Slim Chance
I was filming a documentary-style programme for Channel 5 entitled ‘Fat Families – Slim Chance’. One of the mothers was a massive 27 stone (378 lb/171.5 kg) in weight and she was just 27 years old. Even worse, her daughter was 141/2 stone (203 lb/92 kg) and she was just 9 years old! As you can imagine the mother – Michelle – had a suitcase full of excuses, but one excuse she couldn’t make was she didn’t have enough time. Time was one thing her entire family had plenty of. She didn’t work and rarely left the house. In fact she hadn’t even been to the supermarket herself for over 4 years! The first time I saw her I said, ‘Right, we’re going shopping to get some healthy stuff in.’ Immediately it was met with a ‘but I can’t, because…’ response. She claimed she couldn’t go because she was tired and had a bad back. This is what I call a ‘double but’. The more ‘buts’ a person has the bigger the health and fitness problem, and, of course, the bigger the actual butt!
Now if I thought she had had a back so bad that she really couldn’t move then I would have left it. However, I’ve been in this business long enough to know that anyone that size didn’t get that way without a million ‘I can’t, because…’ excuses. The fact is that if at the end of the shopping trip someone had been there to reward her with a cheque for £100,000, she would have been skating round the aisles.
It’s sad that most people will get excited about money but very rarely about their health, yet without health, without the confidence that a vibrant and trim body gives you, as I’ve already pointed out – you’re poor.
‘But What About M.E.?’
I realize that some people do have a genuine reason to feel lethargic; in particular I’m talking about M.E. and CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). Not everyone who has been diagnosed with M.E. or CFS genuinely has those conditions; many just have a lack of physical fitness and mental drive. However, for those who genuinely have these conditions they are certainly very real and drinking a few freshly extracted juices isn’t going to cut the mustard. But again even those genuinely with M.E. and CFS don’t have to let their illness control every aspect of their lives and having M.E. or CFS doesn’t mean you can’t do anything to help the situation. The biggest problem with those with M.E. and CFS is that they tend to say, ‘But I can’t as I have M.E.’ before they say anything else. This often leads to a state of helplessness and a brain which in the end refuses to seek possible ways to improve the situation.
There is NO QUESTION that no matter what the disease, if the person DOESN’T SMOKE, drinks very moderately, EATS WELL, has a positive outlook and does their best to do as much exercise as they can, as well as seeking out as much good air and sunshine as possible – THEY WILL FEEL BETTER than if they didn’t make any changes.
The truth is even if you have been diagnosed with either condition and you want to improve you must, like everyone else, stop the ‘buts’ and do everything within your power to help your situation.
‘But what’s the point…I’ll never look like Jennifer Aniston’
Yes, and I’ll never look like Brad Pitt, but so what? It’s not about looking like someone else, or being like someone else. It’s about getting a better body shape for you and being a more vibrant you.
When I was fat and covered from head to toe with psoriasis, I used to look at people with good physiques and clear skin and dream of being them. What I was wishing for was not to be them, but a slim and clear-skinned me. I’m not exactly the best-looking biscuit in the barrel, and I certainly don’t have a true six pack or a perfect body, but I’m a slimmer, trimmer version of my former self. I have the energy I need and I’m as happy as pie with it.
You may never look like Jennifer Aniston or Brad Pitt, but then neither will Jennifer or Brad. It’s no secret that magazine pictures of glamorous celebrities are not exactly the real deal. Some of the best make-up artists, photographers, lighting experts and airbrush wizards have all played their part in making them look incredible. Don’t get me wrong, Jennifer and Brad look good with a capital G and of course genes clearly played a part in this, but we should never want to be other people – we are all unique and we should always embrace that.
Never lose you. You are unique and you should ALWAYS want that distinction.
‘But I don’t need to change because…compared with most I’m doing OK’
One of the biggest mistakes people make is to compare themselves with other people in order to gauge their own success. But are they comparing themselves to people who are at their peak mental and physical condition, or to the masses who are suffering from overweight, lethargy and ill health, and who may end up with heart disease, cancer and an unfulfilled life?
Feel Like an Instant Success – Hang Around with Losers!
The easiest way to feel like a good tennis player is to hang around with people who can’t play as well as you; the easiest way to feel slim is to hang around with people fatter than you; and the easiest way to feel extremely healthy and full of energy is to hang around with people who are ill and can’t move!
One of the easiest ways to feel ‘OK’ or to feel successful is by comparing yourself with those people who aren’t doing as ‘OK’ as you. But just because you are doing ‘OK’ compared to them, it doesn’t mean for a millisecond that you are actually doing OK.
That’s a Bit OFF!
It’s like the slim…ish person who hangs around with people who are larger than they are – it’s what I call the ‘OFF’ (Obligatory Fat Friend). Sure, compared to their fat friends they seem to be doing ‘OK’ on the weight and health front, but just because they are slimmer than their friends it doesn’t mean they are not fat! It simply means that compared to them they are doing ‘OK’ and compared to them they are slim. But if you saw them on their own or up against some people at the peak of their physical fitness they would look fat and instantly feel that they weren’t doing that ‘OK’ after all.
In the area of health it’s so easy to feel good compared to most people. Heaven knows all you have to do is hit the gym a couple of times a week and eat a few pieces of fruit and you’re already doing more ‘OK’ than most. But this may be nowhere near what you need for you to get the body of your dreams and energy levels you crave.
The only person you should ever compare yourself to is you. Only compare yourself to how good you can be in a particular area of your life, not how great you are compared with other people. You know what you are capable of and you know exactly what is needed for you to feel successful. Success cannot be gauged by money or even body shape; success is doing whatever it takes on a daily basis to truly live as opposed to exist. You can be slim and feel like a failure or overweight and feel like a success. Being a success is not the end result: success is a daily feeling; it’s based on whether you feel you have done what it takes today to get your best tomorrow at the same time as enjoying the present. It’s about hitting your head on the pillow at the end of the day feeling proud and fulfilled – that’s true success.
We all have a choice and we can spend our lives doing just ‘OK’ or we can decide to step up a level and finally do what it takes to get the body and energy levels which will enable us to truly excel. It’s