Posts Tagged ‘ genuine ’

Most genuine weight loss programs revolve around the use of diet and exercise. A person seeking to lose weight is, for instance, advised to reduce their calorie intake or to reduce their intake of carbohydrates (as in a low-carb diet) so that their bodies are forced to make use of the excessive fats stored, resulting in weight loss. People seeking to lose weight are also advised to adopt a consistent and regular exercise regime – with an aim to burn the extra calories and thereby lose weight.

To be fair to it, a weight loss program centered on diet and exercise is usually successful, and is in any case the only reliable way to lose weight. Unfortunately, such a weight loss program centered on diet and exercise tends to result in some ‘side-benefits’ such as the muscle build up which is likely to result from regular rigorous exercise – and which to some people is more of a (undesirable) side effect than a benefit. In this regard, men pursuing weight loss program who happen to build up their muscles in the process generally tend to view the muscle build up as a huge benefit since muscles are associated with masculinity, while the women who happen to experience muscle build up as a result of their weight loss efforts view the muscle build up as more of an undesirable side effect – perhaps feeling that being too muscular undermines their feminine image.

It is of course possible to lose weight without building muscle – as it all depends on the type of exercise regime you use in your weight loss program. If you really want to lose weight without building muscle, you have to ensure that you make this clear to your physical instructor right from the beginning. This way, you physical instructor would be able to devise for you a weight loss program through which you can lose weight without building muscles. The mistake which many people make in their weight loss attempts is to get into an exercise regime that is known to build up muscles expecting to be exception, which of course is unlikely. If you want to lose weight, but don’t like the muscular look, the time to ensure that you get it is right from the beginning – by telling your physical instructor that you want an exercise regime that won’t lead to muscle build up.

Of course, you need to know that attempting to lose weight without building up muscle is counter-intuitive, and carried out that way, your weight loss is likely to be slower and might not be successful at all in some cases. This is because the muscles are said to be the ‘weight-fighter’s best ally’ because they are one of the sites where the most calories are burnt (even when you are not doing much). Therefore by opting to lose weight without building muscle, you effectively choose to do away with one of best aids you would have had in the venture, namely well built muscles.

There is a school of thought that argues that the ‘body is the self.’ What this means is that if you are uncomfortable with your body, then it is extremely hard for you to have high self esteem or to be happy.

Unfortunately, we have been conditioned to believe that we have other ‘selfs’ beyond our bodies, and that we can be happy even if we are uncomfortable with our bodies, which in many cases turns out to be self-delusion because experience has shown that many self-esteem issues which rob many people of their happiness can be traced back to the people not being happy with the bodies they have.

Meanwhile the media continues to bombard us with extremely exaggerated images of what the ideal body should be like. In the case of ladies, we are shown, the ideal body is ultra-thin, with just small curves at the right places. In the case of men, we are shown the ideal body as being bully and muscular – yet not fat. People who don’t conform to this image are portrayed as ugly, and as people whose bodies could do with a bit of fixing here and there, ‘knocking into shape’ in a way of speaking.

Unfortunately, our bodies are not the same. Anybody who has your best interests at heart will tell you that you are unique, and attempting to be an imitation of anybody else will only result in a very poor replica. And while many people assume that this wise saying applies only in things to do with mannerisms, the truth of the matter is that it applies in the physical aspects too – and trying to forge your body to be like the body of such and such a model you saw on the TV is only likely to leave you broken. The people whose bodies are shown as perfect – the ultra-thin models and their ilk – represent only one extreme of the spectrum into which body types fall.

Another truth is that you should love the body you have – and the way to do this is to dispel the notion that there is an ideal body out there you should be living in. The nature of the human spirit is that it is never quite satisfied – which is why the people with the thin bodies so many of us admire wish they had more padding on their body, even as the people with the ‘padding’ wish they were thinner.

In getting to love the body you have, you also need to give up the notion that getting the ‘ideal’ body will solve all your issues, as it simply won’t. It is naïve to imagine that the reason you don’t have many friends is your body, and that having the ideal body will get people flocking to you, as you are bound to get frustrated even if you happen to get the ideal body, whatever that is.

Even if your body genuinely requires fixing – like if you are dangerously overweight – you should first love the body you already love, and then pursue weight loss from a point of loving yourself, as a simple self improvement project.