Excuses

I hit a low a little over two months before my 40th birthday. I knew I didn't want to be big any more...had the baby 6 months prior (c-section)...no one is sleeping....tired all the time etc. I was failing miserably at dieting even though I wasn't cheating. My twin brother who is a personal trainer came in May of last year for a quick visit and called me on every excuse. I can't believe I was actually angry with him after he left...I was happy he left. He helped change my life. I could hear these lame excuses leaving my mouth "how can I keep up with two small children with only 1400 calories"..."there is no time to work out...the toddler doesn't always nap"...."I'm tired all the time"..... He left and a couple weeks later after having a pity party for myself I set my alarm for 5 am and got up and started P90X (obviously with modifications)...I have pushed play every day since then (missed only 3 days due to illness).....ya the first 2 weeks were rough but I stopped making excuses and I've changed my life. My boys deserve a healthy mom that is around for as long as they need me.Every last "big" clothes I had are now gone to the diabetic society. I'm a size 4 (I've never ever been a size four). I have no "back-up" clothes in case I slip. I refuse to slip up now.

Denial ('sure, I'm overweight but not as bad as those people on the scooter at Walmart' ) convenience (it is definitely easier to prepare two portions of same meal than to take the time to make two meals when the other person in the marriage refuses to change what they eat) and self esteem (accepting and embracing that I matter and am worthy of the extra time and expense to shop, acquire, and prepare food that is better for me.
Coupled in that self esteem was exercise. Being a caretaker limits my ability to GO even for a walk much less the coordination of a sitter for me to go to a gym on a regular basis so I finally made peace with my self esteem to justify the cost of home equipment ((and eliminated that excuse)).

Well put FullaBella.

Stopping with excuses is the first thing to accomplish in a life style change. Thanks for sharing your story

I have been making excuses for too long and have just decided enough is enough! I'm starting with little changes though, usually I'd attack this head on and change my diet and start exercising harshly until I got bored or it became too much and I'd give up..this time I'm working on changing my diet 1st and adding just light exercising until its just a normal part of my day and doesn't feel like such a chore! And I'm actually just so sick of the amount of times I've failed or gave up, and not feeling confident when I go out or on special occasions that I just know this time I won't fail..I won't let myself!!

Keld,
Interesting coincidence this post revived today ~ I'm finally enrolling my treadmill online (there's a nifty program attached that tracks my exercise progress yada yada - I'm just doing this to get the profile changed from the 6'7" 30 year old weighing 150lb factory setting) and there was a quiz about exercise excuses ~ thought I'd share as it seemed fitting for this topic. While it's purpose is:
researchers have identified seven common physical activity barriers that make it difficult, if not impossible, to fit exercise into your day. But while these barriers are common, they are not insurmountable.
Identifying these barriers is an important first step in helping you get the most from your fitness program.

Anyway - here's the list from LifeSpan:

How likely are you to say?

1. My day is so busy now, I just don't think I can make the time to include physical activity in my regular schedule.
2. None of my family members or friends like to do anything active, so I don't have a chance to exercise.
3. I'm just too tired after work to get any exercise.
4. I've been thinking about getting more exercise, but I just can't seem to get started
5. I'm getting older so exercise can be risky.
6. I don't get enough exercise because I have never learned the skills for any sport.
7. I don't have access to jogging trails, swimming pools, bike paths, etc.
8. Physical activity takes too much time away from other commitments — time, work, family, etc.
9. I'm embarrassed about how I will look when I exercise with others.
10. I don't get enough sleep as it is. I just couldn't get up early or stay up late to get some exercise.
11. It's easier for me to find excuses not to exercise than to go out to do something.
12. I know of too many people who have hurt themselves by overdoing it with exercise.
13. I really can't see learning a new sport at my age.
14. It's just too expensive. You have to take a class or join a club or buy the right equipment.
15. My free times during the day are too short to include exercise.
16. My usual social activities with family or friends do not include physical activity.
17. I'm too tired during the week and I need the weekend to catch up on my rest.
18. I want to get more exercise, but I just can't seem to make myself stick to anything.
19. I'm afraid I might injure myself or have a heart attack.
20. I'm not good enough at any physical activity to make it fun.
21. If we had exercise facilities and showers at work, then I would be more likely to exercise.

That is the way I did it. I did it slow, introduced new things and actually like them. I went from a soda drinker all day to drinking water all day, that was the first thing different. Then I worked on my foods and now I exercise From my green line it has been working.

Yes, this is a can of worms. I don't think it's productive to beat up other people because they have not chosen the path we think they ought to choose, and I don't think it's constructive to beat up ourselves for not doing what we know we ought to find a way to do, but have not found that way yet, or for not having discovered the tools we needed to achieve it sooner.

There's plenty of blame being dished up. Did it ever help you when strangers made rude remarks or gave you nasty looks because they think fat people are lazy gluttons, even though they ate the same foods you did and didn't exercise themselves?

How many times did you say to yourself, "I'm going to do this now!" but you were not able to stick with it? And most of the time you didn't even know why. Is it really morally superior to "try" but fail and then put on even more weight than to stay where you are?

I think it is possible to help people lose weight without making them feel horrible and worthless, by addressing misconceptions as they come up.

Even though we want to deny it, people who are overweight are getting something out of their lifestyle. They enjoy eating what they want when they want to. They enjoy eating large portions and second helpings even after they are full. Their parents trained them to clean their plate no matter what, and they are proud that they are carrying on this family tradition of not wasting food. They can eat even when they are not hungry, if food suddenly shows up. They never have to make an excuse to anyone why they aren't going to be eating something that person wants them to eat, they can just dig in.

And besides, it's the American way to snack around the clock. Even health experts keep telling us we need to eat lots of snacks for our health, even though it seems to be having the opposite effect.

Give up junk food and fast food? Forever? How unpatriotic can you get?

We as a society have food issues that go way beyond individuals choosing to exercise personal responsibility.

I guess the reality hiding behind every excuse is, "I love the bad food so much that I don't want to stop eating it!"

I don't think this is about beating anybody up. It's about making people take a step back and realize that they are allowing themselves to stay a certain way merely because of excuses. It's just a little reality check, and if they aren't ready to accept it, then another excuse will be made.

It all boils down to.... Do you WANT it bad enough to endure some 'pain' if you don't desperately want it, you will give in, because you can't ensure the pain. If you were tied /chained to posts and you knew someone was going to come in and slit your throat if you didn't get free.... You would endure the pain of breaking free... A real Life And death situation. An interesting site outlining the pain and discipline -v- pain of regret.... Whichis strongest for YOU?
http://www.dealermarketing.com/bizdev/crm-solutions/410-pain-of-discipline-vs-pain-of-regret