I hear all of the time that diets don’t work. Sometimes people just don’t lose weight when they’re on the diet, but more often people complain that the diet failed because once they went off it, they gained back the weight they had lost. To me this is perfectly reasonable. Of course you gained the weight back – you went off the diet! Its for this reason that whenever I talk diets with someone I stress that a diet isn’t something you go off and on. Its a permanent lifestyle change.
Along with that change comes a slew of other things. Diet alone can only solve so many problems, and it can only solve them so fast. If someone wants better results, or faster results, they ought to drastically change their whole life. This means more than switching to diet soda and low fat ice cream, and exchanging fries for salads at McDonald’s. While someone might lose a few quick pounds by doing these things, in the long run, they’re still eating crap and their body will reflect it.
On the list of important things in your life, where does your health go? For most people its near the top. For me, its after God and family. Its more important than my job, and more important than any possession I could own. Like anything else that is important, its important not to take it for granted and not to half-ass it. Either play to win or don’t play at all. All or nothing. That’s the kind of mindset that people ought to have if they really want to get in shape.
Don’t switch to diet soda – give up soda entirely! The diet sodas contain far more harmful chemicals in them (often linked to cancer), and studies have shown that these chemicals actually encourage your body to store fat. Some people like to enjoy a soda at the end of their day. They say they’ve “earned it”. Well that’s bull! Why would you sabotage any progress you’ve made by sucking down something that will rot your teeth and stomach, spike your blood sugar, and raise your blood pressure? Those extra 200 calories could be the difference between losing weight and gaining it. Don’t be stupid and lazy!
Don’t switch to “healthy” options at McDonalds – avoid McDonalds all together. We all know that Big Macs and Super Sized fries are awful for us, so instead we make a weak attempt to change our diets. We skip the fries, and get a salad. Sorry guys – that salad probably has no nutritional value in it, and was most likely sprayed with some pesticide designed to kill bugs. But the pesticide probably wasn’t washed off the plant before it was put onto your plate. Low and behold – something designed to kill bugs will also kill you! (Exaggeration) Well… you’d have to drink a lot of it, but poison is poison. Skip fast food all together, forever!
Want to exercise? Get off the treadmill and take a walk outside. The fresh air will do you good. There is a big difference between running on a treadmill and running outside. I’m sure many people are self conscious about being seen exercising, especially when they’re disgustingly overweight, but look at it this way – people will see you and know that you’re making a positive change in your life. For that alone, you’re a step above a lot of people. Not only that, but you may inspire someone else to start making changes in their own lives.
The point is that people ought to make big changes – not little ones. The problem isn’t that you get fries at McDonald’s instead of a salad – the problem is that you’re going to McDonald’s in the first place! When you dance around the real problem you not only avoid reality, but you push off progress longer and longer, eventually discouraging yourself to the point when you give up entirely. People see small changes and they lose their motivation, but they’d see big changes if they made them! Stay motivated by going all out. End rant.
