I'm Such A Loser

Image via WikipediaThese words are heard so often, that I gave up on them a long time ago.

But, to be honest, I have uttered them myself, in the past.

It's just a simple case of "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak".

Whatever your fitness goals are, be it to lose weight, get toned, or build muscles, these words are a killer to yourself. Don't wait till tomorrow, do it today!

See, it's very common for women to say that they are fat (even when they aren't). Then they'll say "ok I'll go on a diet/workout tomorrow". Why? Because they've just seen that chocolate cake, or that nice yummy peppermint ice cream, and they feel like having it right now. When you reminded them of their own goals, ie to "lose weight", they always say the same thing - "I'll start tomorrow".

The thing is, there's always a "tomorrow". Just like numbers, you can always +1 to any figure to increase it, hence there's never an end to a number. If you keep saying you will "start tomorrow", you will never start it. One of these "tomorrows" has got to become a "today".

If you're trying to lose weight, going on a "diet" alone won't help much. Yes the weight might go down on the scales, but weight loss is more likely muscle mass than fats (which is what you women are concerned about, right?). Eating less (in quantity) means less nutrition. If you do not workout, whatever else you eat will not be burnt as fuel - they get stored as fats. Even if you eat very little, they get stored as fats too.

The only way to make the body burn whatever that comes in as fuel, is exercise. The more you exercise, the more you are telling the body that it needs to burn fuel, and fats are the body's stored fuel reserves.

To make it simple, "fats = fuel". You don't workout, fats won't go away. No matter how little you eat, you will still have the fats in storage. The reason you see yourself "become slimmer" is due to loss of muscle mass (and perhaps water).

So, when you "start tomorrow", don't just start on the "diet". Start on the workout too.

Labels: diet, motivation

Many people start on a workout programme because they're too fat (or skinny). This article here, which I think is highly representative of the majority of the people, hit the nail on the head. Plus, it's written by Tom Venuto, the creator of the weight-loss programme "Burn The Fat", so he knows what he's talking about.

I was guilty as well.

However, over the months I've come to realise that fitness isn't a 12-week programme, like the article says. I wanted to just "lose the fat" back in Sept 2007. I got patted on the tummy once too many times, and that was when I decided to lose it.

But, I've come to appreciate the fact being fit is a lifetime commitment. Eating healthy doesn't always mean bland-tasting food. Working out isn't always "taking too much time". It's a mindset. You need to change the whole MINDSET first and not to "go on a diet" like the article says. Why? Because if you "go on a diet", you'll come OFF it, like the story of the woman in the article. I do admire the woman in the story though - she had an iron will. She wanted to win that competition. That is the key - she had MOTIVATION.

I remember once, a friend asked me how come I have no "deadline". I told him, I know that once I put a deadline, I'll stop once I reach it. By not having a deadline, I am always on this journey to seek better fitness, and not come off it.

Does that mean I have no motivations? On the contrary. My motivation is to lose the tummy. I haven't completely lost it yet, but it's way smaller now. In the process of losing the tummy, I switched gears from "losing weight" as a goal, to "building muscles". The diet needed to be changed, of course. They way you eat to lose weight is very different from the way you eat to build muscles.

Friends, male and female, have been commenting on how small it has gotten now. New female friends (ie meeting me for the first time) say I don't look my age and they typically place my age 10 to 12 years younger than my actual. A couple of them even say I look "very fit" (which is actually far from the truth. I just happen to have the fats more or less in control, and fill the t-shirt out in the right places). To a true gym-goer, one look at my arms will tell him I still have a high bodyfat percentage.

6 months ago, at best the comments I'd get are "You're not too fat.. just a little bit plump". These comments I get nowadays are good for the ego, and the morale. THAT is my motivation, to keep getting these kinds of comments.

I really suggest reading the article. It has realistic tips and hints on how to remain fit and be on your "diet" without coming off it.

Labels: motivation