Why does my stubborness not help me with weight loss?
I posted this on my blog... but thought I would also put it here... because I would love to hear your opinion on it!
I have a very strong rebellious stubburn personality. That’s not to say that I’m mean or anything… just that I have always had a problem with authority… since day 1.
When my parents would give me the option of feeding the cat or getting a spanking… I’d take the spanking… stuff like that.
I’m also the kind of person that when I start a project… I can’t stop until I finish it. I don’t pick big books cause I literally cannot put them down no matter how sleepy or what else I need to do… until they are finished. Just this past weekend… I had promised my MIL that I would paint a 14 peice nativiy scene for her. I had every intention of doing it slowly… a piece a day…. well.. once I started… I couldn’t stop until ALL 14 peices were done. It was grueling… and killed my back to sit and do it… but I couldn’t stop!
So my question…. WHY doesn’t all that rebellion and stubborness help me with my weight loss?
You would think I would have no problem at all gettin it done… but it’s something I have fought with (and lost) for the past 16 years. I just don’t get it!
Because unlike painting a nativity set, or reading a book, your body, and how it works does not care about how stubborn you are. If you are doing what you should be doing, exercise and healthy eating, your body will lose at the rate which it will lose. You cannot reason or rationalize with fat and muscle. Yanno?
Well since 68 percent of Americans are obese or overweight why join the crowd? Make a statement. The best way to rebel is to make people question their own poor eating habits as you rise above. Unlike the civil rights movement this struggle is a personal journey.
i think you just need to channel that energy. like people that say you 'can't' walk 1,2, or 5 miles. show them you can! you could train for a race. you could also use it just to finish a challenging workout.
i think it will take alot of positive thinking. definitely avoid telling yourself 'no cake!' all your body will hear is oh yes, i'm having cake!
Maybe it's because you want instant gratification?
You can paint a Nativity set in a day or 2. You can read a novel in a day or 2, but to lose 160 pounds it's going to a take major commitment for a year or 2. And a life time of perseverance to keep it off. Maybe you just don't really want it yet.
i definitely have the instant gratification problem. it helped to track my w/o(that's the hardest for me, not diet) so i am more consistent. and accountability groups
Lori... I DO really want it. I have never wanted something so much in all of my life... it's pretty much the only thing that's missing from my life being truly happy.
I appreciate that comment though.... it makes me really think... about all the poor pitiful me I've been crying lately. This is something I CAN do for myself. I do have control over it... and I will do it.
Good! You've lost almost 20 pounds, so you HAVE started this project. And you said it yourself, you finish everything you start! So, just keep your eye on the prize. You are TOTALLY capable of doing this.
(And I am in no way an authority figure....so don't rebel on me and do the opposite of what I've said. )
Is it possible that your stubborness is meant to get a reaction out of others? Your weight is all about you, and what you are willing to do for yourself. You know yourself, so you can't "stubborn" your way out of it.
I say this as someone who has refused to ask for help, not matter the cost.
I am just now learning to recognize those things and begin to work past them. My health is just the beginning.
I just want to say that I am with you. You would think that stubborness would help, but for some reason there is a block. Hang in there and don't let that stubborness win.
How did you become overweight? Part of why I became overweight was because my mom was a food = love parent and my dad was a you shouldn't be eating that parent. So I ate to spite him. I ate to rebel against him because I hated the put downs and the criticisms. I didn't realize that was what was going on but as an adult ive figured that out.
I dunno. It just rang a bell in my head when you mentioned stubbornness and rebellion.
I sometimes think of myself as stubborn, and for awhile I actually had a mindset that I was rebelling against society's demands and expectations of thinness by being overweight. Like I was trying to prove that a person can accomplish a lot and have a meaningful life even if overweight. I certainly think people can, but in my case, my health was to the point where I didn't think I would live to see 40 if I didn't do something about my weight, so I had to start losing.
My stubbornness worked against me years ago, but it's working for me now in that, when it comes to my weight, I may have had setbacks, but I am not giving up!
Lori... I DO really want it. I have never wanted something so much in all of my life... it's pretty much the only thing that's missing from my life being truly happy.
I appreciate that comment though.... it makes me really think... about all the poor pitiful me I've been crying lately. This is something I CAN do for myself. I do have control over it... and I will do it.
Well you know what they say... want in one hand and poo in the other and see which hand fills up faster... LOL A lovely quote from my FIL.
It IS really hard to get motivated when it feels like it's going to take forever to lose the weight. It's taken me forever to decide I want to change my life, so I know how you feel. MY motivation was my husband telling me I'd never stick with my weight loss plan and he had good reason to say it. I've never stuck to my goals before.. Now I go to the gym every day, I never skip a day because if I do I know I might stop going. It feels to good to have "rest" days. Every day I have an internal struggle about going. I've hated working out my whole life. It's boring.
This time around it's different, I'm different. Ya know? You just have to decide you're going to do it and do it. Yeah, it's hard at first but each day it gets easier and I'm only 2 weeks in. LOL
Why does my stubborness not help me with weight loss?
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Well you know what they say... want in one hand and poo in the other and see which hand fills up faster... LOL A lovely quote from my FIL. 
