Body positivity and self love are incredibly valuable to our society. Being different and not having to be ashamed of it is essential: acceptance and tolerance are more important than ever. And it is definitely unhealthy to chase (fake) beauty images or to try to look like someone else. But I think there is a dark side to body positivity: being obese is not healthy! And no, there isn’t such a thing as “healthy overweight”, at least in my experience, so stop kidding yourself, please!
Research shows that decreasing your bodyfat improves your health markers. And those researchers also proved the opposite: after the study subjects dieted down, they let them get their weight back to see if health markers dropped back again. And they did! So yes, getting ripped is good for your health and for most people health should be their number one priority.
I’m not saying that everybody has to be in photoshoot condition all the time, but accepting your extra pounds as a given by thinking “I have to love my body just as it is” isn’t good for you in the long run. It is okay to want to change something! This is what drives us as human beings: the desire to become better. Don’t give yourself an easy way out with the excuse of body positivity. Change is never easy and takes a lot of time, so don’t make it even harder by dwarfing yourself before you even started.
You don’t even have to do a bodybuilding-ish training, although I think it is the most efficient way to build muscle and lose body fat. I lost 30kg without any type of sport, just by watching my diet, not even tracking anything. The downside was that after my diet I was skinny fat: still quite a lot of body fat, but no muscle mass underneath. Our bodies really don’t like losing body fat and if you don’t stimulate your muscles during a fat loss period, your body will think: “oh, I don’t need that, I can get rid of a little muscle mass!”
To sum it up
Take a critical (but not obsessive) look into your mirror and decide for yourself if you need to lose body fat. Keep your health in mind when doing so! You only have one body, so treat it well and don’t take the easy, comfortable way (remember, it’s the way of the dark side 😉 ). If you think you need help with this decision, get the help of an objective person. If you decide to cut body fat, choose a form of exercise to signal your body: “I need my muscles, don’t get rid of them!” Choose a way to restrict your calorie intake and stay consistent. Good things will happen, but you have to give them some time!
If you are now motivated to make a change, fill out this application form and let’s get working on a better, healthier you.
Beary Strong 