All overweight women do it. The little white lies that we say to cover the undeniable fact that we’re eating too much. During my “chubby years”, when I was still over 200 pounds, I was shopping in the grocery store when one cute little girl came near and said, “Why are you fat?” She quickly ran off to her mom without waiting for me to say a word. And she left me to think about the answer to her question.
Most obese and overweight women have their list of excuses that they tell others and themselves on why they’re overweight. We often make lots of excuses because truth really hurts and facing the reality that we badly need an intervention is even more hurtful. Below, I’ll be sharing with you a list of the most common lies or shall we say – alibis, among overweight women that they like to tell.
1. “This is just water weight.”
Though water retention can cause weight gain, blaming it for a 25 kg excess in your weight is just ridiculous, because that’s retaining 25 liters of fluid in your system. In that case, you would be the equivalent of a huge human sponge or a human camel! To avoid water retention, lessen the intake of salty foods because salt holds water.
2. “I have big bones.”
Our bones normally make about 15% of our total body weight, so a person weighing 85kg can expect a skeletal mass of 15 kilograms. If you are 25kg overweight due to being big boned, your skeletal mass would be almost twice as much as the norm. This is already an extreme case. Though bone weight is not the same from person to person, the differences are only slight.
3. “We have chubby genes”
Do fat parents encourage their kids to eat large portions of food? Are they over feeding them? Let’s face it, overeating is highly addictive and it’s much easier to blame nature for our circumstances. Did you ever stop to think about this? Nobody says it’s easy to shed pounds but why do some people manage to do it all the time?
Though having a genetic predisposition for being fat is truly possible, the truth remains that taking fewer calories will result to weight loss. A healthy food regimen, combined with a consistent exercise routine can neutralize those body-plumping genes.
4.”Healthy foods are too expensive”
This is perhaps the biggest excuse that most overweight women like to tell. It is totally not true. Though unhealthy foods are cheap, they are highly addictive. Soon, you’ll keep eating more slices of pizza, more cookies and more bags of potato chips, not to mention sodas. So, what’s the best go-to snack? Fiber-rich foods that will fill you up for hours. Try snacking on oranges, apples or carrot sticks. These healthy snacks aren’t even that expensive to begin with and will pay off in the long run.
5. “I need more food because I’m heavy”
This is true but should not become an excuse to avoid cutting down safely. A very heavy person with a sedentary lifestyle weighing 350 pounds (25 stone) needs to eat 2300 calories per day as their body will use this amount of calories up doing nothing (see BMR calculator http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator). If you are heavy and want to lose weight you definitely need to cut down food consumption but not all at once. You should reduce your calorie intake gradually over the coming weeks. Start with something manageable like a reduction of 500 calories per day. Then gradually build up until you are at a comfortable number.
6. “Foods can’t be addictive”
This is another huge lie among overweight women. Junk foods and sugar are very addictive; they seem like a drug that we can’t live without. They are enticing and overdosing on these foods is no surprise. It’s not hunger but there’s really something about them that makes us feel better.
Ditch the junk foods in the pantry and eat healthy snacks, vegetables, protein snacks and fruits. Accept it, some foods are and can be addictive. You can survive without them.
7. “I hardly eat anything.”
The foods that made you gain weight aren’t the regular meals. Guess what? It’s the food you eat in between. These are the foods eaten secretly, the sugar-laden snacks and foods eaten at a drive-through fast-food as a treat. They give you that instant energy boost but they don’t last that long or keep you going for long enough.
8. “I don’t have time to exercise.”
You set aside time for the things that rank high in your priorities in life. If achieving fitness through exercise is important for you, then you’ll make time for it. If you are not comfortable jogging or walking outside – maybe because of prying eyes – then joining a health club could be the best solution. Mind you, some women jog with their dogs and just go wherever they want. It all boils down to one thing – determination.
9. “I have slow metabolism.”
According to studies most overweight women’s metabolic rate isn’t that low compared to people of normal weight – with increased fat, the metabolism often goes up and not down. The heavy folks only use the slow metabolism excuse to justify their failure to lose weight.
The Moment of Truth
Overweight women are truly smart in making justifications and excuses for holding excess kilos. If we desire to be healthy, the first thing to do is to accept the truth and take the weight of denial off your shoulder. There’s no hope of shedding even a single pound if all our weight loss lies are still holding us back. In reality, there is no shortcut to weight loss, we have to create a calorie-deficit plan, and this can only be attained through a combination of diet and exercise. This is a good time to start drinking meal replacement smoothies, which you can find here, as part of a sensible weight loss plan.
After that incident in the grocery store, I started changing things for myself and for my family. It was far from quick and easy, and it was not instantaneous. It required time, commitment and sincere intentional effort – to feel better and become healthier. It was a sacrifice that was worth every minute of doing without the cakes, cookies and chips. Though I am still a work in progress, I know I am definitely moving towards my goal of wellness.
How about you? What lies have held you back from achieving the dream of being fit and healthy? Leave a comment and share your own personal story.
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