While watching all of the shows on weight loss (DieTribe, Biggest Loser, Thintervention, etc) I have noticed that most of the contestants have stories about why they are overweight. I am a mom, and didn't focus on myself. I was abused as a child, so I used food to cope with it as an adult. My _________ (fill in member of family) died suddenly, and I only felt better when I ate pizza. My dad left when I was young, and we ate cheeseburgers when we got together - so I feel close to him when I eat cheeseburgers. As sad as all of these stories are (I do genuinely feel for the majority of these people), and as much as I'm sure it is challenging to deal with these situations, they aren't the only reason that these people are overweight.
What ever happened to taking responsibility? I made poor choices with food, and I didn't exercise. There. Genetics does play a role, but am I really the only person on the planet that knows the majority of the reason my ass is huge is because I made bad decisions? That I chose chugging beer over going to the gym. That I ate pizza 5 times a week. That I am the one who lived in the drive-thru. It was me. I used to be athletic - I was never a tiny girl, but I was in shape. Somewhere along the line I realized it was less taxing to be lazy, and dug myself into a hole so deep I thought I would never get out. It certainly didn't help that I would have had to haul my extremely sizable ass out using my completely non-exercised muscles. I guess these sad stories might make people "root" for you - but isn't it a little misleading to allow everyone watching to believe it is no fault of the person that they are fat? It is all the fault of someone, or something, else - which is untrue (unless they were tied down and force-fed by the person they claim is the issue).
For the few that do take responsibility for their weight issues, their audition tapes tend to show them hoovering cheeseburgers while still in the drive-thru, or eating entire pizzas on their own. I always find myself fast-forwarding through these portions of the show - I am now realizing it is because they hit entirely too close to home. That was me not that long ago (Hell! That is me some days now!!). Every day through the drive-thru, and typically more than once. Pizza was an extremely consistent staple in my diet, and it was not rare for me to polish off an entire one all on my own.
Last week, I found myself falling back into that toxic routine. I didn't want to work out, and I needed (and by that I mean I
really wanted) a Big Mac and french fries. I felt the overwhelming pull to eat pizza. I would love to be able to blame it on PMS, or some bogus condition that causes an actual medical need for pizza. The truth is, I wanted to have these things, and I had them. I have moments of weakness (sometimes more moments than others) - I am human. Every day is hard when you are trying to lose weight, and some days I just don't want to deal with it. I just have to be as good as I can be, when I can be - and get back on track as soon as possible when it all goes haywire.
On that note - I am going to haul my butt to the gym, and then eat a buffalo chicken sandwich - grilled, of course! I am going to have a much better week, and get back on the wagon (aka: the elliptical machine). Hope you have a great week, too!!
But it's so much easier to make excuses!! Really good post.
ReplyDeleteI thought of you this weekend when my father-in-law told me I was "putting on the beef" and it ruined my whole weekend. I'm sure you would have had some witty remark to put him in his place, but I just stood there like an idiot.