I really hate going to the gym. The smell, the stale air - it gets to me. What has really kept me going is watching old episodes of Biggest Loser. I watch it every night I am on the treadmill. It is a lot easier to push through when I'm watching a 450lb person trying to run a mile or bike a marathon. I do think the trainers sometimes underestimate that the bigger you are the harder it is to get moving. But I figure that if people almost twice my size can do it then what's my sorry excuse?
The one thing I really don't get is how they are able to work out for 6 hours a day on like 1200 calories. I eat about 1800-2000 calories a day (which, according to my research, was the lowest recommendation for someone my size to lose weight safely). When I work out for an hour on the treadmill I burn about 550 calories off of the total. I am trying to do this the healthy way, since I can't afford a doctor or nutritionist on my own right now.
I have also been watching "I Used to Be Fat" on MTV. It's an interesting show but I get a little frustrated with it sometimes. The weight loss stories are amazing but the whining gets to me. The people on it are kids and they tend to cry and ask "why me" or carry on about how "it's not fair". Not to be a jerk but I have a low tolerance for that type of attitude. We are fat because we eat too much food instead of coping with our problems. Honestly, that should be the easy part to admit. I have never wondered why I'm fat. I wonder why I use food to numb myself to the world around me.
While I appreciate these shows, I do wish there were shows that focus a bit more on the emotional aspect of overeating. Sometimes they touch on it but it's never really looked at as the driving force. I honestly think I'd struggle even if I had a personal trainer and chef at my disposal. I'd have a bad day and start tearing apart the cabinets looking for food the moment I was alone.
The whining on I Used to be Fat drives me crazy, but then I remember they are 18 yrs old and getting a real dose of growing up.
ReplyDeleteOne of my biggest frustrations with these shows and why I do not watch them anymore is the lack of focus on emotional eating. For the most part the contestants or participants are admittedly emotional eaters but there is no focus on it. I also am not a huge fan of trainers dispensing nutritional counseling solely. They need to give some guidance because they know your work out but I think people would be better served with a nutritionist or registered dietitian. You're doing a show, do it right.
Nutritional therapy is key. Having someone or some way to help you find out why food is what you use as a coping mechanism works better then any diet, nutritionist, or trainer. My nutritionist said to me in order for you to ever maintain a normal weight you will have to find out what food means to you. Not easy, or achievable in 100 days.