If you are still living in that grey zone that exists between Brigitte Bardot, the original ‘size zero’ and Bridget Jones, cheerleader of the gorge-and-forget lifestyle, salvation is at hand. A new study released by the University of California says exactly what you longed to hear all this while: diets simply don’t work. Let’s cut the flab and this is what the world’s largest study on weight loss says: repeated weight gain and loss associated with dieting can double the risk of death from heart disease, including heart attacks, and the risk of death in general. And, most dieters end up heavier than they did to start with.
Even though being skinny is not always a matter of personal choice and a fashion statement for many in India, choosing between the various diet programmes can at times become a weighty matter for some. Thousands of weight-watchers regularly invest in those over-subscribed popular western diet plans even without understanding what their bodies need and the cultural/geographical location they come from. What works to reduce body weight for one person may not necessarily work for another, due to metabolic differences and lifestyle factors. And, herein lies the threat of good intentions going horribly wrong.
However, this is not to say that now you can polish off those irresistible cheese-laced pizzas with gusto and drink colas without a care in the world. The secret to enjoying all those things that your poor heart aches for is simple, much simpler than going on some calorie-controlled diets: eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly — at least, till the time another study forces us to do a rethink!