If you google “fat loss” you’ll get more than 7 million search results. The sad truth is that the majority of them are actually trying to sell you some cheap product or a fad diet, basically sell you the idea that fat loss is very easy only if you use their “magic pill”.
Then, they proceed to tell you how great you’ll look, that your abs will become visible within 4 weeks “by doing this one easy exercise” or that you’ll add huge amounts of muscle mass on your frame in less than a month.
People usually don’t want to hear the hard truth about anything, but it is absolutely essential that you sacrifice your discomfort of hearing it for the numerous benefits that you’ll experience from it in the long-term.
This truth will prevent you from wasting years of your life, or in this case so much money too on products or diets that don’t work and never will and which might eventually harm your metabolism in the process.
1. You will inevitably fail
Yes, you read that right. You will fail. Everyone fails at some point. You will want to rush this process, you will get discouraged and most probably google to find an easier solution. This way, you’ll waste precious time and money and you’ll end up at the beginning.
When you fail, you should learn from the experience and prevent it from happening again. It is an essential part of this whole process. It’s very likely that your diet didn’t fail you. Your training program didn’t fail you either. It is you who failed you. Own your failure!
2. How your body looks is your own fault
If you’re out of shape and have lots of fat on you, it’s no one’s fault but yours. If you’re skinny and weak, again, it’s your fault. This may sound mean, but it’s meant to encourage you to improve. It’s the truth. It’s not that you have a slow metabolism.
It’s not that your genetics are sub-par and your parents are to blame. It’s simply your lifestyle and bad habits that get in the way of you sculpting an aesthetic body.
3. It will be hard
If building an impressive physique was an easy task everyone would have had it. The simple truth is that you are going to have to consume less food and you will inevitably get hungry. This is why you need to learn how to eat better. You will have to learn how to train properly.
And last but not least, you will need to have a solid training or diet plan. It goes without saying that you will be forced to make sacrifices. You think you can’t learn how to eat better because you love food so much? Fine, then stay fat.
You can’t force yourself to go to the gym and want to hang out drinking with the guys? Fine. Stay skinny and weak. But, don’t complain that you can’t lose the fat or build muscle.
4. This will take longer than you think
When you think about it, do you think you gained all that fat in one week, a month or even a year? That’s very unlikely. So, why do you think you can get rid of it in a matter of several months? If you’re forced to lose 10 lbs for some special occasion you could probably do that.
Sure, you’ll look thinner, but you’ll still be fat. What’s more, it’s very likely you’ll gain it all back and maybe gain even more. Have you been thin all your life and now you’re expecting to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger within a year? Well, good luck with that.
Nobody likes to hear the truth. But it’s there, staring you in the face. This means you have three choices:
1. You can get angry when reading this article, not listen to any of the advice and keep wasting your time.
2. Decide that you will just stay weak and skinny and fat at the same time because this process is too hard for a special snowflake such as yourself.
3. Be an adult, take responsibility for all your actions, accept the truth and what needs to be done and then commit to the process.
UPDATE: because this article generated a great interest as well as a number of comments, and some of our readers were asking for helpful advice, the links below will cover a great part of what an individual needs to do in order to get in shape.
Weight loss articles:
http://www.fitnessandpower.com/?s=lose+weight
Learn how you can boost the fat-loss process for faster results
Clean eating articles:
http://www.fitnessandpower.com/?s=clean+eating
Serious about clean eating ? This is the program for you !!
How to keep insulin levels low:
http://www.fitnessandpower.com/fitness-and-health/decrease-and-keep-low-your-insulin-levels
10 ways to fight stress and decrease cortisol levels:
http://www.fitnessandpower.com/fitness-and-health/10-ways-to-fight-stress
This woman lost almost 200lbs in a year. Here’s how she did it:
http://www.fitnessandpower.com/fitness-stories/simple-changes-to-the-diet
Anything worth having you have to work hard for it.
I’m sorry, but you called that an article? And your #2, was TOTAL #2 and stinks just as much. Apparently, you don’t have a medical degree, but you don’t necessarily need one to understand that there are ABSOLUTELY medical conditions that make people gain excess weight and make it extremely difficult or impossible to lose…such as hormone issues, like insulin and cortisol, just to name a few…and medications that interfere with normal body functions. How about using your forum for good instead of evil and actually researching some of the things that people have trouble overcoming to achieve fat loss…and provide information on how to help gain control over those things to allow their bodies to function as a normal one would, so then the advice in your stupid “article” could actually help them? Forgive me if the “truth” is difficult to digest. (Pun intended.)
Hi Vicky
Yes, there could be underlying medical conditions and we also talk about them in other articles. However, don’t be led by the exceptions. We are talking about healthy individuals here. For 99% of the people these are the reasons that stop them from looking good.
Also, even in individuals with imbalanced hormones there is a way to fix (or partly fix) the situation (links below)
You asked about helping people get in shape, just look around this website, there are literally hundreds of articles with helpful advice, training routines, meal plans…..
You might find these links helpful
http://www.fitnessandpower.com/?s=lose+weight
http://www.fitnessandpower.com/?s=clean+eating
http://www.fitnessandpower.com/fitness-and-health/decrease-and-keep-low-your-insulin-levels
http://www.fitnessandpower.com/fitness-and-health/10-ways-to-fight-stress
http://www.fitnessandpower.com/build-muscle/get-a-stunning-body
http://www.fitnessandpower.com/training/workout-routines/10-best-b**t-exercises
good job not criticizing Vicky post very professional
I agree there are some medial condition that can make it harder to loose weights but the basics still apply, if you consume less calories than you use you Will loose weight. It all comes down to will power.
if there are such medical conditions, that make it impossible to lose weight, we should totally just infect African malnourished children with those conditions, to save them from starving.
Apparently, they would just magically and inevitably gain weight without caloric surpluss, violating thermodynamic laws in the process.
Right?
This article is bang on, 1000%, effing accurate.
While I agree with basically the concept that the individual is responsible for their physical fitness one has to also factor in lifestyles, medical conditions etc.
Funny fact is that most of the individuals I see who are in ridiculously physically fit, do not have a lifestyle that supports the need for such. Plus unable to to actually utilize that fitness ie: Had a group of fitness trainers attend a clean air and back to nature retreat on a very basic farm. You wouldn’t believe all the whining and complaining i heard from them to just do menial labor tasks like harvesting, weeding, milking and even things they would probably be doing in the gym – heavy lifting.
So whats all this fitness for if it can’t be utilized?
I agree with part of what you are saying Eric. However many people want to be fit just to feel and look good, and that is also OK. Being fit guarantees (so some extent) that you will have a higher qulity life.
The truth doesn’t have to be nice. The best motivation on earth is an savory reflection even if you refuse to look.
Excellent article. I would add one caveat, there have been 3 times in my life, I am 63 tears old, when doctors ordered me not to training for 6 weeks to heal from surgeries. Absolutely killed me. Lost quite a bit of size, but did manage by diet to maintain a good weight.
You are exactly right!!! People don’t like hearing the truth. I use to workout all the time and was in good shape. When I stopped it was my own fault I gained weight. I start working out again then I start feeling better and its not overnight. U have to keep working at it and not make any excuses.
The truth hurts, thanks for hurting me! Haha
Great article, of course there will be exceptions to any statement on weight loss, but as a Emergency specialist practicing for over 40 years I commend you on “telling the truth”
Peter Mettlers comment is bang on. Fat people love to blame genetics or medical conditions for their poor shape. Granted these factors definitely come into play, but the bottom line is calorie surplus equals fat. Calorie deficit equals slim. Amazing how no concentration camp prisoners or POW’s struggled to keep their weight under control due to medical conditions. It is just an excuse for not wanting to do the hard work of exercise and the lack of willpower when it comes to food. You reap what you sow