Health Link: Looking to gain muscle? Buy Patience
By Groovybabe • Oct 19th, 2007 • Category: General, being motivated, diet management, life, quotes, stuggling, weightloss, weightloss websitespa·tience
[pey-shuh
ns] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun
1. the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.
2. an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with a slow learner.
3. quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: to work with patience. Taken from Dictionary.com
When I was at my fattest I never knew I had the patience to be slim. It’s funny, I spent hours, days, months and even years dreaming about the perfect life I would have as a slim person to the point where it was almost an obsession, and yet I didn’t feel I had the staying power or patience to lose weight over a sustained period of time. I was selling myself short.
I used to tell myself it would only be one year out of my life, I have wasted too many years wanting to be slim and would list the benefits that losing my excess weight would give me and yet for some reason I would always fail at the first hurdle.
The first definition of patience -
the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.
seems like it could be written with weightloss in mind. More than anything else in this world the best quality you could have to facilitate weightloss over a period of time is patience. During this time you will have thoughts that the whole experience is too overwhelming, too big for you to tackle. You will deal with provocation by loved ones who do not see the harm of eating junk in front of you (would we blow smoke in the face of a quitter?), you’ll likely be annoyed when you’re craving bad foods, or with drawing, annoyance at other people’s eating habits, about the slowness of weightloss. But as the definition of patience explains, to deal with this without complaint, loss of temper or irritation is key. It will, and does, get us down from time to time but to take the emphasis away from the struggle on to the benefits received is key. Patience is key to weightloss.
The second definition of patience -
an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with a slow learner.
That slow learner is you - the person trying to lose weight. It takes years to get overweight to the point we are at so if we think weightloss can be achieved overnight then we really do not understand the task we are undertaking. However, we still find ourselves hoping, expecting the scales to reduce significantly overnight. I know I have only recently really understood the length of the process. We say we understand it takes time and we think we understand but we live in a society of instant gratification and weightloss is not immune from this expectation. It is only when we learn that this is a slow process, that it is not an overnight Get Rich Quick scheme that we have a chance of success. Suppressing restlessness and annoyance, even when they’re determined to raise their ugly mug’s is key to getting through the hard times: patience is key to losing weight.
The third definition of patience -
quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: to work with patience.
A quiet steady perseverance is key. You need to understand this is a long term process. Making weightloss you main priority is key but continuing to live your life is also important. Finding a balance between the two is key. Don’t make weightloss your only interest in life because you will burn out very early if you do, but by the same token do not let it drift down your list of priorities. What number three is saying to me is equilibrium. The journey of weightloss needs to become a normal every day experience for you, something that develops into habit and is just the norm. You don’t have to wait for motivation and you don’t have to become addicted to exercise but finding a way to make the journey effortless is key. This is something that will come with patience. Give it time and keep watching what you eat and get in regular exercise and it will become the norm.
Be patient and the rest will come easily. Who would have thought I had it in me to lose 50lbs? I certainly didn’t, if I am honest, when I started. And yet just 5 months into this I am 2lbs away from doing precisely that, and looking forward to the next 50lb loss.
If I can do this then by golly so can you!
(I understand that was a very English thing to say but it expresses my meaning well!)
Groovybabe is 14.9 stones today and has lost 2lbs at her last weigh in.
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If you’ve learned nothing else from this experience, patience is all you needed to learn.
It really is all about patience.
and to your other post about smokng/weightloss…
It’s harder to lose weight than to lose nicotine.
You HAVE TO eat.
you don’t have to smoke.
You dont have to be around smokers.
You still must eat to sustain life.
It’s harder.
As you’ve done both (weightloss and giving up smoking) I will take your word for it. I was really just saying they’re similar addictions rather than one was harder than the other though. I appreciate your point that you cannot give up food but can chose not to be around smokers.
It’s just that stopping smoking was the best thing I’ve ever done, but it wasn’t as hard as losing weight.
You’ve done well that you could’ve given up smoking 10 times over….
I don’t think people, generally, appreciate just how hard losing weight is. Everyone goes on and on about how hard - but worthwhile - giving up smoking is, here you can get patches, counselling and other stuff all free on the NHS. But you go to the doctor (about anything) and if they see you’re fat they’re did you know you’re fat? Stop eating all the pies and get up off your fat arse and do some exercise. Or words to that effect! If only it were that simple, eh?
I really, really, appreciate this post. I am going to “stumble” it. It is great!
…by golly! (you know I had to) is that still in usage in Britain on a regular basis? We, here in the states, used to use it, as well, but it just fell out of favor.
Thanks Rachel! Wow, I’ve been stumbled!! Yeah… no, we don’t really use “golly” any more, at least I don’t. I imagine it is still used by upper class twits though!
You are so right. Patience is the name of the game. Brilliant post.