Viewer Mail.

by

I’ve been thinking that I should thank you for the MizFit site.

I sometimes tend to think “Wow you/this guest chef/this commenter is so fit/eats so healthily, I’m not nearly as ‘good’ as s/he is. I can’t do that.”

I’ve had an eating disorder for 12 years, and for the last ten of those years, it’s been a yo-yo between extremely restrictive eating and compulsive over-eating (which are just two sides of the same coin with my ED).

It’s only recently that I’ve started thinking of food as fuel, seeking better nutrition, and exercising for how it makes me feel and to keep my body healthy.

In the past, my #1 goal was to be “skinny.” When I read some posts/comments, the seemingly unattainable “ideal” comes back. There’s a “perfect” clean eating diet and a “perfect” physique (i.e. your famed MizFit arms).

My problem (and this is MY problem, not that of the website) is that I turn suggestions like removing the bun at fast-food restaurants into rules.

Instead of seeing that as *a* way to eat healthier, I see it as *the* way to eat healthily. So I forget that I would seldom dream of ordering a cheeseburger, Dr. Pepper, and french fries, not because I’m restricting myself from eating it, but because it sounds gross.

I sincerely don’t want that heavy, salty, greasy mess in my stomach.

I forget that I order grilled chicken sandwiches on whole wheat with no cheese and lots of veg because that’s what tastes good to me now.

I forget that I don’t buy foods with chemicals in them, that we have grilled or baked chicken breasts and complex carbs, that I serve veggies with every meal and make sure my son knows that some foods are fuel and some foods are just treats . . . in short, I forget that it’s all about taking steps to be healthier, not magically fitting some “perfect” mold.

I’ll admit that I have trouble not seeing this lifestyle change as a lose-weight-diet and that I sometimes catch myself looking for signs that I’ve lost weight or buying clothes that don’t fit “quite yet.”
You drop frequent reminders to avoid that mentality, and it actually works . . . cumulatively if not immediately.

Overall, I can say: your website has helped me be a healthier, happier person.

I wanted to post this letter NOT because of its compliments but despite them.

I want to let all of you sit with it and, if you’re so inclined, tell me what the email makes you think.

what fitness sites/blogs in general trigger you to feel?

are they motivating? do you read entries & think “GO YOU!!” & click away feeling empowered by the words youve read?

on other days, with less upbeat posts, do you stop for a moment & feel NORMALIZED knowing that others struggle as you do? uplifted by the opportunity to cheer onward someone who might be struggling?

I clearly recall posting what I eat and having a commenter remark that I wasnt eating clean by any stretch & telling me precisely why & what I should change/eliminate in my diet.

Now some of it is semantics (I chose the term ‘eating clean’ since I dont follow a known diet-plan such as South Beach) yet all of it (how I eat. how much I do or do not exercise) is created with the backdrop of “I can SO do this for the rest of my life!” in mind and definitely not perfection. As a result I didnt let the commenters words impact me either way.

This sentence?: this guest chef/this commenter is so fit/eats so healthily, I’m not nearly as ‘good’ as s/he is. I can’t do that.

I have to admit Id never pondered the notion of reading comments, sighing inwardly and thinking “Crap. Why am I even bothering?!”

This: food as fuel, seeking better nutrition, and exercising for how it makes me feel and to keep my body healthy.

Entirely my goal and it’s emails such as the above which, I hope, help me to stay accountable, on track, and painfully aware of every word I type both here and on other people’s blogs.


(quick, awkward, disjoined subject change)

This next email I toss back at you, Oh Wise Bumbling Band:

How the heck do I get rid of this loose skin from my weight loss? I have muscle underneath my flesh, HOWEVER I still jiggle in the middle, on my inner thighs and tricep areas. It makes the whole losing weight thing frustrating because the only time I look good is in pants and long sleeved tops. And it’s inconvenient for summer time. PLEASE HELP!

In working with clients who have lost a great deal of weight (& Im unsure if this is the emailer’s experience) and have excess skin (not fat) they’ve either chosen to live with it or had it surgically removed.

Many times, with majormajor weight loss, there can be no other way to ‘lose’ or tighten the excess skin.

Anyone out there have firsthand experience with this? Had the surgery? Thoughts either way? Help a fellow MizFit out & hit us up in the comments.

(veering awkwardly again. this time into the weight room)

Last week you did the press for chest. can you show us the fly please?

The dumbbell fly is similar to the dumbbell press in its form (INHALE as you lower the weights slowly & EXHALE as, in one swift movement, you bring the weights back together).

The main difference is in how the dumbbells are held (see below).

It might help to think about hugging a barrel (or a keg. either way.) as that will remind you to keep your arms nice and rounded.

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Comments

  1. Interesting about the way different fitness and nutrition blogs strike us. Lots of people find Mark’s Daily Apple tremendously inspiring, but sometimes I find it depressing, because I am SO not willing to go as far as he does in terms of modifying my diet. But then all I have to do is go out to a mall food court and see what most of the rest of the world chooses to eat, and it puts it in perspective.

    I think it’s important to figure out what’s important to each of us, how much energy we want to put into it, and just do our best!

  2. I think Crabby’s last sentence sums it up for me. Sure, I could “be better” “work harder” and follow what I read somewhere to the letter. But it’s really about finding what makes me feel good physically and mentally/emotionally. Sometimes that does mean following someone’s advice, and sometimes it means going out on my own.

    I respect the opinions of every blogger I read, and there are many things I’ve incorporated into my own life that I’ve read here and elsewhere. But I don’t take you guys as the law!

  3. I think the major realisation that I came to a couple of years ago that really helped me was that most of the people out there on the forums, writing their blogs, are just ordinary people, struggling with their lives in much the same way as I was. Once I realised that, their advice and experiences seemed to be just so much more applicable to me.

    There is absolutely no question that my “internet friends” have been an irreplaceable and huge amount of support to me during my “lifestyle change”, and they continue to be. And there is a constant supply of new, fresh advice and new wonderful people to meet (like you!).

  4. good point(s).

    For me the gift of aging is that I’ve come to realize the EASIER something looks (from Ms Danielle Steele churning out her novels to Ms. Dara AMAZING Tores) the more difficult it must be to execute.

    I think that’s what prevents me from reading:

    I ran 11 miles this morning before work.

    & immediately plunging into a shame spiral (shout out to Stuart Smalley).

    M.

  5. I think that when it comes to most diet and fitness blogs or forums I use them as thought provoking fuel. Some are inspiring, some make me stop and think critically and some I downright disagree with. Often I see things that make me realize things I appreciate about myself, other times I’m reminded about how far I have left to go or I’ll see something that catches my interest and it will help me forge a new direction.

    Most sites, I graze. Others, Mizfit include, I read in a bit more depth. When people are remodeling their homes, people suggest you browse pictures in magazines to see what you like and what you don’t like and go from there. That is sort of how I come to blogs. It can get to be information overload and on days when I go to my running forums and see people telling me not to sprint until I’ve been running 30K a week for 6 months and then head over to the daily apple and find that I need to sprint and should ditch the slow cardio or I’ll surely die I need to remind myself that this is an enormous collection of opinions and occasionally there is some research or science thrown in. It can be overwhelming but since I’m a scientist I have to accept that no one study means anything much at all until it is a whole mass of push and pull and the evidence gathers. The contradiction is only confusion if you lose site of the appropriate perspective so I try really hard to keep the perspective and as I get to know the blogs I regularly read I know where to go when I’m having a bad day and where to avoid.

    Getting fit is a big journey for me and blogs are like museums, travel agencies, travel magazines and road maps all rolled into one. I’ve discovered running and kettlebells online and learned heaps all through blogs and when I’m feeling really crap I usually get a good comment and some support from a reader on my own blog. So even when you take the good with the bad… it’s all good out here!

  6. Coolest thing about your blog: the simple changes. The reminder that there is no shame in carrying your goals with you. You have this whole “the world is a play ground” attitude and you remind me in quite a few ways that there is no shame in baby steps.

    And why do people always have to be like that whenever they get diet envy? Seriously now… Eating Clean??!?!? WTF is that supposed to mean? Unless you’re growing your own veg out back using filtered water imported from 1885 and soil that has never been touched by rainfall, there is really no such thing as “eating clean” anymore.

    That commenter sounds about as assinine as all the people that give me sh*t for going vegan.

    Love you Mizfit 🙂

  7. I often forget why I started this journey in the first place. I remember back then it was all about losing weight. I just wanted to be skinny. I was tired of being massively overweight. Everytime that I choose salad instead of fries or water instead of pop; it was because I knew I’d gain weight if I choose the fattier option. But somewhere along the line, I realized that I came to really enjoy these healthier options. I prefer water over pop and I’d rather have the grilled chicken instead of the double bacon cheeseburger.
    Losing weight and changing your lifetsyle is just as much mental, if not more than physical. I think it takes a while for your mentality to catch up with a new healthy lifestyle.

  8. Sometimes, the Bag Lady will admit, she feels woefully inadequate when she reads health/fitness blogs. Some of them she looks at once and never goes back, ’cause there’s no way she’s EVER going to manage to incorporate that particular *thing* into her lifestyle.
    Sometimes, she will also admit, she feels superior (not very freakin’ often, mind you) because of something else she reads somewhere. (Mostly to do with the struggle to find *clean” food…. she grows a lot of her own)
    She truly enjoys reading a couple of health/fitness blogs because she finds both the blog authors AND the commenters inspiring, and that keeps her coming back again and again. She has incorporated several of the ideas that she has found on those blogs into her life and feels better for it.
    She also enjoys the “life is a playground” attitude that she finds on those two particular blogs… (pretty sure anyone who reads health/fitness blogs knows who the other one is….Crabby!) – some folks seem to think that life is a big competition to see who can be the fittest, or thinnest or healthiest, but that attitude seems to be missing from the blogs she enjoys the most. Isn’t life supposed to be fun?
    *Okay, could go off on a tangent here, so stopping now*

  9. I lovpreciate when you guys take the time to write such thought out comments!

    *blows protein-packed kisses*

    me? Im off to the aforementioned playground.

    oh that I were kidding—-it’s monkey bar time up in herre.

    M.

  10. Very interesting post! For me, health & fitness blogs are all about the DIALOG, not taking someone’s word as the authority. Unlike magazines where you are passive, blogs allow you to interact and, as is the case with my commenters, change points of view. Hearing everyone else’s thoughts just helps me clarify my own. Although I can totally see what your letter-writer means. I do have fits of “I’ll never be good enough”. And I have an all-or-nothing personality, which is a blessing and a curse so I tend to take things to the extreme. I have a therapist. I’m working on it.

    As for your ridiculous “clean” commenter, I can’t remember for sure but if you are referring to me I truly apologize again. I was going through a real cranky stage then.

    @the excess skin question – sadly, your experience has been mine also. I know that a lot of people say if you just lose enough subcutaneous fat then the skin will eventually shrink too but I don’t think that holds true for massive weight loss (or even for some minor weight loss – you should see how pregnancy has stretched me out!!)

    Keep up the good work!

  11. Eeek, that viewer’s mail rather resonates with me in that I follow quite a few fitness and health blogs and my goodness but they do nothing but confuse me. Some are so strict and extreme and thus incredibly intimidating. And don’t get me started on the abundance of diet plans in existence…eat no more than 1200kcals, never eat less than 1500kcals, no grains, wholegrains, low carb, low cal, low fat, high fat, shakes bars and snacks, wholefoods, no snacks, skip meals, meals every 2-3 hours…it boggles my wee brain.

    What I love about MizFit and her site is that the site and its information is incredibly accessible…it’s for folk who’ve never set foot in a gym as much as it can be useful for the ardent gym bunny…it encourages honest healthy eating and living but the world won’t end because of a jelly bean, thank God.

  12. giggling charlotte that A. youd think it were you who’d made the comment (it wasnt. cant recall whom as methinks it was a onetimevisitor) and B. I ALWAYS chortle when people call themselves CRANKY now as I immediately think of our fabulous favorite fitness crustacean.

    M.

  13. The comparison thing almost bit me in the heinie when I first started working out. Another woman who worked out at the same place loved to tell me about how much more she was doing. Lifting, lunging, cardio, etc. On and on an on, and I was feeling very discouraged until I remembered that my weight loss and fitness efforts were all about me, not about her. I just kept plugging away at *my* plan. (It brings me no joy to report that I’m now 90 lbs lighter while she is back where she started.)

    As for loose skin, I’m living the flabby, saggy life now, and it’s not a sexy body, but it’s a much healthier body, one that might see me through for another 40-50 years. I’m going to spend the next year trying to firm up whatever will firm up and then learning to live with what remains. Something tells me this will be much harder than losing the weight ever was. 🙂

    (Oh, and well done with the 11 miles!)

  14. I wanted to point this out, Cammy, in case people missed it:

    I’m going to spend the next year trying to firm up whatever will firm up and then learning to live with what remains. Something tells me this will be much harder than losing the weight ever was.

    I want more. Why? (harder) Why? (would you never consider surgery)

    inquiring minds and all…

    Miz.

  15. Great email. I am shifting my focus from weight loss blogs to health/fitness blogs. I am in the healthy weight range for my height, and although I would like to be a little leaner, I am trying hard not to be obsessed. Reading weight loss blogs sort of feeds my obsession. Reading your blog and similar blogs helps me to focus on the health and fitness aspect. Hopefully I will get leaner, but I don’t want to get obsessed about the number on the scale. As far as eating clean, I am striving for 80/20. I want to eat clean 80% of the time and not worry about it 20% of the time. Life’s too short to stress out about eating carrots at a party. And I love me some cake.

    I love the videos that show us proper form. I don’t want to be the girl that looks like she is going to hurt herself in the weight room!

  16. Charlotte hit it on the head for me with it being a “dialogue.” Some health/fitness blogs I read more often than others, but for the most part I feel like I am a part of a community that’s always having a conversation. Some have inspired me to try new things, some remind me of stuff I already know but sometimes forget, some I return to because I want to give support to their goals because I know how much it has meant to me with achieving my own goals. I think we all have something to offer/share whether someone is a blogger or a commenter and the constant-ever-changing conversation is what makes/keeps it so interesting.

    On the loose skin…I have lost over 70 pounds and was able to loose my excess skin with weight training. However, I have also worked with clients that have lost the same amount of weight or more and could only use it via surgery. In my opinion, I think that each case is individual and that genetics/skin elasticity play some sort of role.

  17. Feel the need to clarify – the Bag Lady reads other health-fitness blogs that she enjoys – most of them found through your blog and Crabby’s….

  18. First of all, I agree completely with the first emailer: one of the things I aDOOOOORE about La MizFit is that you are (a) so very SMART about this stuff and (b) so very NOT holier-than-thou and fanatical about it.

    I don’t read a great many fitness blogs. They depress the hell out of me, pardon the obscenity. I am never going to achieve that level of dedication and I don’t want to. I want a balance between exercise, fitness and the many other things in my life that I love. I will do what I need to do and what I can do, but I am never, never ever going to be all about the exercise. It’s a part of my life, and an important one, but not the be-all and end-all of it. So I want to be able to get advice and tips and encouragement and feedback from someone who understands that concept, and who is still freakin’ awesomely knowledgeable about the subject.

    One of the things I adore about the health/weight loss/fitness blogosphere is that so many of us are doing such different things…yet we can all manage to support one another. We all want to be healthy and the best we can be…and there’s so little know-it-all-ism and criticism of each others’ choices. If I’ve learned anything at all it is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. People are different and “what works” is different for everyone.

    So when I stumble on a blog that purports to tell me what I should be doing and why what I am doing is wrong, I browse it for ideas but I generally don’t stumble back. When I stumble on one that talks about what the writer has done and the process in general, I usually give it more attention. And when I find one – like this one! – that is full of helpful and interesting stuff without ever preaching anything at all…it goes on my blogroll. 🙂

    V.

  19. Charlotte’s comment about what pregnancy has done to her body makes me wonder what people’s experiences are regarding loose tummy skin from pregnancy. Does it ever eventually go back? My youngest is 18 months, and my tummy is pretty flat, and I don’t have “loose” skin. It’s more of a crepeiness (is that a word?) above my belly button. I just wonder if it will continue to get better or if there is something I can do to make it smoother. I’d love to hear other people’s experiences.

  20. I’m in the inspired camp 99% of the time. A few examples: When Katieo posted the video of her shopping for her size 6s, I cried I was so inspired and still occasionally go back and rewatch when I need that extra boost. Reading about the pushup challenge got me doing it. NO WAY would I have attempted 100 pushups otherwise. And now, 4 weeks into it, I have come up with ways of using their strategy to reach other goals. Roni’s Greenlitebites? Totally inspired several meals at our house and her honesty about getting surgery to remove extra skin released a lot of guilt and worry I had about doing the same at some point in the future. Reading your site has encouraged me to get back to weight training and spend a little less time looking at the number on the scale. And Charlotte’s experiments makes me think about mixing up my workouts a little more often than I might otherwise. Not to mention all the times I think “Thank god I am not the only one who does/thinks/wonders that!!!”

    But yeah there are definitely the occasional moments when I read something and think “There is no way in hell I could ever do that”

  22. I think that the first email really is true for many people who are trying to be healthier- we have to remember the goal is to be healthy, and not let it turn into something too obsessive. We’re doing this because its what we WANT, not because we feel we *ought* to do it. And especially if you have a history of disordered eating or similar, its very easy to fall from one side to the other.

    Thanks for the video demonstration!

  23. I find most blogs inspirational. Sometimes a blogger will stop posting or gloss over things because they only want everything to be upbeat and I think they are doing themselves (and their readers) a disservice. None of us are perfect and we can only help each other by admitting that and sharing the ways we overcome things.

    I do stop reading blogs that are continous complaints though — if someone is full of excuses and whinges about life without ever looking for solutions then I don’t want to read them, just like I wouldn’t want to be around them in real life.

  24. Reading the H&F blogs usually gives me some inspiration, plus a useful tip or three I can stick in my back pocket to use. Sometimes they make me think. The think posts usually inspire me to write something myself.

    I don’t often consciously compare myself to other writers. Because I’m not that far into this journey and I have different issues. (no past food/eating issues but plenty of negative self issues – and I’m just recognizing that I have always been an active person. JUST recognizing that at 56!)

    Thank you for that video.

    THIS delt fly you showed is similar to the move I’ve been trying to get comfortable with this February. (It totally kicks my butt on the incline bench.) I pray that someday I’ll find the love…

  25. More? You want more? I already wrote a freaking novel.
    Sheesh. Well, okay, I’m chatty, if nothing else. I’ll try not to muddle this, but no promises.

    The move from “dieting” to eating for health and exercising to be fit was a big mind shift for me, but it wasn’t that hard when I got into the routine of it. I set goals and had measurable ways to monitor them. Success was all within my control. I’m thinking that the mindshift to being not only tolerant but *content* with my body will be more difficult, in comparison, because I’m still fighting 50 years of cultural conditioning on what constitutes a “good body.” I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished with losing weight and unearthing rarely-if-ever used muscles, and I’m wise enough to know that I’m much better off for it, physically and emotionally. My body and mind are stronger than ever. But in the end, this body is just not “pretty,” and while that wasn’t the goal anyway, it’s still difficult to see in the mirror every morning (think: shar-pei http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Shar_pei_welpen.jpg) And there’s only so much control I have over that. Time and genetics have their hands in the success equation with this one, and I can’t control either one of those. What I *can* do is exercise faithfully, eat healthy foods, and try to keep my focus off *some* aspects of the external package.

    I’m not going to say a firm *never* on the possibility of surgery. In fact, at some point along the way I will talk to someone about what options are out there. I’d hate to be unhappy with my body only to find out a relatively minor procedure could have improved things dramatically.

  26. Cammy – I LOVE that pic of the Shar-peis!!! I totally get your point, but that pic just makes me wanna squeeze ’em and get lost in their folds 😉

  27. Hmm. I stay away from blogs where I feel the individuals are preaching, and holier-than-thou. But the great bloggers never make me feel inadequate just because they eat more veggies than me, or can lift more weight, or run further or faster. They give me good ideas and make me laugh and it’s fun recognizing that we all go through the same issues, no matter where we are on this fitness path. But I am guessing that this issue is far, far more complex for people like your letter-writer who are in the process of struggling with eating disorders, and I think it’s really brave for her to be honest about how some of these sites make her feel!

  28. thanks for saying that Fitarella.

    I was beginning to wonder what it said about me that I felt the same lost in folds longing 😉

    M.

  29. i love this site!!
    don’t have anything to add…but i just had to give a shout out to all the great comments. i look forward to this read everyday!
    i am always inspired by some bit of info miz or a bumbling band member has given.

  30. Loving this whole discussion.

    For me, I try to keep it real, while not limiting myself. Keep perspective when reading what others have to say. I am a wife and mother and friend and have hobbies, so I can’t/don’t want to work out and strength train hours a day. It is unrealistic, so comparing myself to someone who does seems silly and self defeating.

    I suffer from ‘positive self talk’ as opposed to ‘negative self talk’ and think that anything is worth a try. And then if I don’t fully succeed (thinking swimming laps here), I just focus on how far I got as opposed to where I started and make a new goal or move on to something else that has caught my eye. The fitness related blogs I read are all about progress and positive thinking and creatively making it work. I think we all have struggles and even the ‘professionals’ have off weeks or whatever, but I don’t want to hear about them. I can look at where I come up short for that, so with the time I spend online, I want to be inspired to reach my maximum potential. It is so uplifting for me to read stories or the process of someone pushing themselves, regardless of their fitness level compared to mine.

    My two cents- hopefully it doesn’t come off as snooty.

  32. I always learn a few things here and there but amd never emotionally attached to something I read on a blog. Take it for what it’s worth: learning from someone else’s experience that may/may not benefit you.

    I hope no one takes my site too seriously. Or they’re going away very, very insulted.

  33. I’m right there with most of the posters — especially mamarunswithscissors. Not much to add, other than I love coming over to this site every day and learning new things, getting reminded of others.

    I find that I say this to myself a lot: Run Your Own Race, Felice. Not just when I am actually running a race (good advice then) but in ALL aspects of my life — exercise and eating, how I look, what my kid can and can’t do, what I can and can’t buy. It is so easy to get caught up in the proverbial “keeping up with the Joneses” in life that you just have to put a stop to it. It is easier said than done, I know. But, really, reminding myself — and I sometimes say it out loud (i’m totally someone who has conversations with myself) — to run my own race helps a lot.

  35. Aha, you hit upon something that I’ve been thinking about. I’ve been attacking my weight loss and fitness goals with an eye towards what I would be willing to do long-term, long after I’ve reached my weight goal. As a result, I have resisted doing things that would probably speed me to my goals more quickly, on the basis that I wouldn’t want to keep doing it. For example, I don’t count points or calories. I find the experience of doing so, even for a short while, as tedious and aggravating. Instead, I’ve focused on eating “better” and on portion control. I will also eat food that isn’t good for me (fast food, or my weekly 2 slices of Costco pizza), because I know me, and I know I would burn myself out if I tried to always eat “right,” or if I kept telling myself what I’m not allowed to eat. I try to eat the bad stuff in moderation.

    Am I undermining my goals? Perhaps, though I’m also doing things I think I can sustain over the long haul, so I’m much more likely to stick with it. But there is also uncertainty. Will I be able to achieve my goals without making additional (more restrictive, tedious) changes? I don’t know the answer to that. And it’s something I think a lot about, especially when my weight loss efforts stall.

    I gravitate towards blogs where I can relate to the poster — in other words, a person who has both ups and downs, successes and struggles. I have trouble staying engaged with sites that are all “rah rah” all the time, and/or those that always eat the right thing, exercise the right amount, etc. I admire their accomplishments; I just can’t relate. 😉

    Er, perhaps I need an editor. I sort of went on and on…

  36. You know, I don’t read too many H&F blogs. I like this one because I do pick up some great tips but also because of the community. I mean, I end up giggling at someone’s comments on pretty much ever post (for example, Cammy’s shar-pei comment).

    That said, whatever issues I’ve had with my own weight/fitness/appearance has always been tempered by my own limitations of what I am and am not willing to do to get there. Yes, I want to be healthy and fit and happy with myself…but I also want to join my family for ice cream if we all feel so inclined. I want to pass on the idea *balance* to my girls — because teaching them uber-restrictiveness is just as bad as teaching them unhealthy habits in my book.

  37. I truly think we need to remember that we’re all just doing the best we can every day. I’m not always as active as I would like to be but I really do the best I can. I can’t even imagine how you ladies with children manage to find ways to get out and get fit every day with all of your responsibilities at home. And heaven forbid you have a job on top of that! I know the idea is to schedule fitness and make it a priority just as you would any other “meeting” you have going on in your life but let’s face it, it doesn’t always happen that way. No two of us are alike and I think as long as we’re out there making an effort that’s truly what matters.

  38. Gosh, is there anything left to say here? You guys really hit on some major good points. The only thing I’d have to add to the discussion is that perfection is an impossible and unhappy goal. I tried for that when I was younger and spent too much time and energy working out and restricting myself (only to end up binging on food later — like your first viewer mail there).

    Honestly, there’s more to life than fitness and being healthy 100% of the time. You have to live. I find that eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re full, and fitting in exercise that you like when you can is a sure step to being a balanced individual.

    As for other fitness blogs, I find that many of them give a great message. Others are perfectionists that don’t interest me. Same goes for fitness magazines.

    In summation, perfection sucks! Reality wins! 🙂

  39. Wow. Thanks for posting this…our health/fitness/food trials go in so many way and different directions. I wish more people would realize that we all have hurdles to clear…and no two stories are alike.

  40. I read tons of weightloss/fitness blogs, but I only bookmark a handful (including yours!)! I can tell if the blog is going to resonate with me by reading a dew current posts and if it does, I go back and hit the archives.

    Basically, if a blogger (intentionally or otherwise) makes me feel unworthy or like I’m “doing it wrong” I will probaly just click someone else on their blogroll!

    Anytime someone is TOO restrictive and bordering on an eating disorder, I scram! That stuff hits too close to home.

  41. no 2 stories are alike yet, at the core, we really are all the same.

    Cheesy? Yes.

    True? Fo’ shizzle.

    M.

  42. Personally, I stay away from fitness blogs which position themselves has being the latest authority on whatever topic it is they are covering that day. They tend to make me feel inadequate, and I never get to see the human face behind the massive amount of advise.
    No, I like blogs like yours, Charlotte’s, workoutmommy and Cranky Fitness, where I feel like I am talking to other individuals working on doing their best, making mistakes and learning. They help me put my own struggles into perspective, find new ideas, relate, interact etc. Yes, it is a dialogue.

  43. When I first started blogging, I tried to be one of those “this is what you should do” blogs. I tried to post expert advice and the “right” way to do things. I quickly realized that it was far more interesting to people if I posted the tips that worked for me AS WELL AS my struggles with following “the rules.” I blog about it when I run 10 miles before breakfast, but I also blog about it when I skip dinner and eat a pint of ice cream instead (or both!). No one is perfect and I think it’s important as a health and fitness community to share those imperfections with each other. It’s great to hear that others do the same thing, and we can come up with coping strategies together!

  44. I read a variety of blogs on lots of topics. I like that a lot of fitness blogs cover more aspects of ones life, eating, exercising, how to get through the day and get stuff done. All the little tips are priceless and add up quick. Reading about other people’s success stories just reminds me that anything is possible!

  45. I am always intrigued by fitness information. Sometimes, it’s to get ideas on what others are doing so I can apply it toward myself. Sometimes it’s to motivate me by seeing what others have done, or are doing. Sometimes I just like to look at the pictures and say “wow!” — look what they have done — and leave it at that.

    Nutrition is the hardest part for me – the wrong foods are just too tempting sometimes! So, like my life, I tend to focus more of my attention on sites that address workouts and personal successes as opposed to nutritional sites — although I do find these useful.

  46. I read blogs as suggestions on how to do things, camaraderie of eating and new ideas for food/workouts, etc. I do my best to be healthy BUT when I slip up (like this week) I like to post about it so other people can see that there is no such thing as perfect. You just do the best you can.

  47. wow, so many great comments!

    “Run your won race” —I am soooo stealing that one!

    and also “Fo-shizzle”. I just want to say it over and over, even though I am definitely too old to be using it!

    I tend to steer away from the gung-ho h/f blogs mainly because they stir up my negative self chatter. I love the information and learning new stuff, but can’t get over the “why can’t I do/look like that” feeling.

    I love this blog b/c mizfit keeps it real.
    Fo-shizzle! 🙂

  48. NO WORRIES Workout Mommy!
    Fo shizzle your little heart out and, if peeps look at you askance (as they are wont to do), just toss off an:

    You know, like the kids used to say!

    Works every time.

    M.

  50. Wow! So much to think about here.

    I agree with the emailer about learning to fuel the body for activity. It’s all a learning process.

  51. Loving all the great comments! I read (and lurk) at a variety of H&F blogs. I like the instructive ones and I like the personalized ones too. I do get a “normalized” feeling from some and I like that but I have no problem admiring someone else’s awesomeness. Plus, I take it all with a grain of salt. Bree VanDeKamp on Desperate Housewives runs a perfect household but the people inside it are a mess LOL. We all have areas in which we excel so I refuse to let my successes or failures in one area totally define me.

  52. Ok, who hacked into my head and wrote that first letter? Seriously. From the ED with the restriction and binges, all the way down to doing it “right” and forgetting how I eat normally and how easy it is to confuse health and weight loss.

    Dude. SERIOUSLY.

    As far as maintaining a balance and not getting all riled up and disordered about things? First off, I am very, very, very, VERYVERYVERY selective about what I read, especially when it comes to h/f blogs. I love this one because right about the time I’m feeling like crap, MizFit will post something like Heavyweight Yoga” (which I don’t know how to link to in a comment – little help, Miz?), and that reminds me that it’s NOT ABOUT my weight. I like Cranky Fitness for the same reason: pretty much zero focus on weight loss, more focus on the hows of working out. All told I only read about 3-4 h/f blogs regularly, so that I don’t get totally crazy.

    I also read a lot of stuff in the Fatosphere, because even though I might not “qualify” for acceptance in the Fat Club (probably in the Almost-Fat Club, though), those blogs are full of women who are talking about exercising and eating well and feeling great no matter what they weigh. I need to hear/read that in order to remind my riled-up, disordered self that I REALLY am okay the way I look now. (Also to remind myself that exercising won’t necessarily make me skinnier, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do it.)

    I can send you links if you want. It seemed sort of rude to post 3 or 4 or 5 links to other blogs here, but I can send you what I read most, if you want. I’m mjlmcd (at) hotmail (dot) com. Or you can follow my name through to my blog and just go down the list on the right side. (That gives you more anonymity, if that’s where your head is at right now. :D)

    And MizFit? Thank you SO MUCH for the awesome how-to videos on the free weights! Seriously, I need those. 😀

  53. I started my blog as a visual food diary & a place to record stats about my weight loss & exercise. I’m not a writer & not very wordy on my blog but I really appreciate those blogs that are…I usually leave feeling that I’m not alone & enjoy participating in other people’s
    successes & empathize with them when they’ve hit a wall.
    I get alot of inspiration from the people who are experiencing success especially those who’ve lost a considerable amount of poundage like I have to.
    I’m not a natural athlete & tend to be attracted to starting slowly & so am intimidated by all or nothing approaches.
    Participating in the weight loss/fitness blogging community is the one of the best things I’ve ever done to feel better about the weight loss process. It’s a terrific sister/brotherhood!

  54. i have to constantly tell myself that just by eating one or two things that don’t fit into my regular diet/lifestyle plan, i won’t gain weight. for example, 100 calories of anything doesn’t make you gain!

  55. So true, eurydice.
    A good friend often remarks to me that it ISNT the desserts ordered out and enjoyed which make/made her gain weight—-it’s the pints & pints eaten AFTER that at home (waves to our good friends Ben & Jerry) alone which contribute.

    this? 100 calories of anything doesn’t make you gain!

    so very true.

    M.

  56. I always gain inspiration from the blogs I read (espcially MizFit’s site!). I never come away with the “I can’t do that” feeling. If anything, it lets me know that I CAN.

  58. I can definitely understand where the first person is coming from. Generally when I read sites like this I am encouraged and get more ideas for working out. But sometimes (especially with food sites) I can get down in the dumps about feeling like I don’t have the time or energy to eat as healthy as other people and I have to remind myself to be more positive sometimes.

  59. I tend to be inspired by other people’s stories, struggles, thoughts and ideas. I figured out a long time ago I’m not going to achieve perfection – and if I stray from that realization there’s my son, my husband and everyone else who can yank me back to reality! Not perfect, but pretty darn good anyway.

    Re: loose skin. Darn, I was hoping for a magic wand. I’ve lost a lot of weight and gravity is working overtime on certain key areas. I don’t hate it, just sort of wistful about it.

  60. I found this particular blog by accident. MizFit has been a positive cheerleader on my personal blog where I’ve been trying to lose weight. I enjoy this site because I can get motivated or interested in fitness, which is new for me. I have SOOOOOO many questions to ask~

    I really liked the comments about loving your *healthy* new body, despite the fact that it isn’t what you call aesthetically pleasing. The #1 reason I want to lose weight is to be healthy…looking good naked is only #4. THAT was really inspirational for me, as I am struggling with some 33 lbs of weight loss and “bingo lady” arms that I’ve got.

  61. You were mentioned on HG! Ha! How HUGE is that!? Congratulations!

    I love the first viewer mail. How inspiring.

  62. This is interesting to ponder. I’ve never really paused to wonder what I really really think/feel when I read others’ health/fitness blogs.

    You know, what I really enjoy the most is the different styles of writing! How funny is that? 🙂
    I really enjoy getting to know the personality behind the words typed on the screen.

    I don’t really compare myself to the blogger; we all have our own personal goals and levels of fitness, and that just makes it more interesting. I get inspired when I read about the ups and downs individuals are experiencing working towards their goals. I like reading about the things they’ve learned or fun fitness/health news/gadgets they’ve discovered… or just random, fun stuff.

    It’s all about getting to know others who are interested in a similar topic/field… and that’s kinda cool. 🙂

  63. I am 46 and for the first time in my life, losing weight is a real struggle. I’ve tried a gazillion diets (I’m now on the ‘Flat Belly Diet’ from Prevention). I’ve found that the only thing that helps is excercise: I make a goal of working out four times a week, alternating walking 30 minutes one day, and doing weights with hand weights at home the next. The weight is taking forever to come off which is frustrating, but I am making progress.

  65. I look at some fitness blogs and wish I were more like certain people (like they’re fitness level, for instance), but I find it motivating and inspirational rather than discouraging. I may need to expand this into a post of my own…

    P.S. After watching your video, I think I’ve been holding my arms too straight when I do dumbbell flies. Maybe that’s why the insides of my arms, below the elbow, are sometimes sore afterwards?

  66. such interesting, compelling & great points all.

    THANKS SO MUCH YOU GUYS.

    My emailer let me know s/he’s on vacation—-I cant wait for him/her to see your thoughts.

    M.

  67. So many great comments on this post!

    I feel exactly the same as your emailer. When I read health and fitness magazines, or see people at the gym. It’s like they are dictating rules – a doctrine to live my life by. I find it impossible to take their Fitness Advice as anything other than gospel.

    The great thing about blogs like yours is that they have this honesty to them that Health Propaganda (health advice to anybody else, but I am incapable of taking things with a pinch of salt) does not. Because blogs are people’s lives – the ups and the downs, the clean meals and the cookies.

    Blogs like yours remind me that we are all humans muddling through life. If anybody followed ALL the health advice they had EVER received to the letter (like I feel I should) they would be the most obsessive, disordered person ever.

    Paradoxically, if we were flawless in our attempts to be healthy, then we would NOT BE HEALTHY.

    TA x

  68. I read other blogs for inspiration. It helps me think that maybe I can do things too, but I only ever look at the blogs as suggestions- its people saying this is working for me, maybe it can for you too. I don’t see blogs as orthodoxy- a set of rules. I admire people who can maintain a strict lifestyle. I admire people who can admit when its not working. I admire people who encourage others with their inspiring words, or with their humour, or with their knowledge.

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