Unhealthy people, should lose weight to be beautiful?

Exercising is also a way to keep a slimmer figure - Photo: DUYEN PHAN

Losing weight for beauty affects health. Nowadays, women tend to focus on losing weight to have a beautiful body, but do not pay attention to adequate nutrition, leading to weight loss but the body is lifeless, even weak, causing illness.

How to have a balanced, harmonious body but also healthy and full of vitality? Tuoi Tre had a conversation with Dr. Tran Duc Si - Deputy Head of the Department of Family Medicine, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine (HCMC).

It should be noted that each person's physical condition is different, so don't be obsessed with a common beauty stereotype but aim for a natural, healthy beauty.

Unscientific weight loss, malnutrition in young girls

* Is the proportion of women following the "skinny to beautiful" trend concentrated in a certain age group?

Dr. Tran Duc Si - Deputy Head of Family Medicine Department, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine

- Actually, the concept of "beautiful woman" is not constant. In some places, people believe that the heavier a woman is, the more beautiful she is.

Beauty standards also change over time. The skinny beauty trend emerged and became more popular in the 20th century, especially in the West in the 1960s and 1970s.

The image of tall, thin, and slender models is propagated by Western media as the aesthetic standard.

Recently, this trend has been growing strongly in the East due to the resonance of the interest in movies, cosplay (fans of characters) ancient costumes towards the image of willow and peach blossom. Therefore, many women of different ages think that thin is beautiful. This concept has the most impact on the group of young women, especially young girls.

* Is this a trend, or is there any psychological aspect involved, doctor?

- The notion that "skinny is beautiful" is just one of many reasons why a person becomes skinny and weak. If the psychology is not too distorted or there is no associated pathology, perhaps the harmful effects of weight loss will not be easily recognized. However, in reality, there are also very serious cases.

For example, a famous American singer, Karen Carpenter, died of malnutrition. Many celebrities have been criticized for being too thin and suffering from eating disorders, requiring treatment such as Nicole Richie, Victoria Beckham, and recently the famous designer Vera Wang who was criticized for being too thin, giving an unhealthy image.

In fact, without the pressure of weight standards in the entertainment industry, few people would be forced to seek psychological treatment.

However, if relatives repeatedly give advice, women should also consult nutritionists or psychotherapists. Nutritional imbalance and malnutrition, even if small, over a long period of time will have many negative effects on health.

A balanced lifestyle is needed to be both beautiful and healthy.

* What are the general harmful effects of dieting and lacking nutrients just to keep a slim figure, especially at a growing age?

- Malnutrition seriously affects the body's functional activities in general, as well as for young girls, especially during puberty when the body has high nutritional needs for comprehensive development.

First is the impact on overall health. Malnutrition leads to fatigue, lack of vitality, poor resistance, and susceptibility to disease. Losing weight solely through fasting without exercise will not reduce, but even increase, the proportion of fat in the body.

Some people only eat 1-2 meals a day, but still feel their body getting fat. If these people try to lose weight even more, they may actually become thinner, but their body will be flabby, sagging, and not have the normal firmness, due to the loss of muscle mass. Older people will age faster, especially in the skin and central nervous system.

In addition, it also affects the physical development of young people. Inadequate nutrition can affect height growth, causing young girls to not reach their potential height. An undernourished body will not fully develop muscles and bones, leading to an overall unbalanced and weak shape.

Additionally, mental and intellectual development, concentration, and academic performance may also be affected. Malnutrition can also contribute to psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, and body image issues.

The secret to being both healthy and beautiful

* What kind of diet and lifestyle should women develop to be both beautiful and healthy?

- To achieve a "skinny - healthy" body, it is necessary to balance between eating and exercising; it is necessary to pay attention to both of these aspects in a balanced and reasonable way.

When it comes to diet, you need to consume just the right amount of calories and the right kind. To maintain a healthy weight, you need to consume more calories than the minimum amount your body needs each day. However, this extra amount of calories will depend on your level of exercise and physical activity.

It is necessary to balance food groups including starch (barley, potatoes, corn), fat (olive oil, coconut oil, butter), protein (meat, fish, eggs, beans, milk) and vegetables (bananas, strawberries, grapes).

It is necessary to have a reasonable diet, control the amount of calories in each meal but ensure to eat enough and at the right time in each meal to help provide continuous energy for the body, maintain activities and exercise.

Absolutely do not lose weight by skipping meals because it will stimulate the body to prioritize storing the small amount of calories (creating fat) instead of using them for daily activities and muscle development.

In addition, moderate exercise is also needed. Choose exercises such as aerobics, walking, jogging, swimming or muscle strengthening exercises. Avoid overtraining which can lead to fatigue or loss of feminine image.

To maintain a balance between diet and exercise, you should exercise at least 3-4 times a week, with each session lasting from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Get enough rest, ensuring your body has enough time to recover after exercise to avoid injury and excessive fatigue.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nguoi-khong-khoe-co-nen-giam-can-lam-dep-20240626020103744.htm