Ok we’re gonna switch it up a bit in here today. I’m about to go on a little rant about something that has been driving me absolutely CRAZY lately! Sorry – I’ll be back next week with some delicious new recipes to share but I just needed to get this off my chest.
Being a normal American woman, I of course have been through my fair share of body issues along with weight gain & loss. I gained about 30 pounds in college due to a lack of nutritious food choices, D.P. Dough Calzone runs at 2:00 in the morning and less exercise than I was used to. I subscribed to all of these fitness magazines and scanned the pages halfway inspired, halfway tempted to do whatever stupid diet or workout they were promoting that month. I can’t tell you how many times I would go into a new week thinking, this will be my week! I will work out at the gym every day, buy those diet foods and lose this weight once and for all! When I put in the effort and saw nothing change on the scale, I was discouraged and fell back into eating crappy, blah, blah, blah, you know the story because I’m willing to guess you’ve been through the exact same cycle.
It wasn’t until a about 4 years ago when I read a book about eating real food, fueling your body and getting active that I finally got it. I didn’t need all of these stupid diets or ab workouts, I needed to go back to what I used to do growing up – eat real, whole foods, and get MOVING! Soon after, I discovered my amazing boot camp program and the rest is history. 4 years later, I’m finally in a really happy place with my body. Of course I still have my own insecurities but I’m content with how far I’ve come and where I’m at. It was NOT an overnight process, I’m continuing to get physically stronger every day and challenge my body with things it’s never done before. Every day I learn one more thing about eating healthier, I push myself to complete new goals and be a better, healthier me.
So? What is it I’m so upset about? I’m upset about all these STUPID mainstream websites and magazines that run these stories “5 Minutes to Rock Hard Abs,” “Your dream body in just 2 weeks,” “Perfect swimsuit body in just 4 simple Moves.” EXCUSE ME??? I’m sorry but show me one damn person who has EVER gotten rock hard abs in 5 minutes, or sculpted their perfect dream body in just 2 weeks. It just DOESN’T happen! It’s not realistic, it’s not REALITY. You want to look good? It’s a decision, it’s a life choice, it’s changing your entire way of thinking. If you think you’re going to get there by running on the treadmill for 10 minutes and eating some low fat strawberry yogurt then you need to climb out of that hole and wake up! I roll out of bed at 5:30 every morning and get my ass kicked at a hard core boot camp, I go to the gym, run all sorts of races, do crazy things like the burpee mile, AND I eat pretty healthy and you know what? I do not have rock hard abs. SO, you’re telling me all I have to do is do these 3 ab workouts and I’ll get them? Excuse me? I don’t think so!
The other day I read one of these magazines and they were saying that you should wait until your hunger is a 9 on a scale of 1-10 before you eat. WHAT?? I’m no nutritionist but I know what happens when I sit down at a restaurant and I’m incredibly hungry. I shove every piece of bread, chip & fat I lay my eyes on. And this is what we’re encouraging people to do? Who ARE these people?
Now I realize that you, and me, and other people out there know this is not reality but it scares me that all these people are buying up these magazines with hopes of transforming themselves in 2 weeks. They’re watching The Biggest Loser and seeing people lose 15 pounds in one week and when they can’t do that? They’re going think they failed, get discouraged and then fall right back into their cupcake eating, TV watching ways.
We need to stop feeding the public these false hopes of overnight changes and the need to get “skinny.” How about we start encouraging people to strive for a “healthy” body, one that is strong and fit, and fueled by real whole foods made by nature and not multinational corporations? How about we get honest with people and say “You know what? It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be hard. You’re not going to lose 10 pounds every week. You’re not going to be perfect, but you don’t have to be. You don’t have to give up the joy that food brings, you just have find it in different ways. It is going to be a long process, but you know what? It’s worth it, and you WILL get there. ”
Ok, I’m getting off my soap box now, thanks for listening! Have a great weekend!
Amen sister! I would need surgical intervention to have “rock hard” abs at this point in my life. It’s called a tummy tuck! Lol! Mainstream media is crazy…
Haha, I know right??
YES YES YES!!!! This might be long, so please bear with me. I was totally active and healthy up until I got pregnant with my first and it was downhill after that, never lost the 70+ pounds after he was born and then got pregnant with my daughter a couple of years after that. After she was born, I lost 50lbs and the day after I hit 50lbs, I found out I was pregnant with my 3rd. I managed to only gain about 25 lbs with him and bounced back pretty quickly; fast forward 2 years later and I had put on about 20 more lbs and then my whole world came crashing down around me when my Dad was killed instantly in a car accident. I put on 40 more pounds over the following two years and FINALLY after trying every freaking magazine promise, weight watchers, counting calories, etc. I finally found what works. Last May I did an experiment, for 6 weeks I only ate real foods, ate when I was hungry and ate what I wanted. If we went out to eat, fine, I stopped obsessing. 6 weeks later I had lost 20 lbs. I’m at 45lbs lost right now and while I am not where I want to be yet, I’m SOOO much healthier and happier than I have been in a REALLY long time! I bust my ass at the gym every morning, eat real, whole, delicious foods and still don’t obsess about things. I don’t count calories, weigh foods, measure them, etc. I’m not an overnight success, but I still feel successful!!!!
Thanks so much for sharing Jen, that sounds like quite the journey! I’m so sorry to hear about your Dad, I can’t imagine what that would have been like.
People like you are such an inspiration and should be featured on these magazines instead of girls that have never had to work for their perfect body! It’s definitely a journey but if you stay dedicated and decide to stay in it for the long haul, it will work! You are a perfect example and most certainly a SUCCESS! 
So trueee! I hate reading stuff like this; it certainly isn’t possible to get your dream body in the space of weeks; i’ve been eating healthily for around 2-3 years now and I’m still no where near where I want to be or what half of these people on the magazines like! Generally everyone seems to be selling a false sense of reality – even the government etc with their healthy “low fat” diet plans that actually encourage the processed crappy diet food that is gonna make people unhealthy!
I just wanted to say thank you for posting this.
I love your soapbox, Mai-lis. I am totally on the same page! I used to read all those magazines and despair, but you know what? They lie! Now I am into sports I love, and work really hard. I still don’t have magazine worthy abs, but I love where I am! Reality, people!
This is a fantastic post Mai-Lis. I refuse to buy these magazines simply for that fact. All this mumbo jumbo is complete bull. It drives me insane that half of the pages are filled with advertising and the other with articles focusing on spot reduction. I wish these magazines published more articles on educating people about food, nutrition labels and the affects of “fake” ingredients on our bodies.
I know, right?? I try not to buy anything with ingredients I can’t understand, there’s so much crap out there!
You go girl, on that soap box. Everything you said is soooo true. I hear ya, and totally agree. I’m scared to death for my daughter to grow up reading this crap, or believing it. I try and teach her, and my boys about healthy eating, and that REAL food is the only way to go. No miracle fix for anything, and yep staying healthy, and looking great especially after kids, is HARD!!!
I’ve just recently started my first REAL challenge for myself, to get healthy. I’ve never ever dieted before, and while I’m glad I never put my body through that crap, I’ve sure suffered the other effects of not doing enough.
I am on a mission to get healthy, and so far it’s been amazing, and I feel like I can continue this forever. Why, because it’s not a diet, it’s a way of life, it’s a way of looking at food, and knowing I must workout my body, so it can take care of me.
I really enjoyed your post.
Hugs, Bella
Bella’s 40 Day Challenge
Hey Bella! Thanks for commenting, I completely LOVE what you’re doing. I can’t wait to follow you on your journey and see your success! It’s a process but it’s SO worth it!