Outside Influences and How They Effect Your Goals- Maintaining or Losing

Today I wanted to cover something that I’m sure all of you on your journey may be facing or may have done yourself. It is something that made me avoid social situations in the past and makes me nervous for the upcoming holidays. It’s that dreaded coworker, family member, or acquaintance that tells you that you aren’t fat and that you should eat that piece of cake, or the many delicious 1000 calorie things laid on the table at a gathering. Sometimes that same dreaded person that talks about you like you have it so easy because you aren’t overweight. I remember specifically a coworker talking to another like I wasn’t standing right there saying “we all can’t be as lucky as that Lindsay” . “Ehem… I’m right here people and guess what? I work hard for this!!!” . What many people don’t understand, and what after gaining 80lbs that I came to conclude, is that some of us, in order to stay fit, have to always be consciously making good decisions about eating and exercise or we are doomed. Maybe it’s because of our genes, maybe it’s the delicious foods, or the emotional attachment to food that-in our culture, rewards and celebrates in all it’s sugary greasy glory. How do we celebrate a birthday, a holiday, a weekend, a promotion without 10,000 calories? I have yet to really figure it out how to change the culture, so in turn.. I know I need to change myself. I have a love for food, and I mean I LOVE FOOD. Please don’t give me a hard time if I decide I am not going to eat that slice of cake, or that delicious looking cream cheese dip. I may not be like you. I can not take one bite, one slice, one spoonful. If it is as good as it looks, I WILL struggle with stopping myself until it’s no longer in front of me. I am someone that will stand second in line at a buffet and have anxiety that there may not be enough food left for me. I know myself, and I know what I need to do to get and stay fit. Please let me eat my bag of almonds from my purse, the veggie tray and maybe some chicken and leave it at that. Please don’t judge me or others because you don’t know what battles they face. Please don’t make someone feel as though they can’t go to a party because they will get ridiculed for not eating cake! With the upcoming holidays, I wanted to stress this. I find it is much easier to munch on my bag of almonds now that am overweight and people understand that “Oh, she is just trying to lose weight”. But when I was fit, people didn’t understand that I fought that same battle to maintain my weight. And sure, I occasionally ate a slice of cake- maybe even half a pan. And it’s okay to sometimes indulge, but it is also okay to “Just say NO” in order to stick to your goals. There are many events coming up that will probably fill every weekend and many weekdays loaded with deliciousness . Fit people and those of us overweight alike- don’t avoid the situations because of these people. Stand up for what you believe in. Let them know that you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle and that you do sometimes indulge. Let them know that heckling you or anybody else is wrong and that what you need is support. Most importantly, support one another and try to keep in mind, that we are battling our own demons.
How do you feel outside influences you on your journey?