Huma Zafar |
Inject a hormone, or take a few drops and lose 3-6kgs per week! Sounds too good to be true? Sounds rindonkulous if you ask me. I am still recovering from my shock of glutathione injections whereby another new beautify yourself fad has been brought to my attention and here’s how it goes.
Last winter, I was at a wedding when I came across an old friend who I hadn’t seen in a good five years. It was a lovely meeting but I was left a little perplexed. Her complexion looked different but I figured, perhaps it was some really good illuminator and base that did the trick. However, a few weeks later we met again and this time without any makeup on and her skin was a lot lighter.
I realised she had done something – it had to be; I had always admired her dusky complexion and deep kohl rimmed eyes so it came as an utter surprise to me. But, it all made sense now as I had flashbacks of the previous conversations we had exchanged. ‘Don’t you know dear, men like fair girls,’ she said.
‘OMG, I can never go hiking! I will become dark!’ I thought, as I came face to face with this strange outlook – it was not something I had paid much heed to, but it seemed that she actually meant what she said and was quick enough to give in to her complex of being fair skinned. It was then when I first heard about Glutathione, a miracle injection that was going around making girls look fair in an attempt to be accepted by society and admired by men.
Similarly, not too long after, I came across the hCG diet. If you haven’t heard about it: this is an extreme weight loss programme that involves injections of the hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) hormone on a regular basis for the weight loss to take place. And to fill you in on the science of it; hCG is the hormone women make when they are pregnant. And for your further information, the hCG Diet is defined by a 500-calorie food intake regimen, paired with daily injections of hCG. With this diet you can lose upto six kgs per week and in shallowistan this has become the IT thing!
It is actually quite sad that on a daily basis I come across a new miracle transformation hack which people adore; some say: ‘Sweety, I did a boot-camp’ whereas some tell me: ‘I did a no-carb diet;’ we all know it is way more than that. Seriously? You lost 50 pounds in just a few days? Sure.
The thing is, I have struggled with weight-loss issues most of my life and I know from personal experience how hard it is lose weight and how hard it is to look at yourself in the mirror and be unhappy with how you look. I know how badly one wants that beach body. I know how badly one wants to look amazing! But at the risk of one’s health? No way!
According to Mayo Clinic the hCG diet is not safe and certainly comes with dangerous side effects. Common sense dictates that altering the hormonal conditions of your body cannot be good for you. Ladies and gentleman I have news for you. There is NO easy way to lose weight and as we all know, there are no shortcuts in life. There really aren’t.
There is only one way to lose weight – that is slowly, steadily and with perseverance. Remember losing weight is not just to look good; it is to ensure you have an active and fit lifestyle that will help you lead a disease-free, healthy life. Have you ever wondered what hCG has done on your insides? Do you know that in this day and age, science can say anything the industry demands it to say?
It is heartbreaking when you think about it – how the advertising world has taught you that you need to be fair, you need to contour your face, you need to be a size zero, you need a selfie face, lets add some filters to make you look better, you need hormones to lose weight…the manipulation of one’s mind is endless. It will never stop. You will never be good enough if you compare yourself with those perfect Instagram posts of perfect people with perfect lives.
If you want to lose weight change your relationship with food and exercise more! The key is to move. Move. Workout. Can’t afford or don’t have time for the gym? Sweat it out in your room. Dance. Walk. Be active. Let not how you look and feel be driven by how a man views you or how you want society to view you. I repeat, there are no shortcuts in life. Work for it. Work for the body you want.
Because in all that movement lies your success; you will learn about your strengths, learn discipline, learn more about your body, learn to push yourself just a little more, learn to control your eating habits and most importantly you will know your worth. Your worth isn’t defined by a size zero- — or a trip on hCG to get there. It is defined by your growth as a human being.
Eat healthy, be active. Life is beautiful just the way it is!
This article is reproduced with author’s permission. Original article appeared on Hello Pakistan Mag.