I’ve just woken up and I reach for my phone. I know, I know, it’s not the best thing for my mental health. I’m working on it. Anyway, I’m on YouTube scrolling and clicking when I come across a Youtuber sharing her weight loss secrets. I’m in the industry, so I decide to hear her out.
She shares her daily routine, which includes a morning workout and salad this and kale that. Then on a light note, she shares that she’s never been anything above 115 pounds (52 kgs), and she is 5’6 feet tall. My video is interrupted by an ad that’s promoting an anti-wrinkle cream, yet the model doesn’t look a day over 19 years old. The video resumes, and I can’t help but see the similarity, or should I say hypocrisy… no that’s too mean, let’s use the word irony, of these two videos.
How can the girl from the ad who is too young to have ever had wrinkles be the best person to advertise an anti-wrinkle cream? In the same way, how can a girl who has been slim all her life be the best person to give weight loss advice?
I can see the value in asking someone already slim how they are so but it usually isn’t valuable info if you are not naturally slim. Naturally, slim people won the gene lottery, and even on a predominantly junk food diet, it may take years for them to gain weight. On the contrary, if you gain 2 kilos from a weekend of KFC and wine, they shouldn’t be your reference point.
Now that that’s off my chest, who should you ask for advice? Well, the best person is a professional nutritionist or fitness expert. It may seem obvious, but these social media streets can make a good case for random celebrities. Chances are, said celebrities may have gone under the knife for their current appearance.
As a last resort, you can ask someone who, at least, has walked a mile in the weight loss shoes. That would be more helpful than the ever-skinny Youtuber.
To sum up, in the hierarchy of weight loss information, finding an expert is at the top. An expert nutritionist or fitness personnel is simply the most logical person to talk to about weight loss. Short of that, let the person who’s helping you be one who has walked the weight loss journey. Nine out of ten times, anyone else is a disappointment waiting to happen.