When starting a weight loss, weight lifting or any type of diet plan, I genuinely believe it is extremely important to ask yourself, one crucial yet simply question:
“Why?”
Why do you want to go “on a diet”? Why do you feel as if you need to lose weight? Why do you need to “be bigger”, “look more muscular”?
In a world plagued with social media fitness gurus who post workout and diet plans every day, it seems as if we should all be dieting, working out, or making sacrifices for our “ideal body”.
In my personal experience, I have found that those who endlessly find reasons to diet are simply unhappy with a completely different aspect of their life. In particular instances, I have seen those who are unhappy in their relationship with their significant other blame their weight for their problems. Believe it or not, your relationship problems will still exist whether you are 200 pounds or 150 pounds.
Personally, I struggle with maintaining strong relationships with others and although I am aware of my struggle, I routinely look to food, dieting, working out, etc. to cope with my insecurity. I make up reasons in my head like, “If I look a certain way, maybe I can develop deeper and more meaningful relationships?” or “If I was 20 pounds lighter, I would be happier with myself and attract the right people into my life.” Do you realize how ridiculous I sound? I certainly do. My relationship with food or dieting has nothing to do with how I maintain relationships. My issue with commitment is extremely deeper than simply how I view food.
With that being said, I want to raise awareness for your “why”. Why are you extreme dieting, working out or making changes to your lifestyle? If your answer is “to look good”, I want you to reevaluate your “why”. Let’s change it up to, “I want to be healthier for my kids because I want to meet their grandchildren” or something like, “I want to eat whole foods because I realize that what I put into my body reflects my performance in spin class.” Change your perspective and I promise you that dieting and exercise will cease to be activities you dread but rather a positive change to live to your full potential and become your best self.
