Society dictates the ideal weight. Models today tend to be lean. The focus is no longer on health, but on a pencil-thin figure. Of course, it is healthy to pay attention to your diet and avoid being overweight, but when body weight becomes the main focus of your life, we are talking about obsession, which is physically and emotionally extremely unhealthy.
When you're obsessed with losing weight and striving for the ideal figure, your whole day revolves around the pounds. You step on the scales before your morning coffee to measure the extra chocolates from the day before. After every exercise session, they go back on the scales to check whether it has done any good.
The obsession arises from society's pressure to conform to the ideal body weight. Health tends to be of secondary importance. In fact, there are many people who starve themselves to lose weight and then suffer from deficiency symptoms.
The compulsion to lose weight means that the mood of the day is determined by the first trip to the scales. If you are a kilo lighter, the day is ok, if you are a few grams over, your mood sinks to zero. Society would have us believe that body weight is the ultimate indicator of health and beauty. This is a misconception, as the figures on the scales only show the weight of the body and provide no information about fitness, appearance and health. Individual beauty cannot simply be measured in numbers. It is often people who have a few pounds too many who have prettier faces than many an emaciated top model. Body weight alone also provides no information about bone density and muscles. Muscles are heavier than fat, which is why you don't lose any kilos or even put on weight after weeks of training, because the body fat has turned into muscle mass.
There is also a huge difference between being overweight and just missing the ideal weight. If you are too thin and eat too little to lose weight, you have less energy to stay fit. If your day revolves around counting calories and striving for the supposed ideal figure becomes an obsession, your mental health suffers. Bad moods and self-hatred show on your face and make you less beautiful. If you are happy with your "normal" figure, you can lead a more relaxed life and don't get depressed after the occasional sin.
It is important to understand health and fitness fundamentally. The goal should be to be healthy and active rather than thin. Fitness levels and health are better measured by BMI, i.e. the percentage of body fat you have, or by the ratio of hip circumference to waist. According to the now outdated weight charts, many of the best athletes would be overweight, whereas in reality they are at the peak of their physical fitness.
Instead of obsessing about body weight and living by the scales, it makes much more sense to focus on a generally healthy diet that is low in fat and sugar and on regular physical activity that is fun.
