weight loss excuses

We all have standards we create for ourselves which encompass virtually every area and aspect of our lives.   When we fail to live up to those standards, it troubles us.  We tend to make excuses.  One of the most common areas to see this principle operating in is with our weight.  When it comes to getting to a healthy weight and maintaining it, we Americans are failing about as miserably as a nation could fail.   The truth is, at least 75% of American adults are either overweight or obese, or Metabolically Obese (more on this in a moment).  Stop making excuses, formulate a plan, GET AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER and get busy.  This list is made up of excuses I’ve personally heard (and possibly used myself), and is in no particular order.  Just remember that every single one of these excuses can be effectively dealt with if you know how.

I HAVE TO LOSE WEIGHT SO I CAN GET HEALTHY:  This is exactly backwards from reality.  The truth is, you’ll never lose weight and keep it off without getting healthy first.  HERE is one example of dozens.  There will be many more as we weave our way through the list. 

SINCE I’M NORMAL WEIGHT, I CAN EAT WHATEVER I WANT:  This is a huge problem today (no pun intended), and is continually propagated by women’s magazines that run article after article on exactly how much further you’ll have to run to burn off those brownies that you indulged in last night.  To see just how “off” this way of thinking is, you need to realize that between 7 and 10% of our population is SKINNY FAT.  If you’re not sure what this means, just click the link.

• THIS IS MY “NORMAL” WEIGHT:  We can all play Clintonesque games with word definitions.  In the same way that “skinny” people can be Metabolically Obese, people who look overweight on a BMI CHART can be quite healthy.   Be aware however, that this group of people typically consists of trained athletes — particularly people who lift weights or engage in some sort of resistance training.  This point goes along with the next point.

• I KNOW I AM OVERWEIGHT, BUT MY HEALTH IS GOOD:  I knew a relatively young person who was probably 100 to 150 pounds overweight.  In fact, under anyone’s definition, they would have been considered “grossly” or “morbidly” obese.  During a discussion several years ago, this person claimed that their doctor told them they were as healthy as a proverbial horse at their last checkup.  Do not try to fool yourself like this (HERE).  Take a selfie in your underwear.  Pictures lie even less than mirrors. 

• I CAN’T LOSE WEIGHT BECAUSE I CAN’T EXERCISE:  As one who deals with a wide variety of  musculoskeletal problems, I hear this one every single day.  “Doc, I just keep gaining weight because I’ve got this ____________ (insert your body part of choice here) problem that just won’t let me exercise“.  Hooey.  Weight loss is at least 80% diet.  Eat the RIGHT FOODS, and you will require very little exercise to help you get to and maintain your ideal weight.  In fact, this is probably a good time to mention that too much exercise or the wrong kind of exercise (HERE), can actually wreck your ADRENAL SYSTEM, making it difficult or impossible to lose weight.  This brings me to my next point.

• I CAN’T GET OUT AND EXERCISE BECAUSE:  Answer this one by inserting your own excuse here ( _______ ).  It could be that the weather is too bad to leave the house.  Or that you don’t have any equipment.  Or that you don’t have a gym close enough to your home.  Or that you don’t have enough time or money.  There are a million excuses, and I’ve heard them all.   HERE are some simple things you can do at home with an exercise ball and some hand weights or a simple homemade KETTLEBELL.  But you don’t even need that.  Pushups, pullups, PLANKS, burpees, or any number of other “body weight” exercises are all you really need.  And if you get with it, you can do what you need to do in 20 minutes, three times a week.  That is one hour a week for those of you keeping score at home.

• I EXERCISE LIKE CRAZY AND STILL CAN’T SEEM TO LOSE ANY WEIGHT:  There are a whole host of reasons this could be going on.  Again, you might be doing the wrong sort of exercise (HERE).  You might be exercising in the perfect manner, but eating an unhealthy diet.  You might have some sort of underlying functional metabolic problem (ENDOCRINE, THYROID, AUTOIMMUNE, DYSBIOSIS, INFLAMMATORY, GLUTEN SENSITIVITY, DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS, parasites, HEAVY METAL TOXICITY, NEUROLOGICAL, etc, etc, etc).  You may not be controlling your blood sugar or insulin levels (HERE, HERE & HERE).   If you are doing the right things and not effectively dealing with your weight, it’s probably time to find out why.

• I WOULD RATHER JUST TAKE A PILL OR HAVE A SURGERY:  Not only is this short sighted, it is dangerous as well.  Why aren’t there more WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATIONS on the market today?  Easy.  They’re dangerous.  Can anyone say Phen Fen?  And as for weight loss supplements?  There are a million and one of these available for purchase.  Few of these were in existence three years ago, and even fewer will still be on the market three years from now.  Instead, you’ll have a whole new crop of THESE PRODUCTS, making the same outlandish claims, and raking in the dough from gullible and desperate people.  And although there are undoubtedly people who can benefit from some sort of WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY, these are more dangerous and less effective (HERE) than you have been led to believe.

• I’VE TRIED EVERY DIET AND NOTHING WORKS:  It’s all about controlling your blood sugar.  HERE is the diet, and HERE is my program for WEIGHT LOSS.  Again, if you cannot lose weight in this manner, it’s probably because you have an underlying disease or metabolic process going on.  Oh; and if you’ve been “COUNTING CALORIES“, you need to listen to Gary Taubes (HERE — bottom of the page).

 

• MY DOCTOR TOLD ME THAT LOW CARB IS DANGEROUS:  This is probably the same doctor who told you that eggs cause HIGH CHOLESTEROL, MARGARINE is better than butter, and the whole “Gluten Thing” is just a BIG MYTH.  How much nutrition does your doctor really know? Make sure to ask them before blindly following their advice (HERE).

• I’M AN ADDICT:  Truthfully, people rarely come right out and tell me this.  However, it is usually fairly easy to tell (CLICK HERE to take a simple self-test).  By far the most common food people are addicted to is SUGAR.  A simple way to spot the addict is to look for what I call “SUSTITUTIONARY BEHAVIOR“.  Breaking addictions is tough, but can be done.   If you know you are addicted to starch, sugar, JUNK FOOD, or even MSG, take a few minutes to read THESE POSTS.

• I DO NOT HAVE THE TIME OR MONEY TO EAT HEALTHY:  Phooey.  You have time for whatever you deem important.  And as for the money issue….   Once you start cutting the junk out of your grocery list, you’ll be amazed to find that you have enough money to spend on fruits and vegetables.  You can also do something like THIS or THIS (mix them together) if you are truly on the run or constantly traveling.

• MY FAMILY WOULD NEVER EAT THE WAY YOU RECOMMEND:  Really?  If you are pandering to your child’s every desire (particularly when it comes to what they eat), I feel sorry for child when they grow to adulthood.  Just keep reminding yourself that you are the parent (HERE).  And as for your spouse; if you hope to have them around into old age, changing their diet might be the best thing you’ve ever done.

• OTHERS:  This post could have gone on and on.  We all have our struggles.  Although I used to be one of those people who could eat anything and not gain an ounce, those days are long gone.  Between being sensitive to carbs and Gluten, I rarely let my guard down at meal time.  I can’t.  It is too easy to gain the weight and a lot of hard work to lose it.  Figure out what’s holding you back from reaching you optimum weight and address it today.