I don't need validation of any kind especially being pretty. I'm a guy. I"m not supposed to be pretty. I'm a rugged guy, a male. Some say I suffer with toxic masculinity. It's called being a man that God created. And I don't need validation in that area. I'm very secure with that.
But I digress.
But the title speaks volumes about our society and it's insecurities today. Everyone is looking for validation in some way, shape, fashion or form. I'm not saying that we shouldn't validate others. We need to lift up others, encourage them, come along side of them and help them. But just to validate someone for the sake of doing so goes against my grain. Sorry but I am not here to give you a participation trophy. If you want it, earn it.
Please understand, I'm not being mean or cold hearted. But our society today is handing out validation as if it was Halloween candy. People want to be validated without working for it and if you don't give it to them they get angry.
To be validated, in anything, you need to prove your worth and demonstrate some determination that you are working towards your goals, giving it your best without compromise.
Which brings me to my blog post today. Tell me I'm pretty.
I was having a discussion with my Pastor two weeks ago and I was sharing with him how difficult it was to get people to pursue a healthy lifestyle and to get fit, healthy and lean. He said to me that I experienced the same problems that he did when people came to him for counseling. They expected him to waive a magic wand over them and all their problems would be fixed. His counseling as with my health coaching, both require personal effort, dedication, sacrifice and discipline in order to see change and breakthrough. Not a magic wand.
The commercial diet industry is no different. Well, that is, they want you to believe they have a magic wand. Just eat the food and lose the weight. Sounds great, right? They send you all the food, you just microwave it, eat it and PRESTO CHANGO, you have lost the weight and you are healthy!
Uh, not so fast there bub.
Weight loss is not typically healthy. For most every single commercial weight loss diet you see, the weight you lose is going to be from muscle and water, not fat. The first week you are going to be placed on a diet plan BELOW 1,000 calories per day. That's starvation - that's not healthy.
Next the food is processed in a factory and full of preservatives and additives. And that's not all. The food quality itself isn't any better. You might as well go and purchase some Little Debbie snack cakes and just cut them into quarters because the food quality is no better than that.
And the celebrity spokespeople are not exactly telling you the truth either. They typically get paid huge sums of money just to push their diets. Some to the tune of $1 million dollars. They also have personal trainers, personal chefs to prepare their foods along with personal stylists, make up artists and some great cosmetic surgery. That would be nice if all that was in the fine print of these commercial diets, wouldn't it?
But they hammer you with advertising..millions of dollars of advertising. They are going to do their best to get their message of "You are pretty", all you need to do is go on their diet plan. And it will be so easy, no hassle, no work, no preparation. There is your magic wand!
THE HARD COLD TRUTH
Diets don't work. At least in the long term. That's why each year, every single commercial diet program comes out with a "New and Improved"...whatever plan. The question you need to ask yourself is, "If the diet plan was so good last year then why do you need to have a new and improved version of it?"
That's because they diets simply don't work. They know it and sooner or later you will too.
But do you know what does work? Science works. Nutritional science to be exact.
We know exactly how food works with the body and in the body. We know how it works with exercise and without. We know that it can cause disease and prevent disease and in many cases reverse disease.
We know what it takes to lose fat and to restore healthy, lean, fat free muscle tissue. We know that it takes to burn calories in order to lose fat and not just weight. And we know that fat loss is better served when it is combined with a structured strength resistance training program and not aerobics.
And we know this. It takes effort, not a magic wand.
But if you want it bad enough, you will do what you have to do to get it. But if you are one of those individuals that have decided to do something about it, just know that you are in a minority. The majority of people don't want it. They don't want to make the effort. They want the participation trophy; they want to be told they are pretty; they want to glorify obesity. And typically that translates into millions and millions of Americans.
Hopefully you will be one of the few that will step out and step up and take charge of your life, health and fitness. And when you do, it won't just be pretty. It will be pretty awesome.
Stay Healty - Stay Strong!
JR
