We are not "LUCKY", we work hard!!

YES!! Preach it.

I am sooo freaking sick of that in so many areas of life. Not just diet/weight loss/fitness.

"You're lucky you have no debt" = NO, I have worked my tail off for over 20 years, I have gotten out of the debt I was previously in through hard work and discipline. I have stayed home when others went on trips and out to fancy restaurants. I have bought clothes in thrift stores. I don't have cable or a smartphone. I earned this sky high credit rating & carefree (comparatively) lifestyle fair & square.

"You're lucky you don't have kids" = NO, I have practiced birth control religiously and made a conscious decision when very young to never become a parent.

"You're lucky you have a degree" = NO, I worked hard in college while others partied. I gave those speeches, read those books, attended 8 am classes, did that research, and wrote all of those papers. It's not luck.

^this^

Except I have a kid. But still.

I always answer that luck has nothing to do with it; I count calories and exercise like a fiend.

When my coworkers used to do this, I would invite them to spend a week with me and eat what I eat, and do what I do, and then see if they feel "lucky." No one ever took me up on it.

If someone wants something bad enough they will set out to achieve it and even go beyond that goal they have set. People do too much talking and not enough "doing". It's great to have dreams but if you want something you have to work hard for it. Things don't just set themselves in your lap!

I love the "you are so lucky you can eat cake (or whatever), and not gain weight"

I guess I am lucky I have put the time into understanding how calories and weight are related, but the people who say that are the same ones who don't like the eat less answer to losing weight.

this-ity this this.
and also this.

I disagree. I AM lucky...

Lucky I had the patience and drive to lose the weight in the first place.
Lucky I have the perseverance to keep it off this long.
Lucky I have the time and resources to find activities that make me happy enough to keep doing them.
Lucky I have knowledge I've learned about making better food choices.
Lucky I have wisdom enough to take compliments and be proud of the work I do for my health.

I respectfully disagree. Most of that is down to you and the choices you make and your good qualities such as determination. Credit where credit's due.... including to yourself.

Luck comes into it that you have access to the knowledge required to do that... but most people who don't have access to that knowledge (internet, public libraries, free education) also usually don't have access to enough food to get obese in the first place. Luck also comes into it in that intelligence is mostly genetic. But intelligence doesn't inevitably lead to being either wise or knowledgable, they come from choices you make.

Anyway, I'm just saying this because a lot of people, and it tends to be women more often, don't give themselves credit where it's due, and it's actually better for long term good mental health to take credit for your achievements and take responsibility for your failures, and to know the difference between something that's the result of your choices and effort, and something that's the result of outside factors you have no control over (which require acceptance and work-arounds).

Yes! This drives me nuts! Its not luck its hard work. I'm not "naturally" small either. and I'm not "lucky" enough to have all this extra time to work out. I worked my butt off to lose 40lbs and I work my butt off every day to maintain it and I make time for exercise and good nutrition!

Seriously bothered me.. had a girl who does my hair sometimes telling me how bad she wants to lose weight.
Started trying to encourage her telling her I joined the gym, became dedicated and go almost every day, and starting making lower calorie decisions on what I ate, and disciplining myself.

Her response was literally, "ugh you're so lucky."

NO I'm not "lucky". I WORK HARD

you made MY day!

I, too, WORK hard at the gym and EAT much, much less than the fat-folks around me....

Seriously bothered me.. had a girl who does my hair sometimes telling me how bad she wants to lose weight.
Started trying to encourage her telling her I joined the gym, became dedicated and go almost every day, and starting making lower calorie decisions on what I ate, and disciplining myself.

Her response was literally, "ugh you're so lucky."

NO I'm not "lucky". I WORK HARD

you made MY day!

I, too, WORK hard at the gym and EAT much, much less than the fat-folks around me....

I don't know that "fat-folks" is really the best way to describe the overweight people you encounter IRL.

It drives me crazy as well! If I won the lottery I would be "lucky". I work hard every single day to make my health a priority. Luck has nothing to do with it!

I have to say - as a fairly big guy, it's a lot easier for me to operate at a calorie deficit than if I had to restrict myself to 1200 calories. So, I'm lucky in that it's probably legitimately less of a lifestyle change for me.
I'm lucky that I have the leisure to make time in the early mornings to go to the gym, and lucky that I have co-workers who go to the gym with me over lunch on my cardio days. I'm lucky to be in a situation in my life where I can do all this because I feel like getting healthier, and I'm lucky I decided to get in shape before I developed any health issues that would make it harder.

Not to say I didn't work my butt off, too, but it could've been a lot harder.

+1

I am actually working a lot LESS hard now than I have on diets before. I think thats why it is working this time. Before I tried the diet fads and ended up restricting myself too much and gave up because it was too much hard work. This time I feel as though I am allowed to eat loads and still lose weight, I dont even have to give up eating the foods I like.

That said I DO make a conscious effort to stay in a deficit but so far it has been no where near as much hard work as I thought it would be. I think it'll be a different story the closer I get to goal. So I am enjoying it while it lasts lol.

I am lucky that I am still alive and have this CHANCE for a CHANGE in my lifestyle. A chance to live.

I do have to agree with this. No doubt I'm having to work hard and think about what I'm eating, but being tall and having a fair amount of muscle mass for a woman lets me eat a lot more than most people trying to lose. I honestly can't even wrap my head around the thought of having to eat under 2000 calories long term, much less the 1200-1500 that many women eat.

But remember, their 1200-1500 calories are the *equivalent* of your 2000. You don't 'get' to eat more, you have to eat more!

I do have to agree with this. No doubt I'm having to work hard and think about what I'm eating, but being tall and having a fair amount of muscle mass for a woman lets me eat a lot more than most people trying to lose. I honestly can't even wrap my head around the thought of having to eat under 2000 calories long term, much less the 1200-1500 that many women eat.

But remember, their 1200-1500 calories are the *equivalent* of your 2000. You don't 'get' to eat more, you have to eat more!

I still feel like it's a lot easier, given how much food is in a standard restaurant serving (what we're collectively used to viewing as meal-sized, in other words), to restrict to 2000 Calories than it is to restrict to 1200, even if it's the same deficit. Also, I can have a candy bar if I want to without feeling bad about it, since I can still easily come in under my goal calorie count. That helps me feel like I'm doing something sustainable and has probably helped me stick with it for as long as I have.

My co-worker who does cardio with me is short and female. Her goal calories are a _lot_ harder for her to stick to, because there's just not as much margin.