She seems impossibly thin and has even been rumored to have an eating disorder. Victoria Beckham, otherwise known as Posh Spice, has managed to take weight loss to new levels.
While reaching a body weight as low as Victoria's should never be advocated due to the dangers of malnutrition, there may be secrets she can share that could be incorporated into a sensible weight loss plan. The important point to remember is that calorie restriction and exercise should be done in moderation and not taken to extreme levels which can have serious health consequences.
That being said, what are the Victoria Beckham diet secrets that have allowed her to reach her low body weight and what can we learn from them when practice in moderation?
Victoria Beckham Exercise Secret: Sit-ups
Victoria Beckham admits to doing a series of two hundred sit-ups each day to maintain toned abdominals. Toned abdominals are obviously important to her since she appears in the public eye wearing some extremely form fitting outfits.
Analysis:
Two hundred sit-ups per day would seem a bit extreme. Plus, if she does the same series of exercises every day, her body will eventually adjust and stop showing improvements in muscle tone. It would be better to incorporate sit-ups into a more diverse abdominal exercise routine incorporating a variety of exercises targeting upper and lower abdominals. It also should be remembered that you can't spot reduce. Abdominal exercises won't remove abdominal fat. Aerobic exercise combined with resistance training is best for this.
Victoria Beckham Diet Secret: What She Eats
Posh Spice claims to eat a diet comprised primarily of lettuce, strawberries, and edamame soy beans. She calls this her special diet plan and claims to be using it to get in shape for her upcoming reunion tour.
Analysis:
This diet, while low in calories, is too restrictive to maintain long term health. While the edamame does provide protein and heart healthy isoflavones and strawberries provide a variety of vitamins and antioxidants, her diet is not diverse enough to maintain optimal nutritional status. A smarter choice would be to add a variety of high volume, lower calorie fruits and vegetables along with some protein rich foods such as eggs and fish which have omega 3 fatty acids. She also needs to add some whole grain foods to her diet to increase her daily fiber intake.
Victoria Beckham Diet Secret: Tea
Victoria Beckham was seen sipping tea on her eleven hour flight to Los Angeles. When questioned, Victoria attributed her low body weight to the tea she drinks on a regular basis which she describes as a peppermint tea. She reportedly drank this throughout the entire flight without consuming any food.
Analysis:
While tea can be a healthy drink, a person who wishes to incorporate some of Posh Spice's diet secrets into their fitness plan should consider adding green tea as opposed to peppermint tea. Green tea not only has positive effects on the metabolism but also has cancer preventive properties.
Drinking tea may also have a suppressive effect on the appetite. While drinking tea is a healthy activity, eleven hours without food is an unhealthy move on the part of Victoria Beckham. Not is she not supplying her body with essential fuel and nutrients, she's also potentially sending her body into starvation mode, causing her metabolism to slow down.
