Recently, I set up a poll to see what people had as their motivation for losing weight and getting in shape. The reason I did that was to see what goals people set in mind and what pushed them every day to accomplish their fitness goals. One of the answers I listed was “Looks” which so far has 57% popularity. I’m actually surprised that it did not list 100% because whether we all like to admit or not, a major part in our weight loss goals is due to wanting to look and feel different.
However, during a weight loss transition, at times you can begin to feel guilty for looking different. Sometimes this is due to others feeling threatened by the change, other times we have people around us that look down on people who don’t accept what they look like and sometimes the attention you may get from others who applaud your efforts, may rub people the wrong way. Unfortunately, we are surrounded by people that do not like when others get attention. In turn, they make comments that may misconstrue your efforts to change your life. Because of this, you may feel like you are doing something wrong and this can lead to a major barrier in your weight loss journey.
Here are my thoughts…
I’d be lying to you if I told you that as you start to look different, your “Swagger” isn’t elevated a bit. You start feeling more confident, fitting into new clothing, better looking outfits, your face changes, your muscles start showing (if you are lifting) and with this comes a few more looks from people and attention. This is very normal and you should not be afraid to feel good about it. You’ve worked hard for it! Imagine building a house from the ground up and putting in 20 hour work days for months, maybe years! Should you be ashamed that your house looks beautiful? Not at all! However, you have to keep a balance and not let it go to your head.
I remember during my weight loss journey, I was getting compliments every time I’d go to my Congregation meetings and those kept me going. People kept looking at my progress and it motivated them as well to make changes in their life. However, I never walked into the hall with my head up high and told people how much I lost or fished for compliments. Neither did I go around poking people’s belly and calling them tubby (people did that to me before). I was humbled by the attention, but instead of turning it into an ego boost, I turned it into motivation to keep going and working hard.
Over the months, there were some rumblings here and there and I heard comments of others that started criticizing what I was doing. Some said I was doing it because I was terminally ill, others said I wanted to impress people, others flat out said I was putting my weight loss and workouts in 1st place above family and religion (In reality, because of the energy I was getting, it allowed me to do MORE for God than ever before). Of course this hurt at the time, because in reality, I was only doing this for my health and to feel better, not to impress anyone else. But I never let it get me down. I realized that people will always have an opinion. The same people that criticized me are the ones that at one point had said I was letting myself go. So I guess it was a catch 22 and I realized that I was doing nothing wrong, so why stop?
So, as you continue on your life changing journey, I encourage you not to let anyone get in the way of your goals. Don’t feel guilty that you are taking care of your body and making changes in your life. As long as you keep a humble mind and attitude, do what you need to do in order to reach your goals. Don’t let anyone get in the way of you changing your life and embrace the changes! It’s ok to wear a smaller shirt or some slimmer dresses (women), as long as you keep a balance and remain respectable to yourself and others. Remember that the change does not make you better than anyone else, but rather makes you better for everyone who is trying to follow your footsteps and change their lives as well.
-J
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