It is fact that more and more children and adults are overweight nowadays and the trend is still going upwards. Instead of fighting their own bodies and overcoming their weight problem, many find convenient excuses to explain why it is not possible for them to lose their excessive pounds. Even though these excuses can make sense and are sometimes very believable, they are still just what they are called and that is an excuse. It is a method developed by the overweight person to justify their situation and if they ever stop to think about what they are saying then they will quite quickly realize that there is actually no basis to these excuses. As the old tried and true saying goes, when there is a will there is a way. We will go in depth into the top seven excuses and how to beat them.
The three most used excuses and solutions
Although experts say that there are seven basic excuses people give for not being able to lose weight, there are three very predominant excuses that almost every gives. The top one is that there is no time to diet or exercise. This of course is very, very ridiculous and not very believable. First of all, nobody is so busy that they do not have a few minutes of extra time each week that can be used constructively. Getting in shape and losing weight involves a lot more than just exercise alone. Everyone can make the time to exercise a few minutes, prepare a meal at home with fresh ingredients instead of eating at a fast food restaurant or even walk the stairs at home or work instead of taking an elevator. All these actions would be steps in the right direction and do not cost a lot of time so anyone who claims to be so busy apparently just doesn’t feel like changing their life style and that is the real problem that they are overweight and stay that way. It is not difficult to do something positive for oneself, though. The stairs, as already mentioned, will help, as well as many other simple things like parking further away from the store entrance so that you have to walk more, taking the dog out for a long walk and shopping on a full stomach you don’t give in to cravings. To sum it up, if you have time to make yourself unhealthy then you also can find time to regain your health.
The second most common excuse is that those wanting to lose weight hate exercise. That is a lame excuse and the examples of stairs and walking more from the car to store only prove how easy it is to get more movement into your life. Although every bit of exercise helps, experts do say that thirty minutes every day is necessary to lose weight and stay healthy. This seems to be impossible, but it really isn’t and the only hard part is to make yourself set up a routine and stick to it. Taking a walk to the grocery store and leaving the car home, for example, would suffice for the required daily half an hour. Another method is to purchase a pedometer and see what you really walk and then try to increase that every day. At some point you will start losing weight if you are eating normal portions of healthy foods.
The third most used excuse is that overweight people claim that they simply cannot live without chocolate or other sweets. This is understandable, after all, who doesn’t crave something sweet at least once a day. However, whereas some know about portioning and are capable of switching chocolate or candy with something healthier that is sweet, those that cannot lose weight do not show resistance. Nobody says to stop eating sweets altogether, but it is a good idea to choose diet chocolate, fat free candies, hard candies or even dried fruits. Nothing speaks against a nice cheesecake or bar of chocolate every once in awhile, but this should not be done on a daily basis. This sugar addiction also has a lot to do with your mental state. If you feel like sweets, because you are bored or upset then you should quit eating sugary things in these situations. It will become a habit. Instead, drink a glass of water since that is filling and watch TV to distract your mind. If you want something sweet, keep dried or cut fruits handy so that you can munch on them instead of the chocolate.
Four other common excuses
People looking to find reasons that they cannot lose weight or maintain a healthy diet are not very imaginative. They find the same obvious excuses, and although to be taken seriously, they are easily beat. Another commonly named excuse is that they cannot cook. Sure, not everyone does know how to prepare a healthy meal or even to cook certain vegetables, but this should not deter so easily. There are tens of thousands of cook books to learn from, a channel on TV that teaches cooking and in the grocery store there are even pre-cut and cooked vegetables or salads. There are also a number of frozen foods and the key here is to understand and read the nutritional labels. Many also claim that they eat out a lot and that is their problem. Eating out is not necessarily a problem just where is chosen. Food in restaurants is the same as what you make at home and the same principle of choosing wisely and carefully should apply. Having to cook for a family and lacking support of the family are also two common complaints. That is easy to solve. Your family eats what you do and they too should eat healthy. If your family knows of your need for their support, they will surely give it. Communication is the solution for gaining support.
Although there are many excuses for not losing weight and not maintaining a healthy diet, there are even more solutions for overcoming these problems. As long as you want to lose weight and you inform yourself of a healthy lifestyle, everything is possible.
