Carboload and Diet Rite

I used to love teen magazines; I blame my 20^th birthday for the discontinuation of YM Magazine.  Even though the “Say Anything” section was obviously fabricated, it still put me at ease with my awkward teenage-ness.  Besides the many fashion and makeup tips learned from these magazines, I consider myself an unofficial diet expert.  The everyday little things, like blotting pizza, ordering dressing on the side, and drinking 8 to 10 gallons of water a day are tried and true standbys. It was amazing how many different ways they could be spun in each monthly issue.  These magazines were also full of mixed messages like “You are beautiful just the way you are, but here are some tips to lose 10 pounds instantly!” and “Be confident, hide your flaws with these celeb makeup tips!”  Believe me, I used my share of Cover Girl products, and I’m still waiting to look like Niki Taylor. 

Photos courtesy of http://www.tias.com/stores/joespaper/

And how is it possible for so many books and products to successfully play into this confusion?  While riding the train, I noticed an ad for the OMG! Diet.  My interest piqued, I snapped a photo and went home to search the web.  Any diet that claims “broccoli carbs can be worse than soda carbs” is worth a second look.  (As long as I didn’t have to pay for anything!)  So Google lead me to a Huffington Post “article”.  Apparently, this book was written by a British dude named Venice, who is selling his successful British plan to American Women.  Are we supposed to trust a guy who chose to be known as Venice?  He definitely looks like a con-artist, but I still looked into all of his claims.  Basically, his plan is to eat healthy foods and exercise, but he uses some outrageous claims to get attention.  (Is it disappointing that this worked?  That’s a question for another day.) 

Here is my photojournalism at its finest!

Without anything new to take away, I was disappointed but not really surprised.  For a diet to be “OMG!” worthy, it would make living healthy exciting.  A diet that would make low blood pressure and strong immune systems be the new skinny.  A “Who cares if I’m a size 10, I walked up the stairs without getting winded, and my digestion?  Like a freakin’ clock!”  I would call it the Greenwich ME Time Diet!  I bet the doctors that back 5 Hour Energy would support the idea, I just have to get funding.  (Maybe I will start accepting Google ads, so in about 20 years!)

While I know what my priorities should be, I can’t help learning about the latest fad diet.  Perhaps someday I will accept that life isn’t full of quick fixes, no matter what Jenny tells me!

Here is the link to the article, and pretty ridiculous slideshow:

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/07/05/health-six-weeks-to-omg-diet-really-works_n_1650323.html#slide=1183922