The Single Life

I just have to rant a bit.

I have two collegues/friends who are on this near-starvation diet at the moment, and it's really getting to me.  It's really just the one "friend" (and you all know all about her) because she's doing it to lose THREE pounds.  THREE!!!  The diet consists of two protein shakes a day and one "sensible" meal.  She's already a size 4/6 and maybe 125.  She's admitted it's not about health, it's about the number on the scale.

Why does it bug me?  Well, am I the only one who feels bad about eating actual food around people who aren't eating actual food?  I feel even fatter when I see them munching on tomatoes and drinking their lunch, even when all I'm eating is soup! 

My niece suspects that my youngest sister (15) is starving herself and/or throwing up her food.  I was with her for several days and didn't see any throwing up, but she sure didn't eat much.  She's 120 and a size 7. 

I guess I'm just frustrated at all the pressure there is to be that "right" size or weight.  I know I'm not my ideal weight, but I'm also not grossly huge or even all that big.  I feel normal, yet around the non-eaters, I feel huge.  I guess that's just another example of other people effecting my self-esteem. 

I just know that if I tried two liquid meals a day and a ham sandwich with tomatoes for the third meal, I'd be starving, and probably couldn't do more than sleep. 

Shy~

I guarantee your quality of life is much better than these girls/women. You know that life is about more than fitting some stereotype, and you are actually *enjoying* your food and life while you're at it. These women are so obsessed with outward appearances that they are forgetting to follow their own hearts and desires along the way.

As you know from previous posts of mine, I am a huge advocate for eating healthy. Healthy means actually *eating* and not depriving yourself of the things you enjoy.

Take pride in the fact that you have a strong sense of self and a healthy outlook. You don't need to worry about feeling fat for actually eating real food.

~TG

Cl-Shywon,

It's really sad isn't it? I work for a publishing company and I work in men's titles but from what I understand that every time a Lindsay Lohan or a Nicole Ritchie are on the cover, there will be a sales spike for the magazine. I personally have a problem with magazines promoting healthy self esteem and at the same time using these images to sell magazines. In respect to the men's titles, they prefer women on the cover like Carmen Electra, Eva Longorio and J-Lo who are busty and curvier. It's really frustrating that women are virtually starving themselves to meet the expectations of other women. I really do believe that men prefer women who have meat on their bodies.

Starvation, liquid or no carb diets only work temporarily and are no good for you in the long run. It frustrates me when you hear stories of celebrities who lose weight for a movie like Beyonce with her Maple Syrup diet. I believe that people should be exercising and watching their diet within reason but you need to follow a diet or lifestyle plan as I like to call it which is realistic and one you're able to maintain with a busy lifestyle. It also frustrates me when people diet but they don't exercise. The two need to go hand in hand and exercise is something everyone should do regardless of whether they need to lose weight or not.

One lifestyle plan I can recommend is "The Abs Diet" which I have been following. Here is a link to the author's Website: http://www.absdiet.com.

Feisty