When I was growing up, in my early teens, I remember thinking that my friend’s mom was absolutely beautiful – not as beautiful as my mom, but beautiful nonetheless.
One day I found she was looking especially thin. She had worn a sleeveless top, and her upper arms looked horrifying; skinny, with flesh hanging, and there was all this wrinkled wierd skin where her upper arms connected with her back. Her face suddenly had lost its softness and looked hard, bony, and horseish.
Ugh! “What’s going on, why is your mother looking so… thin?” I asked my friend.
“She’s on a crash diet. Her brother is getting married in a few days and she wants to look beautiful at the wedding.”
Someone should tell her she’s looking a lot worse, I thought. What could she be thinking? I went home and looked at my own mom. Soft face, soft upper arms, mom wasn’t into working out, yet so, so beautiful.
Then a classmate’s elder sister died due to complications associated with anorexia. Anorexia, what’s that? Her sister was inordinately thin, yet she was crash dieting trying to lose weight and it all went horribly wrong. Oh my God, she was sickeningly thin, and she wanted to get thinner?
Because of these two encounters in my life, I knew that no matter how fat I get later on in life, I was never going to be one of those who’d starve to lose weight.
On the other hand, I had a friend who was extremely overweight but loved food. So, she took up a sport, and realised that she would need to get some serious exercise if she ever wanted to lose weight. Because of her positive influence, I too took up a sport, and went the exercise route. Today, 15-20 years down the road, I am super-fit, with toned arms, toned abs, slim, and never have I dieted a day in my life. I had two children, and losing weight seemed like a real uphill task after my second child. But lose it I did.
When you work so hard to lose weight and be fit, leading a more healthy lifestlye too comes naturally. After all, you don’t want all that hard work to go to waste. So you make lifestyle changes that will help you get fitter. A smaller helping of desert, fewer glasses of wine, cutting back or cutting out the smoking…. “Heck after all those reps I feel so damn good, I’m going to stick to getting super healthy, thanks.” I’ve stopped the senseless fried foods, junk foods, no colas for me, and its been years since I last had a wafer. I don’t want it! I’ll eat a pizza once in a while, but I’m not stocking my kitchen with any junk food.
There are healthy ways to lose weight, and there are unleathy ways to lose weight. Why would anyone opt for the unhealthy way? If you do that, you’re lazy, lazy, lazy. Say it, and admit it to yourself. Maybe that will get your ass to the gym. If we want to do something we’ll find a way. If we don’t we’ll find excuses. So no more excuses.
Oh, and you CAN, CAN most definitely be too thin. Curves look lovely, soft, femine. Work out obesssively, and you’ll have veins bulging out of your arms. Find a good balance.
Beautybuzzer 