About Icebergs

“It all starts in your head with a decision.”
– LB

Lately, I started to hear admiration regarding my body’s transformation. My story is deeper than those comments because it wasn’t about my physical transformation as well as it was about the weight I had lost. It was a whole new story. Undeniably, my body became healthier and fitter, however my mind shifted.

When you ask any fitness influencer what one should do in order to reach their weight goal – whatever it is – , the influencer will talk about the importance of getting seven plus hours of sleep per night, strength training three times per week or even doing 150 minutes of physical activity per week. They will insist on your diet through the calories deficit, maintenance or surplus based on your primary goal; they will talk about the importance of the macronutrients and water. All of this makes sense from a scientific perspective. However, fitness coaches forget to mention some deeper changes that you need to make happen.

Talking from experience, I always struggled with my overweight appearance since I was born and it followed me through nineteen years of my life. I started to go on diets from when I was an eight-year-old child. I was always intimidated and bullied by other kids. I was labeled as the “fat stupid kid”. Believe it or not, I was so desperate and naïve then. On the 23^rd of February 2020, I started a new diet. Just like every month, at first I wasn’t motivated and I felt like giving up. What influencers don’t tell you is that the root to succeeding in such a journey is to learn to accept your body.

You don’t lose weight because you hate your body; you do because you accept it so much and care for it to the point you choose what’s best for it and do something about it. Being overweight with acne, I had a tough time accepting my body – as well as myself – but the thing I was sure about is either I should gather my love and acceptance, or give up on the body I always dreamed to have. That’s when self-acceptance and self-discipline overlapped.

Self-accepting my body gave me all the discipline and confidence needed to go into such a journey.

“I’m proud of who I am, no more monsters I can breathe again.”
– Praying by Kesha

I needed to be confident enough in my own capacities and those of my body. Trusting myself and the process was vital, especially when fat was dropping slowly or when I used to plateau and see no changes on the scale. This was my biggest mood destroyer: when the scale used to go down, I was happy and I thought that it was my lucky day. However, when it used to go up, I was devastated; when millions of factors such as water retention, late meals last night, fluids losses and gains and many others could be its real cause.

Giving up was my easy option but I told myself that what comes easy will be taken from me in the blink of an eye. Instead, I chose to keep on trying. I chose self-discipline. Self-discipline is needed in every successful journey. It’s built and can be made into a habit through the simple changes you make in your everyday life.

It’s the thought you have in the morning that keeps you going when you want nothing more than to give up.
It’s choosing the hard way when everyone is taking the easy road.
It’s about relying on your will and self-power instead of detox teas and quick unsustainable fixes.
It’s the decision to follow the sustainable way to do things, even if it will take more time

.

Freedom from the traps of laziness, weakness, and fear.
The way you talk to yourself and hold on when you’re halfway through your planking exercises and you want to fall on the floor.
The option to make your decisions based on what you want most later instead of what you want now.
To sacrifice your current pleasures for bigger rewards to come.

Enduring through physical and mental pain to see the gains rising.
Finishing the race when your body hurts and it’s giving you every reason to stop it.
It’s ignoring the discouragement you try to give yourself and focus on the deep motivation you have within you.
Discipline is doing the extra repetition, even if you don’t want to do it because your brain is tricking you into thinking that you’re tired.

It’s getting back on track with your diet after a cheat meal or an overeating act, even when you feel like your whole diet is messed up.

However, my self-discipline would have never been built if I didn’t accept myself first for the way I was. Telling myself everyday when looking in the mirror that I deserve the best and that I’m also beyond capable of doing what’s best for myself. Consequently, the ultimate advice trainers won’t give you is the necessity for you to have self-love.

Today, I can assure you that my lost kilograms are the tip of the iceberg; the hidden part is my growing self-love, self-acceptance, self-confidence and self-discipline. The bigger part of the iceberg is always the hidden one. My weight loss was a life changing game for me: it was deeper than just weight; it was truly the only way for me to get rid of all of my fears, self-doubts, lack of trust towards myself, and my commitment issues.