"Converse"ations with Meg

Pet Peeves

I personally have lots of pet peeves. People who drive slow in the fast lane, people who FaceTime in public, people who stand in the middle of the Walmart aisle with their buggy, just standing. Thinking of these things just crawls all UNDER my skin. However, none of these even COMPARE to my biggest Pet Peeve, companies that take advantage of people by preying on their desire for health.

I spent many years of my life overweight, not a little bit overweight, but a lotta bit overweight. In fact, by doctor’s standards, I am still considered obese and or overweight. However, as overweight as I am still considered, I am healthy. I exercise everyday, I eat clean and make the best food choices I can 80% of the time, those are wins for this body. I say that to say, years ago, before my weight loss journey, I would have been the perfect prey to these companies. I was so desperate, I felt trapped in my body and I looked for anyway out. I would have fallen prey to these ideas of “magic coffee” or before and after pictures of people who lost 15.5 pounds in a week, simply from a cleanse.

I am sorry, but a cleanse does nothing. Your liver was put in your body to detox, so if someone tries to sell you something to detox your body, please respond with “I am good actually, my liver is fine.” (Stolen from @unfattening on Instagram) Unless they are trying to sell you another liver, they aren’t selling you a detox.

How about “magic coffee?” I am here to tell you, nothing is magic. If you see that word, RUN. Explain to me how logically, a drink can cause the fat to fall off of your body? It may suppress your appetite by putting something in your belly, keeping you from eating and in turn, helping you eat less. But no, the coffee itself does not melt fat from your body. What your losing, excitingly enough, is weight from your bowels.

What about a wrap? No, just no. (Can you tell as I type I am getting more and more frustrated? Ha) A wrap may cause you to sweat, getting rid of water weight, but that does nothing for your body. As soon you eat or go back to your lifestyle, that wrap magic of water weight, it will be right back.

I am saving my favorite for last, fat blocking pills. Now really, just stop that. Let’s say, just for fun, the pill really does in fact let all the good stuff from pizza into your body, but catches and blocks all the bad. How cool! But what exactly have you put in your body? How have you fueled it?

Here is the secret, the magic to weight loss and health. Fuel. You have to fuel your body with things that are good for it, and limit the things that are bad. Try the 80//20 lifestyle. Eat clean foods 80% of the time and limit the junk to only 20%, add some exercise 3 or 4 times a week, and watch the changes that happen to your body. The important thing is not necessarily weight, but that your body is moving and receiving the fuel it needs to be healthy! It is so important to transform your mindset from “how can I lose weight or be healthy without actually doing anything” to “what can I put in my body to fuel it.”

You do not HAVE to have supplements, shakes, wraps, pills, or coffee, it is just not necessary. Please do not let someone’s Facebook or Instagram post convince you that you do. The truth, the hard truth is, if you really want to lose weight or be healthy, you have to be mindful of your choices and you have to put in work. It is NOT an easy road, nothing is magic. Believe in yourself enough to put in the work, you CAN do it!