It is not about the weight. Eating disorders
The obsession with maintaining trim and fit model-like bodies has been increasing tremendously thanks to the numerous images of ideal bodies being flashed on mass media at every turn. As such, people are doing all in their power to attain certain figures and shapes and it all comes down to losing weight. However, the weight loss is coming at a lot of sweat to many people as they develop among other conditions a variety of eating disorders. These disorders refer to a range of psychological disorders that are characterized by disturbed or abnormal eating habits such as anorexia nervosa or the avoidance of food for fear of growing fat. However, dieting is not the only way to attain weight loss and it is not the surest path to a fulfilling life.
One of the hallmarks of a healthy lifestyle is a healthy body weight. Staying fit demands that the body maintains a calorie deficit meaning that the body must burn more calories than are consumed. In a bid to achieve this balance, many people are torn between exercising and dieting. They wonder which one between avoidance of sugary foods and they spending more hours at the gym offer them better health outcomes. Experts have found out that exercise outweighs dieting when it comes to the establishment of a health body weight. As such, exercising is better because it does not draw people into the destructive eating disorders.
It is not about the weight because when one decides to take on the journey to fitness and wellness, there are many benefits along the way. For instance, when one decides to take less dairy and gluten free foods they may not realize a lot or significant weight loss but the new foods end up providing the body with a fresh bout if nutrients which revitalizes the body and makes one feel reenergized. Many people on the journey towards healthy lifestyles take in plenty of vitamins (fruits and vegetables) which may not contribute to weight loss but can boost ones immunity in an excellent manner.
Moreover, when one decides to take on exercises as the path towards fitness and better health, they can acquire stamina, strength, and flexibility. Part of the exercises may include hiking, bike rides, and mountain climbing among other strenuous and challenging activities. Once the goals laid out are accomplished such as reaching the summit of a given mountain, the body will have acquired some renewed stamina, flexibility, and strength. There may be very insignificant weigh lost along the way but the new energy and stamina makes one feel good about themselves and this is very important for the overall being. The flexibility will help one to do things better for themselves especially the household chores. It is a also a huge added benefit as one can derive loads of fun by simply interacting with other people in exercises. While one may fail to attain the desired weight loss, they can build new connections for their careers; get new friends to add to their social circles. An enriched social life may be all one needs to feel truly loved, and gain self-importance that may have been lost because of the stigmatization that comes with being obese or overweight.
Some people have argued that it is never about the weight bit it always about the why. The goals one sets for themselves when deciding to engage in a weight loss or fitness campaign hold a lot of significance. These goals may include obtaining a healthy heartbeat, removing some numbness in a certain part of the body or any other reason. While one may not lose the desired weight, they are bound to feel great about themselves later when they feel the heart beating well or the numbness gone. Notably obsession with weight loss as the primary goal of engaging in a fitness or healthy lifestyle often leads people to acquire eating disorders. They view each morsel they take into their mouths as lodging itself in a given part of their body as fresh weight. However, a wide view of fitness deviates the mind from the fear of weight gain or failure to lose weight and focuses them on the other numerous benefits.
As long as one avoids junk foods, it is in order for one to eat normally and achieve fitness through exercises. Exercises such as lifting dumbbells, pushups, lunges, and body-weight training increase muscle mass and help in burning fat, which means that the engagement in these activities will burn away fat and increase muscles. Dieting hardly burns fat and builds muscles as well as exercises do. Incidentally, muscles have more weight compared to the fat and it is not a wonder for someone especially men to notice that they have added a few pounds yet their bodies look leaner and trimmer. Had such people focused on weight loss especially through dieting they would probably notice some weight loss bit it would probably come with the development of an eating disorder. Even worse, they would lose some weight but not convert dangerous fat deposited near critical organs such as the heart into muscles an issue, which predisposes people to cardiovascular conditions like hypertension.
Engagement in exercises helps to build metabolism or the speed at which the body burns calories. As muscles are building so is the metabolism since those muscles need energy to function. As such, experts advise people not to diet but to exercise because by so doing they jumpstart the increment of their metabolism. Increment in muscle mass and a high metabolism rate are the two critical anchors of attaining a healthier body.
Unlike dieting, exercises produce long-term effects. It may seem hard to lose the first few pounds at first but once lost all one needs will be about 10 to fifteen minutes of a light workout to stay fit and healthy.
There are many people who argue that dieting is a better option to giving someone great health. Dieting definitely provides someone with nutrients, which are critical in health and wellness. People who adopt a strict dieting programme are likely to give their bodies ample proteins, mineral and vitamins thereby reducing their chances of suffering from diabetes, obesity, heart diseases and even some cancers. It is true that dieting helps to introduce critical nutrients to the body but the balancing of meals becomes a critical issue. In the name of dieting many people especially women develop eating disorders. People with eating disorder may refuse to eat carbohydrates and proteins and this means that they do not balance their meals. Failure to balance meals exposes them to vulnerabilities such as reduced glucose levels in the body which may precipitate health conditions.
Dieting is not reliable because one cannot tell the exact amount of nutrients and calories being derived from each type of food. Numerous studies have found out that more then 80% of people who have sought to lose weight and maintain fitness through dieting often end up regaining all or a significant part of the weight after some weeks. These studies show the ineffectiveness of using dieting bearing in mind that it can lead to the development of eating disorders. The studies add that the additional fats on the body can have more adverse health effects as compared to longstanding fats. According to Mendelsohn, the regaining of fats can burden the arteries as well as stress the liver, which can lead to liver failure. As such, dieting with the risk of eating disorders riding on its back is an ineffective method of attaining fitness and good health. Many of its results are ineffective and temporary.
The evidence presented in this paper shows that exercise is the ultimate way of attaining good health. Exercise also supports the argument that “it is not all about weight”. Engagement in exercises introduces one to new friends thereby enriching their social lives. The accomplishment of exercise tasks such mountain climbing gives people more energy, stamina and the joy of accomplishing such challenges promotes self-esteem, energy, and enthusiasm in life. The benefits of exercising come without one exposing themselves to the dangers that come about with eating disorders. In all exercising is better than dieting because it also helps to increase body metabolism and muscle gain, which are important in attaining better health. While dieting introduces critical nutrients to the body, it is hard to tell the exact quantities of the nutrient. The danger of one developing eating disorders always looms with dieting. In all, exercises are the ultimate way for people to maintain healthy body weight.
Works Cited
Isagenixhealth.net. Safe Weight Loss for Seniors through Diet and Exercise. 10 may 2011. 25 April 2016 <http://www.isagenixhealth.net/safe-weight-loss-for-seniors-through-diet-and-exercise/>.
Mendelsohn, Susan. It's Not About the Weight: Attacking Eating Disorders from the Inside Out. iUniverse, Inc. , 2007.
Villareal et. al. "Villareal DT, Chode S, Parimi N et al. Weight loss, exercise, or both and physical function in obese older adults. ." New England Jounal of Medicine. 364: (2011): 1218-29.
