Quick! Can you name the all-time most popular life goal cited among 1.8 million people in over 15,000 cities around the world?
Lose weight!
Is it any wonder, then, why diets and dieting have become such important aspects of our modern lives? We rate our meals in terms of points, calories, and grams of carbohydrates or fats. We watch our sodium intake, limit our sugar exposure, avoid trans-fats, seek out dietary fiber, and bulk up on good protein, the kind low in cholesterol.
But think about it a bit. Although diets and dieting are obviously a means towards an end, i.e. to lose weight, it is less clear that weight loss, no matter how popular or unpopular, is really the ultimate goal.
Isn't it more likely that the unstated motive behind losing weight is to be healthy and fit? Or even deeper than that, isn't it about living well, being attractive, and feeling good about yourself?
The annual Miss World pageant is a good case in point. A large percentage of us like to watch and see who wins. Maybe the females amongst us would even like to have the same look, the shape, the poise... the lack of excess fat. Perhaps a good percentage of us would just love to wake up one day with that knock-em-dead, slim and slender, Miss World look.
Or maybe the men would prefer they had the Mr Universe look.
In a study conducted at UCLA for example, a group of researchers posed questions to women about men's body types. They were shown unlabeled photographs of six male physiques. In terms of attractiveness and sexual desirability, they chose toned and well built men over brawny men, and chubby men got rated below normal. Interestingly, really skinny men were at the bottom of the list.
Men may instinctively know this. For many of them, losing weight is about their sexuality. They feel unattractive to the opposite sex when they carry too much baggage. Dropping it is about attracting a mate.
This can also apply to women. In fact, one widely publicized soup diet aimed at females claimed that it could "melt off the pounds and make you happier and more desirable than you have ever been." Far from health and fitness, the objective, of this diet at least, was to turn you into a femme fatale. Maybe they'd like to help you qualify for the Miss World pageant as well.
Anyway, all of this begs the question: If diets and dieting are just a new wrinkle in our endless pursuit of attraction and happiness, is there anything wrong with that? There is certainly no crime in wanting to look good. So why don't we simply admit it: weight loss fulfills our desire to attract others. We all want to be looked at.
In fact, we could say that diets and dieting are potentially redefining the Law of Attraction. Instead of saying, "if you really want something and truly believe it's possible, you'll get what you want," we might say, "if you really look good and truly believe you do, you'll get what you want."
The 2009 winner of the Miss World pageant, announced in South Africa in December 2009 was Miss Gibraltar, Kaiane Aldorino. Maybe it's interesting to note that Miss Gibraltar was described as a "leggy brunette" by some, and also won the swimsuit competition portion of the pageant. If you think about it, you probably have to have something going for you from a looks and body shape perspective if you are going to beat out 111 other beautiful women from around the world.
The reality is, whether we want to admit it, or accept it, inevitably most of us would prefer it if our partners looked great as well as being great.
So, if your goal is to move closer to that Miss World or Mr Universe look, then all that remains is to choose the right diet for yourself, and then stick to it until you meet your goal, not of just losing weight, but of being attractive and (maybe) happier. Whatever works best is certainly best for you.
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