Sharing some thoughts

GothyFaery

My coworker recently told me in an email he can't get the exercise he had planned because it's too hot to ride his bike to and from work. Yesterday it was 111, so yeah, it does get hot here. I had a few minutes to kill so I wrote back a LONG email trying to get him motivated. After rereading it, I thought it was, at the very least, interresting so I decided to post it here to see what the community thought of it.

At the end of the day if you want it bad enough, you will find a way. DO NOT give yourself heatstroke or a heart attack. I don't want to train anymore people! But if you want to lose weight and KEEP it off, you have to do something that you don't mind doing every day for the rest of your life. If eating soup/salad for 3 meals a day doesn't cut it for you, find another way to make it work. If you don't think you can ride the bike in the summer time, find another way to get exercise. NO EXCUSES!

The biggest reason diets fail is because people go back to how they were before once they hit their goal. That's what got them fat in the first place! I'm done losing weight but I have accepted the fact that for at least the next few years (probably more) I will log my food. That's how I lost the weight. When I don't monitor what I eat, I get fat. So I will spend 10 minutes out of my day to log food. Then when I want to splurge on something, I will know if I can or if I need to jog 3 miles around my living room (yes I did this once to make sushi fit) in order to eat what I want.

Losing weight comes down to calories in, calories out. If you want to lose, make sure you eat less than you burn. If you want to keep it off, make sure whatever method gets you to that equation is something that you will be happy doing for the rest of your life. If you're like me and want to eat 6 low fat Oreos and a glass of fat free milk (390 calories) every night, you either have to eat less during the day (not going to happen, mama likes to eat!) or find a way to burn an extra 390 calories (our walk abouts). If I don't burn those extra calories, or I splurge on something else that day, I don't get my snack. Or I have to have a different snack with less calories. Maybe 4 Oreos and half a glass of milk (245 calories). Moderation and portion control. If you're not a fan of that, you can just exercise your brains out and not change your eating habits. You will be burning more but taking in the same, more out then in.

That got really long but I'm really just trying to kill 5 minutes before I can go home. To sum up, don't kill yourself, find something that you can do every day for the rest of your life, calories in vs. calories out, and I like Oreos...

If you made it through the whole thing, thanks for reading! I thought it was interesting but my job does tend to get very boring so I might just also be bored.

StaciMarie1974

Well said.

Personally I'm not a fan of oreos - but like Chewy Spree and cheddar cheese. Odd I know!

GothyFaery

Personally I'm not a fan of oreos - but like Chewy Spree and cheddar cheese. Odd I know!

To each their own. Everyone needs a treat. I would go crazy if I didn't get something!

MelodyandBarbells

You typed him that long of an email because he didn't want to exercise in 111 degree weather?

GothyFaery

You typed him that long of an email because he didn't want to exercise in 111 degree weather?

Not just that. He made it his New Year's Resolution to bike to work on Monday and walk in/out the rest of the week taking his bike home the last day of the week. He wants to lose weight and asked for my help. I really hate New Year's Resolutions because 99% give up on them after a few months and so did he. So for the last 2 months I hounded him every day about driving in (he lives 1.5 miles away) and yesterday he said it's too hot.

While I agree with him I also told him that back in January when he swore up and down no matter what the weather was he would do it. So I wrote that long email trying to get him to realize that he needs to find something that will work for him because biking to work ain't doing it.

We live in So. Cal so our summers are long and brutal. We all know this. You have to plan ahead and figure out how you can get exercise. You can't allow yourself excuses. And it's too hot in the afternoon is an excuse. If you want it bad enough you will stop taking 3 hour naps and go to the gym.

There you go, someone put that soapbox down again. Take it away from me before I can't stop myself!

ETA I can also type really fast and as you see, once I jump on that soapbox, it's hard to get me down!

StaciMarie1974

Sounds like you're being a good friend. He asked for your help, and a good friend can be honest even when the truth is a little painful.

And true about NY Resolutions. I am a just do it sort. Got started on Christmas day. No need to wait for January 1. I know of someone now who is planning to get started next Monday, because he plans to pig out & drink for the holiday weekend and sees no point in 'getting started' with that on the calendar. That sort of thinking never worked for me, as its so easy to find another excuse. And another...

GothyFaery

There will always be something coming up where it might not be convenient to be eating at a deficit. You either have to accept the fact that you will go over or do whatever you can to burn as many calories as you can to stay under. I'm a fan of that saying that goes something like "never be afraid to do something because of the time it will take. The time will pass anyways." Something like that. I hope I didn't butcher it too much. I just don't see a point in waiting. If you have the motivation to do it, do it now.

yafashelli

A very nice read, and not preachy, which is important.

I'm glad that I'm not the only one who jogs around their living room for treats!