PLAYING FAST TO LOSE?

Unguided short-cuts for weight loss can be fatal. A mindful fitness regime tailored to prioritise your well-being is what you need

- Ruchika Garg and Madhupriti Mitra

In a bid to lose more than half of her body weight in a month, a 21-year-old social media influencer from China recently lost her life. Chihua, who weighed 156kg, wanted to inspire her followers by cutting 100kg in a month at a weight loss boot camp. Chihua is said to have found herself so overexerted at one point that it resulted in her death.

A social media furor followed as users blamed the ceaseless social pressure on people to look a certain way. Closer home, another 21-year-old from Chennai died after taking weight reduction tablets in January this year. In yet another case, 27-year-old actor Mishti Mukherjee died due to multiple organ failure in 2020. It turned out that she was on a strict keto diet.

While maintaining a healthy weight is crucial for one's well-being, resorting to shortcuts can put your life in danger, say experts. Here's how to set realistic goals to lose weight the healthy way.

DITCH SHORT CUTS 

Human bodies simply cannot tolerate extreme measures. If we deprive ourselves of the basic energy and nutrients our bodies need, our body responds strongly, and in a negative way. There are two ways to lose weight super fast: starving or overexertion. These are not sustainable or healthy methods. A guided and gradual approach to weight loss is crucial. We must be mindful that our bodies require a certain type of food and energy to function properly.