Top 6 Excuses to Stop Making to Lose Weight
Top 6 Excuses to Stop Making to Lose Weight
What is your top excuse for not losing weight? Excuses are often what stands between you and a successful weight loss. There could be many of them but there are those which are strongest in terms of being a barrier to your much-awaited transformation. There’s being too busy, too tired, or too hungry and you can even build your own list and have a bunch of them. Apparently, making excuses about not being able to start or not being able to stick to your fitness routine is a natural part of your weight loss process. But if you want to move forward, the next step would be to specifically identify these excuses and then develop techniques that will help you counter them so you can start counting wins and finally reach your goal. The progress has to start somewhere and it has to start now.
Culinary nutritionist Jackie Newgent, RDN is the author of the book, “The All-natural Diabetes Cookbook”. She espoused that losing weight knows no boundaries – not even age or current weight. The best time to manage your health is right here and now. Each change that you make, no matter how small, are all going to add up and become significant differences up ahead whether you are aged 18 or 80 today. In the same way, every pound that you lose if you are overweight will not only extend your life but improve the quality of how you live it. Dr. Kyrin Dunston, FACOG added that first, it is important to set your goals and envision how you want your new life to look like. Aside from the end goals, also establish short-term or weekly goals so that you can start cultivating positive behaviors that ultimately become healthy habits. Let’s start by identifying the top 6 excuses that you often make and the techniques you can employ to finally get rid of them.
- I’m too overweight
One thing about weight loss is that it can seem impossible to achieve when you get overwhelmed by how much you need to lose. However, how will you know that it is indeed impossible when you have not made any effort to lose even just a pound to start with? In addition, simply saying that you just have a tremendous amount of weight to lose is still an excuse because there is actually something that you can do about it. Besides, such a statement is really self-defeating and you will never be able to lose weight unless you go out there and make some effort. Dunston is aware how numerous people who had tons of weight to lose became successful at it. She suggests that you do a research on these people and see how some had even more to lose than you do.
In any way, these successful cases can become your source of knowledge regarding effective strategies as well as an inspiration to ditch excuses and do more action. Most importantly, it will confirm how losing weight is not impossible no matter how big you need to lose if you just walk the talk. That ideal number of pounds in your mind can feel like light years away as a goal. But focus your efforts on the daily grind and making small changes each day. Reframe your thoughts and always think about progress over perfection. Slow but sure is the way to go towards a fitter and healthier you so stop making excuses
- I do not have the time
Most people, if not all, are busy. So how come others find the time to lose weight and you don’t? Evidently, you are just making an excuse like some people are. If you want change in your life however, you have to accept the truth that life is always full of things that need to be done and responsibilities that need to be fulfilled. Whatever stage you might be in life right now, you will find that tasks tend to be endless and losing weight can naturally fall at the bottom of your list. As a consequence, there is really no chance for that day to come when you will have the spare time to do it. Dunston advices against waiting for that perfect time in some arbitrary future because it does not exist. What you do have is in the now and in the present. So if you want to lose weight, you have to do it now because you will have to make behavioral changes today if you want to achieve your ideal weight in the future. There is no future if you can’t make it now. The key is not to wait for free time but to make the free time for doing weight loss efforts.
You do not even need to enroll in some fancy classes or buy expensive equipment to get started. There are streaming workouts which you can do anytime at home or wherever you may be. Trevor Thieme, C.S.C.S. is a fitness and nutrition content manager at Beachbody. He is all for sticking to your goals using current technology including your mobile device. He says that even when you have to travel, these online workout programs can come in handy and you can still stick to your routine as long as there is Internet connection. At the end of the day, it is all about making weight loss one of the most important things that you need to accomplish for your health. Once you realize that it is an important part of your life, you will surely find the time to do it. Move it to the top of your task list. Do not consider it an optional activity but a non-negotiable commitment like you would hitting work deadlines, bringing the kids to school, and brushing your teeth. Make meal preparation and exercise a natural part of your lifestyle.
- I can’t live without my comfort foods
French fries, chocolate cake, cheese burger, matcha ice cream, pasta linguine, potato chips, and the list can go on. Saying that your favorite foods are the only ones which can comfort you is an excuse that needs to fly out of the window for the sake of weight loss. Initially, you need to check on yourself why you are needing constant comfort in the first place. Once you have identified the culprit, do your best to resolve the issue so that comfort foods or binge eating do not automatically become the solution to your problem. That said, remember that there are numerous non-food items and things that you can turn to make you feel better when stressful situations come along. Try talking with friends, having a quick vacation, a trip to the spa, or meditation and you will find that it will make you feel better for longer than your comfort food does.
All the more reason for you to explore these other options when your goal is to lose weight. Besides, you do not have to give up every single one of your comfort foods. Too much restriction is actually bad for long-term weight loss as it will only encourage a nasty comeback of your bad eating habits. The trick then is to incorporate your food indulgences here and there at portion sizes that are way smaller than your usual consumption. Newgent recommends that while you are gradually weaning yourself off certified unhealthy comfort foods, work at making modifications to make healthier choices by opting for weight loss-friendly alternatives. A good practice would be to mix a comfort food with something healthy to help you transition to a healthier lifestyle. If mac and cheese is a comfort food you can’t seem to live without, try having a half bowl of it mixed with steamed spinach as the other half so you can enjoy a bowlful of deliciousness without the guilt. When you are ready, you can start having more of the veggies and less of the mac and cheese until you do not crave for it anymore.
- I am too old to make the change
If you are indeed as old as you claim, then that gives you an even more urgent reason to lose weight now. Making excuses will only make it harder for you to focus on your health as you become another year older. Remember that no one is too old to start taking the reins and take control of his or her healthiness. In case you don’t realize it, energy, strength, and agility are not exclusive for the young. Thieme explains how the human body can be very adaptive that it can improve its condition no matter your age or current fitness status. Based on research, adults older than 65 years of age who do weight lifting at least twice a week have a lowered risks for all-cause mortality and are able to gain muscle while losing fat.
The key is to make that change one thing at a time. It could be as simple as having a serving of veggies once a day or letting go of dessert every other day. Whatever you do, keep moving forward, make it happen, and never give up. With each change that you finally make, you will realize how strong you can be even if you feel too old to even have the strength to do it. Challenge yourself, learn new things, and adapt to a newer, healthier lifestyle.
- I don’t know how to prepare diet food
Food preparation is not as hard as it seems. It will be a bit overwhelming at the start, but once you get the hang of it, you might even come to enjoy it. First, check out some healthy recipes and choose ones that look less complicated and very doable for you. There are meals that will only require you to toss the ingredients in one pot and you’re all good. Newgent suggests that you swipe your cupboard clean and fill it up with nutritious ingredients that are either quick-cooking or do not require any cooking at all. You can count on canned tuna with low mercury content, canned beans, seeds, dried fruits, whole-wheat couscous, and nuts. Keep a constant supply of healthful stuff in your freezer too like bean burritos or vegetable burgers.
You can actually make frozen veggies a part of your healthy eating plan because they are typically picked at the peak of ripeness and then flash frozen right there and then. As a result, their nutrient content gets maintained. A good example of a quick but nutritious lunch or dinner is a burrito bowl complete with frozen veggies, meat, salsa or a scoop of hummus, and precooked quinoa minus the shredded cheese and sour cream. The best way to meal prep is plan it well and to prepare ahead.
- I do not have the energy for exercise
After a long day’s work, rest and sleep are often the only activities that you can think of. You would not know where to get the energy to exercise at all. Lack of energy is a common excuse for those who have given up losing weight. Little did they know that they are feeling lethargic for the very reason that they do not exercise. Thieme points out that research backs up the contention that exercise tends to energize you as long as you are not overtraining. This is especially true with regular exercise as the body becomes stronger over time. So in case you are feeling tired, work out anyway. You will feel the surge of energy afterwards and you will feel rejuvenated like your day has just started.
This is not to say though that you will deprive yourself of sleep. Getting enough sleep also revives the body especially when you can do at least 7 hours each night. Lack of sleep often contributes to lack of energy along with other physical and mental problems. On the other hand, you can try to exercise in the morning when your energy is at its high levels after a good night’s rest and before you go on with your tasks for the day.
