Sorry Paul Simon, but I just couldn't resist.
The other day, I was reading the daily blog post of a true weight-loss warrior (WLW). WLW has set up a rigorous schedule of exercise complemented by a strict regimen of "clean", healthy food. The weight-loss results so far have been excellent. Will WLW be able to keep up this "perfect" behaviour until reaching goal weight? Will WLW be able to then maintain the loss? I don't know, but I certainly wish WLW all the best.
In the middle of a recent post, though, WLW took a moment to indulge in a bit of self-criticism. It wasn't enough to exercise faithfully and eat only good foods. No, WLW was not losing weight as fast as "this person" (TP). (I will not supply the link.) I, of course, clicked on the link to see what TP was doing. Yes, she's losing scads of weight. Why? She's starving herself. I looked at her food intake for the day and the only big number there was the number of glasses of water she's drinking. There was nothing intrinsically wrong with any of the food she's eating, there's just not enough of it.
TP is not a model for anyone to follow. After all the studies that have been done showing that starvation slows down the metabolism and leads to rapidly regaining all the weight plus more, we continue to idolize the starvation brigade.
I guess people still want quick results, even if it means destroying their metabolism and having to start over again and again until they just give up.
Nobody likes to hear that slow and steady wins the race.
Sigh.
Oh I hear you! We need to work WITH our bodies, not against them and certainly not with other people's bodies!
ReplyDeleteI don't have to worry if TP was me. Not a chance. I'm more like SAM (Slow as Molasses) but I intend to do this once and for all. The times I've tried to lose it too quickly, I ALWAYS gained it back. I need to let my brain join in the process this time. She's a slow learner.
ReplyDeleteSlow and steady is *&%^(!@ slow. But now that I'm almost finished, I should stop whining. I try to avoid the blogs of people who are starving, eating strangely, are very critical of themselves or others. I mean, not that I don't somewhat have those traits, except for the starving, but I'm actually trying to make good mental health part of my life's journey at this time, and this precludes people like that. I actually started my blog around the same time someone else, and he thought I was silly, as he was doing Atkins and the weight was melting off. I was eating a bit less and exercising a bit more, and weight loss was so slow as to not really count at all, part of background noise. 1.5 years later, he weighs more, has started and quit trying about 3 times, and hasn't posted in over four months. I resist the urge to rub it in, though I'll have to tell him when I pass from "overweight" to "normal" (Sorry, I know you hate my BMI/scale obsession)
ReplyDeleteHey Julie,
ReplyDeleteWe all have obsessions, so don't worry about offending me! Your example of this fellow blogger is exactly what I'm talking about.
It's soooo important to make these changes in a smart way that improves our health and not the other way around. I really kept that in mind along my journey. And as the years go by it's always still a goal of mine - to improve my nutrition not take away from it!
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
There is always someone we can find to compare ourselves against who is doing "better" - but these comparisons are really toxic. Completely agree about your tortoise /hare analogy. Slow, steady, and in tune with my own unique body is what I hope to go for!
ReplyDeleteLike justjuliebean, I also try to avoid overly critical or weird eating blogs - doesn't help.