Nutritionist, sports consultant, psychologist Shwetha Bhatia, who is among the few dieticians recognized by the Indian Dietetic Association, Mumbai, shares her thoughts on the day’s importance that may make you rethink your approach to dieting culture.
“We must respect people of all sizes and their unique battles with body shaming and weight loss. However positive body image in no way should be an excuse for quitting and remaining unhealthy. As humans we do have a psychological association with food. This can reach unhealthy proportions in the form of emotional eating,” says Bhatia.
She emphasizes, “Shooting for unrealistic body types is harmful.” “The focus should be health and fitness rather than a certain size or number on the scale. Shape is largely determined by your genes. So is the tendency to store fat and build muscle in certain areas. Even when you begin to lose fat, it leaves areas that were never meant to store it first,” she says.
With major celebs in her list of clients, Bhatia, 43, is a well-known name in the fitness and nutrition field. She says, “A fit body always looks good. Aesthetics is the by-product when you have more muscle and less fat. Spot reduction does not work: When you exercise, it is working the muscle rather than burning the fat sitting above it. Fat burning is targeted trough the diet.
“A diet is a combination of nutrients your body needs on a daily basis to survive, repair and adapt. Being on a diet therefore means doing the right things most of the time in line with your health and fitness goals. Going off the diet then means letting go once in a while such that does not throw you off the wagon.”
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