On being "obsessed"...

[WasOtherWoman]

This is a personal pet peeve of mine, wondering if others share it.

 

I have worked out consistently five days per week for the last 25 years. Never started and stopped, missed a few days here and there due to travel or illness but have been extremely consistent and dedicated. Have also maintained my weight very nicely, pretty much same weight since high school.

 

That said.. this takes discipline. No, I don't WANT to get up at 5 am to get to crossfit, yes I would LOVE to have that piece of cake every day but....

 

Yet, instead of people admiring this trait (or at least shutting up about it) they feel the need to comment (and no, I am not one of those folks who constantly talks about exercising and how I can't eat this, that, etc). For example, "oh you are obsessed with working out" when I won't skip or switch my workout schedule without good reason. Or, "oh you are obsessed with your weight" when I say a simple "no thanks" to a snack or dessert".

 

Not looking for advice on how to handle this, I am used to it. Just wondering if you all also experience this also?

 

After all, it does take a bit of obsession to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen, otherwise we would not be able to maintain, but still.... jeez.

 

Just a bit of a rant!

[FitChick]

Say, "If I don't, my doctor will spank me." '

[deathandtaxes]

It does take a healthy amount of obsession to maintain good fitness in life. Exercise, eating right, etc. There are a lot of haters out there who just won't put forth the effort and will try to knock you down a peg or just don't even understand the commitment it takes. It's not magic. It's just dedication.

[whichwayisup]

I guess them not ever seeing you have sugar or eat desserts they assume you are obsessed about keeping skinny or have an eating disorder.

[WasOtherWoman]

Hm.... did not say that they NEVER see me eat sugar or desert. I occasionally indulge. Guess maybe one cookie isn't enough???

[WasOtherWoman]

I guess them not ever seeing you have sugar or eat desserts they assume you are obsessed about keeping skinny or have an eating disorder.

 

No disrespect intended, but maybe this is the wrong attitude? Keeping a stable weight does NOT imply in any way that someone has an eating disorder.....

 

On the contrary, it is, in fact, the healthiest way to live.

[Maleficent]

Well, my take is that people are a little jealous of how dedicated you are. I guess they would love to have that discipline and it makes them feel better to consider you as obsessed - that way they don't have to feel bad about however lazy they feel they are.

 

Not that I agreed with this, but I saw this meme on Facebook that said 'Obsessed' is a word used by the lazy to describe the dedicated (or something along those lines)

 

As long as your health is not affected negatively (and by that I mean your physical health as much as your mental health), there is no point in stopping whatever you are doing.

[Maleficent]

No disrespect intended, but maybe this is the wrong attitude? Keeping a stable weight does NOT imply in any way that someone has an eating disorder.....

 

On the contrary, it is, in fact, the healthiest way to live.

 

That goes both ways though.

 

It's not ok for others to get all worked up by your healthy choices but I wouldn't consider it ok if you went on a rant about their habits and lifestyles and how you consider them bad choices.

To each his own.

[WasOtherWoman]

That goes both ways though.

 

It's not ok for others to get all worked up by your healthy choices but I wouldn't consider it ok if you went on a rant about their habits and lifestyles and how you consider them bad choices.

To each his own.

 

Completely agree. I would never comment on someone's lifestyle choices, not my business!!

[MercuryMorrison1]

Most people I know tend to just be supportive of my workout habits, even at times telling me things like they wish they had the drive and motivation I have so they could be fit as well.

 

Occasionally someone might give me a little a crap about what I eat, for example I just attended a wedding for friend that I haven't seen in years and he kept remarking on how I only ate some chopped salad with turkey breast and no dressing and refused some wedding cake, but honestly it's pretty rare that someone tries to give me grief over my healthy lifestyle...In all actuality more people seem to envy my lifestyle than anything.

 

I do agree that in order to achieve total fitness it does take a bit of obsession, I am obsessed with working out like some people are with other things in their own lives.

[proactivedreamer]

Yeah I am the same. Sometimes people make comments, but I love fitness and there is nothing anyone can say to make me feel differently. I use to get really obsessive, but I have learned to relax a little.

[Satu]

I decided a few years ago that obsession can be really useful.

 

If you want to learn a new language for example, watch tv in that language, read only that language, talk and think in that language, write in that language, forget that there is any other language, and focus on it 24/7.

 

You have to learn how to turn obsession on and off, that's all.

[Ninjainpajamas]

I think people want to see you fail so they don't have to accept their own lack of will or motivation to keep themselves fit.

 

Everybody typically has some kind of physical aspiration, whether it be to lose weight or get into better shape..but more often than not they're not interested in actually putting the effort (I get told all the time by guys that they're thinking of getting in the gym, but never do) and because of that, they see you doing anything even in the slightest to eat or have a healthy diet, they exaggerate it at first by making it seem excessive or that you're not living your life to the fullest basically.

 

It's pretty normal to hear any kind of remark about how excessive it is (even if it's not) when keeping your body in shape.

 

For myself it's not really a "choice", being overweight and out of shape makes me feel like a sloppy greasy mass of skin and bones. I want muscle to define features, that I appreciate within myself and that make me feel better when I look in the mirror or have to present myself in life. It doesn't mean I always make it to that great imaginative body, but I definitely make some improvements and that always helps the clothes fit a lot better than they do than with annoying extra fat.

 

I think being conscious of health and fitness is a quality that is rare these days to a degree, many are not willing or interested in getting/learning and then keeping themselves healthy or fit, they'd rather just complain or make excuses so they don't have to feel bad about themselves anymore...and that's the shame, those who do put in that effort are made out to be the weird ones or the addicts, all the while they shove greasy food down their throats everyday while sitting down 90 percent of the time and don't see the problem...after all, it's in their genes and they have such a hard time losing weight...nom nom, second double cheeseburger down the pipe.

 

I really don't want to be on medication for high-blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes or whatever else as I get older. I want to be healthy, but compared to everything in today's world and standards, it's becoming more and more difficult and old-fashioned. People rather spend a month here or there and lose like 14 pounds on some fad diet, then gain 20 pounds six months later then rinse and repeat.

 

I don't even consider myself "fit"...I look like I'm in good shape and muscular, but I just mainly do gym 4 days a week and not enough cardio and I'm trying to fulfill that part of it as well. Getting up in the morning nearly everyday is tough, especially at 5 am (I'm a night person), I give you a lot of credit for doing that.

[guest569]

People have very strong opinions on my diet and fitness that they so willingly share despite it being uncalled for. I dont get it, i dont tell other people what to do .