Tough Love

KITA (aka Kick In The *kitten*)

We all need one once in a while. Some more than others. This one is about responsibility.

My KITA was finally recognizing that it was monumentally stupid to have the knowledge that I possess and, out of sheer laziness, refusing to apply it to myself. I took my KITA (with a bit of grace, I hope) and the lightbulb came on and I finally realized that I had been ignoring my responsibility to myself. I am responsible for me, my actions, my words. It is MY responsibility to use the education I worked hard for, to improve my life and the lives of those close to me, at the very least. I’m lucky in that I’m starting this process with a good dose of knowledge about nutrition and health already. But it didn’t come through osmosis – I worked for it. I have been wasting it, but I’m changing that. I’m sure I’ll need more KITAs – I hope someone is willing to give them when I do need one.

Here is your KITA. Stop pushing the responsibility to educate yourself onto others. You came here wanting something – to lose weight, to look better, to be healthier, whatever. It is your responsibility to put in the work required to reach that goal. That work isn’t just about going to work out for a while every day, or faithfully logging your meals. Healthy, sustainable weight loss requires that you learn a few things and bulk up your brain while you trim down your body. (That last bit is horribly cheesy, but I like it anyway.)

This site is an exceptional tool to further your ability to reach your goals. But it is still your responsibility to USE all of the tools it offers. There are miles and miles of posts on MFP (and of course other places) that explain everything you ever wanted to know about weight loss. There are incredible people here, many with a wealth of knowledge about nutrition, exercise, the human body and many other topics. There are people with lots of experience. Feel free to use them. Most of them are more than happy to share their knowledge…. (here comes the catch…wait for it)… IF YOU ARE WILLING TO MAKE AN EFFORT TO EDUCATE YOURSELF.

Search the topics, read the threads, ask questions when necessary, pay attention to the informed answers – and stop fishing for someone to tell you what you want to hear.

Stop looking for the quick fix, stop expecting miracles. They don’t exist.

Stop saying things like “Well I’ve always done it this way…” -- If it worked so well, why are you where you are?

Stop saying “I can’t do that (drinking water, eating regularly, etc)” -- We all hate some part of this. If we loved it, we wouldn’t be fat. There are hard choices to make. Make your choices and live with them.

Some things will work for you, some won’t. Be willing to TRY, give it enough time, and if it doesn’t, move on and try something else.

Take responsibility for your choices, your mistakes and your successes. Take responsibility for all aspects of learning how to improve your health.

RESPONSIBILITY = CONTROL = POWER

Empower yourself.