Hand on heart: Who wouldn't like to look even better naked? And do you also compare yourself with invented beauty ideals? So many people want to lose weight and feel good in their bodies. The fact is, we're getting fatter every year. "But what's more exciting is that men are significantly more overweight than women. Why? Women are under a visual, media pressure to succeed in our society. Magazine covers with pretty women - all photoshopped, of course," Patrick Heizmann makes his point at the Cologne Speaker Night in the Lanxess Arena. In the middle of the magazine you find the article on the topic: "Accept yourself as you are", followed by the minced-veal-and-banana diet and at the end there are six pages of cake recipes. What's the point, asks the coach.
"I find formats like "Germanys next Topmodel" much more problematic. My daughter is nine years old. She doesn't watch that yet. But if she's going to watch something like that soon in her discovery phase... What kind of image of women, a false ideal of beauty, is being conveyed there? I think when you watch this show, the term 'flat screen' takes on a whole new meaning. Or Instagram - also a great example. It's the same for me. I take 50 photos of myself, take 30 minutes to pick out the best one, then put a filter over it and put it online. And then we unconsciously compare ourselves to this beautifully made world as soon as we look at ourselves in the mirror," the fitness expert notes again and again. This creates pressure. According to Patrick, we console this pressure with our five friends: Twix, Mars, Snickers, Milka, Rocher... We feel good. Just until we stand in front of the mirror, tense everything and shake our bodies.
"In my community, by the way, the scale is also called 'floor bitch.' And rightly so. It's a number that decides your mood - especially a woman's mood. There are some of us who first blow-dry their hair and then stand on the scale. And don't you dare let it show 100 or 200 grams more... Mirror and scale in the bathroom - do you know which sentence takes on a whole new meaning? I'm getting ready!" And again another example of a false ideal of beauty.
Men deal with the subject completely differently: "We sit down in the sauna next to an even fatter person and think: 'You can still do it.' We men also have such a time when we worry about our figure. Namely, exactly when we suffer from the Snow White complex. Are you not familiar with it? Looking down and realizing: "There's a dwarf living behind the mountain," Patrick quips.
"I really wish I could take the visual pressure off women by sharing how we men talk about women when they're not around. I've heard it all before: 'She's got my back, mine is always in a good mood, she's my best friend, mine is smart.' But I've never heard: "My wife is the thinnest. My appeal to all men, and here I also touch my own nose: we have to give our women more serious compliments again, strengthen them in their self-image. No one should compare themselves to false ideals of beauty. There are men who say: "What do you mean, compliments? I told her at the beginning of the relationship that she looks good and if she changes anything, I'll get back to you.' So, compliment her!"
On the point of hunger, Patrick also has an important experience to share. "There are many people who approach dieting like this: They starve themselves down to their desired weight. There are some crazy people who spread half a cucumber and three tomatoes over their whole day. Cocktail tomatoes! Nobody can keep that up. Being full is extremely important. I recommend you:
Only, what do many do with the yolk? We often throw it away. Because of a false ideal of beauty? Yet it contains every nutrient a chick would need to survive in a closed egg. "For example, I regularly have my blood and fat levels measured. I highly recommend that: Eat as many eggs as you want over four weeks. It's a great gift from Mother Nature that this food is suitable for us. It carries no ingredient list and is a natural product. But listen to your appetite. Because we have completely forgotten to listen to our natural appetite. What pregnant women have - a desire for food - that has been completely lost on us," says the speaker and advises, "Get your cholesterol checked by your GP after four weeks. But watch out for quality eggs. I think it's an outrage when eggs are sold in discounters for €0.10 and less. That is an impudence, robbery murder of the animals as well as the farmers."
"I want to bring lightness and fun to this topic. But don't come up to me and ask: 'Patrick, how can I lose weight fast?' I'm not the man for that. I want you to be relaxed about this subject and not cater to any beauty ideals. You only have one life and you should live it to the maximum. This is my work. And if you lose weight on the side track, wonderful! But the bottom line is this: We want to stay young while getting older so that, at best, we're still having really good sex at 95 while our peers still manage to feed the ducks in the park. So, stay healthy, but also do something about it!"
