Saturday is for starving

Starving on Saturdays is a young trend that has more to do with the ‘LBD’ than ‘GOD’. Whether in an attempt to fit into that little black dress or get more bang for the buck from booze, city youngsters gladly skip meals in anticipation of the party-weekend.

Karan Goenka, a business executive says, “I have quite a few college friends who starve the entire day before heading out to a party for the simple reason that they wanted to look slimmer and fit into that ‘perfect dress’. Besides, drinking on an empty stomach also gets you high quicker, which is probably one of the reasons why students with limited budgets do so.” The first time Karan realised his friends were skipping meals ahead of a party, he cracked up, “It’s quite hilarious that someone would do that. But it is also understandable, since girls want to look their best.”

There’s also youthful (and misguided) logic at play when youngsters try to balance the high calorie content of alcohol by not eating. “Thin is in and we all know that alcohol is high on calories. A couple of my model friends who are particularly conscious of their figures do tend to skip a meal or two on weekends to cut down their calorie intake ahead of a party. And in case they do consume more than the stipulated amount, they modify their diet and workout regime accordingly to make up for it,” says Sharon Aamir, DJ and party regular.

But this trend of starving all day to down a few pegs could prove to be more harmful than expected. Nutritionist, Sowmya Pabba reveals that the repercussions of starvation could lead to anything from minor problems like acidity to gastrointestinal problems. “In extreme cases, this could lead to anorexia, peptic ulcers and prolonged nausea. Besides, the resultant overeating could lead to obesity and related problems like high cholesterol and anemia as well,” she says.