Exclusive: Perfect 10 at what cost

New Delhi: Who doesn't want the perfect body? And there are some who are willing to go to any extent to get that perfect 10.

Naini Setalvad tried everything from fad diets to pills and powders — all in the hope of losing weight. At 15, she weighed 85 kg and by 32 she was 150 kg.

“I was fed up of my body size, my body used to ache from head to toe. I couldn't sit, couldn't travel and I could barely walk. I used to be breathless all the time,” Naini said.

A few years ago, Naini was young and vivacious and was willing to do anything to lose weight.

“I remember tablets called skinny-mini. I didn't lose a single kilo but I lost a lot of money,” Naini said. However, there were the side effects too.

“I was hospitalised for a weight loss programme where I was given pills. This led me to constipation and also a lot of laxatives but it wouldn't help. In the process I landed up on the surgery table with an abscess in the rectum,” Naini said.

And it's not just Naini. A lot of women today, want to look like the models on Fashion TV and they'll try anything that promises those perfect curves.

“It's a horrible trend to look perfect. You know, I don't want this little love handle and I don't want this little bit of skin on me. I want the perfect shape and the perfect body. The perfect body is a media creation,” Naini said.

After undergoing immense pain, Naini finally gave up the short cuts to lose weight and followed a balanced diet.

Today, she is a nutritionist herself but finds that very little has changed over the years.

“Very rarely people come wanting to actually improve their health. They just want to be skinny at any cost. It doesn't matter how they achieve it,” Naini said.

So what's the one message she'd give to young girls hunting for quick fixes to look good?

“For heaven's sake don't try these short cuts. I've been through it all. I've walked that path and I know the pitfalls. Don't take that step,” Naini said.

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