5 Excuses That Can Derail Your Fitness Goals

The struggle is real. For the past two months, I’ve been working out 5-6 days a week. I’m finally at a point that I don’t want to miss a workout, even if I’m feeling tired. I look forward to going to the gym and seeing the same folks there every day and seeing my muscles getting stronger. The one area that I’m really having a hard time with is nutrition. The more I workout, the more I want to eat, and it’s usually not the good stuff. I can’t seem to balance my nutrition and fitness goals at the same time and it’s frustrating. In my head, I know that if I eat healthy, that all my hard work at the gym will show, but my mind doesn’t want to cooperate with the plan. I tend to go from one extreme to the other….workout a lot and eat like crap or eat clean and not workout at all!

Ever since I was a kid I struggled with my weight and eating habits. I’m definitely an emotional eater. Sometimes my feeding frenzy comes and goes. Sometimes I just want to eat fish and vegetables or only want to have a smoothie. My deadly favorites are sweets, french fries, and Rubio’s gourmet shrimp tacos. Sometimes I think it’s better to allow yourself to eat the things that you crave until you’re sick of eating them. I think I’m at the point of being sick of eating shrimp tacos…which is a good thing.

I’ve done it all but my challenge has always been to maintain my goal weight. I love to eat and go out to restaurants with my friends. Why does greasy, fried food always taste so good! Why is it that we sabotage ourselves when we’re finally making progress and keep ourselves from reaching our goals. I tend to think that there is a part of us that doesn’t believe that we can do it. Doesn’t believe that it’s possible to reach your goal, and it’s hard to silent that negative voice that lives inside of our head. The hardest part about living a fitness lifestyle is getting over the mental blocks that have caused your weight gain.

I’ll admit that I’m not a fitness expert, but I’ve had plenty of experience with the battle of the bulge. I struggle every day to make good choices and to convince myself to go to the gym. Sometimes I win and sometimes I fail miserably! Just last night I went out with one of my good friends and had pizza. I went overboard and had 4 delicious slices, but it’s a rare occasion when I have pizza. So I know that I’ll really have to push myself for the next couple of days to burn off those extra calories. I guess that’s the price that we all must pay for a few minutes of pleasure.

Here are a few excuses to look out for so you won’t derail your fitness goals.

1.It all our nothing! Just because your trying to lose weight doesn’t mean that it’s all our nothing. You can eat clean, but also be mindful that you have to learn how to eat well for the rest of your life! So you have to figure out how to balance a healthy diet and also to be able to eat the fun stuff on occasion and in moderation. If you’re a type of person that has an allergy, it might be as simple as eliminating certain foods out of your diet. That could help you get your weight and health in check.

2. I can eat whatever I want because I’m working out: Okay, I have to be honest, I really struggle with this one. Maybe it’s because junk food is so easily available and that I’m constantly hungry, but I love to eat. If you’re going to lose weight you have to prepare your mind to have to cut some food out. There is a small voice inside of everyone’s head that will try to sabotage their efforts. We tend to make weight loss a temporary thing and not a lifestyle. Do yourself a favor and keep it simple. Eliminate the foods that make you feel like crap (fried foods, high in sodium, sugary snacks) and eat more fruits and vegetables. Remember its’ a process, so making small healthy changes over a period of time will go along way.

3. If I can’t be perfect (with my nutrition or fitness) why try? This one is for all those perfectionists out there. If I can’t be perfect then it’s not good enough. Here’s the thing, let’s play a game called “Would you rather”. Would you rather take small steps to workout 3 times a week and eat less take-out, or continue on the road to obesity and depression? Nobody is perfect and sometimes you have to be the one to be more merciful to yourself than others. We are our worst critic. Slow and steady wins the race, but not trying won’t get you anywhere.

4. I don’t need to exercise if I cut back eating: One of my friends mentioned this one to me a couple of days ago. If you only eat one meal a day you will most likely binge eat at some point, and feel like crap and have no energy. When I was doing crazy two a day workouts a few years ago, I couldn’t believe how much food I had to eat. I was on a low carb diet and it didn’t go well for me at all. My body needs carbs to stabilize my blood sugar. Wouldn’t you rather eat healthy foods throughout the day and be satisfied or hungry? 

5. Losing weight for somebody else: Everyone has tried to get revenge on an ex-boyfriend/girlfriend by trying to get in better shape. In the end, you have to be happy with yourself. If you lose weight and your ex doesn’t care, why should you let that determine if you lead a healthy lifestyle? Always get in shape for yourself so you can feel better, look better, and have more energy to do the things you’ve always wanted to do. You do you!

I hope some of these tips are helpful. This blog really was a pep talk for myself, because I’ve been kind of hard on myself lately. If you’re on the boat as me, leave a comment below!