The excuses we tell ourselves, and others

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Sued0nim
Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been thinking about this a lot recently

How we all have our reasons and excuses for how we got overweight or out of condition, or both

How valid they always seem, real...how can anyone else understand the pressures we are under

So I thought it would be fun to pull together a list of all the excuses you have made

For me

1) I have no time...busy working mum...how can I exercise or food prepare
2) I'm asthmatic..I can't get out of breath
3) I'm middle aged I just accept this is how my Iife is now
4) I don't care, I'm happy how I am ...I look fine
5) I've had that major health crisis, and that health scare
6) my family takes priority ...my husband and kids are skinny
7) I love cheese and food ...why should I?
8) I love eating and being horizontal
9) I'm just so exhausted
10) I go out a lot with friends

Not one of them a reason, all an excuse

Recognise them? Have any to add?
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Replies

  • MarMcGrath
    MarMcGrath Posts: 58 Member
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    This is a great idea.

    I relate to a lot of these for sure, especially No. 01!

    Some to add -

    1) I deserve a treat - except when something is an everyday thing, it's no longer a treat is it?
    2) It's not fair that I have to work harder than others to see the same results - life's not fair, duh
    3) I stress eat due to mental illness - Nope, I stress eat to relieve stress... FIND ANOTHER WAY TO RELIEVE IT

    How easily we convince ourselves that our reasoning is valid when its just another "lazy way out".
  • Emily3907
    Emily3907 Posts: 1,461 Member
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    I definitely recognize 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9. I have the following to add:

    - I went through x (personal tragedy) and did a lot of emotional eating.
    - I have x (disease or condition) that makes it harder for me to lose weight. (For me personally, it is PCOS. However, I had PCOS and maintained a healthy weight for years prior to my weight gain. So, this is an excuse in my case, but maybe not for all.)
  • JenniK614
    JenniK614 Posts: 22 Member
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    Those definitely sound familiar.

    I would also add:
    1. It's in my genes.
    2. I come from a family of big people.
    3. I like food too much to eat less.
  • kristen6350
    kristen6350 Posts: 1,094 Member
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    My big ones were:

    1. I'm tall and "big boned", it's perfectly normal to wear a very tight 14. BTW, no it's not. You can wear a 6 and look perfectly normal.
    2. I've had a rough day, I'm just going graze because I don't want to make a "difficult" meal. Sorry, again, cooking healthy isn't difficult.
    3. Oh, I'm just getting older, I can't assume I'll weigh what I weighed at 20. I currently weight LESS than I did at 20.

    Now, I'll never be a gym rat or even like exercise. But I can stop stuffing my pie hole. And I did and lost almost 50lbs.
  • WickedPineapple
    WickedPineapple Posts: 701 Member
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    Oh yeah, I still struggle with #9 occasionally.

    Personally, I have these to add:

    My blood pressure and bloodwork are all in the healthy range, so I'm healthy.
    I've always been overweight, so I'm meant to be overweight.
    I have a large frame, so I'm meant to be overweight. (I actually do have a medium to large frame, it just wasn't as significant as I thought it was.)
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Oh the "i deserve to eat that". *nods*

    All of these I've felt at one stage or another I think

    Also I carry my weight well, everyone tells me I look great so I don't need to ...never really getting that that's what people do
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
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    JenniK614 wrote: »
    Those definitely sound familiar.

    I would also add:
    1. It's in my genes.
    2. I come from a family of big people.
    3. I like food too much to eat less.

    Yup, this was my list too.

    Basically I thought that I could never be thin. Never. So why even bother?

    I was so wrong.
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
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    Yes! My worst: I'm so fit, how can I be fat? I'm just a large woman...
    hahaha
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    1. I worked out, I deserve to have a burger, fries and milkshake (now, there's nothing wrong with fast food, but the complete disregard for calories in and out was frequent)
    2. I'm out of breath 5 minutes into a workout so I won't bother (stop trying to go balls to the wall!)
    3. I've already ruined my diet with eating X, might as well toss the rest of the day out the window and keep eating crap (It's not an all or nothing kind of deal, you know!)
    4. I'm too tired. (ha, what a joke. I'm always tired. It's really not a valid excuse)
    5. I don't know where to start. (It doesn't matter where you start, just do it. Either start counting calories, start simple exercise, eating less, whatever. Just start and you'll learn along the way.
    6. I don't like vegetables or salads. I can't eat food like a rabbit. (You don't have to. You can still eat your favorite foods. Moderation. It works wonders.)
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
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    "exercise is boring." dude, that's what ear buds and smartphones are for.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
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    No one in my genome is thin, why on earth could I be? If they can't get thin, how could I? It must just be how we are, there is no way to change your genes...

    Long story short, I'm 15.5 down!
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    Oh boy do some of these resonate with me! A lot of what I've said to myself has already been stated, but I'll reiterate and add a few:

    1. It's genetic
    2. My body works differently than a thin person's
    3. I have medical conditions working against me, I just can't exercise
    4. I'm so stressed, I can't handle the stress of dieting
    5. I carry my weight well
    6. My husband loves me as I am, why bother
    7. I eat healthy, this is the weight my body wants to be obviously
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    It wasn't my fault I was fat - it was the car driver who used my knee to take the bumper (US = fender) off his car.

    Although there was an element of truth in that 3 months on crutches and some level of permanent disability contributed to me getting fat it was me that failed to take responsibility for my food intake for the next 20 years.

    If I had worked as hard on getting slim as I did on regaining my fitness I wouldn't have been "fit but fat" all the way through my 30's and 40's. A bit embarrassing really but that's the nature of excuses, far easier to blame someone or something else rather than take a long hard look in the mirror.

  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    My biggest excuse was "I don't eat that much". Well I thought I wasn't eating a lot then I started logging here and realized I DO eat a lot, much more than I realized especially when it came to snack foods.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,658 Member
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    I'm so tall the extra weight doesn't show much.

    OK, for a long time, maybe it didn't. Then it did.
  • NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner
    NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner Posts: 1,018 Member
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    I have PCOS.
    I have PCOS.
    I have PCOS.

    The biggest excuse I've ever used.
  • BethAnnieT
    BethAnnieT Posts: 263 Member
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    "I deserve this treat" is my big one. Like, all the time. Still.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    "I must be addicted to sugar/carbs/food." Nah. I can now stop at a cookie or a handful of chips (not to say I always do but I can)
  • Rawr1978
    Rawr1978 Posts: 245 Member
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    1. I have 3 kids, I'm too tired.
    2. I have too much work to catch up on.
    3. I feel sick (which is really just the result of not working out)
    4. These stretched-out yoga pants will do me a bit more (it's been 4 years)
    5. I like food. I really like this chocolate. And this mac and cheese. I don't want to cook.
    6. If I just keep covered head to toe, no one will see just how fat I've become.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    strong_curves wrote: »
    My biggest excuse was "I don't eat that much". Well I thought I wasn't eating a lot then I started logging here and realized I DO eat a lot, much more than I realized especially when it came to snack foods.

    Oh yeah, this one too.

    It's not the quantity, it's the calories.

    My own mother uses this excuse ALL THE TIME. Needless to say, she's still morbidly obese.

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