Career or 100 lbs ??

V0lver
V0lver Posts: 915 Member
in Chit-Chat
I have a dilemma. I am 28 years old and sadly, overweight by more than 100 lbs right now. To make things worse, I am far from where I would like to be career wise.
I work in advertising and to be a big shot in this field would require plain old obsession and working late night honing my creative skills for more than a year. Thing is I love my job and I can see myself being where I want to be but on the other hand I want to be thin really badly too so that I can feel like a normal confident person again. Now, losing 100 lbs permanently would require some serious dedication and obsession too(I am talking doodling charts on the back of my notebook everyday writing down various bf% levels and the respective LBM. Crazy I know!).
So even trying to pursue one of these (career or fitness) takes a lot out of me so much so that I don’t feel as strongly for the other thing. I guess I am a “all in or all out” kind of guy. And to make matters worse, I have ridiculous expectations from myself (Job in advertising in Nyc and 8 % Bf *Gulp*). I live in India and at +40% Bf right now lol.
So my question is how do I go about it? Do I put one on hold and pursue another because I don’t know how to be passionate about two things at once. That is too much to ask of anyone I think but maybe you hangry people can show me how its done.

TlDr: Career is screwed,
I am obese.
Can’t focus on both,
Help me please!

Replies

  • ThePlight
    ThePlight Posts: 3,593 Member
    You can.
    Make your office your gym.
    Find workouts that you can do in your downtime without having to go anywhere.
    You can have your cake and eat it, too. (Just not too much lol).

    Don't you dare give up a dream for another.
    CONQUER.
  • _SantaClause_
    _SantaClause_ Posts: 215 Member
    Do Both.
    Quit making excuses.

    Sincerley,
    Santa.
  • SlimJanette
    SlimJanette Posts: 597 Member
    Don't make excuses, you have to take the time to do both. Get up early and get the workout done so if you have to stay late you can without feeling bad. Your life is what you make of it.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
    Do Both.
    Quit making excuses.

    Yep. You're just trying to talk yourself out of it before you've even tried. Losing weight is as simple as eating less food than you do now (notice I said simple, not easy). It doesn't have to be an all-consuming obsession that takes over your life and crowds out every other aspiration. Just make some changes to your diet and portion sizes and keep working toward all your goals.
  • V0lver
    V0lver Posts: 915 Member
    wow I never thought of it this way. Maybe i am making excuses. Time for some introspection:smokin:
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Losing 100 lbs will certainly require dedication and effort, but it doesn't need to actually take up a huge amount of time in your life. Eating at a caloric deficit is the most important thing, and it only takes a few minutes out of a day to weigh your food and log it. Perhaps some extra time on the weekend to shop, plan your meals, maybe cook some stuff in advance; only if that's what you want to do. Exercise isn't a requirement, although it has a ton of benefits. It needn't take too much time though. You can do it in say half an hour a day, 4 times a week. It doesn't have to be an obsession.

    It sounds like you're a bit of an "all or nothing" person. I get it; I can be like that too, but I've found that thinking like that generally prevents me from actually getting stuff done. Perfectionism can be a great excuse to not actually achieve anything.
  • Imabemee
    Imabemee Posts: 36
    You don't go from the mail room to the corner office in one jump- you're not going to lose weight like that either. Make some smaller goals for yourself.
  • tquill
    tquill Posts: 300 Member
    I don't have time to work out either... it sucks, but I make time for it. I work a full time job and I'm trying to do another venture on the side too.
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    Yeah man, stop being lazy. Plenty of us do both plus more on top of that. If you can find 1 hour a day or halfway control what you put in your mouth than there is nothing stopping you.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    You've discovered MFP. You don't need to doodle BF% on the back of a notebook.

    You can have both things.

    Losing 100 lb will probably help you in your career as well as it's a sad, yet true fact that many times people are discriminated against in the workplace due to weight and/or appearance.

    Good luck to you!
  • V0lver
    V0lver Posts: 915 Member
    Losing 100 lbs will certainly require dedication and effort, but it doesn't need to actually take up a huge amount of time in your life. Eating at a caloric deficit is the most important thing, and it only takes a few minutes out of a day to weigh your food and log it. Perhaps some extra time on the weekend to shop, plan your meals, maybe cook some stuff in advance; only if that's what you want to do. Exercise isn't a requirement, although it has a ton of benefits. It needn't take too much time though. You can do it in say half an hour a day, 4 times a week. It doesn't have to be an obsession.

    It sounds like you're a bit of an "all or nothing" person. I get it; I can be like that too, but I've found that thinking like that generally prevents me from actually getting stuff done. Perfectionism can be a great excuse to not actually achieve anything.

    that was pure gold! Thank you so much. It would be much more difficult but i can definitely lose all this weight without obsessing over it all the time. I have to find some middleground.
  • V0lver
    V0lver Posts: 915 Member
    Yeah man, stop being lazy. Plenty of us do both plus more on top of that. If you can find 1 hour a day or halfway control what you put in your mouth than there is nothing stopping you.

    Thank you for your words. You seem like you are multi tasking right now and doing one hell of a job going by your pic. Inspiring!
  • V0lver
    V0lver Posts: 915 Member
    I don't have time to work out either... it sucks, but I make time for it. I work a full time job and I'm trying to do another venture on the side too.

    wow how are you managing all that at once?:noway: Any pointers for me?
  • Msergoi1
    Msergoi1 Posts: 10
    I work ten hour days and run a medical practice.. All you need is 20 minutes a day of cardio to stay healthy. After you get use to going to the gym not only do you get the "high" you also get the community and fellowship. It becomes a hobby. The truth is in life you either want something or you don't. You don't because if you really did... You wouldn't be asking this question. You want to be validated. Make a decision to be the best version of you and that discipline will translate into your work, social life and you'll be happier than you realize. Good luck.

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