"Watch your weight" They said.

Published: Sun, 03/12/17

Good morning , 

Watch your weight, they said. My mom also told me that. “Oooh, girl you heavy. Why you so thick?” When I was younger, that was some of the things she used to say.

Those words stung deeply for a very long time. It affected so many aspects of my life growing up. It was the story that I told myself for a very long time- I was fat, ugly, too dark, too tall, too thick, and that I looked like a linebacker. Pretty horrible image of myself, huh?

Then, when I got fitter and healthier, started to lift the things, get stronger and lean, I was told not to keep going because I would look like a man.  As if all this muscle was going to magically appear!  I already had heard that one, though, lol.​​​​​​​
As we know, that is a myth. I’m still trying to find where all this bulk is coming from. I won’t speak to the bulk thing today because I’ve talked and educated on that many times now.

People always got something to say about other people's body - your body; my body, They’re no one's business. I don’t let those thoughts or feelings take up any residence anymore because I know who I am. The stories that I used to tell myself about my size and weight are irrelevant because what others think of my body is not my problem – it’s theirs.

Watch your weight (they said) – mostly all diets focus on the weight loss, without much mention of anything else. You're doing good if the number goes down and if it stayed the same or went up you were bad. The” watch your weight” statement perpetuates the diet cycle. The guilt pushes us to push harder with more restriction to get the scale number to move - to go down.

The crazy thing is, when we do get the number down, we still aren't happy with the way we look. So, we keep pushing, until we can't take it anymore. Hunger is through the roof, and the weight is packing back on. even when we are eating 900 - 1200 calories. I am talking here from my very own experiences, as well as the women that I have worked with.

Unfortunately, the sad truth about focusing on losing weight is that when you do lose the weight, you’ll be a smaller version of yourself.  You still won’t be toned, look athletic, or have built new curves…focusing strictly on weight often results in a loss of muscle and curves.  You can retain the muscle and curves, but it takes a broader, whole person view and plan – not just a diet focused on weight.

You can be your lightest weight ever and still be unhealthy, hair falling out, not having a menstrual cycle, cold all the time, and constantly bombarded with thoughts of food. Not only that, we down-regulated our metabolism - meaning that we changed the number of calories/food that we can maintain our body weight on.

So, for example - hypothetically speaking - pre-dieting (depending on how extreme you were with diets in general) you were able to maintain your weight on 2000 calories. After many diets and rebounds, now you maintain your weight on 1200 - this is not a good thing.

That is no Bueno. You have to eat less to maintain your weight - the metabolism has slowed down significantly to preserve energy. If you eat more, you will gain weight and increase fat, and that's usually want we don't want.

I had an interesting conversation over on my Facebook page about Weight Watchers the other day. I legitimately wanted to know, the pros and cons of WW. It was good dialogue, and I loved hearing everyone’s feedback.

Check the thread out here.

Two of my friends, who are Fitness Professionals as well, chimed in on their experiences, so that was cool. They both said they lost weight using WW but that it created an unhealthy relationship with food.
 
Like I said before all diets work until they don’t. A lot of diets have good aspects to a point, even Weight Watchers. It's just not my cup of tea.

One of the recurring themes that came up with WW is the whole weigh-in thing. In my opinion that is not the healthiest way of going about body change, especially when you attach moral value to the scale and yourself.

Watch your weight go up on the bar instead of the scale. Love this! ⬇️
 
I know, I know, the system of WW say they don't focus on the scale weight anymore. Again, I'll repeat there are some great things about it.

The big question, though, is it optimal, is it sustainable? Did you learn how to eat in a way that makes you feel good and have great energy? Or are you consumed with hitting points or trying to find the lowest points to eat more foods - that's a sign of being deprived.  Are you able to train and get through a workout without feeling gassed?

Just a few questions to ponder.

When it's all said and done, diets work until they don't work. Diets have a 90 -ish something percent failure rate. Again, most folks lose the weight but gain it back again, and some are successful. Diets keep us coming back for more, but it doesn't have to be this way - and it's not necessarily your fault or that you don't have enough willpower. Diets, at the very core, are designed for you to be a serial dieter. Think about that for a minute.

You don't have to go any particular diet, or if you do, please find one that works for you, one that is sustainable, one that helps you be successful- not one that tears you down. That's my wish and hope for you, specifically that you have successful weight/fat loss that lasts for a lifetime coupled with healthy habits that support and not hinder you.


I want to teach you and show you that you can have success without the elimination of whole food groups (it's not carbs themselves that are the issue), without carrying Tupperware everywhere, or saying that "I can’t eat that, I'm on a diet."


* Anti - Diet Fat Loss Coaching is an Online 12 Week 1:1 Training and Nutrition program designed to help you lose fat and build muscle in a sane, simple, and sustainable way.

** The Anti - Diet solution is for the woman who is tired of dieting.

** For the women who is scared to give up dieting.

** Tired of being told what she can and cannot eat.

** For the women who wants to lose fat and feel confident in her skin, without using extreme measures and short-term crash diets.
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What you will get with 1 on 1 Coaching with me:
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You will get $100 discount with an additional 10% off with the paid in full option. This discount will only be good until tomorrow, Monday, March 13th at midnight CST. 


 
Any questions don't hesitate to reach out, I'd be happy to answer anything, and you can also check out the FAQ's {here}.

Have a Happy Sunday!

Yours in Strength and Health
Xo
Candace