How many times have you said to yourself or others something like, “I want to lose weight, but I just don’t have time right now!” or “I’m too busy to lose weight!”
I’ve heard it many times from people who say and even believe they really want to lose weight. Some know they need to lose weight because of serious health issues.
What does it really mean, though?
If you’ve said or thought it and wish you weighed less, try rephrasing the reason you’re not losing weight without using the words “too busy,” “too much to do,” or “not enough time.” Go ahead. Right now. Take a minute and write it down.
So what is the real reason you aren’t losing weight? It isn’t because you’re too busy.
As someone who is very experienced at using “too busy” as an excuse for all kinds of things, I can tell you that it is code for a variety of things, but mostly:
1. This isn’t important enough for me to make a priority
2. Things I do for everyone else are more important than doing things for myself
3. I’m interested, but not that interested right now
4. I need help managing my time because I put more things on my “to do” list than is humanly possible to complete
5. I waste a lot of time doing unimportant things
How many of those are true for you?
Most of us have a pretty constant level of "busy-ness," and it is based upon our personalities. Some people seem to fit way more into their days than is humanly possible. Some need to keep their "to do" lists smaller to avoid becoming anxious or because they don't like having their lives feel cluttered. Others are less motivated to do more than the bare minimum.
If, like most of us, your level of "busy" is pretty constant, and you think you’re too busy to lose weight, it really means you're unwilling to make time for it. Not willing to give it a top priority in your life right now. And that’s okay. You get to make that choice.
Just stop using “too busy” as an excuse and be honest with yourself.
You see, we all have 24 hours each day, and every day we decide how to allocate that time. Some days, unexpected things happen that take your time. That seems to happen to me every day. Still, we seem to make time for the things that are most important in our lives.
As Charles Buxton said, “You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.”
Here’s the real irony. Losing weight and being thin can actually take less time. Yes, it initially requires time to change your habits, which involves being mindful of how and what you eat. But really, that doesn’t take a lot of time. It takes a little time to make sure you have access to healthy foods, but it takes time to buy food anyway. Why not choose wholesome things? And it takes time to add a little exercise if you aren’t already doing that.
But eating and living the naturally slim lifestyle means you actually save time because you aren’t wasting your time doing these things:
1. Obsessing about food all the time, and what you should and shouldn’t eat, how many calories and carbs are in each item, and so forth
2. Spending a lot of time trying to choose the outfit that makes you look the least fat;
3. Reading about the latest diet fad that you hope will miraculously end your weight problem, but won’t; or
4. Being sick because you neglect your health
Busy is in the eye of the beholder. There are people who work 50 hours a week or more, care for young children and maintain their home, and there are people who don’t work outside the home, and have no children or anyone but themselves to care for. Both may believe they are busy. I know people in the former category who have time to eat healthy food and exercise every day and people in the latter who don’t do either.
It all comes down to choice. There are many things competing for our attention, and we can't do everything at once. When losing weight and being your healthiest are important enough for you, you will make time for it.
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