Every weight loss journey starts with fighting against your body’s desire to be comfortable
The battle that never ends and only has new beginnings each day
Let’s not kid ourselves and accept that obesity, both severe and moderate, are climbing at a rapid rate. From 2000-2018, the U.S. saw an increase from 30.5% obesity to 42.4% obesity, and severe cases increased from 4.7% to 9.2% according to the Center for Disease Control. Lack of education, continuous marketing, income disparity, and cultural desires for instant pleasure and gratification all contribute to this problem.
This articles zeros in on the latter contributor and looks at our health and fitness and how our culture’s desire to be or complete things in no time and learn nothing, thus finding themselves back in the same predicament at a later date is destructive.
There is a general sense of pressure today that we must all complete as much as possible during our workday, check social media 25 times a day, and finally fall asleep at 1:00 AM. We labor and overwork ourselves so we can get material objects as fast as possible. We sacrifice our time with family and friends, so we can work additional overtime for that new car. These habits are not healthy and eventually lead to friction in relationships as well as emotional and physical self-damage from neglecting your own body and mind.
Our body, our daily nutrition, and our activity and fitness work in a much similar manner.
When we neglect our body and consume more energy than we burn, we begin to slowly accumulate adipose tissue (fat tissue).
It’s a slow process that starts out innocently. Most do not turn course and reverse directions until they are decades into their current deprived and neglected state. Undoing those habits, patterns, and retraining your brain is where the true challenge sits.
When you begin a weight loss journey you will be fighting against your body’s desire to be comfortable. And against the brain’s desire to have more processed foods and sugar. It’s a part of the process.
You will be eliminating old habits one at a time. Your trainer or coach will have you counting calories and educating you on macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat, protein) as well. It is through these, what may seem redundant, processes where the magic happens.
Having you log your food daily so that you are cogently aware of what you are putting in your body. Teaching you how to portion out enough protein for each meal and snack. Making sure you drink at least .5oz x your body weight in water and constantly raising your step-count goals. These are all repetitive acts you must do daily to live a healthy lifestyle.
Learning these is what takes so long and why taking weight loss slowly gives you the best chance to succeed. It gives you and your coach time to teach you all the skills to maintain your goal weight once you reach it. It allows your coach to empower you, so when you put on weight again, and you will typically fluctuate a few pounds at all times, you have the knowledge and power to do something about it.
So slow down. Do these “mundane” tasks over and over again and you will wake up one day and will have arrived, but not without your luggage and gear needed for the journey ahead without your coach or trainer.
