Life Perspective change vs. Body Image Change

[LordHeathen]

Hello and Welcome everyone,

After reading a number of posts, I became aware that a number of people are really concerned and almost distressed with the way that they look in terms of fitness and weight, and I wanted to try to shine some sunshine into their (your) day.

Pause for a second and think.....

What do I want from life? (scribbles in a mind map manner)

Money? Loose weight? Big house? etc.

If you describe yourself feeling better when you get XYZ, then I feel you are not thinking about YOU!

Clearly, if you have medical reasons to lose weight or get fit then they take priority, but I am talking about most of us who look into the mirror and think, perhaps I could be thinner or bigger, or stronger or whatever.

The next time you catch yourself thinking like this, check your surroundings, are you reading or watching TV, what is it that as triggered you to think like this?

Regardless of what it is, try and avoid it for one day, and yes this could be people you view as friends. See how it makes you feel having a period in the day where you are happy with yourself and no negative thoughts are entering your mind.

I don't want to sound preachy, but I felt compelled to say something about this because people seem to forget that they are hugely complex and powerful machines that still contain mysterys that remain undiscovered even to this day. What is it about yourself you have discovered recently>?

[RonaldR16]

I have just read your post and I would like to say that it is a very thought provoking statement. I wholeheartly agree with your views on this. Early 2015 I was classed as being obese. (5'11" and weighing 106kgs). I did not feel fat, but naturally approaching the mid 40's of my life, I could see that I was not happy with my weight. For three months, I tried a weight loss program, which did help to a certain degree with losing weight, however, with regards to fitness levels, it did not. I was referred to a fitness program run by my local council and Watford Football Club, and the transformation has been amazing. I have lost weight at a steady pace (now 92kgs), but I now am able to jog for 13kgs daily without stopping, whereas in the past I could just about manage 500 meters. 

I don't think that there is any one magic solution, out there, but there is something for everyone. From my perspective, I have found that a combination of being active, but not too much where you become disheartened very easily, but also being more aware of food choices. I think it is wrong when diet plans say, don't eat this or don't eat that, as this can make you very unhappy as well. There were certain things that I was taught on the course such as it takes 25 minutes for your stomach to inform your brain that you have eaten! I could go on and on, but the biggest incentive/driver is the encouragement is the support that you get from other people. If anyone from the Hertfordhshire area would like any more info/help, then please drop me a line. Kind regards and the best of luck, Ron

[LordHeathen]

@RonaldR16, Hello and many thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience,

Firstly, allow me to say well done on your acheivement to date and I wish you many more successes in your fitness goals.

I think it is certainly very important to build slowly, particulary if you are new or coming back into any form of fitness and this approach in my experience tends to be the best. If you can become more active in your daily routine, without having to make an 'appointment' for training, you are more likely to do it. So the well known, parking further away, get of the bus a stop earlier, etc.

Personally, I try and cycle to work everyday, which is 10 miles (return) and take the dog for walks and also my family for walks to. I should try some resistance training in there, but for now I am content with walking and will come to progressing my fitness as and when I feel like it, rather than feeling the need to do it because of 'XY and Z'. I think this is certainly for me, a good approach to take.

[tamado]

Well said and I agree.  I finally hit a point where I didn't feel bad about how I looked, I decided I wanted to be healthier and I deserved better.  Hear the difference?  I want more out of life.  I want to be comfortable, I want my joints to last, I want my heart to last, I want to be here for my family and I want to be present for my family (not the same).  We love outdoor activities - so whether launching the boat or hunting in the bush, I am getting more mobile and it is fun.  It is its own reward.  I don't hate how I look enough to lose weight, I never will.  I love myself enough to ask for more and know I deserve better.  I am not dieting and suffering, I am finding new ways to live and eat healthy and it feels great.  There is no "end date" for my diet beause I am not simply dieting.  Positivity always wins over fear and defeat (we have some politicians that need to learn this).  

[Onmiwei]

When I was a teenager I had a 23 inch waist..I still weighed a lot for a girl because I carry a lot of muscle. I love love love lifting weights and could outlift a lot of guys back in the day, still not bad at it for my age and fitness level. But even then with a 23 inch waist I felt like I was huge...as big as I am now. I am pretty darn close to beign twice the weight I was back in the day so it is a huge difference. In my mind now i don't see me as big as I am. I still can outwalk your average person, I ride bikes...I am active so in my mind I am not as big as people who do weight as much as me. I am a  nurse so I weigh a lot of people I know for sure I do not have the health issues, activity issues that some people even 50 lbs less than me do. What I do have is a pain issue. That is why I need to lose weight. It will decrease my pain and when the time comes for two surgeries I will more than likely have to have the outcome will be better with less weight.

It is rather funny how our mind changes when we are happy with ourselves in relation to how we look. I look at pics of me back in the day and think "why did I EVER think I was even a big girl let along as big as I thought I was????"  And then I am walking sometimes now and I will see my reflection in a window and think "that person is big..oh wait..that is me.." I just don't see me as as big as I am right now.