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My Road To Health: Part V
4. Be Realistic
Lose 20 pounds by Christmas! Fit into your skinny jeans by Friday! Never Eat Again!
We’ve all seen them. The ridiculous headlines that cover magazines each week. Or the infomercials on TV. Or the advertisements. They are selling a multi-billion dollar industry to desperate individuals needing a quick fix.
I will admit, I used to be one of those desperate people who needed a quick fix. I wanted to believe that loosing 20 pounds by Christmas was a possibility or fitting into my skinny jeans could be done by Friday. Never eat again? Sure, sign me up. I really have to laugh when I look back on those days. Unrealistic expectations aren’t even the right words to describe what the weight loss industry provides our society.
And you’d think when we tried the carbon copy magazine diet and failed miserably we would realize that the 800 calorie diet was unrealistic. But we don’t, because the industry wants us to believe that there is something fundamentally wrong with us.
We are fat, gluttonous, and have no self control. If we did, we wouldn’t be fat and we certainly wouldn’t have any problem following this diet. Right?
Wrong.
So. Very. Wrong.
Who wants to eat grilled chicken and steamed vegetables every night? I sure don’t.
A sugar free popsicle for dessert, you say? SIGN ME THE HELL UP. I’ll buy 18 boxes of those sugar free popsicles. Aspertame, Smashpertame.
Is it any wonder that these crazy diets make men and women beeline for the nearest Pizza Hut?
So. Very. Wrong.
The whole weight-loss industry has created morons out of innocent, other wise smart individuals.
I used to be one of those morons. Eric may argue that I still am. :D However, I am not a weight-loss, health, and fitness moron anymore.
As I said, I used to have very, very unrealistic expectations for myself and for my body. The best thing I ever did for myself was to let go of these unrealistic expectations.
When I did, I had to swallow a few things:
- My arms may never be as skinny as I would like them to be. I am muscular and not a twig.
- Repeat above, except for legs.
- I gain weight quite easily. And no, it doesn’t come off as fast as it goes on. Ever. Not even close.
- I have an appetite. I will never be one of those women who snack on a grape. I enjoy food, and I will eat lots of it.
- I do not have a supermodel’s body and nor will I ever have legs as long as a giraffe. Just ain’t happening.
Admitting to yourself the lies you have told yourself for years is the first step in throwing out your unrealistic expectations.
Now you’ve got some homework to do.
Write down all of your unrealistic expectations that you’ve been holding onto for years. Make a list. Leave it in the comments if you dare.
This post will be continued tomorrow. I just got caught up in a late night infomercial for the ab-a-tron.
Just kidding. :D
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“Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.” ~Unknown
What a great post!
Well I have had to let go of the following:
I will never be tall! lol…that was big one both bffs are like 5 inches taller then me.
It’s not healthy for me to be a size 3!
I will always have the same butt, even if I want a ghetto bootie!
1. it is possible that the number i arbitrarily picked as my goal weight may be too low.
2. my thighs are probably built to touch each other when i stand.
3. my short legs will never be longer.
4. my back might always have a little bit of backfat.
5. i will never be tall and thin. i am short and kinda curvy.
Amen to all of the above! Great post.
I have to accept the fact that my mind will and DOES play tricks on me. I usually can’t and shouldn’t trust what I see in the mirror, and I should NEVER base my mood for the day on that image.
true that ;) have u read in defense of food? this reminded me of that book. americans are tricked by the stupid multimillion dollar weight loss industry ickkk
Great responses everyone!!! Keep em coming!
Great post. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one with unrealistic expectations for my body.
What a GREAT post!! I’ve been trying to find the inspiration to lose the weight I’ve gained in the past year. 10 lbs I’ve never had on me. This is great. I need to be realistic about my own body and only then can I acheive what I want. And ps – my husband is still a fool with the quick-fix diets. Moron exactly. haha.
FABULOUS!!!!!! You continue to inspire me, Angela.
I don’t think there’s enough room for me to write all my unrealistic expectations!! Bottom line, I need to accept myself and be happy with how strong and healthy I am…even if that means I’m not a size 0 or the weight I decided would make me happy. (Really, even if I reached my dream weight, I know I’d just want to lose more…vicous cycle). I need to accept that I may never lose anymore weight and that’s ok.
Angela that is crazy that you mention that your arms and legs will never be as skinny as you’d like. Aside from noticing how happy you look in all your pics, I always notice that you have very thin and toned arms and legs! (Hope that doesn’t sound creepy)
There are so many things I struggle to accept about my body. I am VERY curvy. I have to wear 2 sports bras to go running. Hate that. I also have a very round/full face. I could go on….but those are the top 2.
I love this post because it sounds like me 100%!! It’s hard to come to terms with our “flaws”. I finally am OK with the fact that my belly will never be flat again. I’ve had 3 kids after all and skin elasticity (sp) only goes so far! I too am muscular….nothing to be ashamed of. I work hard, eat right and take care of myself, so if I wanna eat chocolate, I will! I deserve it! :)
Thanks for the great post, Angela!~
I will never be able to give up wonderful food…I love food. I love cooking and baking, it’s a part of my life. I will always crave it and I can’t deny myself. However I could probably make room for better food in my life.
I will probably never have skinny thighs and that’s okay, like you said, I’m not a twig.
I’m not sure if I’ll ever have a flat stomach and that’s okay, I will love myself anyways.
I will try to make healthy choices everyday, if I decide not to; I’m not a failure. Every meal/snack is a choice, if I decide to pick something that may not be the *healthiest* choice, I will pick something healthier for the next meal or snack.
Great entry!! Thank you for the inspiration and sharing you story. I love your blog :)
1) I will never get rid of my broad shoulders from swimming. No matter what workouts I do, I will always have them.
2) My legs will never be as skinny as celebrities’ legs.
3) I will never have a “tight and firm” ass like Jessica Alba.
4) I simply love sweets too much in order to give it up forever.
5) I love food. I rather exercise longer so I can eat more.
Okay, here goes:
No matter how defined my abs are, I will always have a little extra skin below my naval. That’s what happens when you carry a child for 9 months.
I will not have perfect back, thighs and butt. I have a little extra skin there too from weight loss. No one is completely perfect!
My body is not Jillian Michaels’ body (darn it!) Therefore, it is not going to magically morph into her body.
I will not become overweight from the occasional slice(s) of pizza or “Sunday Breakfast”
I know this is an old post but I’m a fairly new reader & was reading through your “road to health” series. I need to accept that I will never be perfectly proportional. My torso is always going to be long & my legs are always going to be short. And my boobs are always going to be small! lol!
I will never have long legs.
I will always have cellulite.
I will never be a tall skinny supermodel and will always have an athletic, muscular frame-not such a bad thing.
It is not rational to step on the scale immediately after eating a big meal or even drinking something and not expect for the number to go up. I shouldn’t step on the scale 5 times a day, or even once a day!
This blog is amazing and I look forward to a healthier lifestyle where I stop focusing on bingeing or depriving myself and start focusing on living!
1) I may have long legs, but I also have “bikers” (or skiers) thighs. They will never be as small as I would like.
2) I am not a runner. I hate running, and it hurts. I like sports that give me big muscles (see above)
3) I have really big hips. Nothing short of shearing away my bones is going to change that.
4) I am never going to look “petite” or delicate. I am 5’10”, and have muscles!
Angela,
I just stumbled across your website, and I’ve just been reading post after post for the last hour. I am so moved by your story, by everything you are inspiring women to become. This world needs more people like you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Just reading what you have to say has already helped me immensely.
You just got yourself new loyal reader in me! :)
Much love,
Desi
Hi, Angela! You have no idea how much your story has touched me. I’ve been struggling to overcome my disordered eating since March 2010 (my starving and binging cycle began in October 2009) and all this time I though I would one day magically stop binging forever but when I read that it took you a whole year to finally stop binging I felt as though this immediate pressure was lifted off my shoulders. For the past 5 months I’ve been trying to fight this disorder, and every time I would slip up and binge I would feel disappointed and annoyed that I wasn’t strong enough. But your words have given me the confidence and reassurance that one day I will be binge free as long as I keep fighting this war. Thank you so much for being so courageous and generous as to share your story with us <3
here is my list:
I will never have a bra cup size bigger than an A cup.
I will never be taller than 5’5”
I will always have large, latina hips.
It is not healthy for me to be 110lbs (more or less)
It’s unhealthy for me to ever be a size 0, 1, or 3
My present and future fit body will not fit into a size ‘small’
There is no such thing as a ‘dream weight’ or ‘ultimate goal weight’
I will probably never have skinny thighs
I gain weight easily, especially on my waistline/naval and it is extremely difficult for me to loose
I will never be perfectly proportional
I will always have cellulite
I will never be a skinny and tall supermodel
But no matter what, I will always love myself nonetheless <3
1. it doesn’t matter how much weight I lose I will always want to lose more
2. my body will never be the exact same as it was before I had kids
3. my thighs will tough when I stand up
4. I will have cellulite on my legs
5. I can love my body for all the things it can do and has done in my life