Lose your Weight, Not your Mind!

Admit it, we all have been there! We all have pretended to be satisfied with ourselves, despite feeling a little heavy on the outside! If anyone else disagrees and gives you that phrase- “Feel good about yourself”- you should know that they are lying! 

Yes, this phrase is empowering and true to some extent, until it starts to appear as a taunting message after you’ve taken a long look at your pictures! 

Such a depressing way to start a blog, you must be thinking. But it is the truth that is depressing in actuality. Enough with that! Stop living in a delusion and take a stand. Losing that extra kilo will not only make you look good but also make your heart and mind feel good. It is commendable if you have come to terms with your truth and decided on making positive changes to your body. But if you are making a wrong start, read on for some valid reasoning to only lose your weight, not your mind!  

Let’s start with how weight loss works 

I will be skipping all the technical details here for the sake of simple understanding. You lose weight when your body burns more calories than calorie intake. It is not all about the food but mostly it is. The rest is the route of calorie-burning which should be achieved through physical activities. So, eating less, and burning more should be your motto for you. 

Where does the problem arise? 

Yes, “eat less, burn more” is the holy grail of fitness goals. But the problem arises when some people start seeing only half of it. To be more specific- the “eat” part. 

As a result, they opt for eating a lesser and lesser amount than is actually required. There have been mentions of some people who get addicted to losing weight and in the process fall victim to serious medical disorders such as Anorexia, Bulimia, and so on. I pray for you not to reach that unfortunate extent. 

Eating less is not required if your daily activities are up to the mark. A balanced diet or a good diet plan is essential for leading a proper life. I will talk about it later, but let me carry on with the “problem with weight loss” part for now.  

Don’t make naive decisions

We live in an impressionable society. We act on what we see and ultimately set out beliefs in. If you tune into any tv channel, you will find advertisements and beauty slogans running 24/7. If the lead model is attractive or popular, you decide to pay attention to it. In the same context, social media is dominated by beauty and fitness gurus who ultimately become social media royalties. The reason is you and other users who like what they see on their channels. 

It’s all about the visual engagement that sometimes works more than the content. You choose what you see and like! That’s the ultimate truth that never changes. Hence, it is natural that you start following your ideal star’s supposed routines religiously. 

Speaking of fitness, you will never rely on a fitness Vlogger with double body mass as you! Media influencers have such a great impact that it is common for some people to get misinformed and go overboard. As a result, they don’t meet their desired goals and in worse case scenarios, cause more harm than good. 

The bottom line is to not completely rely on every social media tip you find out there. Instead, you can take inspiration from them and fuel your motivation for fitness, not just for fitting into society’s standards of body goals. 

Diet or exercise? 

I say both! I did not make a revelation there as it has already been proven that your diet and physical activities work together for achieving fitness. Diet is the main concern for this blog so let me emphasize that for now. 

Although my major emphasis is on a balanced diet, since I have already talked about diet plans meant for losing weight, let’s continue with that first.

Should you consult a dietician before dieting? 

In most cases, it is not necessary. Especially if you don’t have any underlying health problems. I do not support extreme dieting or crash dieting for anyone though. As I said before, we are very susceptible to media influence and yearn for the physical features possessed by our favorites. Some of you will follow their diet plans blindly on this conception that if it worked for them, so it will for you. Which is definitely NOT the case, by the way! 

You might have heard the phrase “everybody is different”. Each syllable of it speaks the truth. Your body is indeed different than your favorite actor who might share similar height and facial features with you. This obviously also takes other factors under consideration, such as their lifestyle and social status. As in they don’t live in the same conditions as you do (duh!). 

First things first, it is important for you to understand that celebrities have got people to monitor their health and appearance. They might have shared their diet plan with the public but not the modifications or the process of selecting a diet suitable for only them. 

So, you need to wake up and listen to your own body! 

Here’s what you should do before going on a diet (if you must!)