Over the past few months, I've gained back most of the weight I lost (for the second time), and I'm now working on losing it (for the third time). I've had a lot of cognitive dissonance about it because of the societal rhetoric that you need to lose weight **and keep it off** to be successful in life. The strange thing was...I wasn't disappointed in myself for gaining the weight back. Not at all. Even though I'm now back to my starting weight and I'm a bit physically uncomfortable (fat rolls pulling on my skin, skin chafing etc), I'm quite comfortable with that. I'm going to lose it again because I miss the physical fitness and comfort I had when I was BMI 23 (and the cute clothes I bought!), but I don't regret gaining it back. I don't think it was a "mistake." I went through an intensive period of over-the-top full-time work, full-time study and health issues which made exercise near impossible, and eating well difficult too. I MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE in those 6 months, because what I would have had to sacrifice to stay slim (good grades, a promotion, a pay rise and improved health) is far more important to me than peak fitness and body size.
More importantly, I was having a conversation with a friend the other day who said "it's such a shame you couldn't keep it off. You worked so hard and got so far. It's such a shame it was all for nothing and you have to start all over again. You need to make sure you stop now too or you'll get even bigger than you've ever been." That was when it hit me: if I hadn't lost that 15 kg and the 20 kg after it, (plus all the months my weight was stable), I would still have gained the weight I gained in between, and the fat I've recently gained would be on top of it. I would currently be around 110+ kg (BMI 40), not 85 kg (BMI 29). Who cares if I gained it back; the fact that I took myself closer to baseline is 100% worth it, even if I sometimes have higher priorities in life than my fitness. I most definitely have NOT failed because I "couldn't keep it off."
I hope this helps anyone who is struggling with "falling off the wagon" who is feeling bad about it.
Edit: Clarity and added BMIs for context.
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from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/2HUk58E
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