In the western world we seem to be obsessed with celebrities at the moment, with newspapers and magazines filled with all the latest news and gossip. We seem to be obsessed with celebrity diets as well because it seems that every few days we hear about the latest celebrity who has lost a lot of weight, along with their customary before and after photos.
Furthermore every year around Christmas and New Year there are a whole raft of celebrity fitness DVDs being released, and these sell in huge quantities. So what are the reasons for this obsession?
Well the main reason is of course because many of us want to lose weight ourselves. So due to the fact that so many of us fail to hit our weight loss targets, or try going on a diet only to give up at some stage, it is only natural that we want to hear about how some of these celebrities have succeeded where we have failed.
Plus these stories are often uplifting and inspiring. When you go on a diet it can be really difficult, and it is all too easy to lose your discipline and your motivation. However if you read about a particular celebrity who you like, and look at how great they look as a result of their weight loss, it can encourage you to try and emulate these celebrities and get the same kind of results yourself.
Another reason is simply because many of us are just nosy and curious by nature. I include myself in this category because I am fairly thin myself, so have no reason to read any of these stories. However I still find myself reading these stories just out of curiosity, and I think a lot of other people do too.
It should be pointed out, though, that these famous celebrities have not discovered a major secret that has helped them shed a lot of weight. The reality is that there are no weight loss secrets. It all comes down to exercise and a healthy diet.
You will discover this for yourself when you read all of these celebrity weight loss stories. The results of their weight loss are generally the result of a healthier diet, a strict fitness regime, or both in a lot of cases.
The only difference between them and us is that they can afford gym memberships and the very best personal trainers to ensure that they hit their targets. However you don't need lots of money to get in shape because you can simply go outside and start running, for example, which costs nothing.
The key to successful weight loss is to control your calorie intake and find a way of burning a lot more calories. If you can do both of these things, then you can create your own weight loss story and inspire other people to lose weight. Celebrities are not doing anything massively different to anyone else who has managed to lose weight in the past, so you should take this into account when thinking about trying to lose weight yourself.
James Woolley runs a blog which features articles on weight loss, and a number of other subjects. Click here to read about Russell Grant's weight loss journey and to read all about the Pauline Quirke weight loss diet.