Top 10 Lame Excuses for Why You Can’t Lose Weight

1. It’s in my genes

This is another way of saying "I can’t change; it’s out of my control". Take a good look at your behavior. Are you eating past the point of being full, or when you are not hungry? If so, I’ll bet it has a lot more to do with your behavior than your genetic make up.

2. My mother is fat, my father is fat, and my dog is fat

I’m not surprised. You had to learn your overeating behaviors from somewhere, and the most common place is from your family of origin. Consider choosing one context in which you overeat and designing a new behavior that works better.

3. I have a bad metabolism

This is another "I can’t change" rationale. If it were all about having a fast metabolism, how come there are overweight marathon runners? Being slim is not about your metabolism, it’s about your ability to match your intake with your metabolism, whatever it is.

4. I have big bones

So show them off! The size of your bones and the amount of spare fat on your body have nothing to do with one another. You know this. If you want less fat on your body, change your behavior around food and exercise.

5. I just love food

If you let food be your lover, than you will continue to have the effects that you have now on your body. Have you ever fallen out of love (think high school heart throb)? You can fall out of love with food too, and into love with life and vitality.


6. My body just holds on to weight

The amount of weight your body holds on to is a function of how much energy it needs to function, and how much energy you put into it. In other words calories in – calories out = weight loss or gain. Different bodies at different times need different amounts of energy to function. They key is matching your intake to your burn rate, whatever it is.


7. If I even look at a brownie I gain weight

Are you sure you’re just looking? It might be time to look instead at your eating behavior. Do you eat when you are not hungry? Do you eat past the point of being full?

8. I’m an endomorph

This is a code word for having a stocky build that easily bulks up. It’s also a way of saying that you can’t change. Think about difficult things that you have been able to change in your life. If you can change those then I’ll bet you can change one behavior around food and exercise.

9. It’s my blood type

Is there anyone on the planet with your blood type that’s slim? Then you can be too.

10. I have no willpower

Great! Willpower implies that you have to will yourself to do or stop doing something that you want to do. Rather than focusing on restraining yourself from the things you want, focus on all of the benefits of healthy eating and exercise.