In any walk of life it’s easy to compare ourselves to others, and you might find that you compare yourself to others when losing weight.
This is perfectly natural because you might see others as like a benchmark or guide as to how well you are doing. Unfortunately, this is often unhelpful and will only make it harder for you to lose weight.
To help you be more successful with losing weight it’s very useful to know these 4 reasons NOT to compare yourself to others when losing weight:
1. You have more frustration
When people compare themselves to others, they often compare themselves to people who are doing better than they are.
You might have a family member, friend, or work colleague, who seems to be doing well with their weight or are looking fit or healthy, and you feel like you can’t match up.
This is why comparing yourself to others leads to frustration and even jealousy, which doesn’t make you feel good. It can also make you feel more despondent and less motivated to lose weight because you feel like you aren’t doing as well. This can easily throw you off track.
The reality is that some people are doing better than you, some people are doing worse than you. So let’s not compare ourselves to people that are doing better and then feel bad about it.
Accepting that you will do better than some people, and not as well as others, takes the pressure off. You no longer need to live up to the achievements of others.
2. Everyone is different
Everyone that you compare yourself against is different. They are in a different position in their lives, have a different personality, and have a different history.
For example, someone may have many time pressures from work or looking after their children, whereas someone else may be retired and have more free time to exercise and look after their diet.
Someone may suffer from depression and struggle with daily life, whereas someone else may be a highly motivated and positive person.
Someone may be new to exercise and can’t burn many calories at the start and therefore need to do more with their diet to lose weight. Someone else may have been exercising for many years and can burn lots of calories and don’t need to do as much with their diet.
This all shows that it’s unrealistic to compare yourself to others when losing weight, because you are comparing yourself to people who are NOT the same as you, and are NOT in the same position as you.
People find it easier or harder to lose weight than other people for various reasons, and this is normal. We are better off accepting this, rather than ignoring this fact and expecting to be the same as anyone else.
3. You cannot control others
With losing weight, people try all different kinds of methods. This could include trying various types of exercise or trying various diets or eating plans.
You are likely to be heavily influenced by this, if you are constantly watching what other people are doing and comparing yourself to them.
People will therefore often change what they are doing with their diet or exercise based on what someone else is doing, NOT what’s best for them. This can really throw them off track.
So rather than being pushed about by what other people are doing, which you have no control over, and which often changes on a whim, it’s much better to think about what’s right for you.
You are not in control of what other people do, but you are in control of yourself and what you do!
4. Most people are not weight loss experts
The people that you compare yourself with and who you let influence you, are highly unlikely to be experts about losing weight.
For example, you might compare yourself to someone who’s lost weight, but how long will their results last?
They may lose 10 pounds over 2 weeks by going on a crash diet and you might think how you would love to do the same. BUT this is an unhealthy way to lose weight because they will have lost water and muscle weight, and they will quickly regain this weight when they return to normal eating. It would be a big mistake to follow this person.
The vast majority of the time when people attempt to lose weight, they do things that don’t work over the long term. This leads to more frustration, much wasted time in their life, and more time struggling with their weight.
It doesn’t make sense to copy what other people are doing, unless they have achieved long term results or are experts. Otherwise, you will end up with the same poor results that most people get!
It’s always best to focus on YOU
The way to have the least frustration and get the best results with losing weight is to focus on you and what you are doing, NOT what anybody else is doing.
You are unique and you are different to every other person on the planet. You have your own life, your own personality, and your own history. What works or doesn’t work for anyone else doesn’t necessarily apply to you.
The main thing that matters is what will work for you. What will help you lose weight? And just as importantly, what will help you keep the weight off?
Getting help from other people, especially experts, can be extremely helpful. Yet, comparing yourself to others or copying what most people do to lose weight can be extremely unhelpful.
Keep your focus on YOU and what’s best for you and your life!
With BoostMyLife you will learn how to lose weight properly based on your personality, your situation, and your life. This gives you the best chance of losing weight and keeping it off over the longer term. Start today with the BoostMyLife Online Program.
James Porter
BoostMyLife Founder
P.S. Get your FREE copy of The Top Ten Mistakes You Must Avoid When Losing Weight
