From Blog
You vs society
The hardest part of changing how you eat and train is the people around you. Why your circle may push back, and why your conviction is the only thing that carries you through.
Published
by Adarsh Gopal
The most painful part of making any change to your lifestyle — through food choices or exercise — is dealing with the people in your immediate surroundings for whom your behaviour is alien and makes little sense, since being stronger or leaner isn’t a priority for them.
This will suck for a few reasons.
Your plate of food gets scrutinised for its strange, unfamiliar proportions. It helps to make fun of yourself. People won’t see the value of whey protein. Whole eggs, according to them, will raise your cholesterol. Worse yet, folks with no knowledge will label whey protein as steroids, your protein intake as dangerous, or your diet as overly processed — blissfully unaware that almost every food on our modern plate has been through multiple stages of processing before it reaches us.
Your conviction is all you need and all you have to tide you through the noise and prognostications of uninformed naysayers. Ironman nailed it with this quote: “Listen, smile, agree, and then do whatever the f**k you were gonna do anyway.”
Progress is determined solely by the number on your training log, the inches lost or gained as measured on a tape, your blood work, and your appetite for work, play and life. What food goes on your plate, and which plates go on your bar, are all that matter.
There is a good chance your immediate circle of friends and family — and broader society — will be your adversary for any positive health intervention. Your conviction to be better, your will, and your desire to prioritise eating better and training consistently are all you will have to work with through the headwinds of your immediate environment. And if you do have friends or family who embrace and support you on your journey, give them a virtual or actual hug and a protein shake.