Mistaking a New Year cleanse for a quick binge and a few days of starvation

Photo by Alan Cleaver

I’m finding the endless stream of Instagram pictures, Facebook statuses and Twitter updates about everybody’s New Year diets and workout schedules absolutely infuriating. The amount of disgustingly unhealthy programmes and ‘cleanses’ I have seen promoted on both blogs and social media is getting ridiculous and yet people wonder why we have so many young people with eating disorders who use these methods, some even dying from them.

How can grown men and women with any level of intelligence possibly think that drinking nothing but juice and fruit tea for four days is healthy?! Of course you will lose weight, you are starving your body of the fuel it needs to keep working! You will put this weight straight back on, and possibly more, when you begin eating normally again, probably rewarding yourself with extra ‘treats’ after completing the four days.

It is outrageous and scary at the same time to think that so many people are doing the Atkin’s diet, the 5:2 diet, the cabbage diet, the chilli water diet, the restricted portions diet, the water-only diet, the cotton wool diet, the fresh air diet… THESE ARE ALL JUST WAYS OF STARVING YOURSELF! They are no better than the binging and purging used by those suffering from bulimia or the starvation of anorexics and you, by taking part and indulging these few days, are helping to promote this as a way to lose weight and be ‘healthy’ to other young people.

It’s about time people took responsibility for their actions and realised that what they put out into the universe through recommendations, social media and blogging can in fact have a scary and even deadly amount of influence on peoples’ lives. Your advice or ‘wise words’ can reach those who are more easily influenced and could cause them to embark upon a long-term juice only diet that could destroy their body and leave them in hospital.

It seems that health and dietary education is not working for my generation, although split into those who love their combination of doughnuts and diabetes and those who dedicate their lives to health and exercise and treat their body like a temple – there are issues on both sides. I can’t stand the people who crash diet and who are all about their lettuce leaves and cous cous in January, but you know that it is only a matter of time until their are storming into McDonald’s demanding a Big Mac – how can this be good for your body and how on earth can you hope to keep the weight off and remain healthy?

At the same time, there are those who live off nothing but turkey breasts, lettuce and protein shakes all year round – how is this any better? You are punishing your body with a basic diet designed to change your body shape – this too is a form of starvation through limited food groups (perhaps a lack of carbs) and through lack of variety.

I guess that old question comes into play here – do you live to eat or eat to live? Well, I have to say that I love to eat, but don’t live to eat. I certainly don’t limit myself to eating to live.

It is important to remember one word – BALANCE. All of those who have spent a lifetime on crash diets, battling weight gain and restricting themselves, I am about to blow your world wide open.

If you really want to lose some weight and tone up – the only way to achieve this without surgery is to EAT LESS and MOVE MORE! If you live healthily, eat healthily and do enough exercise all year round, then you won’t be forced to crash diet in January as your attempt to show willing and to try to make an effort. It is not hard and it doesn’t have to cost. No excuses, so go do it and leave the crash diets alone.

Photo by UrbaneWomenMag