To diet or not to diet? If the advertisers are to be believed, we should be constantly aware of the slightest deviation from the ideal shape and weight. But, as Gwen Maditse points out, there are other ways of tackling this issue...

I hate to sound like Kimora Lee Simmons here and talk about me, me, me, but if there is one thing that I don’t believe in it is diets and dieting. I am sorry if this offends you but I don’t see why anyone would go on a diet unless it’s for health reasons. I am not one of those people that are insensitive to those that are battling the bulge. This is not about people with serious weight issues. This is about those women amongst us who are not overweight and who panic when we gain a couple of kilograms. Those of us that eat a slice of cake, moan about it for a week, and now we must diet.

Yes, I do look in the mirror now and then and notice the “extra”. But I don’t freak out about it and I don’t ask my husband “do you think I am fat?” Does it really matter? Will it change things? I agree with the men on this one - it’s a trick question. The mere fact that that you asked after squeezing into those jeans or realizing that something you wore 6 weeks ago no longer fits, means that you are keenly aware that you have gained a few.

I had a sweet tooth the other week and ate three cupcakes in one sitting. Why? I just told you, I had a sweet tooth. If you are into psycho-analysis you are probably thinking “This woman is out of touch with herself. She must have had some kind of emotional trigger.” I probably did have some kind of emotional trigger. But at that moment, I wanted those cupcakes and I was not interested in taking the time to ponder on my own or consult with someone as to why I felt the need to devour three cupcakes at one time. I told a friend of mine about it, who is a personal trainer, the health conscious fit kind, and she laughed because I was laughing when I told her. She knows that I carry no guilt over my extreme indulgence. I knew what I had done wasn’t good (i.e. for my health - but the cupcakes were delicious, especially the white chocolate one) and there was no need for a mini-lecture on healthy eating.

Generally, I eat a balanced diet and exercise often. I exercise and eat right because otherwise I would feel lousy. There are times when I don’t have a choice, like recently when I was in the sticks and the only places to eat were fast food places. This is not the norm and this is my point. Most of the time, we do have a choice. Why choose a fad diet to lose one or two kilograms that will come back to visit as soon as you fall off the wagon?

I agree with those that advise making weight management a part of ones’ lifestyle change. Choose to live a healthy lifestyle and as a result, when you do go off the rails, it’s no biggie. You’ll know it’s temporary and put that little deviation in its place and get on with life. Even when an outfit is too tight, my skin is not clear, and I feel like a bloated pig, I know that it will pass, and I will laugh about with my health conscious personal trainer friend.

To you women who starve yourselves of breakfast because you had dessert the night before, and to you “one kilogram obsessive” women: eat, drink and be merry…for tomorrow you will not die. Practice a balanced diet, exercise and get back on track. Stop being tormented by what you can control.

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