Hey everyone, bit of a rant here...
I've just been talking about weight loss with my boyfriend and he said that it's easy to lose weight, all you need to do is eat healthily and exercise more which is really easy to do! I agree that that is how to lose weight, what I don't agree with is that it is easy to do. If it was that simple, noone in the world would be overweight, and that clearly isn't the case! What is really annoying is that he can eat whatever he wants and never puts on a pound, he's stick thin! I think losing weight is a real struggle, if it wasn't I would have lost all my excess weight years ago, or would never have put it on in the first place.
Anyone agree?
You are right... it's not just a struggle, it's a BATTLE. I do agree with him that it is simply physiologically, but mentally, it's very tough. Most things that are worthwhile, though, don't come easily.
You can do this, and it WILL be so worth it, but that doesn't mean it will be simple!
I think what people dont understand is that that although the weight loss theory is quite simple the mental battle is NOT. Overcoming any habit might sound easy but never is!
Well it does seem easier for men. My Fiance doesn't even excercises and still drinks beer and he keeps losing every week. Meanwhile If I skipa day or have a dropper full of alcohol I gain 5 pounds.
The idea is simple - I mean, it's pretty simple that an apple is a good and healthy snack, better than chips or cake. Knowing to eat the apple is one thing, actually having a nice, fresh, ripe apple on hand when you're hungry - now, THAT'S the trick.
I'm an american - we are constantly bombarded with unhealthy food, it's a culture of no waiting, instant gratification, fast food, yogurt in a tube and takeaways.
To eat healthy, I had to pretty much give up that "oh just pick up some curry on the way home" mentality and buckle down and plan meals, grocery shop and plan meals.
Knowing a home cooked meal is healthier than large portion, oily restaurant food is SIMPLE, actually making a healthy, home cooked meal - that's HARD.
Let's see. There are 2 men on this website and like 20 million women. Hmmmm. Yep, between the testosterone and muscle mass men have it easier in this area. And, with life in general, what nature doesn't make easier for them, WE DO!!!
if its easy....
why has it taken me almost three years to loose what i have?....
its a known fact blokes loose quicker....
but that statement has really irated me....
Now he has a pot belly like they all do. Look at middle aged men and then decide if they have an easier time than we do. I can hardly think of a fit looking bloke of my aquaintance, older than 40.
I wouldn't worry. My husband would have said the same in his 20s - then again - so would I! We could both eat entire packet of chocolate biscuits a day, live on curries and fatty foods, eat chocolate and sweeties til they were coming out our ears - he was still snake hipped and I was size 6-8! Your body (male or female) simply stops working like that the older you get.
My dad said that to my mother and me for as long as I can remember (I've been fat since kindergarten) - until his returement. Then his physique changed from naturally slim to 8 months pregnant almost overnight.
Now, what comes out of his mouth is nearly exactly what we've been saying for years. He's trying to lose weight and doesn't understand why, even when he gives up everything he loves to eat, and feels "starved all the time," the weight doesn't come off or comes off a drip or drab at a time.
My brother can eat anything he wants and stil manages to stay in great shape.
But that could be because he is a fitness instructor. I have a great resource there sitting in the next room maybe its time I started to use him
It IS simple. You just eat less and exercise more.
You eat less junk and more healthy food...when you have time and money to shop, prepare and plan meals, have time to cook them, can figure out ways to make things taste great without the butter, salt, and sugar you'd normally include, can create healthy meals your family will still want to eat without whining that it's weird.
You just exercise more...in between your job, your household duties, taking care of your children, running errands, and trying to get enough sleep in the first place. You can buy exercise equipment or videos, assuming you have space to put them somewhere, money to purchase them, time to use them, and can get DH or kids away from the TV so you can put in your yoga video. You can go walk in your neighborhood, sure, if there aren't a zillion mosquitos waiting to pounce, safe well-lit areas in which to walk, if you don't have arthritis or fibromyalgia or ....
*sighs*
It's frustrating. My DH is very supportive, but at 47 still has the metabolism that he can drop five pounds a week just by taking one walk and giving up one milkshake.
That is my husband's mentality too. He's been thin all of his life - actually in high school his biggest problem was being too thin. He's in the Navy, so he's pretty physically fit. He does his required PT (physical training aka exercise) 3 times a week, but eats whatever he wants. He drinks beer, eats at least twice as much as me at meals, and LOVES his chocolate. Yet, he never gains weight. Even though I've tried to explain to him my life long plague with weight-loss, he still doesn't get it. And he never will. He tries to understand, but since he's never experienced the challenges of weight-loss for himself I think he's unable to completely wrap the idea around his head.
I agree with all of you-- men lose extra weight much more quickly than we do. Its a fact of life. But, I recently read some article somewhere that gave me some piece of mind-- to paraphrase the general gist of it:
Women have always been the ones that look after the children, from an evolution standpoint-- its the men that go out and hunt and come home to the women, who are caring for the young ones. Women, through evolution, naturally hold on to their fat so that they could SURVIVE long enough to rear the children.
This made total sense to me, and well, made me feel a little better frankly-- I mean, ok, so the fact that I have a harder time with losing the weight is actually an evolutionary 'quirk'-- it makes sense that we'd be the ones to have a harder time with it, since we'd HAVE to be alive for looking after children.
So, I just try to keep that in mind-- yeah, its not 'fair' that men have an easier time of it-- but well, there is a reason, one that makes a lot of sense to me as to why they do seem to have a little easier time of it...
It's really not that simple...
