A Letter To Young Slimmers In Britain!
posted on: March 09, 2018. posted in: Weight loss
Dear Young Slimmer
This message is for you if you're between the age of 16 and 25 and you're just celebrating your first successful weight loss attempt with Weight Watchers, Slimming World, Lighterlife, The Cambridge Plan or any other mainstream diet.
Things feel good right now.
I know they do.
I get it.
You were overweight, maybe even obese, and you've taken on your first ever diet and it really has worked for you.
You're slimmer. You're happier. You're wearing clothes that you didn't think you'd ever be able to fit into. You feel more confident. You feel like a winner, and like a respected diet authority, for hitting your weight loss target.
So things feel good right now.
I know they do.
I get it.
And that's why when you see me challenging the slimming industry on my fan page you get angry, and want to challenge me for attacking a slimming club you feel has saved your life.
"Who's this d*ck ranting about my slimming club? Doesn't he realise it's worked for me? I've lost 5 stone eating loads of pizza and sweets!! He's talking complete crap, I'll tell him!"
You come to my page.
You tell me to f**k off.
And that's cool because I love passion and I love swearing. It's honest and I respect honesty in a world full of fake f**kers.
But here's the thing.
You don't know what you don't know.
And you don't know what millions of veteran dieters do now know, having been trapped in the same yo-yo dieting cycle you've just started.
You've had your first YO.
Your first loss.
And it feels great.
But you're yet to experience your first YO-YO.
Your first rebound.
And trust me, it will come.
I've struggled with the ethics of bursting young slimmer's bubbles and letting them know that their diet induced weight loss is going to be temporary and most likely do more damage long term.
I've asked myself many times...
"Do I just let them enjoy this moment of being slim, without warning them they're at risk of increased binge eating and weight gain longer term? Or do I warn them and help them break this cycle NOW, before it's too late?"
For me this situation looks like this...
Imagine being on holiday and visiting a river where you see a whole load of young people throwing a party. They're having the time of their lives. They're living in the moment. They're happy! But you notice that the current is pushing them all towards a waterfall that they're inevitably going to go over the edge.
Do you leave them be because they look like they're having such a good time? Do you stand back and watch them go over the edge because you don't want to ruin their party?
Or do you shout out...
"Get the f**k out of the water! You're all about to go over the edge!! Get out now!! Before it's too late!!"
I'm pretty sure you'd do the right thing and warn them. And maybe some of them might shout back at you...
"F**k you! This river party is working for me! I'm happy!"
But maybe one or two might listen to your warning, get out of the river, and save themselves a load of pain in the process.
So for me I have no regrets about ruining your party and telling you that...
"You're about to go over the edge! Get out now!"
You can get out now.
You can educate yourself and read the scientific evidence to prove that diets make you fatter longer term.
The metabolic and psychological damage done by dieting increases with each and every diet you try. So if you're just coming out the other side of your first ever diet, it's not too late to prevent any further damage, and potentially reverse some of the damage that's already been done.
The problem is that you're having such a good time, you can't see the damage that's being done to you. You can't see the fact your about to fall over the edge.
Speak to adults on the Rebelfit fan page.
Ask them how dieting and slimming clubs turned out for them, and you will realise that once upon a time they were enjoying that party in the river but their lives were f**ked because nobody was there to warned them about going over the edge.
They thought they were invincible because all young people think they're invincible until time (and rebound weight gain) proves otherwise.
Why wait until you're in your 30s, depressed and morbidly obese???
You've had that warning now.
Either listen to it. Sack of the slimming industry. And get into fitness.
Or prepare for a life of disordered eating and obesity.
IT'S NOT TOO LATE.
Get out of the slimming industry now, while you still can.
Liam
p.s. The chances are you're not going to listen to this now, but when you're back to your starting weight in a few years the seed has been planted. Remember this post, and remember that the more times you diet, the more damage you do, and the fatter you become longer term!
