I highly encourage if you haven't seen this post, and haven't submitted a response in the comments to at least think of your answer to this question.
Suppose you exercised three times a week. Suppose you got stronger. Suppose your body were stronger and happier, you could lift more, walk further & faster, swim more. Suppose you had less back or shoulder or knee pain. Suppose you were more relaxed, slept better, and got sick less. Suppose all those things…but suppose you didn’t lose weight.Your initial response might immediately be 'of course, you dumbass!', though if you *have* been on a roller coaster relationship with exercise, what were the reasons that drove you away from exercise? Was it lack of time? Lack of enjoyment? Difficulty? Frustration with lack of results?
Would it be worth it to you to exercise if you didn’t lose weight? If the only benefits you reaped would be the benefits of physical activity?
If it was frustration out of a lack of results, which 'results' were you measuring your exercise efforts against?
Number of minutes run? Resting heart rate? Number of kilograms bench pressed? Or was it how much weight you lost?
Have a think about it...
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18 comments:
Hi Raina, I've come across your blog a few times, and I'm not sure if you've talked about this before, but I was wondering what was it that made you stop wanting to lose weight? I understand the whole thing about wanting mostly to be fitter and stronger but I wonder how you managed to not worry about how you physically look anymore (i.e. thinner). I've come across your progress pics as well, so you know you CAN lose weight, but what made you "give up" or rather switching your focus?
In no way was this comment meant to be offensive by the way, I'm just genuinely curious.
Hey Anonymous, I don't regard your comment to be offensive at all :)
Basically the only way I was losing weight was when I was dedicating every waking moment and thought process to weight loss. It might have seemed like a 'success' from the blog, but I was not living a balanced life at all. I would have been a nightmare to be around - I'd panic about every calorie consumed and was exercising about 6-8 hours per day.
The straw that broke the camels back was when I did a triathlon a few years ago and instead of being happy about the fitness gained, I was angry that I didn't lose any weight.
I am so glad that I gave up on weight loss - I reckon the day that I did that was the day I started living my life.
Hope that answers your question :)
After hours of random clicking and jumping from blog to blog I happened upon your site. Nice to meet you!
For me, exercise is a necessity for my mental health. Even if I'm not eating well, I can count on my daily exercise routine to keep me mentally balanced. Its the only way I can deal with the stresses of my job... not to mention my wife and kids. =P
Plus it keeps me from gaining a ton of weight every time I fall off the wagon. With that being said, I know that I will not lose a single ounce unless I watch what I eat. This, for me, is harder than exercising.
Thank you so much for your answer! The reason I asked is that right now, I'm pretty much how you were when you were trying to lose weight. I think about my weight all the freaking time, to the point where it's affecting tons of things in my life :(
I hope one day I can make peace with my body like you did. x
First time here...found you on another blog. Now, that's a tough question!! We know all the benefits of exercise besides losing weight, but that would just be tough without the visible results. Maybe if we were at a healthy weight this would be a little easier. Cool question though. We may have to post this one! :) Hope you don't mind us adding you to our blog list.
AngryPorkchop - Lovely to meet you! Exercise definitely helps with my mental health as well as my physical health; I have a pretty stressful job and it's fantastic being able to vent through my workout and forget about everything that's happened during the day :D
Anon - You're very welcome. I hope you find what works for you and feels right for you; if ever you want to talk about it or want to know anything further, feel free to give me a yell :)
Curvy Natural & fit - Thanks for stopping by! You're right, it is tough without the visible results, but that's the problem, it *shouldn't* be tough. Exercise should be something that everyone does - regardless of weight. I personally think it's a crying shame that people feel they have to be at a normal weight before they can decide to exercise for health.
wow thank you for such a great blog! The posts are very informative and its nice to hear from someone who is "real" sharing stories of the ups and downs that go with fitness, health and weight loss. Keep up the great work!
When I found out I had type II Diabetes I knew I had to change my ways lol. I started walking to try to lose the weight. Immediately changed my diet. But the weight didn't come off right away. It took time & Hard Work!
I stuck to it & made sure my eating habits were for the better. Didn't take to exercising as much as I should have (nor do I still lol) But I do walk a lot daily. At first it seemed I was doing it all for nothing .. wasn't losing weight,stopped eating all the yummy things I used to lol. & was walking more,bleh!
Then as my doctor check ups went by we noticed the weight was coming off. I guess I was lucky. I really did't go out of the way to lose weight like I should have. Now a few yrs later,I have lost more then what I ever set out to & my Diabetes is under control.
This does it! Im heading back to the gym! Haha.
I just want to say.. I wrote a really long reply and then clicked off the page just in time to see I had not entered the security code thingy. So..
to summarise.
Getting there with this exercising for fun and endorphins.. ;)
I've fallen off the wagon ... er, treadmill before, and the reasons were either time (class schedule change at the gym, or me taking on too many non-physical commitments), or in one case, the gym just closed down and went away.
Otherwise, I exercise with this approach: I don't expect to notice any immediate differences in weight or measurements or how I look. But when I go to the gym, I DO know I will immediately feel great! Swimming in the rush of endorphins, knowing that I just accomplished something that is hard for many people to do, and knowing that inside, I am making a real difference where it counts - lowering blood sugar, blood pressure, cortisol levels, cholesterol, and decreasing the chance of a stroke or heart attack, which I'm at risk for. At 155 lbs and 30 years old! So yes, I'd definitely keep exercising even if I was always in my size 12 jeans, as long as I knew I wasn't going to croak before 31!
Like the other anonymous, I wonder about why you're more focussed on excessive exercise compared to weight loss. If you were really that cautious about food intake and exercising 6-8 hours a day (did you mean a week?) and not losing weight, then you need to seek medical advice. I suspect it's more difficult for you to lose weight because you're vegetarian - a high protein intake really blunts the appetite for me, to the tune of 2g of protein per kg of bodyweight. Weight loss is trying, but should not be hellacious or never-ending.
In any case, yes I have exercised regardless of my weight goals, at 1 hr/day (plus lots of random walking, dancing, moving around). The sunshine and movement and getting away from the computer/ books seem like a mental boost in so many ways. Usually there is a month in winter/ summer when it's too miserable to be out regularly, and I'm slightly slacker about doing indoor workouts but return to it when the weather lets up.
I suspect it's more difficult for you to lose weight because you're vegetarian - Huh? When did I say I was a vegetarian?
LOL, as soon as I posted that I thought "but I first read about Nandos here, does that mean Marshie was eating veggie burgers and not chicken". So, no clue which vegetarian I was mixing you up with, my apologies.
great question & I think I am answering YES! I would still do it. I am setting off on my own weight loss journey at the moment and am fearing exactly what you allude to in your post.
http://caramelandcocoa.blogspot.com/
It's funny you pose this question. I actually always justify not losing weight after exercising my ass off to, "at least there are health benifits surrounding exercise". I find this helps me change my perspective and find insight into why it is important to keep going and not give up. LOve your writing ps.
oh dear, if i could mention all the times i have tried and failed. it gives me this awful feeling inside, but then i think about the times i tried and kept going and even though i was not seeing any results i was still feeling amazing. That is the way i weigh out the pros and cons of not seeing immediate results. I still feel so great and then i think, "even if nothing is showing at least I am feeling amazing". And then before i know it i start to see a difference in the way my clothes are fitting and feeling and it makes it all worth it...
at least I am saying this today. THere are days when I feel so defeated and incapable but i just look up and look at blogs and read and just feel so much better and more hopeful.
So thanks for posting. Look forward to reading more.
You are hilarious. I think it is super important to focus on the final picture.
It is easy to get lost in the in between struggles and failures and i feel this can really inhibit one from reaching their goal.
Good to exercise, and not see results and be healthy.
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