Over the years, weight-loss culture has changed drastically through exposure to models, new diets, social media’s body standards, and the exclusion of plus sizing in the fashion industry.
People started caring more about their body image, and not their overall health, which has led to damaging habits. People have come to think that being skinny or having a “perfect body” is the way to belong or fit in.
There are many ways to lose weight in a healthy manner, such as having a subtle exercise routine, a healthy and well balanced diet, and engaging in daily movement.
Even with healthy and sustainable options, people still try to find shortcuts that end up creating those unhealthy habits. They start to abuse medications, deny their body of food, and take part in restricting diets.
Gym teacher and coach, Brett Mooney, talks about how he thinks the weight-loss culture has developed with time.
“You know, you go all the way back to when I was a kid [the standard was] a slim, fad diet,” Mooney said. “It’s always been a thing, but then you get these fast diets that come in, and they take over, and everybody tries, and they work.”
Throughout the years, people worrying about their body has always been an issue for women, men, and even youth. Thinking of themselves as unideal and wanting to feel the pleasure of fitting into the “right measurements”.
Mooney mentions how people want to control their body and how they look.
“These fad diets can’t be sustained over time,” Mooney said. “It’s always everybody who wants to control their weight, not just for health purposes, but for how they look. Can’t blame them for that, but that’s part of how it goes.”
In addition, he mentions that health and wellness journeys are personal and that needs vary from person to person.
“Everything in life can seem to be difficult, [it is] challenging to lose weight, and for some people it’s harder than others. Some people might need assistance to help them get to where they want to be and be healthier,” Mooney said.
While challenges may seem overwhelming at first, Mooney says a different perspective and persistence can shift the narrative.
“But the real thing about it is that nothing in real life is really difficult. It’s a time commitment,” Mooney said. “It’s hard, it’s difficult, but it’s really just a matter of how much time you are willing to put into it.”
A huge role that comes with body image issues is due to all types of media, including magazines and the fashion industry. The things being advertised by the media are becoming more and more unrealistic. For example, ideas like women should not be on the heavier side, or a man has to have a lean muscular body.
School nurse Kate White emphasizes the impact that body image has on mental health and eating behaviors, especially when external criticism plays a factor. In addition, she mentions that apps used to distort a body’s shape and someone’s overall appearance can be dangerous.
“There’s always been a big rush to want to be skinny, and that’s perceived as being healthy, when, in fact, it may not always be,” White said. “A lot of that came about because of technology, the ability to Photoshop and airbrush and do all those kinds of things.”
Struggles with self esteem and body image can be intensified by negative comments from others. White highlights this reality.
“It’s really easy not to be confident, and if somebody says something about your body size, your body image, on top of not being confident already, then that’s just going to make you feel that much worse about yourself, which then can lead to overeating or undereating, [and] eating disorders,” White said.
Staying committed is always hard at first because there are temptations and doubts. The most effective way to start building a healthy lifestyle is staying in a positive mindset and learning to discipline yourself.
Mistakes are to be expected, but knowing what you did wrong and flipping it into something that has a positive outcome will always be the beginning steps to a better you.
