We are a nation that has grown to be pretty good at excuses.
Stemming as early as childhood, with ‘the dog ate my homework’ one liners and
now is just as frequent with people trying to get healthy. This is something I
know first-hand, as I too, was once the queen of excuses. I often found myself creating
a web of reasons why I wasn’t losing weight, and using them to justify why that
bit of cake was definitely deserved. Here are my 10 reasons why you’re struggling to lose weight, and if you can relate to these, it’s probably time
to stop moaning and start doing.
1)
You’re subconsciously eating -
I hear all too often I’m eat really healthy but I still don’t lose weight… This can
often be the case where generally your three meals a day contain varied amount of
healthy ingredients which ordinarily would help you to succeed, however, the subconscious
eating that takes place outside of meal time could be having a detrimental
effect to your weight loss goals. Those little bits of things you nibble on
when you’re making supper, the leftover food on your child or loved ones plate,
that bit of cake in the staffroom from which you ‘only had a slither’ all mount
up to taking you over a calorific deficit and will inhibit your goals. Be true
to yourself, what you eat in private you wear in public – you could be eating
excess calories without even realising!
2)
You changed too much too soon –
We’re an impatient society which wants all
of the results with none of the work. We panic buy all too often for fear of
missing out on the ‘special offer’, we take ‘miracle weight loss advice’ in the
hope it will make the results happen sooner. Reality is if the perfect body was
that achievable, everyone would be goddesses. It is hard, but it is worth it,
but cutting out EVERYTHING you used to love, will only lead you to temptation –
the forbidden fruit syndrome if you will. If you tell yourself you can’t have
ANY of the things you like, you will eventually lead to a serious binge.
Instead, it is important to allow everything in moderation, and create a
mindset that choses healthy choices through desire and not through desperation.
3)
You’re not pushing beyond your comfort zone –
I hear it all too often that people say
they exercise ‘hard’ and eat ‘well’ but still struggle to lose weight. My
question here would be, are you pushing hard enough? Taking your body to uncomfortable levels is crucial for a big aesthetic change. Within the body
building industry I have known myself and others around me to go to some very ‘dark
places’ in order to achieve the changes we desire. I’m not suggesting you
should hate every moment of your workout, but as the saying goes ‘the comfort
zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.’ – If you aren’t
seeing results from your exercise routine, I would suggest reviewing how hard
you’re actually working, that 10% extra could make all the difference.
4)
You are not eating enough food –
Some people find it hard to believe that you
can eat a large volume of food and still lose weight, and I too once fell into
the trap of attempting to ‘starve myself slim’. Reality is, if you were taking
a car on a long journey you wouldn’t fill it with half the amount of fuel it
needs to get you there, the same applies for your body. In order to perform
well, and live a healthy lifestyle, it is important to give your body the
amount of nutrients it needs. This again is a repeat of point two in the fact
that there are NO quick fixes, and slowing your metabolism right down through
lack of food will not get you to goal any quicker.
5)
You’re showing a poor me attitude –
Are you feeling sorry for yourself in your ‘diet?’
– This is one of the most self-destructive mind-sets to be in when trying to
make a change. Don’t be that person who gives puppy dog eyes when a colleague
offers you a donut, be firm and confident in your decisions to get healthy and
start training your mind to think long-term. No one is making you change your
life, and your desire to feel confident, should always outweigh your need for
sugary treats.
6)
You hate the process –
Fall in love with the process and the
results will come. It is no use signing up to that ‘spinning class’ four times
a week if you’re going to hate every second. Find a sport or exercise you love
and embrace it every time. The gym isn’t for everyone! There are so many
options out there to stay fit and healthy, and it’s a case of finding the best
one for you and your lifestyle. If you dread your exercise every single day,
then you need to change it up so you stick with it and start to see some
amazing results.
7)
You don’t have time.
I am very lucky in the fact that at this
point in my life I do not have responsibilities such as children to get home/up
for each day. This doesn’t mean however I have completely free days and often
squeeze my weights sessions in before work at 6am. I know a lot of other women
and men out there who find ways and means to make exercise happen despite busy
lifestyles and children to attend to. A girl on twitter I particularly admire called
Dawn, has recently started videoing her home workouts, showing how she fits her
training in around her busy schedule. I appreciate that people have very busy
lives, but those hours you waste a day ‘catching up with corrie’ could probably
be spent working on that body you really want.
8)
You’re putting too much pressure on yourself.
It is important to visualise your end goal
but don’t become it. My first ever goal during my journey was to be a ‘size 12’
– once I hit this target I set myself a new one and continued to beat that too.
Slow and steady wins the race, so how about setting yourself small targets
instead? – getting into the black dress you’ve had in the back of the wardrobe,
feeling confident enough to have your arms out on holiday – little goals are
just important as the huge end goal, and will often have you reaching your
dream goal faster than you think.
9)
You’re not taking responsibility for your own
health.
Comparing yourself to others is natural but
can often be extremely self-destructive, especially if it becomes directly
responsible for justifying bad food choices. ‘I’m having pizza because he did’ –
How you view your own health should be paramount, your body is your own and we
all respond in very different ways. Just because a partner, friend, or
colleague chooses to binge, does not give you the excuse to join in ‘just
because they were.’ – If you choose to eat badly, that is your choice, though shifting the blame onto others will definitely not shift the pounds.
10)
Finally, and importantly, You don’t have
the support network.
I believe when trying to get healthy it is
crucial to have people to lean on in times of worry. This doesn’t always have
to be people directly around you, and solace can often be found online through
people on similar journeys. I have met some truly inspirational people on
twitter who often dig me out of dark places and onto the straight and narrow
when needed. There will of course be people that don’t understand your sudden
need to make a change, but ignorance is bliss. Find comfort in people who know
how you are feeling, it can be a very vulnerable place at times but take it
from me, you aren’t alone.
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