Diet Trap

The simplest formula to lose weight is also the hardest to do: eat less,exercise more. People who keep weight off are the ones who continue some form of calorie restriction indefinitely,after they’ve finished the diet. Since this unfortunately involves enormous dedication,even the most determined have relapses. Diets don’t work,because they are simply not sustainable. You are going to slip up,eventually. But if you manage to keep the slip-ups somewhat regulated,indulge occasionally and have a regular exercise routine,you might just stave off the pounds a little while longer. After all,what’s a life of constant deprivation of one of the greatest pleasures of existence — food? And who decides what’s the perfect weight,anyway? Which brings us to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s bizarre remark on malnutrition in his state,blaming “beauty conscious” girls from the middle class who don’t eat enough because they’re worried about getting fat. Firstly,it’s extremely unlikely that the Wall Street Journal reporter’s question was meant for this socio-economic strata. He was probably referring to the Human Development Report of 2011 that says in Gujarat,44 per cent children below five suffer from malnutrition and nearly 70 per cent are anaemic. It’s almost impossible to believe that an astute politician like Modi would connect body image with the shameful truth that there’s simply not enough to eat for many children in India.

Modi’s sneering comment on beauty and weight-conscious girls is typical of an older Indian generation that grew up in a country of scarcity,where eating wholeheartedly was considered a great privilege — to be valued,not cast aside. Even now at Indian weddings,the food takes up half the budget with rows of different cuisines proudly displayed,most of which cannot be consumed in one evening. As kids,we’ve been urged to finish our food,with stories of how lucky we are as compared to India’s starving millions. I still can’t leave food on my plate without a sense of guilt. Over generations,the idea of hospitality has come to mean plying guests with copious amounts of food and weight watching has traditionally been frowned upon,linked to vanity and frivolousness. Compare that to modern city-living now,where most people I know eat before going out to parties,so they don’t succumb to greasy snacks.

Modi is right when he says the middle class is beauty conscious and weight conscious. And that’s something to celebrate,not criticise. Anorexia is far smaller a problem than obesity,all over the developing world. Eventually,people who are weight conscious evolve to some form of health consciousness too. To reach that awareness,many of us have to first experience the circuitous path,of fad diets such as eating before six,no carbs at night,raw food diets — none of which work over the time. It all boils down to a simple mathematical equation: what you burn has to be more or equal to what you shove in. If you’re motivated more by the thought of fitting into a sexy dress than by health and well-being,so be it.

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