The Ugly Truth

I do a weekly brainstorming session just to make sure that the ideas that spin in my head aren’t just one hit wonders. Most times if an idea makes it to my note pad more than once, then I will, in time, write about it. I also ask for ideas from other people. Today I got a note from my husband asking

“Why do people struggle to lose weight and keep it off.”

Seems simple enough right? Calories in needs to be lower than calories out. Poof, you have lost weight. Right? NEVER!! This question from Doug, my husband, would seem odd from the outside. In the fall of 2011 we were in a very different place. We were both fat. Very fat. But for him, although he knew he was big, it didn’t happen overnight and it just was what it was. And apparently for most of the world.

Obesity definitions, sources and methods:
Obesity definition: obese is a person with a body mass index (BMI) over 30 kg/m2.
BMI is defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in metres (kg/m2)
The data on obesity displayed on the Worldometers' counter is based on the latest statistics published by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Globally, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults, at least 300 million of them clinically obese. Obesity rates that have risen three­fold or more since 1980 in some areas of North America, the United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific Islands, Australasia and China. Economic growth, modernization, urbanization and globalization of food markets are just some of the forces thought to underlie the epidemic.

One day Doug had a mind shift and for him that is all that it took. He was going to get this extra weight off and be healthy. Three and a half years later, he is still working on that last 5 lbs with a body fat % of 11%. He made a choice and did it. But he is the anomaly. Most of us can’t seem to lose it and when we do, it usually comes back on and then some.

When Doug decided to make the change, I also did. We worked on it together. But I have not lost all of my weight. I am still struggling. Yes I have lost some, have dropped several sizes, but I still have more than 20 to go and I am at an age where the medical professionals tell me that I am expected to gain weight in the next few years. Yippee.

In our comparisons is

THE UGLY TRUTH.  

Losing weight is not easy!! There I said it. We are as a society told a lot of ugly lies. But let me lay the truth out for you.

1 Losing weight is not easy.
Anyone who says losing weight is easy is either lying to you, is naturally blessed with
a fast metabolism, hasn’t really tried to lose a few, or is also lying to themselves.

2 It will take more time than you think.
All the programs in the world are created for an imaginary person living in an imaginary world.
YOU are unique and need to be treated as such.

3 Life will get in the way.
Even the best intentions will have birthdays, weddings, parties, BBQ’s and the list will
go on.

4 Your friends will not support you.
Yeah I know that one hurts but its true. As long as they are looking better than you, you are
relatively safe. But as soon as you start to make a real difference, I’m sorry to say, but it's
going to get ugly.

5 You will backslide a little.
Nobody is perfect, let’s face it. If you think that your journey will be without road
bumps, you are fooling yourself

6 You may get hungry.
Let’s face it, if we didn’t change the way we eat, then we won’t be able to change the
way we look. You shouldn’t always be hungry, if you are, then you won’t stick with it, but a
little deprivation isn’t all bad.

Now, after all that, it’s not all bad. There is hope. Let’s help with just a few ideas to get you back in the light.

1    There are so many ways to get support if you have decided to get healthy. Find the one that works
for you. This Q4Fit page has been set up just for that reason. We want to be there for you and be your support.

2    Remember who you are doing this for, YOU. You deserve to be healthy and happy.

3    None of us got to where we are now overnight, so don’t panic. One little healthy decision at a time.

4    The scale is only one form of measure, so stop staring at it. If you are putting physical activity into your new eating habits, you will be building muscle. We all have seen the ugly pictures online of what a pound of fat looks like compared to a pound of lean muscle.

5    Make small bite size goals. Losing a size in a month is a little lofty, yup, it can be done, but plan for a little more time and then if you are ahead of the plan. Booyah, good for you.

6    A healthier life is a longer life. Just get started. Do what you can. Plan to succeed and you will.

 

“Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.” –  Nido Qubein

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