So I was in the gym yesterday, you know, having one
of my “puny, I'm-too-skinny” days.
As I look at myself in the mirror, I’m thinking, “Gosh, I look small today. I wish I could get bigger. Maybe I should eat more. I need to gain about 5 pounds. Okay,
I’m really gonna start eating more.” (I know, great positive self talk, right?)
But…I just can’t seem to follow through. I want to gain muscle, yes, BUT…the fear of having a fat stomach (which is where all of the fat that I gain WILL go) holds me back. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not someone who keeps my calories super low and restricts my carbs or anything-at ALL. I eat enough to maintain where I am, I eat enough to feel satisfied, but when it comes down to it, I’m NOT eating enough if I am serious about putting on more muscle. The thing is, I’ll maybe eat a lot for a day or two, or maybe even a couple of weeks, but then I start to feel fat and think I’m eating TOO much, and I start cutting back.
So many people never fully commit because when it comes down to it, they just don’t want it bad enough. Obviously, they are satisfied enough with themselves to stay where they’re at. Maybe they kind of want to change; maybe it makes them feel better to SAY they are going to change…but when it comes down to it, they don’t really want to put forth the effort it requires OR make the sacrifices it will take to achieve their goal. But to achieve any goal, you can’t just go after it with half hearted efforts-you have to go ALL IN! You have to be 100% committed to doing whatever it takes…or else you will fail.
I used to think I could never relate to this mindset…I mean, if you want something, just freakin’ do what it takes to get there, right? It’s not that hard! That is, until it dawned on me today that I am the same way with my muscle building efforts! So I guess I sort of had an epiphany today: I am just like everybody else! I have to either go after what I want 100% or be content to stay where I am. And if I choose to be satisfied with where I am, then fine-I’ve put in the work, I’ve trained hard for over 10 years to gain the muscle that I have now…but am I content with just being “satisfied” ?? Hmmm…well, the answer is, I don’t know.
You have that choice also, to be satisfied with where you are now, or to go after what you want. Just remember: you have to be 100% fully committed! Do you really want it or do you just kind of want it? It makes all the difference.
But…I just can’t seem to follow through. I want to gain muscle, yes, BUT…the fear of having a fat stomach (which is where all of the fat that I gain WILL go) holds me back. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not someone who keeps my calories super low and restricts my carbs or anything-at ALL. I eat enough to maintain where I am, I eat enough to feel satisfied, but when it comes down to it, I’m NOT eating enough if I am serious about putting on more muscle. The thing is, I’ll maybe eat a lot for a day or two, or maybe even a couple of weeks, but then I start to feel fat and think I’m eating TOO much, and I start cutting back.
So really… I must not want it bad enough,
right? I go back and forth between just wanting to stay where I am and having a
lean stomach, OR putting on some fat so that I can grow more muscle. See, the
more muscle you already have, the harder it is to put on MORE, and that’s where
I am right now. It is HARD. Do I really want to do what it takes to get what I
desire? Am I really committed…or am I just content to stay where I am?
Then I started thinking about how this is how
people are with weight loss. They SAY they want to lose weight; they complain
about how they can’t stand the way they look…but they won’t ever fully commit
to doing what it takes to change it! It’s easy to talk about change; it’s much
harder to actually take action and follow through. So many people never fully commit because when it comes down to it, they just don’t want it bad enough. Obviously, they are satisfied enough with themselves to stay where they’re at. Maybe they kind of want to change; maybe it makes them feel better to SAY they are going to change…but when it comes down to it, they don’t really want to put forth the effort it requires OR make the sacrifices it will take to achieve their goal. But to achieve any goal, you can’t just go after it with half hearted efforts-you have to go ALL IN! You have to be 100% committed to doing whatever it takes…or else you will fail.
I used to think I could never relate to this mindset…I mean, if you want something, just freakin’ do what it takes to get there, right? It’s not that hard! That is, until it dawned on me today that I am the same way with my muscle building efforts! So I guess I sort of had an epiphany today: I am just like everybody else! I have to either go after what I want 100% or be content to stay where I am. And if I choose to be satisfied with where I am, then fine-I’ve put in the work, I’ve trained hard for over 10 years to gain the muscle that I have now…but am I content with just being “satisfied” ?? Hmmm…well, the answer is, I don’t know.
You have that choice also, to be satisfied with where you are now, or to go after what you want. Just remember: you have to be 100% fully committed! Do you really want it or do you just kind of want it? It makes all the difference.
This is so funny that you posted this article today. I connected soooo much to what you said about gaining weight. I say I want to be bigger and put on more muscle, but as soon as I start to build more food into my daily eating I am conscious of the way my clothes are fitting or feel like I'm gaining fat instead of muscle so I stop and go back to what I was doing before. Then I get frustrated with myself. I go between wanting to lean out and wanting to get bigger. It's so frustrating!
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