Every time I see an Instagram model promoting Flat Tummy Teas or a pill that claims to make you lose weight fast, I want to scream. It makes me incredibly angry because I know there are girls as young as thirteen who will show their moms the products and beg to have them.
I’ve been there: scouring the internet for easy fixes and quick remedies when in reality, trending teas and products that promise to make you feel good about yourself offer nothing in comparison to what practicing a healthy lifestyle does. Take it from me — I’ve struggled with my weight my entire life. I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic before I was even a teenager.
It’s overwhelming trying out every new diet and following its radical restrictions. It makes you miserable. Brand new information and research are released so frequently that it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the day, diets only work until you reach your goal, because they don’t help you keep off the weight you’ve lost. You have to understand that the benefits of temporary solutions will never outweigh the results of long-term efforts. People are desperately looking for shortcuts and nicknaming it as “working smarter, not harder.” We crave instant gratification and the means to achieve something so worthwhile in a matter of days and weeks. However, what is worth having is worth fighting for and deserves your time and effort.
The truth is, Chloe Ting’s “Get Abs in 2 Weeks” will not be your salvation.
Spoonfed solutions sound so appealing but pale in comparison to what the pairing of clean eating and consistent, challenging exercise can do for you. Your ambition, strength and perseverance will be your salvation, not only regarding your health but in every aspect of your life. Pay attention to the promises you make to yourself, rather than the ones that companies that feed off your insecurities will offer you.
Some of my friends have asked me what my secret is, and there is none. I’ve made an effort to completely change my life in the quantity and quality of what I eat, how many times I exercise a week, my relationship with food, and how I look at and think about my body. It doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a lot of self-reflection, discipline, honesty and tenacity. But good things don’t always come easily.
And they shouldn’t.
The feeling of working hard to feel healthy by yourself and for yourself is unlike anything worth $19.99.