Detox diets, weight loss pills and fad diets are placed in almost every magazine a young woman reads. Most college females are not properly educated on how to maintain a healthy weight and are instead persuaded to believe false dieting plans to achieve the ideal body. They feel the need to go to extremes, rather than make small lifestyle changes.

I hear my friends say, “I’ll just take an Adderall today to help me focus and curb my appetite.” Or, “I ate bad last night, so I am not going to eat today.”

Little do these girls know, starving themselves only slows their metabolisms. When a person refuses to eat when they are hungry, they feel famished, weak and are unable to focus. This will lead to binge eating. When your stomach is growling, it means your body needs energy from food.

News flash ladies: We are at college to succeed and attain a job — how do you expect to manage a busy exam week when you are unable to focus because you are lacking proper nutrients, in order to achieve that “Spring Break bod”?

In Nancy Clark’s “Sports Nutrition Guidebook,” Clark states, “Diets don’t work. Dieting and denial lead to overeating, if not binge eating.”

Going long periods without eating propels the body into starvation mode. The body will store the next meal — instead of converting the food to energy — in fear of future starvation. This can cause weight gain.

If a female is looking to lose weight, it is actually quite simple. Along with getting proper exercise three to five days a week, she should eat when she starts to feel hungry to prevent binge eating, unnecessary food storage and the development of harmful eating habits.

Girls, it’s not that hard. Do not fall into the fad diets that claim you will lose “three dress sizes in two weeks” for Spring Break. If you really feel the need to shed pounds, look to a nutritionist or an educational book for a healthy way to achieve your goal. Although it will take longer to notice the lasting results, you will appreciate it in the long run.

Dana Presnell

journalism freshman