It seems to be a common trend in America today to look good no matter what the cost. We impulsively resort to 'quick-fixes', completely disregarding the permanent damage they have on our bodies. Crash diets, diet pills, artificial/souped up protein powders, plastic surgery, eating disorders, and God knows what else...as long as it seems 'easy & quick', we're all over it. I'm sure every one of you has at one point in time been affected by this, so I thought I would share my story on the matter and how I came to realize that health should be prioritized before the way you look, not the other way around. Once you do this, I promise, it will pay off, in more ways than one. I hope that by sharing my experiences you can learn from my mistakes, and save yourself a LOT of wasted time, and more importantly, save your body from having to undergo the strain of unhealthy eating/exercise habits.
Not too long ago in high school - freshman year of college (actually come to think of it, that was a long time ago), I would do just about anything to be thin, in shape, and beautiful. In fact, I've tried just about every single one of the methods I listed above (minus plastic surgery).
Crash Dieting/Eating Disorders
I started experimenting with crash dieting in high school. I think we've all done it, or all of us women anyway. Before I had *any* understanding of nutrition and the metabolism, I skipped meals, expecting to lose loads of weight because of the restricted caloric intake. And I did, for about a month. What I didn't understand was that I was kicking my body into starvation mode, and that my metabolism would eventually adjust to the change and my weight loss would plateau. And that's exactly what happened. The metabolism is a beautiful, frustrating thing. It's designed to keep us alive and adapt to just about any situation you throw at it, which is why it is SO important to keep it happy...seriously, piss off your metabolism and you can pretty much kiss your weight loss goals goodbye. However, I didn't know this at the time. So I took things a step further, and stopped eating altogether. Biggest mistake of my life. I kid you not. If I could take back one decision in my entire life, it would be that one. The physical, mental, and emotional repercussions of engaging in an eating disorder are so incredibly massive, and they take years, sometimes a lifetime, to repair. Anyway, once I stopped eating it was just a huge downward spiral. Sure, I lost a lot of weight, pretty fast. But once you stop eating for that long, you will gain weight twice as fast because your metabolism has been in starvation mode for so long. You can't just say, "I'm going to be anorexic for a month or two just to get to the weight I want, and then I'll start eating normally," because by that time you've F-ed up your body so bad that it won't burn calories as efficiently as it was before. And this is why eating disorders kill people. Because once you get to that point, you either want to be healthy again and are ready to risk gaining all the weight back to repair your metabolism, or you feel trapped, like gaining weight is the most terrifying thing in the world, and that you have to keep on starving yourself. And by then that is the point you will have come to, starving yourself just to maintain weight. Sound fun? No. So please, spare yourself the pain and frustration, be happy that you have a functioning metabolism that burns the calories that you eat, and if you don't think it's burning them fast enough, then focus on increasing your metabolism through frequent exercise and eating small, healthy amounts often. Avoid putting your body into 'starvation mode' at all costs. Even after just 3 hours without eating your body is forced to store calories as fat instead of burning them, because it does not know when it will get it's next meal. Crash dieting and eating disorders are extremely counter-productive, and they pretty much screw over your metabolism. I struggled with my eating disorder off and on for about 6 years, and my metabolism is just now getting to the point where it can burning calories efficiently.
Diet Pills/Artificial/Souped Up Protein Powders
I think I've pretty well established that a happy metabolism=easier weight loss, right? Ok. Diet Pills=UNHAPPY METABOLISM. Throughout those unfortunate 6 years, I also experimented with these. Who could resist the outrageous claims they make, right? Most of these pills have the same affect on the body as eating disorders do. They may (I stress...*may*) work, but even if they do, it will only be for a short period of time. However, once the metabolism adjusts for to the crap you're putting into your body, your weight loss will plateau and you've just made natural weight loss 10x more difficult, and weight gain 10x easier. So once again, spare yourselves. They do not work, and after a period of time will become counter-productive and actually make you gain weight. 'Artificial/souped up protein powders' do the exact same thing. Products like No-Xplode that increase your heart rate/blood flow are not only extremely dangerous for your heart, but also have the same affect on the metabolism.
Alcohol
Ahh, this is a tough one for me. I'm not really a hardcore partier but I do love having a drink every now and then. And realistically, I probably will have a drink every now and then until the day I die. Moderation is definitely key here. Most people, myself included, drink without thinking of what it's doing to your body. Alcohol is not 'free calories', in fact, it is metabolized exactly the same way as sugar. Additionally, it clogs your liver. Big deal, right? Actually, when your liver is too busy filtering alcohol, it can't effectively filter other toxins/fats, and they will go straight to your gut/hips.
In summary - if something seems to be a 'quick & easy' fix, it's not. It is a long-term detriment to your body, and will only make your weight loss goals harder to reach. Be a purist to your body. Don't do anything that will unnaturally affect your metabolism. And don't be afraid of hard work, because when it comes down to it, that is the only thing that is going to get you long-term results. Your health is priceless, invaluable, and it will be with you for the rest of your life. It's up to you to decide what condition you want it to be in. Pursuing health will not only give you a great body now, but it will enable you to do the things you love to do later in life. Make health your priority, and the nice body will come as a result, permanently!
