After failing New Year’s resolutions and deciding to just accept the pudge of belly fat as a permanent addition to their bodies, teenage girls everywhere come to a scary realization mid-February: Spring Break is only a month away. After abandoning thoughts of physical fitness too long, they glance at the calendar and remember they won’t be able to hide in oversized sweaters at their tropical vacation in a mere three weeks.
Naturally, teenagers search for the easiest solution. Exercise and balanced meals? Too much work. They want to lose weight fast, not waste time preparing healthy food daily.
According to CNN, crash diets consist of eating less than 1,200 calories each day and are often a plan for people who want to lose weight as fast as humanly possible. The Cabbage Diet includes eating just cabbage soup for one week resulting in a 10-pound weight loss. Other diets include cleanses, which involve consuming only a strange mixture of liquids for several days to lose weight rapidly.
In case you were wondering, it’s true: crash diets and cleanses result in immediate weight loss, which is what many want right before Spring Break. But without knowing the facts, teenagers don’t know if the “perfect body” is worth the price they pay in compromising their health.
Livestrong.com cites research that suggests unhealthy rapid weight loss can slow metabolism, which can lead to future weight gain and deprive the body of essential nutrients. Multiple tries at a crash diet or cleanse can also increase a person’s risk of heart attack. In the long run, these dieting plans hurt more than they help.
Nutritious meals and an exercise regimen will erase stress centered around Spring Break fitness. There’s nothing wrong with trying to improve yourself, but don’t compromise your health for a bikini.