Weight loss of any measure comes with challenges. Weight loss is difficult because, typically, it requires that you alter you outlook on food, fitness, and sometimes your lifestyle as a whole. Completely altering your lifestyle is a daunting task. For me, it proved to be more difficult because of these barriers I had constructed for a more supportive and validating environment for myself while I was obese. These barriers were what I now call my “FAT misconceptions”. I came up with multiple explanations for why I was fat, why I did not go to the gym, etc. I believed these to be justifications; later after my weight loss journey started, I finally admitted these all to be excuses. These misconceptions weren’t solely about self-reflection. I also created these ideas to cover the world around me- anything that would relate negatively to my obesity. I believe these misconceptions to be somewhat universal. The truth is, being fat is a huge piece of emotional baggage you carry around at all times. Personally, I dealt with this by creating any sort of excuse I could to make myself feel better- to alleviate just a bit of that pain. Maybe you’ll find some of these statements to be familiar. Without further ado, I give you my list of top big, FAT misconceptions:
1.”Only fit people go to the gym”- Previously, on the VERY rare occasion that I would go to the gym, it would be infested with fit, beautiful, muscular gym-rats. I would look around and think “look at that skinny bitch… she doesn’t need to be here!” REALITY CHECK: She looks like that BECAUSE she is here! The majority of these people look that way because they make fitness a regular habit. Fitness is not something that develops overnight. It requires dedication, persistence, and discipline.
2.”I’ll diet until I get to my goal weight, then I’ll be set” WRONG! I can’t begin to tell you how many times I would say this to myself. It would be an internal pep-talk: “Come on, Erika… just diet hard for a few months and when you drop the weight, you won’t have to worry about this again.” Ummm… how do you think you got yourself here? Weight loss is referred to as a “journey” because it doesn’t end. It is a life-long commitment. Once your goal weight is reached, you responsible for maintenance forever! Throwing this out the window and accepting the long road ahead was one of the most relieving moments I have had in this process.
3. “Personal trainers are meant for celebrities” ..Or the wealthy, the fit, the beautiful… not for the overweight-middle-class and certainly not for me! Admittedly, the aforementioned do have more time and funds to hire and utilize a personal trainer than the average person. However, it is the overweight that need personal trainers the most! People are uncomfortable setting foot in the gym for a number of reasons: lack of fitness knowledge, general anxiety with and ignorance of equipment, negative self-esteem, embarrassment, or a combination of all of the above! Fitness professionals strive to alleviate all of those problems and help to create and execute a plan that will lead you to achieve your goals. Personal trainers provide support and accountability to their clients- both of which are necessary to achieve results with weight loss. (Kudos to my trainer, Carley, for going above and beyond in the call of duty!)
4. “I’m starting a diet Monday, so I need to get in ALL the junk in the next two days!” I can’t believe how backwards this sounds to me now. Maybe if I had just written this thought out previously I would have realized how ridiculous it is. First off, if you are “starting a diet” or a new routine… why are you waiting until Monday? I’ve mentioned this in a previous post and will probably write about it in several more: there is nothing magical about Monday. Your body doesn’t know the difference- stop delaying and commit already! Starting a “diet” and getting healthy is a great resolution to make! However, you are not doing yourself any favors by cramming junk into your body today to prepare for a healthier diet tomorrow. See the void in the logic there?
Of course there are many more where those came from! As it has been said, hindsight is 20/20. Looking back on my old attitude, I can see why I wasn’t getting anywhere! Personally, my greatest success in this journey has been the total overhaul of this previous mindset. I had to finally accept responsibility for excessive weight I had gained, open my mind, and change gears. The moment I let go of the excuses and resentment, change began to take place. I slowly started to grow into the person I had always wanted to be. Be free of your excuses, friends! It’s time to start living life on your terms!
