This seems terribly obvious, right? Losing weight is hard.
But if you read women's magazines and women's fitness blogs, you might be inclined to believe otherwise.
"I started eating clean and the pounds started to melt away!"
"I learned to love exercise!"
"I lost 30 pounds by taking up weightlifting and watching my diet!"
What these kinds of statements gloss over is the huge transition period in the middle.
What is that period, exactly? It's the point between the decision to lose weight and the end result. The part during which your mind and body remember that 3pm is half-a-bag-of-Snickers time, and you have to overcome that craving despite the fact that you still don't look how you want. The part during which you have to learn to deal with your emotions without shoveling huge amounts of food down your gullet. The part when you can't really see any changes taking place and you're frustrated and you're hungry and you don't even know why you bother anymore but you somehow keep plugging along.
Does that sound easy to you?
I didn't think so.
So let's all resolve to stop acting like our weight loss was OMG so easy and fun. The end result is fun and it feels great... but the process? The process is a great character-builder. And that, my friends, is code for "It sucks."
PS: Thanks for all the kind comments & retweets of my post and video from yesterday! <3
I agree - I think anyone who commits to losing weight and getting fit is in it for the long haul. It's a lifestyle change not just a fad diet. Well, there are those, but they don't last. I also think people shouldn't think it happens overnight. Just like you don't build amazing biceps or shoulders in just 2 easy weeks.
ReplyDeleteExactly! And lifestyle changes become natural...but they don't make that shift overnight, ya know? It's a process!
DeleteIt's definitely "character building!" That being said, there are some good reasons why people DO say it's easy.
ReplyDelete1) So as not to discourage others from trying to lose weight
2) Because what seemed so hard in the beginning in now just a part of everyday life.
I definitely, wholeheartedly agree with #2! It does become natural. But... I don't know if we're doing people a service by making it seem less difficult. I think if we ACT like fat loss is relatively easy and then someone starts trying to lose weight and it's hard, their first inclination may be to think they're doing something wrong, ya know?
DeleteI agree 100%! I had an experience yesterday where one of my clients told me she didn't want to follow a six week plan because she was going to bulk up. I'm going to post more about it tomorrow but things like that drive me crazy! I wish the media didn't make it seem so easy - it certainly makes my job a lot harder!
ReplyDeleteUgh don't even get me started. I estimate that I've put on around 12-16lb of muscle **total** (going from couch potato 2 years ago to where I am now) and for people to act like "OMG I'M GOING TO GAIN 25LB OF MUSCLE IN A MONTH!" is quite frankly almost an insult to the work I've put in just to make these modest gains!!!
DeleteI partly agree with Vanessa about the not discouraging others from trying part - I got to the point where I didn't want to tell anyone I was trying to lose weight because I got sick of hearing from everyone about how hard it was. Yes, I get it. I plan to do work and will probably work hard the rest of my life to maintain - but then again, when is life ever just easy? I mean, is there anything in life that is ever just handed to us all the time without us having to put in any effort? Shouldn't we all know by now that if it sounds too good to be true - "bikini ready in just 6 days!" - it almost definitely is? Why should fat loss be any different?
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of surprised people said that to you! I don't think if any of my friends or family came to me and said they were trying to lose weight I'd respond with "It's sooo hard!" It kind of seems...condescending almost? I don't know, maybe I'm just overly sensitive haha.
DeleteI definitely agree that we shouldn't OVERemphasize that weight loss is hard but I do think we should be realistic - I feel like people come into weight loss / getting fit / getting healthy kind of underprepared for the struggle, ya know? Not that anything can really prepare you.
Not get all Herbal Essence on you but: YES YES YES!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt can be fun, rewarding, exciting, challenging, an adventure and more. But for me, fat loss, specifically, (not necessarily "healthy living") is not easy.
Also, I've never had the "melting away" experience but it sounds awesome. haha.
haha! I love you Mel =) I would love to experience the 'melting away' bit too. THAT sounds fantastic.
Delete(Long time reader, first time commenter) This is SO TRUE. I've hit the 3mth mark since deciding to get fit and loose weight where it's HARD, where I, as you said, have to deal with my emotions without eating ALL MY FEELINGS and it's just not super fun at the moment. Soooooo character building. THANK YOU for posting this today :)
ReplyDeleteHey!! Thanks for commenting!!!! =)
DeleteIt's still really hard for me to avoid eating my emotions. I literally have to talk myself through it: "Is this (dread / anxiety / sadness / anger) going to go away if I eat 458687 pounds of chocolate? How about if I stuff myself til I want to puke? No? Okay then, guess I'll just deal with it." It freaking SUCKS. But - I imagine that being horribly out of shape and having a heart attack would suck too. So I try to keep things in perspective. haha
Fat loss is SO HARD!!! I get really annoyed by magazine titles that say things like "3 easy moves to toned abs!" I've got a news flash-- if it's easy, you're probably not getting results. And if it WERE that easy, wouldn't we all have our dream bodies?!
ReplyDeleteThanks Stephanie!!!! I totally agree. If your fitness routine:
DeleteTakes 3, 4, or 8 minutes "only three times a week";
Will get you results in "just 14 days";
Could be described as "easy" or "effortless," OR
Has the word "breakthrough" in its title ANYWHERE....
There is a 90% chance you are wasting your time. lol!!
Well said! It was hard to lose the weight and it is darn hard trying to continually improve and even maintain. Some days when I want to blow off a workout, I flash back to the original process, the plateaus, the looking in the mirror not being where I wanted to be and seeing all the work I had ahead of me. I never want to have to repeat that process, so I head to the gym which is hard knowing losing 65 pounds all over again is even harder!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Karla!! I *try* to keep that in mind too -- I can either keep my diet reasonable or I'm eventually going to have to lose 60lbs....again. And God knows that was pretty miserable the first time!
Deletewell said, my friend! i think the end result of those "rosy" diet stories is that the regular folks feel frustrated, guilty, and like failures.
ReplyDeleteThanks T! <3 My mom gets frustrated because of things like this and it's frustrating for ME to see that happen too!!!
DeleteSeriously, speak the truth. Weight loss SUCKS. I mean the results are great, but the journey...
ReplyDeleteYep - the journey is kind of a nightmare! haha!
DeleteI could kiss you for this post!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't get me wrong...I know I have health benefits from living a better lifestyle, however, when people ask "how did you lose the weight?" I always answer, "A lot of hard work, watching my diet, and proper training." And now when I'm stalled at my weight loss and having to restructure how I look at this journey with shifting my focus to body fat reduction versus concentrating on the scale and still get up every morning to get my exercise in or pack my lunches for the next day is when I really gotta dig deep. Again thank you soooo very much!
ReplyDeleteHEY! Thanks for commenting!!! I commented on (& love!!!) your blog =D
DeleteAnd you're right - it is REALLY hard to focus on fat loss and stay motivated when the scale starts moving really slowly. That's where I am right now and it freaking sucks!
Another first time poster. Losing fat is tough, as much mentally as physically but it can be done. I lost 87lbs five years ago through changing a small thing every week(diet or exercise)which eventually became a new lifestyle, it was so hard, but determination and not giving up got me through, along with some tears!
ReplyDeleteI've body building now for a few years, and have just started my 2nd ever diet- my comp prep diet as I'm competing in figure for the first time in July, this is going to be tough again, but so worth it.
Thank you for your inspiring blog
Hey Karen! Thanks for commenting!!!! =)
DeleteI love that you changed things slowly, week by week. When I first lost all 60lbs, I kinda jumped in and changed everything all at once and I wonder whether that bit me in the butt and ended up causing some of my fat regain (which I'm losing now).
CONGRATS on deciding to compete!! That's so awesome! Good luck! =D
I find that I am fine during the week but once the weekend hits (and especially since its getting nice out) my diet fails big time! Thats what I find the hardest part!
ReplyDeleteI went to the beach last weekend with people who could care less what they ate, so I had to pack a seperate picnic for myself which took forever while everyone was waiting for me. So annoying, which is why I usually fail at weekends...im not going to go to a friends for dinner and not eat what they serve me...!!%#%^$%^!
The social aspect of dieting is definitely one of the toughest parts! Luckily I've been pretty upfront with my family and friends and they've been very accepting...for the most part. I appease Max's grampa and eat whatever it is that he desperately wants me to try probably about once a month - just easier to keep the peace that way haha!
DeleteI find that I am fine during the week but once the weekend hits (and especially since its getting nice out) my diet fails big time! Thats what I find the hardest part!
ReplyDeleteI went to the beach last weekend with people who could care less what they ate, so I had to pack a seperate picnic for myself which took forever while everyone was waiting for me. So annoying, which is why I usually fail at weekends...im not going to go to a friends for dinner and not eat what they serve me...!!%#%^$%^!
...fat loss is easy...pffft...yeah right! I have been dieting since last August my darling beautiful Sable, and I still crave 3 o'clock Snickers. Fat loss is hard, and losing weight is a job unto itself. That being said, you can do it! Gotta go see this video!
ReplyDeleteUgh, I get the same vibe from a lot of blogs, hence my 'abs' post - it's just not that easy to achieve a stunning figure, and I think the process is often vastly oversimplified. Not by you though, clearly.
ReplyDeleteThe in-between stage is something I cannot get past at the moment - I always cave in. I know if I could just see some tiny result, have a little ray of hope that I'd 'get there' in the end then I wouldn't give up so readily. But the hunger, or emotional hunger, always wins out.
But I think we all need to hear that weight loss/fat loss takes hard work; that, for the majority, it sucks, because it helps to prevent disillusionment withourselves resulting from people having 'magic' transformations and seemingly being effortlessly thin while we are still plodding on through that daily grind.
xxx