If you’ve ever lost weight, or attempted to lose weight, it’s probably safe to assume that you didn’t enjoy the experience. If you were successful, you will no doubt have enjoyed the results, but the journey to get there, well, the less said about that the better. Losing weight is tough, there is no getting around that, especially when you realize that it is a great deal more complicated than previously thought. People often think that losing weight is simply a case of eating healthy food and exercising, and in principle, it is exactly that. When you delve deeper however, you begin to understand why people struggle. For example, what actually is healthy food, and how much should you be eating? What type of exercise should you be doing, how frequently, and how hard should you be working? All of this needs to be addressed before you begin any weight loss journey. Whether you’ve 10 pounds to lose, or 100, preparation is the key to success. For that reason, and to ensure you don’t encounter any nasty surprises along the way, here are a few things that people won’t tell you about losing weight.
Loose skin could be just as bad as fat
If you only have a few pounds, or even a few dozen pounds to lose, loose skin shouldn’t be a problem. If however, you’ve 100 plus pounds to lose, when you eventually reach your goal, your loose skin could cause you just as much trouble as your fat did. Even if you haven’t got that much fat to lose, you will still find your skin loosening up and heading southwards. In extreme cases, surgery will be required to remove the skin, but if you’re just dealing with a little loose skin, resistance work and toning exercises will work wonders.
You will slip up at some point
The day that you decide to make a conscious decision to lose weight, will be the day that your motivational levels are through the roof. You will be more determined than ever before, and you will work your butt off in the process. It could be days, weeks, months, or even years, but somewhere down the line, you are going to slip up. Exactly how you slip up, and exactly how badly, all depends on you. Some people have a bad day, say screw the diet, and order an XL stuffed crust pizza help lift their spirits, whereas others may turn a day’s worth of binge eating, into a week’s worth. This could eventually result in you simply quitting and reverting back to your old ways. The point we’re making is that you will slip up at some point, but it is how you react next that will determine just how much damage is done.
Your friends and family members could be bad influences
When you lose the weight, or begin losing weight, initially people will be very supportive towards you. As time goes by however, though not intentionally, those close to you could prove to be bad influences. Those involved in your regular social circle may recommend days out, or meals out, which could set you back several days, and they may make it hard to say no. In an ideal world, they would suggest going for a meal, you would politely decline as you don’t want to ruin your progress, and that would be it. More likely however, is that they will continue to hound you, and will refuse to take no for an answer, until you eventually cave in and undo your hard work. Now, it’s important to have fun and to enjoy yourself, but if you don’t want to do something, those close to you should respect your wishes, rather than encouraging you to undo several day’s worth of diet and hard work in the gym.
You will feel guilty when you eat ‘regular’ food
Losing weight is a constant psychological battle, as you will constantly be thinking about food in some form or another. Remember, you can’t diet forever, and the key to success is to find something sustainable and healthy. When you eventually start eating ‘regular’ food however, you will almost certainly feel an overbearing sense of guilt. The thing to remember here is that you aren’t dieting forever, and that you are allowed regular foods, and even junk food now and then, providing you are active and that your diet is in check for 90% of the time. If you eat some chicken thighs with the skin left on, don’t sweat it, you have nothing to feel guilty about, so enjoy regular foods and have fun.
Throwing out old clothes will be tough
If you’ve been overweight for many years, you will almost certainly have a number of clothing items that you consider to be your favourites. These items (which are probably black) will eventually need to be tossed into the trash however, because when you lose weight, they will no longer fit you properly and you won’t want to look as if you’re drowning in clothing. Throwing out old clothes however, is very tough, though you must be strong. By throwing out old clothes that are now far too big, you know that you have to maintain your weight otherwise your new clothes will be too small, and you’ll have no bigger clothes to slip into instead.
Losing weight isn’t the key to happiness
Though some people would have you believe otherwise, the key to happiness isn’t actually losing weight and building a better body. Sure, it will boost your confidence and improve your mood no end, but losing weight will not suddenly make the rest of your problems disappear as if by magic. Losing weight will make you feel better in your own skin, and it will improve your health in the process, but life should not, and does not, revolve around how much fat you are carrying on your frame.
