Some healthy perspective

I was reading an interview with Liz Hurley recently in which she demonstrated some healthy perspective when it came to weight gain. Liz still has an enviable body at 46 but is 10lbs heavier and a dress size larger than before she had her son.

Weight gain during pregnancy is very common and the extreme measures some celebrities follow to lose the extra pounds are often unhealthy. Weight should be lost slowly and steadily and a certain amount of weight gain as we age should be accepted as normal.

As we age our hormone levels change - oestrogen levels drop for women and testosterone levels drop for men. The body can produce a small amount of these important hormones from body fat and so compensates for the natural decline in hormone production by increasing fat stores, particularly around the torso.

Instead of resorting to the 1000 calorie a day diet and watercress soup regimen she used to use to stay slim, Liz has instead accepted her heavier natural weight, cleared out her closet of her size 8 clothes ('it's not good to make yourself feel heavy') and adopted a much healthier diet which I'd happily recommend to most clients.

I think this kind of healthy perspective often comes from having children, but we should all take a leaf out of Liz's book and instead of dieting to try to squeeze into our jeans from ten years ago, clear out our closets and focus on eating for health rather than trying to stay super slim.

For anyone interested the interview and food plan can be found in this months Zest magazine.
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