Social media platforms have opened up avenues for weight-loss advertisements. If you scroll down Pinterest or Instagram, you will find an abundance of posts promoting the message of being thin. You will see images of fit bodies, before-and-after weight loss posts, so-called healthy meal trends, etc. This explosion of diet trends has started advocating that being thin is the only acceptable form of body size. Hence, the audience must strive to achieve that. It has eventually built a toxic environment of body-shaming, mental health problems and unhealthy lifestyle and dietary practices. Therefore, Pinterest, in July 2021, banned all weight-loss related advertisements on its platform. A similar action was taken by Instagram and Facebook in September 2019. These steps were crucial to educating people that being thin is not linked with being fit and healthy. Let’s talk more about these illusions fed by the weight-loss industry and bust some of these myths.
- “Weight-loss helps to prevent diseases, so being thin should be a healthy practice.”
Sometimes, it is important to lose weight to treat or prevent metabolic disorders such as diabetes, CVD, obesity, etc. However, there is a difference between losing weight and being thin. Every individual has a unique ideal body weight, that is not only based on BMI but also on many other factors such as hormonal balance, existing diseases, lifestyle conducted by the individual, etc. Remember that losing excess weight can also end up inviting many diseases. A dietitian and nutritionist can help you clear doubts about your weight and plan out a holistic approach towards attaining your ideal body weight.
- “How can consuming a calorie-deficit diet be wrong for the body?”
Calorie-deficit diets cut down on your calorie and carbohydrate intake. All nutrients are important to remain healthy, including carbohydrates. Otherwise, from where will your cells obtain the energy to function! These diets can make your body obtain energy from healthy fat tissues and burn them in the process, causing many disorders in the body. Calorie-deficit diets make you weak and cause hormonal imbalance in the body, leading to frustration and mood disturbances. Your ideal diet or nutrition should always aim at boosting metabolism in the body without cutting down on any nutrients.
- “Dietitians also strive towards weight-loss, so are they not promoting body image?”
Dietician in Lucknow, never aim at making you thin. When they ask you to lose or gain weight, it is to keep you fit and manage your diseases well. Crawling towards your ideal body weight is always healthy. Our job as dietitians and nutritionists is not to help you achieve your dream body weight, but to help you attain the weight that your body needs. We never promote diets that will help you become thin. If you lose weight beyond your ideal weight, it will cause great harm to your body tissues. The main objective of a dietician is to keep you healthy by managing and preventing diseases such as diabetes, obesity, PCOS, endometriosis, liver diseases, etc. Helping you manage your weight is not their sole motive. It is a part of the process to make you healthy and fit.