My opinion (don't read if you're overly sensitive)

authormarieskye

Preach!

pwittek10

I agree!
If you want it, you will work for it!
Depression is real, but it too, is an easy excuse.

NCchar130

I've made some of those excuses in the past. I get your point - on the other hand, sometimes you'll find someone who really has (or thinks they have) given it their all and made absolutely no progress. That happened to me a number of times because I REALLY needed to track my food. I was reducing my intake during those weight loss attempts and moving more but wasn't creating the deficit needed to make any noticeable progress. Sometimes people do need just a little bit of encouragement or a little tweak to their "program" (for lack of a better word).

quirkytizzy

Yes and no. What annoys me is our (as a species) over-reliance on Gyms. Or "working out".

What we need is a more active lifestyle. Sedentary lifestyles and inactivity are one of the global causes of death and disability. And yet we drive our cars half a mile to the shops, drive our children to school and take the lift at work.

(http://www.sustrans.org.uk/assets/files/AT/Promotional leaflets/General AT information leaflet_final.pdf a useful bit of information about active lifestyles)

This especially relates to people who are hugely overweight. If they could replace all their journeys under 5 miles with walking and cycling, take the lift or get off the bus one stop earlier, they would make a huge difference to their health and wellbeing. Gyms are all well and good (if you like that sort of thing) but they can be elitist, cliquey and scary for some people. Walking is free, and a great way to get your 30 minutes of "moderate" exercise a day, and yet we are still yelling "GYMGYMGYM" in people's faces. Taking up a new sport, or a workout regime is quite scary for some people and can be very hard to stick to. I know so many people with unused gym memberships. However, taking up walking or cycling for short journeys or leisure is much less intimidating, much cheaper and more accessible to many people.

I always like the idea of walking more but it's just not often feasible. Weather conditions in anywhere that isn't mild temperatures make half the year (summer and winter) an unhealthy prospect. Overheating or freezing. There is also baggage to contend with - I'm not carrying 40 pounds of groceries in my hands home for several miles. And there is often the safety concern - it's simply not safe to walk to many of the places around where I live.

But more mobility in general, whenever you can get it, is good. I do park further out now. And in the pleasant months, I take an extra day or two a week to drive out to the lake and go for a long walk there. (Much safer part of town.) That sort of thing.

EmmaReed84

My all time favorite is...."It is my TOM, and I feel bloated and have no energy....so I can't work out."....Toughen up!

I suffer with endometriosis and can be doubled up in sheer agony sometimes. I always try to make it to the gym during "that" time, but sometimes I can barely stand, so going to the gym and trying to a squat with a barbell is an absolute no-no. However, that said I will always make up for it one way or another.

jaysen05

It is real easy to make those comments. What was your excuse to get over weight in the first place? We all use this site to be productive in managing our weight. IJS

skinnyinnotime

Who cares, it's their body and life, if they aren't bothered I'm certainly not.

My priority to keep fit and healthy lays with my children and myself.

jmcreynolds91

Totally agree with you!!

dazzo62

I agree with you to a certain point - you have been incredibly successful and I congratulate you. But - how long have you kept it off? 5 years? 10? 20?Believe me, maintaining is harder than losing. Life happens, depression happens, motivation goes, people have children, lose jobs. These things affect peoples weight - managing a family and holding a high stress career, working 2 jobs for 20 years make people exhausted; and following a new program may seem very difficult for them. I am not being overly sensitive - just trying to view life in from different points of view.

MinnieInMaine

Ditto on the amen except re: depression. However, OP, I do hope, if these people are truly your friends that you've actually responded to them the way that you illustrated in your post or at least gave them more delicate advice. Maybe you're not that kind of person but I don't feel like I can ***** about someone's endless venting unless I at least attempt to help that person in the only way that I can by trying to lead them in the right direction. It's up to them whether they decide to take the advice but at least I did my duty and tried to help them.

mattschwartz01

Like, half of people that get down on here I believe is caused by constantly reading other peoples posts about being down etc, if I see one I skip it.

You could also take another tach by trying to bring their spirits up! Who know, you might actually feel good about using positivity to counter negativity?

angelamcmillan2008

yep we were all the same way at one point.i get both sides though.sometimes you want to have the positives around to help you stay positive.so i think the new saying should be "GET POSITIVE ABOUT LIFE"

something_vague

I was with you until you told people with depression to "suck it up". So ignorant.

doitforabby

I think that if you are busy making excuses, you just aren't ready. When I was finally ready, none of the excuses mattered. "my knees hurt" became "work through the pain". "I'm too tired" became "exercise and then take a nap". "I really want those cookies" became "walk away. It's easier to resist before you eat them". "I don't have time" became " make time". I have said it before and I will say it again. If you are trying to lose weight for anyone else or any other reason but for you, you will fail. It has to be for you and you alone. If it IS for you, you will succeed. That is all there is to it!

Yep - this was me! Well said

purpleroxmysocks

If someone tells me that they are depressed, I tell them that's even more of a reason to work out!

spruitt417

I agree!
If you want it, you will work for it!
Depression is real, but it too, is an easy excuse.

If you believe there's ANYTHING easy about being truly depressed, you have never experienced it. Don't confuse it with feeling sorry for yourself. What annoys me more than people making excuses about not exercising, making healthy food choices, etc. is people who make comments about something they clearly know nothing about. Confucious say, "It's better to remain silent & be thought to be stupid than to open your mouth & remove all doubt!"

kennethmgreen

I think there is a big difference between being bluntly honest to a friend who is making excuses and making a general announcement justifying being bluntly honest.

Rhondabill

Mthr2...you said it well, WE all including this poster was there previously...we all didn't just put on weight one day & the next start taking it off! We too, had excusses, ligitimate or not. They're (the ones with excusses) just not there yet, they may have a lot on their plate.
So be compassionate!
To the poster...suck it up to someone who's truly depressed, you're kidding right, true depression is an illiness, not just something you can suck it up & deal with! COMPASSION

wifealiciousness

Yes and no. What annoys me is our (as a species) over-reliance on Gyms. Or "working out".

What we need is a more active lifestyle. Sedentary lifestyles and inactivity are one of the global causes of death and disability. And yet we drive our cars half a mile to the shops, drive our children to school and take the lift at work.

(http://www.sustrans.org.uk/assets/files/AT/Promotional leaflets/General AT information leaflet_final.pdf a useful bit of information about active lifestyles)

This especially relates to people who are hugely overweight. If they could replace all their journeys under 5 miles with walking and cycling, take the lift or get off the bus one stop earlier, they would make a huge difference to their health and wellbeing. Gyms are all well and good (if you like that sort of thing) but they can be elitist, cliquey and scary for some people. Walking is free, and a great way to get your 30 minutes of "moderate" exercise a day, and yet we are still yelling "GYMGYMGYM" in people's faces. Taking up a new sport, or a workout regime is quite scary for some people and can be very hard to stick to. I know so many people with unused gym memberships. However, taking up walking or cycling for short journeys or leisure is much less intimidating, much cheaper and more accessible to many people.

I always like the idea of walking more but it's just not often feasible. Weather conditions in anywhere that isn't mild temperatures make half the year (summer and winter) an unhealthy prospect. Overheating or freezing. There is also baggage to contend with - I'm not carrying 40 pounds of groceries in my hands home for several miles. And there is often the safety concern - it's simply not safe to walk to many of the places around where I live.

But more mobility in general, whenever you can get it, is good. I do park further out now. And in the pleasant months, I take an extra day or two a week to drive out to the lake and go for a long walk there. (Much safer part of town.) That sort of thing.

To me THAT is mostly just excuses!

I live in the UK and our temperature has been shocking since about October. It's been snowing almost every week since christmas.

I, despite being pregnant and sick (bedridden for three weeks and suffering HG for 10 weeks), Ihave walked over 160 miles and cycled over 110 since the start of January. I often drive to the supermarket when I have a big shop to do, but inbetween I walk to the local shops (either 1/2 a mile or 1 mile), and if I need to do a medium shop, I cycle to the shop and carry my shopping home in my panniers. It's not about me telling people they must walk and cycle all the time everywhere- just about people making better decisions in their every day life, and not making rubbish excuses about the weather or something. Rain does not kill,. Sopending time out in the cold does NOT cause colds (contrary to popular belief- it's actually just that during the winter more people spend time couped up insdie togehter, spreading the germs!)

Simple example: my office is on the third floor, and I have to go up and down the staris 8-9 times a day. There's a lift I could use, but I don't

My weightloss might not be anything impressive but I have a healthy lifestyle. My exercise costs me the price of parts for my bike (and the odd service when I bust it). I know I can run 5 miles if I need to (outside, not on a moving platform at the gym), I can cycle 50 miles, I can walk 20. I know my heart is healthy, my bones are dense and I am happy and healthy. I also appreciate the good bits of our weather, which most people who live inside (house/car/office/gym/car/home) never get to see.

I don't need a gym!

Jude_V

I didn't read the whole thread so apologies if someone already pointed this out...

Presumably the OP is here because, for a significant part of their adult life, they were unable to suck it up and get off their lazy backside and do something about it???

Maybe I'm wrong?