Flipping the Script

The other day I was checking in on some longtime friends from an old diet group I was in eons ago.  I asked how everyone was doing and updated them on our newest workout program and using Cronometer to track our nutrition now.  I was waiting to hear what they were up to...health or otherwise.  The first responder said, "I’m glad you're trying something that's challenging. You two need that. I’m happy with simply walking and weights."

You two need that? and the phrase "simply walking and weights" I don't know why but something about the way I read those hit me wrong even if nothing was meant by it.

I didn't dwell on it, but I asked the Mr later on if he saw the check-in post and he said yes. He said that he wondered what she meant by that since he didn't know her but it seemed like it could be snarky or like she thought we were doing it wrong since all she has to do is walk and weights.  I responded to her about some other things and told her we tried walking for six months last year and got all hot and sweaty for zero pounds or inches lost, so, unfortunately, that approach didn't work for us.  (Lest she thinks we didn't try something along those lines, we did, it just got us nowhere except tired because we got up earlier to do it.)  Her response was, "I know you like challenges."

And I thought, "you know what?  I do like challenges!"

Regardless of what her intent was and I hope it wasn't negative even if it kind of came off that way to us, I wish I was someone who could walk and get results.  I might be able to maintain with that method, but I can't lose weight or inches doing it.  She took a different weight loss path than we did and walking and weights work for her, and good for her.  We all think that the way we're doing things is the right way to do it, but the fact is we're each doing things the right way for us.  Each person's health journey is different and what works for you, won't work for someone else whether it's with your food or your movement.  Our genetic and gut make up are completely different from each other.  Heck, sometimes what works for you for a long time suddenly won't work anymore!  Then you have to look at other opportunities to change things up, throw your body off, and work to get things moving in the right direction again.  You have to ask yourself if you're just putting in the bare minimum to get by then wondering why you're not seeing results.

Am I whooped and feel kinda broken some days with this new program?  Yes but I know I'm also still adapting to it, and it gives two less amped days of the week (Tuesday and Friday), so your body can recover a bit before a full rest day on the seventh day which is a better approach than we've taken in the past.  I don't know if this will be our big plateau buster or not but we won't know until we try.  I don't know if people are looking at what we're doing and going, "why are you doing something so hard when you don't need to?" and the answer is because I can.  I watched my mother struggle for over a full minute to come up two steps into our house last week with the aid of a cane and the Mr.  That ain't gonna be me if I can help it.

When the day comes that I'm looking to maintain on purpose and can do walking and weights, I'm all for it.  I know I have a lifetime of mental struggles to get past to be successful with the rest of the weight I have to lose.  I know that my knee jerk reaction is always negative and trying to read between the lines.  I'm trying to flip the script and accept the compliment in what she said that may or may not be there.

In the end, even though I hate the saying, it's true...

I will continue to walk the path that we set for ourselves picking up bits of knowledge along the way and tweaking as needed.

How do you flip the script when faced with a comment you don't know how to take?

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