In my (seemingly) unending struggle with weight loss, many times, I do wonder what I am made up of. I can't help but compare myself with my coworker who's a chinese mom of 3 but looks like a teenager herself, the friend who is a size 4 and claims she's never set foot in a gym, my sisters whom my skinny dad decided to give his best genes to ! And what is with those fortunate few who embark on a weight loss journey, steadily drop 1-2 lbs a week by doing the 'right diet, right exercise' routine. Not to disparage their acheivements, but what is keeping me and my sorority sisters all over the world from making any significant progress in this battle? Some of my friends and I exercise most days of the week. I have always been sort of dieting, since a time I can't remember. What makes some people slide down on the weight incline the instant they start to walk 45 minutes a day or give up sodas or dessert?
I am on my toes from the instant I get home until late in the night. It infuriates me when someone tells me "just be active don't go overboard with working out at the gym, you'll surely lose weight' or ' just walk more, your generation needs to get off the couch more often'. Wow! something so incredibly simple and potent, why hadn't I thought of this before?
I chanced upon a segment on weight loss from a book called 'Small change', a book I picked up spontaneously as a gift for myself on my birthday, 2 minutes before the store closed, while my husband was driving around the block to pacify my cranky daughter. I am glad I bought it, I actually like it for the most part. In this section on weight loss, the authors explain this with a clever dog analogy. Dogs come in different sizes, energy levels and life spans. While some dogs need only a little playtime others needs to be exercised vigorously, not just a walk-around-the-block. A cockapoo can complete its quota of physical activity by just running around the dining table and sprinting up and down the stairs, a Border collie - a high energy and highly intelligent animal - needs to run miles and miles everyday. Failing which, it may not just get overweight and sluggish like a cocker spaniel would, it's going to act dysfunctional and can tear your house apart! Identify the dog within you, then eat and exercise accordingly. Most importantly, stop feeling guilty or bad about the dog you are not!
No wonder it is a $50 billion industry!
ReplyDeleteAlso you get lot of a$$vice on this subject from all and sundry. (My fave word!!)
ReplyDeleteI am impressed that you get to the gym that many times a week, despite the busy work, home and kid schedule.. so first off, hats off to you for that!! Yes, I have come to the conclusion the metabolism which one is genetically bestowed with plays a HUGE role in weight. Some people are just born lucky, to be able to get away with eating well.. others not as lucky.
ReplyDeleteSree, on most days, my coworker and I walk 3.2 mi(~5k) around my work place, at a brisk pace. On other days, it's the lunch hour group exercise class at the office gym, we always have some class going on - step/zumba/kickboxing. I like both, though walking outdoors is very de-stressing and sometimes cathartic!
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