Are you REALLY willing to do whatever it takes to lose weight? My "whatever it takes" philosophy was recently challenged...
I signed up with a fitness coach who has helped thousands of people lose weight. She told me to trust her advice to take what added up to seven supplements a day, which included CLA and lecithin. "It's a science" she said referring to weight loss. She's a cool coach who has a big heart for helping people and I respect her, but sirens sounded in my head at the thought of having to swallow a handful of pills every day. I have a borderline phobia of taking pills. (Why is a long story for another post or one you can figure out after reading my Break The Cycle books). Some of the pills she said I needed to take three times a day. Whoa, I thought the whole idea of getting healthy is to not have to take pills in any form. I questioned her and myself. Was I REALLY willing to do whatever it takes? It's holistic she assured me. "Trust me!"
I signed up with a fitness coach who has helped thousands of people lose weight. She told me to trust her advice to take what added up to seven supplements a day, which included CLA and lecithin. "It's a science" she said referring to weight loss. She's a cool coach who has a big heart for helping people and I respect her, but sirens sounded in my head at the thought of having to swallow a handful of pills every day. I have a borderline phobia of taking pills. (Why is a long story for another post or one you can figure out after reading my Break The Cycle books). Some of the pills she said I needed to take three times a day. Whoa, I thought the whole idea of getting healthy is to not have to take pills in any form. I questioned her and myself. Was I REALLY willing to do whatever it takes? It's holistic she assured me. "Trust me!"
"Trust, but verify." I first heard those words from Bruce Fowler who is a motivating personal development guy I follow on Facebook. That phrase kept flashing in my mind like a neon sign. I followed up on my instincts with some research on the supplements and found some were made from animal products and had a list of side effects.
My coach also recommended that I eat several eggs a day which I had almost completely gotten away from eating as I am wanting to progress from a vegetarian to a totally plant-based vegan lifestyle. I used to love omelets, but watching Earthlings changed me. I now associate eggs with the image of 55 gallon barrels being filled with live baby chicks that are being disposed of like garbage. Between that image and knowing that an egg is a chicken's ovulation makes it not so appetizing to me anymore. On top of that I see the studies where cholesterol increases significantly when we consume eggs. I am also a big fan of Dr. Colin Campbell who has proven that animal protein causes cancer...
So, do I follow the advice of a fitness coach who has helped thousands of people lose significant amounts of weight or do l follow the recommendation of a doctor who has 40 years of experience and scientific data to back him up? Most of all, do I go against my conscious to further support the slaughter of innocent animals so I can "lose weight" and go on a program that I know from the start will not be sustainable?
The answer for me became a clear NO. I am not willing to do "whatever it takes" to lose weight. I am not willing to go against what I believe in my soul is right.
I know the price for this decision. I know that it means I may continue to struggle with losing weight. It's a chance I'm willing to take to stand up for what I believe is the right thing for me.
What about you? Are you willing to do "whatever it takes" to lose weight? It's not always an easy question to answer. It may take some soul searching and sacrifices to make the right decision.
Kathy
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