mean to say here is, that if you are trying to be a glam-doll by shedding weight quick, take a deep breath and appreciate the secrets that your favourite stars share. What can be more fun than losing weight whilst enjoying yourself? Dance, jog, swim, go for a aerobics, yoga...take your pick to eat to your heart’s content!
Being slim is great, and the obsession to lose weight quick will get you to be ultra-slim too, but there are also chances that you might fall prey to many eating disorders, most possibly anorexia having a bunch of complications that one would never imagine!
A latest study has revealed that those suffering from anorexia nervosa, might appear skinny, but the level of fats in their bone marrow can be strikingly high, which can lead to further complications despite minimum subcutaneous fat. MRI images have shown that the fat may be stored in the bones while the body remains deprived of energy.
The images that appear ‘yellow’ on the scan, shows less than half of the healthy ‘red marrow’. Teenage is the time when bones develop and form maximum, but the high fat levels make bone formation very low in anorexia. The hormonal changes due to extreme malnutrition make the bone marrow stop yielding the necessary cells for bone formation, and the stem cells are pushed toward fat formation.
This can lead to permanent stunted development, since adolescent years are vital when it comes to mental as well as physical development.
It has been proved that the obsession with one’s image and weight and eventually weight loss begins at puberty.
The numerous changes the body and mind go through along with the constant desire to be accepted by peers, family and everyone around is so overwhelming that one forgets all rationality and strives 24*7 for the same!
Apart from all this that’s already troubling the little mind, there are outside influences like films and videos obsessed with skinny, almost hard-to-believe perfect bodies that one can’t help but notice, makes a young girl want to ‘ be like someone’ everyone admires.
Also, early teenage is the time when most girls appear a little plump and seemingly ‘not so perfect’ and thus victims of the ‘class bullies’, the peers and classmates pass negative and hurtful comments; in some cases even the parents and other family members are involved in focussing a lot on the child’s appearance instead on praising and encouraging them.
All this builds up a negative feeling and low self esteem right at an early age; and just when they should be concentrating on learning as much as they can and concentrating on important things like their school, hobbies and other activities, they get trapped in the unnatural obsession with looks and weight, and eventually form a negative body image.
A recent confession by top model Inga Radziejewski that she was rejected for being too ‘fat’ has left everyone stunned! Why? Because Inga was a size zero and suffering from anorexia when this happened.
With measurements being 27” chest, 21” waist and 27” hips for a height of 5’11”, one can only imagine what she must’ve looked like. It was only after treatment and counselling that she realised what was going wrong and returned to a healthy size 12.
All aren’t as lucky as Inga. Not just models and top celebs, but many young girls around us are falling into the clutches of the horrid obsession to lose weight. But are they to blame really?
When young girls, teenagers constantly hear people talking about how they look or how much they weigh, it drives them to lose weight, almost always in an unhealthy way.
The media and peers aren’t always to blame. We are constantly advised (mostly unknowingly) by everyone (even grown-ups!) around us, to look attractive. Rather than fitness, exercise and healthy diet is looked upon as a means to stay slim.
How many of us have heard about concepts like ‘ ideal weight for the height and age’ as kids? How many of us have been taught (and teach our children) the value of ‘being content and confident about what you are’ rather than being like someone? Probably just a handful.
It is only when the right attitude and values are ingrained during the tender, critical growing years, will this obsession with ‘ looking good’ (rather than ‘ being good’) stop haunting us.
Thinking of getting super-slim? There are about a dozen things you need to know if you care for your health, for ‘slim and fit’ looks much better than ‘slim and worn out’.
Body mass index (BMI) is one of the most important things to be considered before losing any more weight. BMI is weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared; while a normal BMI score is 18.5, any score below that is considered to be a sign of concern and immediate attention to avoid complications.
There have been models with BMI as low as 14 or 15 walking on the ramp, models and actors have collapsed on the ramp or at photo shoots, models have died; many such unfortunate incidents have led to the ban of size zero models from shows.
There is a reason behind taking BMI so seriously. BMI suggests that every body structure and height has an ideal body weight and any weight higher or lower than normal means that something in the lifestyle (physical activity, diet, other routine) needs to be corrected.
Though a low BMI doesn’t necessarily mean that one suffers from an eating disorder, it definitely has many health risks associated. Apart the fear of being victim of some eating disorder, serious nutritional deficiencies and many other complications, a low BMI is also associated with serious neuropsychiatric disorders that can lead to permanent damage.
A slightest doubt of having a low BMI or being underweight should not be ignored. Health experts should be consulted ASAP for appropriate guidance.
In a desperate urge to lose weight and get to the size zero, what begins as ‘ dieting’ takes the ugly face of eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, the effects of which are not just seen by people close to the victims, but also experienced by the sufferers themselves.
Apart from the emaciated, pale look and nutritional deficiencies, the disorders can cause several medical problems as well. Some of the common ones, as mentioned by health experts across the world, are...
- Some problems that don’t worry the patients so much are, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, insomnia, irritability
- Some serious problems can be hormonal imbalances, irregular menstrual cycles or total amenorrhoea, weak brittle bones, falling brittle hair or excessive hair growth on the body due to hormonal imbalance, loss of fertility; if at all such girls get pregnant there are chances of difficult births, still births, post-partum depression etc.
- Sore throat, lesions all over the digestive tract due to frequent bingeing and purging
- Discoloured teeth, infected oral cavity due to frequent contact with the gastric acids from induced vomiting
- Severe anaemia leading to other major health issues
- Low blood pressure, slow heart rate, other heart disorder risks
These signs of course appear much later and only in case of chronic starvation. But they are like a red-alert if you care even a little for your health! Avoiding these complications is much easier than treating them later.
There is a huge difference (technically) between someone who is obsessed with health and fitness and the one who is suffering from psychological eating disorders.
So how do you tell? Keep a check on the following signs, if it’s you or a loved one that’s fixated about food and weight loss...
- The constant fear to gain weight and talking about it very often, even while being underweight
- Refusing to accept the minimum ideal weight for oneself
- Starving oneself, skipping meals very often
If someone you know shows the above signs, they might be suffering from anorexia nervosa.
The signs of bulimia nervosa are as follow...
- Frequent ‘attacks’ of bingeing or overeating, followed by feelings of guilt about the same
- Going to the bathroom invariably after the binge
- The bathroom always smells of vomit
- Discoloured teeth and sore throat due to constant purging
With both the disorders, people around the patient can spot some distinct signs, which are...
- The sufferer has drastic weight loss in a short period; they even appear emaciated
- Pretending or claiming to have eaten and skipping meals; or alternatively, switching between overeating and complete starvation
- Obsessive and fanatic exercise routines
- Dramatic mood changes, like, constant gloominess, keeping to oneself, low self-esteem
Both the disorders need quick attention and can even be fatal if left unattended. Remember, there is a difference between thinking about one’s fitness and suffering from the same!
Getting stick-thin real fast can sure be achieved by starving yourself, but it isn’t that great a deal. You might get the size zero measurements, you might be able to wear the skimpiest outfit, you might actually become the object of your friends’ envy; but...the stuff that’s to lose is just way too much!
You aren’t going to look all vibrant and glowing for starters; and apart from being famished and tired all the while, there could be serious nutritional deficiencies.
Sleep disturbances, anxiety, irritability, restlessness, feeling extreme cold, bowel upsets like severe diarrhoea and constipation etc. There can even be changes in the brain chemistry leading to sudden increase in appetite and food cravings.
Those using the ‘starvation’ tool to lose weight fast, are often seen obsessing about food and are prone to binge sooner or later.
There are also studies to prove that the metabolic rate goes down on prolonged starvation; in simple words the body gets ‘used to’ the little food available, thus leading to quick weight gain even on eating a little more! This makes maintaining the weight loss for a long time very difficult.
And if at all you manage to continue starving yourself even further, serious effects like hormone imbalances, sexual disinterest, disturbed menstrual cycle, rapid bone loss, personality changes, frequent attacks of depression and many other grave effects are pretty common.
Doesn't sound all that good now, does it?
So you wish to have the ‘model like’ size zero measurements; but are you really sure? How good the new structure will look doesn’t merely depend on the desire or the will to have it, but several other factors that in turn determine whether or not the ultra-slim measurements will suit you.
Your height, natural bone structure, original weight, age etc determine how well the new look will suit you. For example, someone who stands 5 feet tall ideally should weigh around 50 kilos. On the other hand a girl who is 5’5” tall should ideally be weighing around 58-60 kilos. A size zero body will mean weighing about 40-45 kilos. This weight will look unbelievably different on the two girls! The 5 feet tall girl would appear super slim, no doubt, but the taller girl will appear literally emaciated to the point of looking physically sick.
The whole purpose of ‘looking good’ isn’t even served when your own measurements don’t look good on you! Your favourite outfits don’t suit you, your skin looks dull and pale, you start losing hair and run the risk of having severe nutritional deficiencies; is it really worth it?
There is a right way to go about it and not impossible too. The most important thing is getting the right dietitian and personal trainer, who can first find your ideal weight range and your nutritional requirements and then plan out a fitness programme that suits you best, to get you into a slim yet fit, well-toned shape worth-envying.
As they advertise, pills, shakes and other quick ways to lose weight are sure quick and you lose weight in no time. But when the health hazards considered, it’s not really that great a deal.
The most important thing to be remembered is that most of these drugs are banned in the US because of the serious damage they cause to the health. So, if your weight loss pill says Ephedra, Ephedrine, Guarana, Caffeine, Coffee, Ma Huang, or Mormon Tea, then you must put it away ASAP!
These products do accelerate weight loss, but by unnaturally increasing your metabolism. After a while, the weight loss stops too and there is an elevated risk of renal failure or cardiac arrest. If not a total organ failure, there can still be adrenal or renal stress due to the constant metabolic stimulation and the thyroid processes could also be adversely affected, leading to long term hormonal imbalances.
There have been drugs that were originally created to treat farm animals like horses, and were never meant to be for human consumption. But many ingredients from these drugs have now been found in famous ‘size zero’ pills.
Studies have shown that though the person loses a lot of weight very quickly, the effects of pills like this subside after few weeks and prolonged use can lead to sudden and uncontrollable weight gain since the natural metabolism is all messed up!
Other side effects include nausea, shivers, decreased concentration, insomnia, increased blood pressure, headaches and anxiety, and even permanent and irreversible damage of vital organs like the liver, kidney and heart.
No matter how confident any claim is, the most effective and safe way to weight loss is following a well-guided diet and exercise programme; only that can give you long sustainable results.
With health awareness spreading fast, something else that’s catching up as well, is copying your favourite celebrity; which is why the obsession with getting into the tiniest outfits and mimicking a celeb body is on a growing rise!
But if one keeps oneself updated with the disastrous effects to reducing to unnatural body measurements, one wouldn’t dare to go through the torture of starvation and excessive exercise.
The point is, if at all you wish to copy a celeb, why not go for healthier choices?...healthy yet fit, we mean!
Why not follow Shilpa Shetty, who so strongly promotes yoga and balanced diet? Shilpa proved that this was her only secret to the mermaid-like figure, when she managed with this alone in the Big Brother house.
What about the ‘forever young’ Rekha and Hema Malini who advocate healthy living with meditation, yoga and organic food for the perfect figure even in their fifties!
Mallika Sherawat has confessed to working out in the gym everyday without fail. Malaika Arora Khan has accepted on an interview that nothing comes easy. Malaika had to slog in the gym yet eat well after delivering her baby...her secret to the fit figure even now!
Bipasha basu, Priyanka Chopra, Sushmita Sen...all have admitted to regular exercise and healthy diet, and we think they are some of the best bodies in the glam world!
Even in the west, beauties like Kate Winslet, Drew Barrymore, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez vouch for regular exercise along with eating well, and they look super perfect!
All we’re saying is, why not go for the better, healthier, fitter choices if you really need to copy a celeb?
The size zero obsession has more disastrous effects than one would ever imagine. With more and more young girls (and often even older and more mature women) seen driven towards it, the situation seems scary.
Anorexia is not the only concern while speaking of the weight-loss paranoia; several other psychological eating disorders pop-up, having even more alarming effects on the patient’s health.
One such condition is Bulimia Nervosa – a disease with the exact opposite symptoms of Anorexia. While patients refuse to eat when suffering from the latter, they go bingeing in the former, gorging on almost anything and everything to their heart’s content.
They later i nduce vomits (purging) or use laxatives, diuretics or enemas to ‘get rid of’ whatever they consumed just a while back! With food hardly being digested and nutrients hardly getting absorbed, the effect is for everyone to see – emaciated bodies and a frail look.
Though bulimia has also been contributed to several other emotional and psychological disturbances, an obsession with instant weight loss is one of the major reasons.
Severe and often irreversible nutrient imbalances, and most importantly, infected teeth and oral cavity, inflamed throat, mouth ulcers etc are just a few complications related to bulimia.
Apart from this, things can go totally out of hand and one could suffer from a ruptured stomach or oesophagus, loss of bowel control and excessive weight gain, doing no good to the already degrading self-esteem.
The strong desire to get the perfect body haunts almost every teenager. While the need to look and feel good and be fit should be appreciated, unrealistic goals and unnatural ways to achieve them should be strongly discouraged, because though the results are quick, they hold some nasty truths.
One of which is Anorexia Nervosa – a psychological eating disorder that often goes unnoticed and hidden behind the plain refusal to eat.
These patients absolutely cannot see their actual ‘super thin’ image in the mirror! Every little bite, every sip of water...anything at all makes them feel that they’re gaining weight; and this distorted self-image leads to skipping meals for days together, starvation and eventually loss of confidence and the will to do anything but concentrate on losing weight!
Sounds ghastly, doesn’t it? Well, the situation can be pretty grim is not handled at the right time in the right way.
Symptoms like drastic weight loss, refusal to eat even little food, constantly worrying about one’s weight etc should be a sign of alarm and eating disorder experts with a counsellor and dietitian should be consulted ASAP.
So here is a million dollar question – ‘can you be (size zero) skinny and still be healthy?’ The answer is ‘yes’, but unfortunately all aren’t that lucky.
Everyone has seen people who are naturally very slim and eating or not eating, exercising or lazing around...nothing really matters to them; they’re always skinny. But that is all thanks to their natural body type, high metabolic rates and heredity.
However, if you are not naturally blessed with the slim body type and tend to put on weight quick, you cannot really have a ‘size zero’ goal for the plain reason of it being unrealistic and just too unhealthy!
It must be remembered that every face and every structure and body frame has a particular weight and height that makes it look attractive. Just like piling on excessive weight looks ugly, loosing unnatural amounts of weight can make you look ugly if your body is not meant for it and if you have chosen unnatural ways to get there!
Fast weight loss, along with healthy diet and good exercise, also needs a good metabolic rate, which unfortunately isn’t something as easy as popping a pill.
On a lesser serious note, if you are one of those craving for those size zero measurements, have you really thought about stuff that you can flaunt (apart from your tiny waistline)? Well, there isn’t much.
The funny part is, that we Indians do not have the typical ‘ western’ bodies to carry all clothes that they wear while being stick-thin; let alone the part that Indian men, or at least most of them, don’t really like skinny girls; and forget the fact that you will be starved and famished most of the time.
Skinny jeans make you look too skinny, chudidars make your super-thin legs appear weird, skirts and dresses make you look like a schoolgirl, sarees can’t be worn 24*7...what remains?
Skinny celebs pick some high-end designer outfit and appear super-glam on screen. But the reality is, that ‘reel’ is too different than ‘real’...the camera adds 10 lbs, they say.
No one loves the under-nourished look. Your own friends start picking on you and family eats your head about having balanced meals. Not worth all the pain girls!
Isn’t having a perfect body, something that is in the ideal range of what you need for your age and height, a better option?
Recent media stories that suggest Marilyn Monroe as ‘fat’ seems pretty shocking! For someone who’s been the epitome of beauty, style and sensuality, to be put in the ‘ fat celeb category’ sounds not just unfair but also pretty unbelievable.
Have the definitions changed so drastically? Funny thought – how does one identify a woman without the typical curves?
Surprisingly, today’s celebrities like Eva Longoria Parker, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Heidi Klum etc also seem to be ‘fat’ for the youngsters who dig the ‘ famished look’.
Everybody’s (including the media) obsession with a celebrity’s looks and body has gone a little too far now, hasn’t it? And stars who swear by the media reports and live for the paparazzi, easily fall for the demands and increasing pressures, always craving to get the look that the former claim to be ‘in’.
It is true that no one wants to look at an overweight celeb, but hello...! We don’t want anorexic divas who have clearly starved their way to stardom and will eventually collapse at some runway or movie-shoot!
While young girls are busy ruining their health, starving away to achieve size zero measurements, health and diet experts including Kareena’s dietitian Rujuta Diwekar, say that the right diet and exercise plan can help anyone achieve a perfect figure...even size zero!
Rujuta, who advises diet to Anil Ambani, Saif Ali Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Preity Zinta and many other celebrities as well, says that discipline is the only key to a healthy weight loss, and that skipping meals and starvation only leads to complex deficiencies and other health complications.
While the once ‘plump looking’ Anil Ambani dedicates his drastic weight loss and fitness to regular early morning jogging sessions, Kareena Kapoor says that small-sized frequent meals at regular time intervals throughout the day is her secret to the super-chic size zero measurements.
Eating every two hours, cutting down on tea/coffee intake, being regular with a 45-minute workout every alternate day and other such easy tips, with guidance from your personal health expert, help achieve the desirable body measurements, whilst staying healthy and fit.
With Kareena appearing a little more curvy (and healthy – like most would like to say), the ‘size zero trend’ too seems to be fading away with celebs and eventually with their huge fan following as well!
So are we getting back to the fact that Indian men prefer curvier and fuller bodies than the western skinny, frail structures?
At least that is what is apparent in the recent selection process for models for prominent and significant fashion weeks that take place all over major cities in the country.
Also, with many incidents of models and actresses passing out at photo shoots and while at rehearsals, in the backdrop of skinny (read anorexic) models being banned from the ramp, getting back to the healthier albeit not forgetting the standard weight requirements.
Having the right proportions and the right curves that gives the gorgeous ‘Indian’ look that is envied by most westerners is an absolute must and even Kareena, who was synonymous with size zero, has apparently admitted the fact; with beau Saif happily stating in interviews that ‘he’s glad he isn’t dating a hanger anymore!’.
Hopefully trend-savvy young girls, who were blindly striving and struggling to get into the tiniest and the skimpiest outfits, will discover the beauty of the naturally beautiful and healthy Indian figures that they’re blessed with and appreciate a healthy body image, which is a must for a healthy living.
While you young fashionistas strive and struggle to fit into the skinniest jeans, here’s something you might want to know...the so-called ‘in thing’ - size zero - comes with over a dozen health risks attached to it!
To reach the ultimate goal of a stunning 32-33 inches hip measurement, girls literally starve to the extent of being malnourished. The 23 inches waist, something that only appears healthy on a 8-year-old, isn’t achieved easy either.
Skipping meals, dependence on diet pills and supplements, falling for unnatural methods like induced vomiting and laxative abuse, these girls risk their health in more ways than one in an attempt to ‘get there’.
Loss of fertility, stroke, cardiac failure etc are just some of the effects of weight loss by extreme starvation; loss of bowel and bladder control can be a result of dependence on diet pills.
Sounds scary? Well, luckily enough, there is a way out and everyone can take help.
Just having balanced meals and enough exercise can get you the stunning Bipasha Basu or Priyanka Chopra look, if not a (famished-looking) Victoria Beckham, Paris Hilton or Kate Moss!
The much hyped ‘size zero’ look that Kareena Kapoor donned just a while back; something that is considered super-chic and what most teenagers are striving to achieve these days, is actually a trend from the western countries promoted by some of their top ramp models.
One will be shocked to read that size zero clothing, depending on the brand and label, will fit girls measuring anywhere between 30-22-32 inches to 33-25-25 inches. Yes...that’s how tiny one needs to get to be able to be called a ‘size zero’!
But what began as a general fashion trend, has soon grown into a mania some kind, even though many countries have banned size zero models that often could be seen with stick-thin arms and legs.
Girls are leaving no stone unturned and going to the limits of starving themselves for days at a stretch, depending on purgatives and laxatives and those who can afford it are going for surgery too!
Grim as it may sound, the situation is scary as it can push these victims to psychological disorders like anoerexia and bulimia.
Awareness and counselling about a healthy body image is an absolute must, given the fatal effects of the obsession; and considering the fact that even Kareena no more flaunts the size zero look!
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