When someone diets because it’s a trend, it usually doesn’t last for very long. The trends and messages of celebrities today, who are ultimately responsible for controlling our concept of dieting in the media, cause many people to miss the seriousness of something that could help beyond the six weeks dieting program recommended to quickly drop weight. Rather, dieting is best maintained when held in a person’s mind as a habit and catered to that specific person.
With the development of social media and its maintenance of image, we are constantly being fed an idea that our bodies and physical appearance are not enough. Most of the time, the Instagram models we see every day on our phones looking incredible are an impossible standard to meet. These celebrities are extremely wealthy and have access to the best personal trainers, personal chefs and dietitians available to them, and it’s their job to stay healthy and be fit. Other times celebrities are simply paid to endorse diets and products that will “help” with weight loss.
Not all diets work for everyone. The healthiest food we can put into our body depends on the individual, making you the most important say in the limits and contents of what your diet should be. Of course, it’s great to consult with experts and trained professionals to see what they have to say, but for how personal a diet is, it must be valued in one’s life to stick with the commitment.
Consider those with a vegan diet – no animal byproducts at all, including dairy. Many would consider this diet as the most extreme of all diets and not many would commit to veganism, so they settle with vegetarian. Not to say vegetarian works for everybody either. There’s a pescatarian (just fish), a high protein/low-carb diet and a diet that simply excludes red meat. The possibilities are endless and can be modified to fit anyone’s preference.
For someone living a normal life, dieting can be hard, especially in college. A diet should ultimately be done for the want of improving one’s health. The increased physical and mental health comes with a diet done for the right reasons. If your only reason to go on a diet is to improve the way that others see you, you’re more than likely going to lose the commitment. Stick with a diet for the right reasons, not doing it because of what you feel like everyone else is saying, but because you say it’s important to you.
In society, trends do not last, and a diet based on a current “fad” in society will probably not last in your life either. To make a decision as serious as trying to better your health, it is important to realize the magnitude of this commitment. Dieting is a hard process, and it can really break an individual down if not done with patience and the proper self-respect.
