Christina Aguilera used to be my boyfriend's celebrity pass. I used to joke that she was his "other girlfriend." But no more. Ever since she divorced her hubby and started acting like a party animal drunk, he's so over her. The entertainment world seems to be a bit disillusioned with her, as well, especially since she appears to have no real idea about what she's been doing to her body … and it shows. While performing at the Michael Jackson tribute concert in Wales this weekend, she chose an unflattering, skimpy, tight outfit and insane bedhead hairdo that made her look like a total mess.
Now, I'm all about the womanly curves, and in a more flattering dress, I thought she looked hella sexy. But what isn't hot at all is HOW it seems like she's gotten to this point with her body.
See, besides the fact that she's said to be hitting the bottle these days — a fact that should not be discounted (just think of all the extra calories lots of alcohol can add up to!) — and that she reportedly binge eats junk, she's also destroyed her metabolism with yo-yo dieting. She suffered from an eating disorder in her teens, and ever since, she's gone through periods of eating really well and eating like crap — a toxic pattern that experts call "disordered eating." She's gained and lost so much weight over the years that it's totally thrown off her body's ability to burn fat effectively. And she's only 30 years old!
It's actually a really scary premise, considering that Christina's backstory isn't all that uncommon. So many of us have done the same thing. I used to sit in Weight Watchers meetings and hear fellow members talk about how this was their third time joining the program, or hear a woman at her "goal weight" say how she's been there several times before … but hoped this would be the time it actually stuck. It's definitely disturbing to think that weight roller coaster many of us feel like we're on for life is axing our ability to lose weight and keep it off healthfully.
A completely-shot metabolism is no joke. And it's hard enough if your metabolism slows down, because you're getting a bit older or you're dealing with not-so-"skinny genes" that mess with your thyroid and other hormones!
Seems like the only solution is to try to put an end to those yo-yo diets and disordered eating patterns once and for all. Commit to more consistent healthy eating (you know, with the occasional indulgence, because deprivation doesn't help either!). Not easy, but definitely worth it if it prevents us from wrecking our metabolisms.
As for Christina, it just breaks my heart that she's been subjected to such nasty criticism about her curves, but I hope she figures it out soon that she needs to clean up her act. Her career and her health depend on it.
Would you consider yourself a yo-yo dieter? Did you know it can wreck your metabolism?
Image via Wales News Service/Splash News