So you know you want to lose weight. But you’re not sure if you want to go down that road called “diet” one more time. And the weight loss excuses you make leave you frustrated and stuck. The first step is to recognize the way in which you’re stopping yourself from succeeding. The second is to really examine if your weight loss excuses is leading you to happiness. The third is to learn how to move past it so you can live the healthy and vibrant life that you have always desired. Here is a list of the top 5 weight loss excuses, and how to get over them to reach your goals.
5 Common Weight Loss Excuses
Excuse 1: You put weight loss off for a big event.
So you really, really want to make changes in your health. There’s just a teeny tiny obstacle. There’s that wedding you are supposed to go to next month. And nothing is going to get in the way of you celebrating, especially a restrictive diet. Here’s why this thinking is wrong. First, there is always going to be something on the horizon that could be a possible conflict. Next month you’ll have a birthday celebration. The month after that is a graduation. The world won’t stop turning just so you can lose weight. Second, one day or weekend of indulgences will not invalidate 2 or 3 weeks of healthy living. It is much better to start your diet now and do your best to balance healthy choices with treats at the big event. Even if you binge all weekend, you’ll do better in the long run by eating healthy beforehand than by eating like crap. Which choice do you think would be most health promoting for the long run?
Excuse 2: You tell yourself that diet is deprivation
Yes, you really, really want to lose weight. But you don’t want to spend every meal gorging on celery sticks. And you tell yourself that the deprivation isn’t worth the reward. However, if you only feel deprived on your diet, then your are not on the right diet for you. Try this short little exercise. Think of your favorite food. Picture it in your head. Now think about how you came to know that this food was your favorite. Most likely it was after trying LOTS of different foods. You probably haven’t tried the same variety of healthy foods. Dieting is a process, and one of its goals should be to help you uncover the healthy foods that you enjoy. It is a time to try new recipes and make discoveries. If your diet only involves deprivation from cardboard-like meals, you’re dieting in the wrong way.
[Read: Which Foods Can Sabotage My Weight Loss Goals?]
Excuse 3: You tell yourself you’ve ruined everything by cheating
You’re entered this new healthier lifestyle and you’re feeling great. But then it happens; you slip up and eat something you shouldn’t. And then, since you’ve already cheated, you eat a little bit more. And if this goes on too long, you’ll tell yourself that you’ve ruined everything and give up. Here is the really tragic part of this thought pattern. It is impossible to ruin all your efforts from a couple bad days. Think of an artist working on a painting. What if that artist threw out her work every time she made a bad stroke? That artist probably wouldn’t have a selection of finished work. A good artist will work over her bad strokes and transform them back into something that fits her vision. Most art galleries are filled with work that had moments of imperfection. If you plan to give up after a bad day or a bad week, you probably will never reach any of your life goals. And that’s not what you want for your life, is it?
Excuse 4: You think everyone and everything else is more important than you
You have a ton of responsibilities in life. This includes your kids, your parents, your home, your spouse, your job, your friends and the list goes on and on. And you feel that there aren’t enough hours in the day for you to fulfill your responsibilities. In fact, the very universe is threatened with collapse if you stop for just one minute. So you tell yourself that your own needs will have to wait. But here’s why this type of thinking is wrong. Imagine if you were to stay on the path you’re on with your health. Do you think you’ll necessarily be here 5, 10, or 15 years from now. Not taking care of yourself can potentially deprive those that care about you and need you. Remember, in a plane you have to put on your own oxygen mask before you take care of the person sitting besides you. This is true in many areas of life. If you’re not healthy, you can’t be there to your fullest for others. Worse, you let down one of the people who depends on you the most: yourself.
Excuse 5: You think your extra weight is too overwhelming
Maybe your doctor recommended you lose some weight. Or you’ve noticed some new health concerns. It is totally understandable that you might feel a little lost and afraid. You might also still be discouraged from past failed diet attempts. Perhaps you feel on some level that if you ignore a problem, then it really isn’t there. But you know deep inside that you can’t run away from your own health. The bright side is that by just moving past the overwhelm to actually trying, you are making a positive step in your health. Just don’t put pressure on yourself to get everything “right” on the first try. Look at it as a new journey. You’re choosing one path, that might lead to a different path tomorrow, and that’s perfectly OK.
So those are the top 5 weight loss excuses debunked. If you identified an excuse that you use, take one positive step today to move past it. An excuse can hold tremendous power over you, but only if you let it.
