Losing weight is not just about diet and exercise; staying consistent can also mean learning to deal with outside opinions. A Bengaluru-based woman known as @snimsdiary on Instagram, who has lost 30 kg, shared the “greatest advice” for people on a weight loss journey in an August 26 video. (Also read: ‘Your metabolism isn’t broken’: Fitness coach Raj Ganpath shares what science says about weight loss and lifestyle )
‘Move in silence’ during your weight loss journey
In the video, she said the best advice she could give someone starting or already on a weight loss journey is to “move in silence”.
“The single greatest advice I can give you about a weight loss journey that you might be starting or might already be on, as somebody who has lost 30 kg, is to move in silence. Don’t tell anybody about your goals, about your journey, about your plans,” she said. She suggested keeping weight loss goals private, unless they are being shared with people who genuinely have the person’s best interests at heart.
How people may derail your progress
According to her, people may initially be supportive but can become less encouraging when they see someone consistently sticking to their routine and making visible changes.
“As soon as you start actually showing up regularly, as soon as you start seeing changes, as soon as they start seeing that you are actually becoming a better person, they’re going to start to sabotage you,” she said.
She recalled being encouraged to indulge with comments such as, “One drink won’t hurt, one cupcake won’t hurt, this dessert won’t hurt.” She said people may also question why someone is being “so uptight” or taking their weight loss journey “too seriously”.
The creator also spoke about receiving comments about becoming “too thin” and being told that weight loss was “not that serious”. “But it is. It is that serious and it is that deep,” she said, adding that she had experienced this herself before changing the way she approached her goals.
‘Keep it to yourself’
“I realised that it makes people uncomfortable if they see somebody else doing the things that they wish they could or they had the discipline to,” she said. Rather than allowing peer pressure to derail progress, she recommended being mindful about who gets to know about your goals.
“My recommendation is to just keep it to yourself or only share with people who genuinely have your best interest at heart,” she said.
She concluded by urging people not to let others interfere with their progress: “Don’t let peer pressure ruin all of your progress. Don’t let people who are not trying to glow up, people who are not trying to make themselves better, ruin your progress.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
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