Own the Ship
I know I’m fat. I have tens of people telling me life hacks on what to do to lose weight faster. Every single person judges you first by looks not because they want to, but because it becomes an innate habit as we go through life. The more I’ve heard that I’m fat, the more I’ve blamed everything else but me. “Have to eat outside as I have to stay in a different city from my family” “My job needs me sitting for hours and that adds to my weight gain” “I love sweets” But none of the blaming made me fitter.
There could be million reasons I could be fat - but do I want to become fit is the question. If yes, then I have to own it. Me loving sweets or not being able to cook, doesn’t make me fit. They just silence the person about the topic in that moment. Ultimately I’m still fat. Achievement is a lot of hard work and it could mean that I can’t blame anyone else but myself.
Step one in achieving goals is accepting the facts. My resting heart rate is 47 bpm. Quite low compared to many. I can first accept it as a fact - having low heart rate means I don’t burn much calories throughout the day. If I need to lose weight, I have to workout. There is no other choice. Next, eat less calories. Even if it means less fried food or less sweets, it’s fine. Two years down the lane I won’t miss the sweets I’m skipping today, but I’ll definitely feel guilty if I’m not fit.
All this boils down to taking ownership. My life is being steered by me alone. Though there are family, friends and colleagues helping me on the way, I hold the steering wheel. Do I want to steer through rough waters to reach the destination faster, steer through calm waters to reach the destination slower, or don’t have to steer at all and let the ocean decide where I have to go, resides with me. Unless I take hold of my ship, I just drift through other’s blames and compliments.
Did I lose weight? Oh yes! I did. Do I miss eating comfort food? Sometimes, but not much. Do people still thing I’m fat? Yes, but there are also people who think I’ve slimmed down. Do I get affected by those? Nope; I now have a strong grip on which way should my ship go. Even if I don’t reach the destination, it’ll be on my call.