Not going to lie, this started as your typical, and over-done, “finding the motivation to start” piece. But, halfway through an Attack on Titan binge and paragraph four I realized that isn’t what I wanted to talk about.
Let’s face it, and we’re about to have a gigantic come to *insert whatever deity you pray to here* moment. The Fitness Industry is a mess. It’s a swamp of fatphobic, ableist, racist, bigoted, and transphobic ideas who have found a haven in the realm of social media and abs. Yes, Ainsley your abs are nice. I also saw your post fat-shaming people while then prescribing a diet that isn’t suitable for a child so you can make money. So, let’s start to unpack the numerous red flags that are currently running rampant on the phone in your hand so you can make safe, educated, and productive decisions for yourself.
Fitness and athleticism do not have a look. Sure, abs are in. But guess what, there are Olympians who are classified as Super Heavy Weights…and guess what, they are undoubtably more fit than 99.9% of us. Fat isn’t a death sentence, Fat doesn’t mean unathletic, Fat is nothing but that…fat. Big whoop. However, if you’re having a visceral reaction to that statement you have some fatphobic biases to work on. And no, that’s not me passing judgement. Fatphobic practices (coupled with misogyny and racism) lead to the misdiagnoses and death of thousands. And before you come to me with the cries of “but their healthhhhhhh” their health is none of your business. None. N O N E. That’s between them and their doctor.
Most Fad diets don’t work. Why? They’re not meant to. When you look at marketing practices (meso and macro cycles) you’ll see a diet propagate for all seasons: “Get summer ready” “Lose 10-lbs before *holiday*” etc., etc., bloody etc. You get the point. Fad diets don’t work for multiple reasons, a large chunk of this is a lack of education. Point systems, elimination diets, Keto, work by mostly eliminating calories and setting you *the dieter* in a caloric deficit. How does this happen? Doesn’t the magic of Keto just magically burn fat? Erm…Not quite. You see, diets (or weight/fat loss) work by reducing the calories you’re consuming. Keto eliminates carbs (yes, the Krebs cycle works and ketosis is a thing but it’s not magic and mostly makes freshman Biology students cry), points assign value to certain foods and you are then given a limit to stay within (this is no different than counting calories…you’re still counting and tracking something), and the cycle continues. Your “cheat day” is likely kicking you out of your actual deficit and you’re not fully working on your goals.
Sure, I started with some pretty heavy hitting topics but if you’re reading this you’re likely able to think for yourself and deduct that some research is needed to figure out what your goals are, why they’re important, and what needs to happen to make them happen. Seriously, WHY DO YOU WANT TO ACOMPLISH X. Why do you want to lose 10 lbs? Now, before you attempt to burn me down for daring to interrupt your internal critic think about it. What is your reason? Do you think you’ll be happier? Will losing weight help you feel validated? Important? Needed and or wanted? If you refer back to my last blog post you’ll see that we discussed cellulite and how a magazine threw women into a tangent over their cellulite and “how to get rid of it.” But prior to that, it wasn’t really a social issue. The point here is that our ideas (of both our self and others) are not isolated thoughts that have come out of nowhere. Most of these opinions are driven by social interactions, learned experiences, and through a process of internal dialogue that often begets cognitive dissonance we form our opinions on x topic.
So, how do we unpack our biases and go after our goals at the same time?
- Recognize that your goals are valid but ask why it’s important to you. Is your goal performance based? Health Based? Aesthetic based? What is your motive behind it? What drives you to pursue it?
- Understand that your perception of other people is really a perception of yourself. What you can’t *stand* about someone you don’t know might just be a projection of something you fear or resent. Try to break that down. Why do resent fat people? And why are you so quick to covet the bikini competitor as a pinnacle of health all while they’re on SARMS, ANAVAR, and other PED’s to maintain their look year round.
- Once you’ve broken down what you want, why you want it, and how you’re going to get it ask yourself how you’re going to go after these goals in a safe way.
- For the love of whomever you pray to STOP WITH THE FAT BURNERS, THE WAIST TRAINERS, AND THE DETOX TEAS PLEASE. These are all a waste of money.
In the next piece I’ll be covering where the obsession of thinness and how it interject with race but for now, let me know what you think, what you may have struggled with while reading this, and remember everyone, E V E R Y O N E, has a place in the gym. Be kind.
Signing Off,
LP
THE BUNKER 