Often, you’ll see articles about obesity and the health risks associated with being severely overweight. Carrying an extra 20, 50, or 100 pounds or more can put a huge strain on your back, your muscles, your heart, and even your mental health. You might think it stands to reason, therefore, that if being obese is bad, then the opposite extreme, being very skinny, is good.
Not really. We have discussed on this site the dangers of being underweight and the health risks associated with starvation. However, when you develop an eating disorder, those risks can be increased, not to mention fatal. A well-known case of an eating disorder that led to an early death is that of singer Karen Carpenter. Driven by shyness and a desire to escape the “fat” comments that plagued her adolescence, Karen literally starved herself, avoiding food and taking laxatives and other over-the-counter medications to lose weight more quickly.
It just so happened that Karen did not need to lose excess weight to be considered slim and healthy. Unfortunately, the excess affected the artist’s heart and she died of cardiac arrest at the age of 32. If anything positive came of Karen’s death, it brought anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders into mainstream consciousness.
Now, one might think that since Karen’s death more than twenty years ago, people might have a better understanding of such disorders and work to prevent them. Unfortunately, we still find reed-thin actresses and models gracing the covers of glossy magazines. We still read stories of women and girls who submit their bodies to hell to achieve an ideal of beauty that few are able to achieve naturally. It’s like we haven’t learned anything.
Two of the best known eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia. While an anorexic person works hard not to eat, perhaps relying primarily on fluids and diuretics to lose weight, a bulimic engages in the very dangerous practice of eating and then vomiting everything out before the food has a chance to digest. These eating disorders usually occur through a feeling of low self-esteem or body image. Like Karen Carpenter, a person who develops the disorder may have in mind that she is fat, when in fact she may have a normal weight/frame ratio or only a few pounds more. Going on a diet to such extremes will erase the weight, yes, but it will increase health problems, including:
* Decreased blood pressure
*ulcers
* loss of the menstrual cycle in women
* blood poisoning
* increased mental problems such as depression
* serious heart problems
* decayed tooth enamel (due to continuous vomiting)
When a person does not eat, the body begins to search for nutrients and will search within for anything to keep the body moving. As a result, other systems in the body may eventually shut down as a result, resulting in death. In short, anorexia is unhealthy, bulimia is unhealthy. Although some people are genetically set to be skinny, not everyone is meant to be that way. However, it would be ideal if all bodies were healthy.
Losing weight is not about being thin, but about being healthy
A solid weight loss program like the Compuslim program should not be designed to help people become super skinny, but to help them achieve their ideal weight/frame ratio. If you choose to take dietary supplements to help you lose weight, it’s important to fit them into a nutrition and exercise regimen that will help you lose weight sensibly and safely. Taking supplements means you also have to eat and follow the instructions on the labels. Never take more supplement than prescribed or recommended, and always accompany supplements with a good meal.
Lastly, never be put off by images you see of ultra-thin models or celebrities. A positive outlook and personality are essential for successful weight loss, so remember that the ideal that television and movies exalt may not be your ideal. With patience and diligence, you can achieve your weight loss goals.