Fitness Friday, Excuses Edition.

Hello blogland--I'm here, really! It's hard to post on Fridays, being that I don't get home until around 4:00 and then it's dinner and then it's post-dinner. Usually UB & I go upstairs--he to number crunch or log receipts or work on his Bible-reading plan, me to blog. (And when I say Bible reading plan, I don't mean following one he found; I mean CREATING one. One that covers the entire Bible in 3 years and that has readings that correspond to the Christian calendar. He's not called Uncle Brainy for nothing...) But this weekend was full of other things, which brings me to posting on Monday. Oh, well--better late than never, right?

Anyway, this week's assignment was to list the excuses we used to make us feel better about our bad habits. Clearly I had gotten very good at excusing my behavior--you don't get within spitting distance of 300 pounds without becoming an Excuse Expert. So here they are:

1.) I'm fine the way I am--man looks on the outside, but God looks on the heart. I'm smart & talented & friendly and people like me for who I am, not what I look like. And that's more important anyway.

The above excuse was my mainstay and held fast for YEARS. Probably because there's a lot of truth in it--what's on the inside IS more important than what's on the outside. Problem was, my expanding outside was a result of my sinful, indulgent inside. So this one had to go.

2.) I'm busy! I'm accomplishing a lot with my life--school, work, ministry, family, friends--and I don't have time to factor in exercise or paying attention to what I eat.

I was (and still am) really offended by stories that went like this: "When I was fat, I was alone and an outcast and accomplished nothing with my life other than sitting in a dark corner and eating Bon-Bons all day, letting life pass me by and not making anything of myself. But then I lost weight, and now I'm smart and people like me and I've found True Love which I never would have done if I wasn't a perfect Size 8." ACK! No--sorry. Being overweight does NOT mean you have no life and can't accomplish any of your goals. It just means that you're not accomplishing the very important goal of taking care of yourself physically, which will eventually make doing other things more and more difficult. This week I heard the "oxygen mask" lesson again, and it's such a good illustration. There's a reason those traveling with children are told to put on their own oxygen mask 1st, then help their child. The parent cannot help the child unless they help themselves first--then both will be better off. So will I be better able to help others when I take care of myself first. It's not selfish, it's common sense. Or at least it ought to be...

3.) I don't like sports or exercise--I've never been very athletic so that's just not for me. I'll just stick with my music.

Says who? It's true that organized, team sports and I were not a good match. But that doesn't mean I can't become an athlete. I like to ride my bike, I like to walk, I like to swim. There's no reason I can't become a fit, athletic person. If I wanted to, I could run a marathon one day. I don't know that I will, but I could--there's no reason I can't if I decide that's what I want to do. What's with putting these limits on myself? 'Cause it's convenient when I don't WANT to do something to tell myself that I CAN'T do it. (That would be the voice of the Fat Fairy, who needs to shut it.)

4.) All things richly to enjoy--and food falls into the category "all things."

Sigh. The best lies are the ones that have a shred of truth to them. Richly to enjoy--NOT overindulge. I knew better, deep down. I just wanted to eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted without thinking about it. And why not, since...

5.) Other people eat this way and they're not as big as I am.

Um, yes that's true--but YOU ARE BIG SO STOP ALREADY! And if I were really paying attention, I'd have noticed that these folks were physically active AND when they ate "expensive" foods, they ate much smaller portions than I did. Well, I think I did notice that deep down, which is why I would gravitate toward those who ate like I did...

6.) My family & friends eat this way, so it can't be that bad.

And my friends and family who eat this way are either 1.) my 6'3" muscular brother with a very physically demanding job OR 2.) they are overweight themselves. Always interesting how us fat folks like to hang together, isn't it? I am so thankful for having some fit friends to be an example to me--to show me that you CAN eat slowly and you CAN enjoy your food without going overboard and you CAN include exercise in your life in ways that are fun and engaging.

7.) It's not totally my fault--I have PCOS and sleep apnea, both of which result in a slower metabolism and weight gain, so there's not much I can do anyway so why not just eat?

Yes--I have a hormonal imbalance and a sleep disorder that contribute to weight gain. But I only have them because I started it by eating too much. It's true that I had to get medical intervention for the sleep apnea before my weight loss efforts could be successful. But now that I'm treated I am without excuse--time to back the truck up and apply the salve of self-discipline to the root causes of my medical woes.

Well, that's about it for my battery of excuses. Of course there's the whiny "I don't want to!" that I still fight. Had to battle it today--I did NOT want to go to the gym after school today. (Darn that Fat Fairy! She's ruled the roost so long, she doesn't want to give up her influence and control...) But thankfully I had promised Juliemom I'd go on Monday AND God sent a coworker to comment that she didn't even recognize me from behind! So off to the gym I went and I'm glad I did. I have the rest of the evening to pack my lunch, pack my clothes, plan tomorrow, and click around in blogland. Oh, and make a low-cal upside-down pumpkin cheesecake recipe (from the Hungry Girl cookbook). I think the fat-free cream cheese should be room temperature by now...

Well, ladies--even though I'm posting late I do hope to make up for it by getting around to everyone else's blog & leaving comments. Keep up the good fight & I look forward to reporting in this Friday. Mom Bossy & I have planned our Thanksgiving Day feast to be bargain-filled and delicious. Can't wait to hear how you all handled your holiday festivities--let's fill our Fitness Friday reports with tales of victory!